SCIENTIFIC BEQUEST. 



to Dr. DahL) a pupil of Linn/eus, to purchase the whole, and or^ 



dering the sum necessary for that purchase to be paid to him. Dr. 

 Dahl is even stated to have agreed for them at two thousand ducats; 

 but he did not succeed, and Dr. Smith had the preference. We can 

 give the following additional particulars respefting the disposal of the 

 learned produftions left by LinnjEus : 



" The colleQion," writes a Swedish literatus, in a letter to an emi- 

 nent German botanist, dated March 3d, 1784, " are still in the same 

 " state which they were in at the death of the younger Linnaeus. An 

 " Englisman of the name of Smith has offered one thousand guineas 

 « for them, but he wants all the books and manuscripts, M. Alstroe- 

 *' MER lays a claim to the Herbarium, -which the younger LinnvEus coU 

 « lefted in his youth; this separation, though not in the least prejudicial 



" to the whole, makes, perhaps, such an impression upon the purchasersj 

 6' that they will not give the whole sum of two thousand ducats. In 

 " striking a bargain of such importance, it may be considered as an un- 

 " fortunate circumstance, to have to deal with so many heirs ; the one 

 " will not always consent to do what the other will. If I can pre- 

 " vent the letters from being sold, it would be a good thing to have 

 « them printed in Germany for the benefit of the heirs; and should this 

 « be the case, I will take the liberty of addressing myself to you." 



■ Dahl himself, in a letter to a German friend, dated Novem- 

 ber 30th, 1784, expresses himself thus : " I agreed with Mr. 



who disposes of the property of LinnjEUs, for the library and^ 



seum immortalium a Linne; quod tamen, numerata licet eadem pecuniariim siimma nescio 

 quo fato exteris cessit. See Andr. Dahl Obser'vationes B-otanhx Circa Sjstema Vegetab, 

 Divi a LiNNE. Goeiting. 1784. Editum, &c, Hwvnia 1787, 



2 



t< colleQionS' 



