234 
LINNiEUS 
minor officials. Lofling was appointed head of the 
botanic department, and had as helpers, two young 
surgeons and two expert artists. 
All went well at first; after a visit to the Canaries 
the expedition in May, 1754, reached Cumana, which 
offered a rich harvest to the botanist. A few months 
later he was attacked by ague, with four relapses 
which took away his strength. Nothing more 
was heard from him, till a report came from Spain 
that he had died on the 22nd February, 1756, at the 
Mission Station of Merercuri in Guiana, of a fever 
due to the climate. 
When Linne recovered from the shock of this 
disaster, he determined to raise a literary memorial to 
the memory of his darling pupil, which resulted in 
the “ Iter hispanicum ” published in 1758 by Linne. 
In the preface the editor gave full expression to his 
deep grief at the loss of so promising a life : “ Lofling 
sacrificed himself for Flora, and its lovers—they 
miss him! ” 
Amongst the unexplored lands to which Linne 
specially desired to send a pupil, was the Cape of 
Good Hope, with its rich and peculiar flora. Marten 
Kahler was selected, and money was provided, but the 
opposition of the Dutch government prevented the 
arrangement. Finally in May, 1753, he was sent to 
Italy and Sicily, but met with hindrances throughout. 
He waited in Denmark a long time for a passage; 
then followed a five days’ storm in the North Sea, when 
the cabin was flooded, and his apparatus, books and 
clothes were destroyed, he having to lash himself to 
the mast, where he remained two days and nights 
without food. After mishaps of many kinds, the 
anchor was dropped at Bordeaux, whence he wrote to 
Linne concerning his want of money, saying he did 
not dare to go further without reinforcement of his 
purse. 
At Marseilles, reached after an escape from 
pirates, he was obliged to stay till the end of May, 
