LINNJEUS. 



send a proper person to travel through 

 Lapland, Linnaeus, who had a strong incli- 

 nation to visit that country, was chosen 

 for the office. He set out in May, 1732, 

 very slenderly provided as a scientific 

 traveller, all 'his bag-gage with himself 

 being carried on a single horse. This 

 tour would have been much more inter- 

 esting to science had it been taken when 

 he was further advanced in his studies, 

 and better equipped for making observa- 

 tions. Its chief fruits were a "flora lap- 

 ponica," and some curious medical and 

 economical facts. 



Having learnt the art of assaying metals 

 at the mines of Calix, he gave lectures on 

 that subject, and mineralogy in general, 

 after his return. He improved himself in 

 this br .nch of knowledge by a visit to the 

 mining country round Fahlun, at the end 

 of 1733. He found, however, that a doc- 

 tor's degree would be necessary to his 

 further advancement, and in order to ob- 

 tain this, money was necessary. For this 

 purpose he was advised by a friend to 

 turn his thoughts towards a matrimonial 

 connection with some lady of fortune, 

 and having an introduction to the family 

 of Moraeus, the town physician of Fah- 

 lun, he ventured to make his addresses to 

 his eldest daughter Elizabeth, and was 

 favourably received. His indigent cir- 

 cumstances gave him little hopes of ob- 

 taining the father's consent ; but, to his 

 surprise, he only required a delay until 

 his exertions should open a path to a 

 comfortable settlement. Linnaeus there- 

 fore resolved to travel in quest of for- 

 tune and a degree, and having accu- 

 mulated his little savings, to which were 

 added those of his faithful Elizabeth, 

 he set out for Holland in the spring of 

 1735. 



At Harderwyck, as the cheapest uni- 

 versity, he took the degree of doctor of 

 physic, maintaining for his thesis, " Nova 

 Hypothesis Febrium Intermittentium." 

 He visited Leyden and Amsterdam, and 

 was particularly noticed by Dr. John 

 Frederic Gronovius, who, upon being 

 shewn in manuscript the first sketch of 

 the " Systema Naturae," requested it 

 might be printed at his own expense. 

 This was accordingly done at Leyden, in 

 1735, in a tabular form, occupying twelve 

 folio pages. By the advice of Gronovius 

 he waited on Boerhaave, who, on con- 

 versing with him, became sensible of his 

 singular attainments in botany, and ad- 

 vised him to remain in Holland. Munifi- 

 cence was not among that great man's 

 excellencies, and a verbal message, by 



way of introduction .to Burmann at Am- 

 sterdam, was the principal favour that 

 Linnaeus received from him. That emi- 

 nent botanist, who was there engaged on 

 his work on the plants of Ceylon, took 

 the Swede into his house, and treated him 

 with great liberality. His library and 

 collections were of much use to Linnaeus, 

 who there published his excellent work, 

 the " Fundamenta Botanica," the basis 

 of his system. While he was in this si- 

 tuation, Mr. Clifford, an opulent merchant 

 of Amsterdam, who had a fine garden of 

 exotics, having heard of the merit of 

 Linnaeus from Boerhaave, prevailed upon 

 Burmann to part with him, and took him 

 to his country house at Hartecamp, near 

 Haerlem. 



In 1736 Linnaeus, at Mr. Clifford's ex- 

 pence, paid a visit to England. There 

 were at that time few distinguished bo- 

 tanists in this country, and Dillenius was 

 the person whom he was most desirous 

 of seeing; Linnaeus went to him at Ox- 

 ford, and at first met with a cool recep- 

 tion, the old botanist having been offend- 

 ed with some of his innovations : after a 

 little conversation, however, he liked 

 him so well, that he detained him a 

 month, and strongly urged him to take up 

 his abode at Oxford, and share his salary as 

 professor. Dr. Shaw, the traveller, Mar- 

 tyn, Miller, and Collinson, also showed 

 him much civility; but Sir Hans Sloane 

 did not pay the attention to him which 

 might have been expected from such a 

 votary of natural history. Linnaeus re- 

 turned to Holland, enriched with many 

 new plants for Clifford's garden, the de- 

 scription of which, under the title of 

 " Hortus Cliffortianus," appeared in a 

 splendid publication in 1737, drawn up by 

 him, and arranged according to his new 

 system. He had already, in the same 

 year, presented to the botanical world 

 the essence of that system in the first edi- 

 tion of his " Genera Plantarum." 



In the year 1738, having received in- 

 telligence that he was in danger of being 

 rivalled in his pretensions to his mistress, 

 by the influence another had obtained 

 with her father, he thought it necessary 

 no longer to delay his return. As soon, 

 therefore, as he was able, after his reco- 

 very from a severe illness, he took his 

 way through the Low Countries to Paris. 

 At that capital he had recommendations 

 to the Jussieus, who received him with 

 great kindness, and made him known to 

 Reaumur and other eminent naturalists, 

 and showed him all the curiosities of the 

 place. At a visit to the Academy of Set- 





