[ 2 3 



This eminent man, whofe talents enabled him 

 to reform the whole fcience of natural hiftory, ac- 

 cumulated, very early in life, fome of the highcft 

 honours that await the moft fuccefsful proficients 

 in medical fcience j fmce we find that he was made 

 profejfor of phyftc and botany^ in the univerfity of 

 Upfal^ at the age of 34 and fix years afterwards,, 

 phyfician to his fovereign^ the late king Adolphus ; 

 who in the year 1753 honoured him ftill farther, 

 by creating him knight of the order of the Polar 

 Star. His honours did not terminate here, for in 

 1757 he was ennobled j and in 1776 the prefent 

 king of Sweden accepted the refignation of his 

 office, and rewarded his declining years by dou- 

 bling his penfion, and by a liberal donation of 

 landed property, fettled on him and his family. 



It feems probable, that his father's example firft 

 gave Linnaus a tafte for the iludy of nature-, 

 who, as he has himfelf informed us, cultivated, as 

 his firft amufem.ent, a garden plentifully ftored with 

 plants. Young Linn^us foon became acquainted 

 with thefe, as well as the indigenous ones of his 

 neighbourhood. Yet, from the ftraightnefs of his 

 father's income, our young naturalift was op the 

 point of being deftined to a mechanical employ- 

 ment : fortunately, however, this <iefign was over- 

 ruled. In 1 7 17 he was fent to fchool at fFexJiOy 

 where, as his opportunities were enlarged, his 

 progrefs in all his favourite purfuits was propor- 

 tionably extended. At this early period he paid 

 attention to other branches of natural hiftory, par- 

 ticularly to the knowledge of infedts : in which, as 

 is manifeft from his oration on the fubjecl, he muft: 



very 



OS 



