» 999, THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
my of Science has in its possession no fewer than fifty-one 
letters from Back to the younger Linné, written during the 
father’s last years of illness and after his death, and others are 
preserved elsewhere.” 
Archiater Abraham Back was born at Gefle in 1713, was stu- 
dent at Upsala in 1730, took his degree of M.D. in 1740, became 
Assessor in the Medical College in 1745, acting Court Physician 
in 1748, and was appointed the following year Physician in 
Ordina: ’ 
College in 1752, and died in 1795. He was thrice President of 
the Royal College of Science, Stockholm. 
advantage of Ehret’s skill as draughtsman and to have opportunity 
of access to the Chelsea Garden and Sloane’s Museum. Miller 
had been very friendly, and had permitted him to take what 
specimens he wished. Collinson and Catesby are mentioned, and 
Back is lodging in the same house as Lawson, Linné’s old friend 
, 
out the names of dried specimens. He answered nothing when I 
said that the method was equally the best to determine living 
This interesting letter is followed by others from Paris 
and Berlin, containing news from that city about his old ac- 
quaintance. 
From the intimacy of this correspondence we glean many in- 
e : 
is possessed by the Linnean Society.) June 28th, 1751, he reports 
$s reached Poa in a week’s 
work. In another letter, dated March Ist, 1752, written by an 
r | Vv 
certam. The last reference I will give is April 13th, 1753, where 
he says: “ The lectures now will stop in a fortnight. I am afraid 
___ that ‘Salvius will overtake me in printing. Cryptogamia still 
