Darwin-Wallace Celebration. 49 



of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, but as a 

 representative of the whole Swedish Nation, and I want 

 to express our gratitude towards British Science and British 

 men of Science for everything we have obtained from you 

 during a most friendly intercourse for centuries. 



It is generally conceded that the Swedes, Linnaeus and 

 Artedi, by their classification according to logical principles 

 and their firm nomenclature, have founded the modern 

 Natural Science. Both, however, most willingly admitted 

 that they had learned much from their British predecessors 

 " nobilissimum Willughbejum " and " clarissimum Rajum." 

 Both Artedi and Linnaeus, who inaugurated the new era, 

 had also the opportunity of personally visiting Great Britain, 

 and they not only widened their knowledge here, but at 

 the same time they received a very congenial welcome from 

 the great British scientists of those days, men such as Sloane 

 (then President of the Royal Society), Dillenius the renowned 

 Professor at Oxford, and many others. Artedi had not words 

 strong enough to praise " nobilissimam gentem Anglicam " 

 with which he had spent some of the happiest days of his 

 short life. And when Linnaeus left Great Britain he 

 returned to his great British Mecsenas, Clifford, who not 

 only most munificently assisted Linnaeus, but also made 

 science for ever indebted to him by resuming and offering 

 for publication the unfortunate Artedi's extremely valuable 

 manuscripts. 



To this distinguished Society the Swedish nation most 

 especially owes its gratitude for the pious care with which 

 it has kept the collections, books, and manuscripts of Linnseus, 

 which, when they by the power of circumstances were carried 

 from Sweden, could not have fallen in better hands, as 

 everybody readily admits. 



This friendly traffic between Great Britain and Sweden, 

 began in the dawn of Natural Science, continued by the 

 scholars of Linnaeus one of whom, Solander, remained 

 in this country has been kept up ever since, to which, 

 no doubt, some of the present scientists can testify. I hope 

 this has been to mutual benefit, although, naturally enough, 



E 



