140 The Origin and Development of Museums. (March, — 
and shells. This souvenir of the great man fills the heart with 
awe, when one considers the small number of objects forming the 
basis of his studies and voluminous works. 
Among the numerous museums which were arranged accord- 
ing to his system, and described by himself and his disciples, 
none gratified his pride more than the collection in the Jardin du 
Roi, in Paris, by order of the king, and against the wishes of 
Linnzus’ celebrated antagonist, Buffon, the director of this insti- 
tution. It will not, perhaps, be out of place to quote here an ac- 
count of it given in 1780 by a prominent American, in the letters 
of President John Adams : — 
“ Yesterday we went to see the garden of the king, Jardin du 
Roi, and his cabinet of natural history, a great collection of met- 
als, minerals, shells, insects, birds, beasts, fishes, and precious 
stones. They are arranged in good order and preserved in good 
condition, with the name of everything beautifully written ona 
piece of paper annexed to it. There is also a collection of wood 
and marbles. ‘The garden is large and airy, affording fine walks 
between rows of trees. There is a collection from all parts of 
the world, of all the plants, roots, and vegetables that are used in 
medicines, and indeed of all the plants and trees in the world. 
A fine scene for the studious youth in physic and philosophy. 
It was a public day. There was a great deal of company, and I 
had the opportunity only to take a cursory view. The whole is 
very curious. When shall we have in America such collections? 
I am convinced that our country affords as ample materials for 
collections of this nature as any part of the world.” 
The preéminent value of collections was first recognized when 
Sweden did not shrink from sending a man-of-war to recover the 
collections which had been sold in a legal manner to another 
country. The great advance made by Linnzeus was followed by 
unusual exertions and struggles in nearly every part of the civilized 
world. Every country had disciples of Linnzus as leading nat- 
uralists. Everywhere collections suddenly arose, and only a score 
of years was needed to recognize that, with the excessive vigor of 
this time, science had bequeathed a new law of the highest’ im- 
portance for collections: the most careful preservation of de- 
scribed objects, nowadays called types. This new law, seemingly 
of very small importance, soon gained the most powerful influ- 
ence over all museums, changing even their interior management 
and leading in a natural way to more appropriate arrangements. 
It became necessary to give to one person the power to govern 
