124 LIFE OF LINNiEtrS. 
proposed, when munificent offers were 
made from Russia. At the same time tl 
the king of Sweden, who had been ab¬ 
sent from his kingdom, returned ; and 
finding what had been done in his ab¬ 
sence, sent a vessel in chase of the 
ship which was conveying them to 
England, with orders to bring back 
these scientific treasures. The British 
vessel had made such good progress 
that she could not be overtaken, and 
the cargo arrived in safety at its place 
of destination. 
The son of Linnaeus, though he did 
not possess his father’s great talents, 
inherited his love of natural history, 
and was treading in his steps with great 
ardour, when a severe fever gave an ir¬ 
recoverable shock to his health; and 
five years after, he sunk into the grave, 
in the forty-second year of his age. 
He was buried in the cathedral of Up- 
sal, by the side of his father. By his 
death, the male branch of the ennobled 
