TRAVELLING PUPILS OF LINNAEUS. 
*79 
acquired great merit in his profession of botanist to the King, and in 
advancing natural knowledge. The Spanish government wished to 
profit still farther by his talents. In 1755 he was sent to South Ameri- 
ca , to travel through the different Spanish settlements and possessions, 
and to explore their natural produce ; but scarce had he been a twelve- 
month in that southern region ere he fell a viftim to its climate. He 
died February 11th, 1756, in the flower of youth, aged twenty-seven 
years, and crowned with merit. Linnaeus was singularly aflefted at 
the loss of him. Among all his travelling disciples he was one of the 
most zealous and most learned botanists, and none had a finer oppor- 
tunity to enrich his science *. He left to his great teacher at Upsal the 
the melancholy pleasure of publishing his voyage, and dedicating to his 
memory a plant which he denominated Loejlingia t. 
Linnaeus did not live to hear of the tragical exit of another of his 
pupils, who, like Loefling, revered him as his promoter. This was 
J. P. Falk. He was born in West Gothland in 1730, and came to 
Upsal in 1751, to study natural history. His diligence and poverty were 
equally great. He was as much distressed as Linnaeus once had been. 
The latter did for Falk what Celsius and Rudbeck had formerly 
done for himself. He took him into his house and made him tutor to 
his son, afterwards professor Linnaeus. In the year 1759 he made a 
tour to Gothland. The good fortune of Forskal induced him two 
years after to go to Copenhagen, in hopes of being chosen a member of 
the society of the Arabian travellers. His hopes were, however, frus- 
* Nullus erat facile huic anteferendus, vel amore plantarum vel sola eruditionc botanica 
nullique similis occasio concessa fuit. Amcenitat. Acad. vol. vi. 
f Petri Loeflingii Iter Hispanicum. Stock. 1748, octavo. 
Aa 2 
trated, 
