356 
LINNAEUS 
Thornton’s “ New Illustration of the Sexual System 
of Linnaeus,” the plate being dated 1800; underneath 
Smith’s portrait is a representation of the two vessels 
within hailing distance, with the legend just quoted. 
This was copied into Schrader’s “Journal fur die 
Botanik,” iii. (1800), and the German version of 
Smith’s “ Compendium Florae Britannicae,” Erlangen, 
1801. 
Linne’s collections, his delight and pride, thus 
came to England, where their preservation is regarded 
as almost a national honour. The young naturalist, 
Smith, previously an unknown medical student, 
became at once famous and esteemed. In so much 
honour was he held that in the following May he was 
unanimously elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. 
However pleased he may have been at this 
distinction, he was still more so with the Linnean 
treasures, which, when putting them in order, he 
found more valuable than he expected. He was 
especially surprised when he found among them the 
whole of Linne’s extensive and valuable corres¬ 
pondence, with all the manuscripts he left, said, rightly 
or wrongly, to be put in to fill up empty spaces in the 
ample cases. Among Smith’s own valuable collec¬ 
tions, the Linnean acquisitions took the place of 
honour. After his death on the 17th March, 1828, 
they were bought by the Linnean Society of London, 
where they are still preserved at Burlington House, 
Piccadilly, but not in their entirety. The specimens in 
spirit are entirely wanting, also all stuffed mammals, 
birds and so on. What zoological collections remain, 
are placed in three cabinets, whose drawers contain 
the shells and insects, and considering the age 
of the specimens, are in wonderfully good conserva¬ 
tion. Nothing remains of the mineralogical collections, 
because on the ground of their weight and bulk, 
Smith decided to dispose of them, before he removed 
in 1796 from London to his birthplace, Norwich; 
they were sold by public auction on the 1st and 2nd 
