Freeman's Life of Kirby. 3547 



" Upsala, August 12th, 1805. 



" My Dear Sir, — As soon as I received your * Monographia Apum,' 

 two years ago, I returned you my sincerest thanks for it, and gave it 

 at the same time my full approbation. I then spoke only my own 

 opinion, but now I can tell you the public sentiment, which is every- 

 where on the Continent in your favour, even amongst the greatest 

 friends of Fabricius. A plus forte raison, it is very well received with 

 us ; and I have seen it reviewed in more than one place with all the 

 eloge such a valuable publication truly deserves. The letter you had 

 the goodness to write to me in the year 1803, and which came in the 

 box accompanied with the insects to Major Gyllenhal, I did not re- 

 ceive before the middle of the last year, and now I thank you very 

 kindly for it. What I have said above may partly serve as an answer 

 to it ; and I am very glad to hear that Fabricius himself is so open to 

 conviction, that he acknowledges his faults. 



" Herewith I inclose for you some Dissertations, which I beg you 

 will accept ; and if you should like to have any more of the same 

 kind, I will do myself the pleasure of sending them, as soon as they 

 are published. Those you may not choose to retain, you may give 

 to any of your acquaintances. But what I feel anxious about is to 

 hear your sentiments upon my ' Achetae Guineenses,' which I beg you 

 will let me know as soon as possible. 



" I am, Dear Sir, 

 " Wishing you all happiness, your very obliged, 



" Ad. Afzelius." 



The biography becomes so involved after the period at which the 

 I Monographia Apum ' was published, that we are unable to reduce it 

 to anything approaching to order or continuous narrative. It abounds 

 with letters, many of them excellent, instructive, and interesting, but 

 they seem to stand greatly in need of arranging and methodizing ; 

 indeed, though these letters may often be compared to pearls of price, 

 the connecting thread of material on which they might be strung too 

 often seems to be absent. The author here again appears to pet Mr. 

 Kirby for those very qualities which we think least meritorious, viz., 

 his anti-Bible-Society and anti-British-School prejudices. We are 

 told that on such subjects "none ever wrote in a purer strain of Chris- 

 tian charity than Mr. Kirby." To us it appears that the pure "strain 

 of Christian charity " is not exhibited in this way ; and we venture to 

 hope that the anonymous philippics attributed to Mr. Kirby, are, in 

 reality, none of his. Narrow views on any subject do not harmonize 



