86 LINNAEUS 
communication in those days of events in the scientific 
world. 
If we now put the question: Did this Lapland 
travel really deserve the many eulogies, which even 
persist to this day? For answer, an emphatic “ Yes ” 
must be given. One has only to go through his diary 
to be astonished that it was possible for a person so 
poorly equipped in every respect as Linnaeus was, in 
practically an unknown region, not only to travel so 
far, but also to take such good observations. These 
latter dispersed so many false impressions and filled 
so many gaps, that even at this period the diary must 
be regarded as a masterpiece. Surprise is awakened 
when one sees the warm interest which the traveller 
took in most varied objects, giving a constant and 
acute attention which included Nature’s productions, 
the inhabitants’ economic circumstances, habits and 
uses, the various diseases occurring in different parts, 
and the customary household details, the language 
and sports of the Lapps. The sketches also testify 
to a striking, sometimes playful, sometimes poetic 
feeling. 
In the first place, must be noted the matters re¬ 
lating to the domain of botany. If one measures the 
extent of the collections, they may be treated as 
extremely scanty, for hardly anything not absolutely 
required was collected to check the accompanying 
notes. But these descriptions from living material 
possessed a great value, forming a basis upon which 
was written the “ Flora lapponica,” a work highly 
estimated then, and yet recognized as of permanent 
value. This is due to the fact that not only was much 
of this material new, but it was accompanied by inter¬ 
esting facts concerning biology and geographical 
distribution and their application to different objects. 
This work, drawn up by Linnaeus, is the only one 
of considerable length and entirely founded on the 
observations taken during the Lapland journey. A 
few other notes were issued in smaller publications, 
