92 
MEMOIR OF LINNjEUS. 
stair, however,” he remarks, lt our doubts were completely 
expelled. The lady who had first addressed us now spoke a 
little English, on discovering what country we belonged to, 
and ushered us into a neat little carpeted parlour, where we 
found the personage in question, Louisa Von Linn£ herself, 
seated on a high-backed arm-chair in company with another 
lady. Her appearance was highly interesting, but indicated 
a degree of feebleness both bodily and mental, which her 
eighty-seven years but too amply justified. Her grey silk 
gown and crimped cap spoke of a bygone taste, but were in 
excellent keeping with her venerable age; while the tidy 
look of every thing about her indicated the unforgotten habits 
of order and cleanliness in which she had been trained. She 
attempted to rise when we approached, and seemed highly 
gratified in learning that wo were all from such far countries, 
and had come in search of her father's house out of regard 
to his great name. Her speech is almost gone, but she still 
follows attentively all that is said. The sharp scrutinizing 
glance which she cast at each of us, ere she- consented, to give 
us a pinch from her silver’ snuff-box, was highly amusing. 
We might be relic hunters — such seemed to be the thought 
passing in her mind — and would not restore it. The ex- 
tended hand was almost withdrawn — hut a second survey 
removed her suspicion, and the antique implement made it* 
circuit from one to the other of us, with all the reverence duo 
to the name which it bore. Our visit evidently gave her 
great pleasure ; it seemed as if she had never known the ex- 
tent of her father's fame : she could scarcely understand how 
people from such distant countries coni d know or have heard 
aught about the. Swedish professor. The other ladies were 
obligingly communicative, and mentioned that the fortune left 
by her father was so considerable, that she had been able to 
retain all her life the country seat purchased by him, which 
is so near, that she spends a great part of the year there. A* 
we took her hand at parting, and felt the sands of life ebbing 
so fast that a few weeks might lay her by his side, we rejoiced 
that our idle visit had sluxl a glimpse of joy over the last 
hours of a great man’s child.” 
From a late Number of the Atherueum, we learn that this 
lady died on the 21st of March, 1839, at the venerable age of 
ninety, and that her fortune descended to two grand-daugh- 
ters of the Swedish Botanist. 
