348 LINNAEUS 
captain as his fee, the costs coming in all to 
/1,0885s. 
During the transactions just recounted, there 
appeared a new speculator, namely the English 
botanist, Dr. John Sibthorp, who first offered to buy 
only the herbarium, but afterwards, all the collections, 
if time were allowed for him to reach Uppsala. 
Although Acrel stated that he was bound by his 
preliminary dealings with Smith (who, at Acrel’s 
request, immediately wrote to him that the purchase 
was definitely concluded), Sibthorp maintained his 
right to become the possessor of the collections, and 
in his first letter, written before the sale was effected, 
offered to purchase the whole. Afterwards, Sibthorp 
acknowledged the proper transaction, and congratulated 
Smith on his good fortune in securing the treasures. 
But—what happened in Sweden at the time to try 
and prevent the sale, which even then was regarded 
as a stain on Sweden’s honour? To this it must be 
replied, that no one was indifferent, and that though 
many wished to retain the collections, it could not be 
effected. Especially among the pupils of Linne, who 
devoted themselves to the study of Nature, was there 
the greatest dissatisfaction at the sale, considering it a 
national scandal. 
The first who stirred in the matter was the then 
Demonstrator of Botany, C. P. Thunberg. As soon 
as he knew that Acrel had moved Montin to write 
to Dryander, offering the collections to Banks, he 
hastened to incite Montin to write another letter, in 
which he should either dissuade Banks from buying or 
persuade him to leave them the English collections, 
acquired by the younger Linne from Banks and others. 
On the 17th November, Montin reported that he had 
carried out these instructions. Very probably it was 
this action of Thunberg that caused Banks to declare 
that he would not buy the Linnean collection, if a 
purchaser were found in Sweden, because he felt 
that they ought not to go out of the country, but if 
