[ 20 ] 
generally of the firft reputation in the fciences he 
fiudied. 
In this year he laid the foundation (lone of that 
splendid temple of nature, in which he afterwards faw 
the most enlightened men on the globe officiating as her 
priefts, by publiffiing the firfl; edition of his Syftema 
Naturx, in fourteen folio pages. This fmall profpe£lus 
excited universal attention, and having fent a copy to the 
great Boerhave, with whom he had long but unfuccefsfully 
been deilrous of converfing, he was invited to meet him 
at his villa near Leyden. The effect of this meeting 
was fo fatislaitory on each fide, that Bcerhave on his de- 
parture furnilhed Linnxus with a friendly letter to pro- 
feffor Burmann of Amftcrdam. Burmann was at that 
time writing his Flora Zeylanica, and immediately per- 
ceiving the great knowdedge and accuracy of Linnaeus, 
took him into his house. 
At this time Dr. George Cliffort, a Burgomafter of 
Amfterdam and a dirc£Ior of the Dutch Eaft- India Com- 
pany, had formed a museum and a botanic garden at 
his seat at Hartecamp near Harleim. His fortune was 
princely, and he had expended large furas in procuring 
from all quarters of the globe whatever was curious ' 
and valuable in botany and natural history. This coftly 
colledlion was depofited at Hartcamp, without arrange- 
ment or fcientific defeription. Bcerhave, who was his 
phyfician, advifed him to keep a medical man in his 
