Memorials of Linnceus 



THE LINNEAN COLLECTIONS 



Linnaeus acquired by his own collecting, and by corre- 

 spondence with other collectors and scientific men, a large 

 number of plants, insects, shells, minerals, &c., for which he 

 built, in 1769, a Museum at his country place at Hammarby. 

 The value of the specimens is much enhanced by the numerous 

 works on systematic botany and zoology which he published, 

 and for which they were to some extent the basis. After his 

 death in 1778 they became the property of his son, who made 

 considerable additions, especially to the herbarium. He died 

 in 1783, and the collections were then offered to Sir Joseph 

 Banks for the sum of one thousand guineas. Banks, who had 

 already a very large herbarium, was not inclined to acquire 

 them, but urged his friend James Edward Smith, a young 

 medical man who was much interested in botany, to purchase 

 them. With his father's assistance Smith became, in 1784, 

 the possessor of the whole of Linnaeus's library, museum and 

 manuscripts, for the sum of nine hundred guineas. The 

 transaction was hurried on from the fear of Linnasus's widow 

 that, on the return of the King of Sweden from abroad, she 

 might be compelled to dispose of them for less money to the 

 University of Upsala. The ship on which they were carried 

 to London had only just sailed when the King returned ; a 

 vessel was sent to intercept its voyage, and a courier was des- 

 patched by land to stop the ship at the Sound, but both were 

 too late. Besides many valuable books, the collections contained 

 19,000 plants, more than 3,000 insects, 1,500 shells, 2,500 

 minerals, a large number of corals, 150 fishes, and a few birds. 



In 1788, Dr. (afterwards Sir) James Edward Smith founded 

 the Linnean Society, which for some years met at his house in 

 London. At his death, in 1828, much surprise was felt that 

 the Linnean collections were not bequeathed to the Society but 

 were offered to it for 5,000. They were bought for 3,000 

 guineas, and have since been in the keeping of the Society. A 

 full account of their history will be found in the Proceedings 

 of the Society, 1887-88. 



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