88 



L I N N U S IN ENGLAND. 



pleased with Boeriia ave's compliment and the presence of the young 

 man, who wished to raise his learning above all others, and to subvert 

 the orthodoxy of botanical science t. 



He 



f Sir Hans Sloane was a native of KUlyleagh in Ireland. He early distinguished 

 himself by his peculiar talents in natural history. Ray and the celebrated Sydenham 

 were Ivs professors and friends. In i6S j lie was cliosen member of the Royal Society and of 

 the Royal College of Physicians at London. Two years at;er he accompan.ed the Duke of 

 Albemap.le as gos&rnox to Jamaica, and was the first who distinguished himself by his 

 knowledge of the natural history of that island. He described its physical curiosities in two 

 valuable works, Catalog! Plantarum, quee in Insula Jamaica, sponte protrniunt, Lojid. 1696; 

 and The Natural History of Jamaica, two vols. Ln;,d. 1707 and 172 with 174 copper-plates. 

 On his return in i6^<), he was elected physician of Christ Hosp la), created a baronet, appointed 

 first physician of the army, first physician to George II. and in the year 1726 president of 

 the Royal Society, in the room of Si'- Isaac Newton. Thus the greatest man was re- 

 placed by the most remarkable. Sir Hans liad been admitted a member of the Royal Aca- 

 demy of Sciences at Paris in 1708. He was the Hippocrates of London ; his aftivity was 

 indefatigable, and as a fortunate inventor of many medicaments, he extended liis fame beyond 

 the grave. He terminated his celebrated career in the year i7j3, in the 93d of his age. 

 Philanthropy and patriotism were the leading features of his character. The beautiful bota- 

 nical garden at Chelsea was left by him to the Company of Apothecaries, on condition of 

 their introducing every year fifty new plants, till their number should araount to 2000. 

 Whenever he had two copies of the same work in his own library, he presented one of them 

 to the library of the College of Pliysicians of London, or to that of Oxford. His colledion 

 of natural curiosities was the richest a private individual was ever possessed of. His library 

 consisted of 50,000 volumes. The catalogue of his natural colledlion formed eight volumes 

 in quarto, in which 69,352 curio, ities were described. This treasure, which, according to his 

 own expression, was destined to magnify Gjd and benefit mankind, he made over by his will 

 to the nation, on condition tliat his children should receive the sum of 20,000/. sterling. The 

 nation acceded to the terms proposed by the testator. Parliament granted the sum required, 

 and the whole of those precious tolle^fions were incorporated with the Brit sh Museum. 

 The sums which Sir Hans had expended upon them amounted to upwards of fifty thousand 

 pounds, and those articles which he received as presents to ten thousand pounds. If his 

 Britannic IVIajesty would have hesitated to accept of his cabinet at the rate of twenty 

 thousand pounds, his will ordained that it should be offered at the same price, i. To the 

 Royal Society of London. 2. To the University of Oxford. 3. To the College of Edin- 

 burgh. 4. To the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris. 5. To the Imperial Academy of 

 Fetersburgh 6. To the Royal Academy at M«i/>7</. 7. To the Royal Academy at Berlin. 8, 

 In case all these academies should have declined the offer, article by article was to hav e been 

 gold by auftion. The British parliament passed an a6l on the jth of April 1753, to pay 



the 



