288 
LINNAEUS 
age, the display of it was not so often made. One 
event which gladdened Linne was that in 1769, the 
Crown Prince, Gustaf, visited Hammarby to inspect 
Linne’s museum. In 1774, Linne had experienced 
the “ first death-messenger/' an apoplectic stroke, and 
by the close of the year found himself weak and with¬ 
out wish to work, but at Christmas, His Majesty sent 
a collection of plants from Surinam in hogsheads of 
spirit. Linne at once left his bed and received new 
life in examining and describing the plants, about two 
hundred in all. The next year the King travelled from 
Ekolsund to Uppsala to visit Linne and no one else, 
and stayed with him the whole afternoon. They never 
met again, but later on it will be shown that Gustaf III. 
did not forget his old subject. 
An admirer of Linne, who had at least intended to 
raise a monument to his honour, was the Margravine 
Carolina Louise of Baden Durlach, born Princess of 
Hesse-Darmstadt, who proposed to issue 10,000 plates 
illustrating all the plants in “ Species plantarum ” 
at a cost of 90,000 ducats [,£44,745]. A beginning 
was made without Linne’s knowledge, but he first heard 
of it from the Swede, J. J. Bornstahl, an eminent 
orientalist (1731-1779), who stated that a skilful French 
engraver was at work upon it. “ All the Veronicas 
are ready, quite beautifully done, for the Princess has 
sufficient insight in this. She is not only skilled in 
botany, but also in art; she examines every plate, 
corrects every fault, and alters every variation; then 
she colours all in life-like tints, so that this work 
becomes the most accurate and splendid in botany.” 
A plate was sent to Linne as a proof, with the promise 
that the Princess would carry out his corrections and 
remarks. She even said that if he and his son would 
come to Carlsruhe they should be well lodged, and 
have all the comforts of Hammarby. The same 
Princess had amassed an incomparable museum, but 
had nothing in it from Sweden. Linne wished to 
reward the young Princess’s enthusiasm, and sent to 
