620 LINDSTRÖM, ON THE »CORALLIA BALTICA» OF LINN^US. 



continuing through more than one part and having the same 

 prseses for all, but a new respondent for each new part, had the 

 prseses for common author. In cases of only one part we must 

 depend on intrinsic evidences to determine the authorship. As 

 to the dissertation, »Corallia baltica», the inquirers have been led 

 astray, because there is no mention in it of LinNjEUS as its 

 author, be is spöken of as »Celeberrimus Dominus Prseses». Nor 

 is the circumstance that the treatise was afterward s reprinted in 

 the »Amoenitates Academicse» atnongst other Linnean treatises 

 a conclusive argument to corroborate its Linnean authorship, as 

 it is proved that some of the dissertations in that coUection are 

 written by the respondents, as for instance one by Löfling on 

 »Gemmse arborum», concerning which it is expressly stated that 

 Löfling is the author. On the other hand, the contents of this 

 treatise on the corals, which presuppose an author deeply con- 

 versant with the science, augment the improbability of Fougt's 

 being the author. What -is known of his studies and life 

 strengthens this argument. Born in 1720, he studied metallurgy 

 in Upsala, became a clerk to the Roy. Board of Mines (»Bergs- 

 collegium»), then went to England, where he became a pateutee 

 of a new manner of printing rausic with moveable type. After 

 his return he became a partner in the printing office of Grefing, 

 and låter its sole proprietor, when by royal letters patent it was 

 changed into the so called Royal Printing Office (Kongl. Bok- 

 tryckeriet). 1) 



Happily there cannot any longer subsist the least doubt that 

 LiNN^us is the true author of the »Corallia Baltica» since an 

 original letter from LiNN^us to his friend archiater Abraham 

 Bäck has been found in the library of the R. Academy of 

 Sciences in Stockholm, dated March 7th 1745, in which the 

 following Statement occurs. »Jag har nu en Disputation för mig, 

 De Coralliis Balthicis med 30 figurer, der jag rangerar de mesta 



') For further particulars about him see »Svensk Familjebok» in which his 

 biography is written by Eichhorn, and is not quite in accordance with that 

 in »Svensk Boktryckeri-Historia» by Klemming and Nordin. 



