344 
LINNAEUS 
Invaluable as they are, they will increase in value as 
time goes on. They are the greatest [collection] the 
world has ever seen. Do not sell them for less than 
1,000 ducats [£458 6s. 8d.]. My son should not have 
them, as he never helped me in botany, and has no 
love for it, but keep it for some son-in-law who may 
be a botanist. 
“ 2. The shell cabinet is valued at least at 12,000 
dalers [£300]. 
“ 3. The insect cabinet cannot be kept long, 
because of moth. 
“ 4. Mineral cabinet contains some valuable things. 
“ 5. Library in my museum with all my books. 
The price is at least 3,000 copper dalers [£75]. Do 
not sell it, but give it to the Uppsala library. But my 
library in Uppsala, my son should have at a valuation. 
“ Carl Linn£. 
“ Uppsala, 
“ 2nd March , 1776.” 
There is extant an earlier document in which he 
reckoned the values thus: Herbarium 50,000 dalers 
[.£1,250], Insects 10,000 dalers [,£250], Amphibia 
10,000 dalers [£250], Minerals 10,000 dalers [,£250]. 
According to the will of 1776, the younger Linne 
came into possession of the great library, the natural 
history collections (the herbarium being excepted), and 
his share in the rest of the estate. To his credit it 
must be stated that he did all he could to obviate their 
sale, but at first with poor prospect of success. He 
wrote to Back, “ If my mother and sisters were more 
reasonable and just, I could hope to prevent the sale, 
but they suspect everything, so soon as I want some¬ 
thing/ 7 His mother locked up everything she could, 
to prevent his access to such things as manuscripts, 
etc. Happily the Court of Justice appointed Pro¬ 
fessors J. Floderus and E. Ekman as trustees for the 
unmarried daughters, and they saw that the sale of the 
herbarium would discredit the family. The remain- 
