88 
L I N N J£ U S IN ENGLAND. 
pleased with Boerhaave’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 Killyleagh in Ireland. He early distinguished 
himself by his peculiar talents in natural history. Ray and the celebrated Sydenham 
were his professors and friends. In 16S5 he was chosen member of the Royal Society and 0; 
the Roj'al College of Physicians at London. Two years after he accompanied the Duke of 
Albemarle as governor 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 i Plantarum, qua in Insula 'Jamaica , sponte promeniunt , Lund. 1696; 
and The Natural History of Jamaica , two vols. Land. 1707 and 1725, with 174 copper-plates. 
On his return in 1689, be was elefted physician of Christ Hospital, created a baronet, appointed 
first physician of the army, first physician to Georg e II. and in the year 1716 president ot 
the Royal Society, in the room of Sir Isaac Newton. Thus the greatest man was re- 
placed by the most remarkable. Sir Hans had been admitted a member of the Royal Aca- 
demy of Sciences at Paris in 1708. He was the Hippocrates of London ; his activity was 
indefatigable, and as a fortunate inventor of many medicaments, he extended his fame beyond 
the grave. He terminated his celebrated career in the year 1753, in the 93d of his age. 
Philanthropy and patriotism were the leading features of his cl la rafter. 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 amount to aoco. 
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 Physicians of London, or to that of Oxford. His collcftion 
of natural curiosities was the richest a private individual was ever possessed of. His library 
consisted of 30,000 volumes. The catalogue of his natural colleftion formed eight volumes 
in quarto, in which 69,352 curiosities were described. This treasure, which, according to his 
own expression, was destined to magnify God and benefit mankind, he made over by his will 
to the nation, on condition that his children should receive the sum of 20,000/. sterling. The 
nation acceded to the terms proposed by the testator. Parliament granted tlie sunt required, 
and the whole of those precious collcftions were incorporated with the British 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 Majesty 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, 1. 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 
Petersburg. 6. To the Royal Academy at Madrid. 7 . To the Royal Academy at Berlin. 8. 
In case all these academies should have declined the offer, article by article was to have been 
sold by auftioiv The British parliament passed an aft on the 5th of April 1753, to pay 
the 
