A STUDENT AT UPSAL. 27 



Artedi had projefled the happy plan of introducing a new method 

 and classification in Ichthyology, which cheered and strengthened Lin- 

 naeus in his design to efFeO; the same in botany. The zeal of reform 

 animated both in their new hypotheses, and both were equally fortu- 

 nate in their exertions and discoveries, but not in their fate. Fate, 

 relentless Fate parted them-^they once more had the joy to meet, but 

 far from their country ; the imperious mistress of men tore, by the 

 most melancholy accident, a friend from Linnaeus, who was the com- 

 panion and promoter of his studies, and the delight of his academical 

 life. 



Meanwhile a new prospeQ; opened itself before LinnaEUs, to ex- 

 tend his learning. In 1710, when the plague raged at Uj?sal, and 

 forced the students to fly from this university, a private literary society- 

 was instituted under the auspices of Olaus Celsius, which was fully 

 incorporated in 1719, and confirmed by royal sanftion and privilege in 

 the year 1728. This society was in its flourishing infant state, and for 

 this reason the zeal for public researches and enterprizes was the 

 greater at that period. Its chief tendency was to objefts of domestic 

 natural history. Among all the Swedish domains, none was more 

 unknown in point of its produQ;ions and natural curiosities than the 

 remote, vast, and wild region of Lapland. Already in the preceding 

 century pains had been taken to remove this want of know- 

 ledge. Olaus Rudbeck. senior, undertook in the year 1695 to 

 travel through this extensive northern province at the expence of 

 Charles XL king of Sweden. He collefted many natural curiosities, 

 which were, however, destroyed by the great fire at Upal'm 1702, with 



fi a the 



