G II A P. VII.
Boï'amcalgardenof\3^î-à\^.^—BiOgrap.bkalmemdirsof'Lim\'æa%.
b o o k n p H E bètânfeal'garden o f Upfala, to which place I h ad
. vn~ , J - the pleafure o f being accompanied by the fon of Linnæus,
is fmall, but laid out with judgemènt; and the'col-
ledtion o f plants, particularly exoticks, is numerous. I could
not avoid regarding with enthuliafm this fpot of ground,
rendered celebrated by the refidence of Linnæus ; of whom
it may be faid, without exaggeration, that, in the natural hif-
tory of the globe, he left nothing unexplored.
I flatter myfelf, that many o f the following authentiok
anecdotes of this great naturalift are entirely new to the
Engliih reader *.
Carl Von Linné, or, as he is more known to foreigners,
Linnæus, the eldeft fon o f Nils Linnæus, a Swediih divine, was
born on the 24th of May, 1707, at Ræihült, in the.province
o f Smoland. 'His inclination for the ftudies, in which he afterwards
made io wonderful a progrefs, commenced at a very
early period of his life, and took its rife from the following
circumftance. His father ufed to.amufe himfelf in the gar-
* T h is account o f L innæu s is chiefly e x - Mufeum,. for M a y and Ju ly , 1780.— Fabri-
tra éléd from a G erm an tranfiation o f his » ciu s , th e author, o f this a c cou n t, was the
C ommemoration-Speech, delivered on th e difc iple o f Linnæus : he is now pfofeifor of
5 th o f D e c em b e r , 17 78 , b y D r . B æ c k , in ceconomy and na tu ra l h iflory in the univer-
th e k in g ’ s prefence, b efo re th e R o y a l f ity o f K ie l ; and may be ju ft ly called the firft
A c ad em y o f Sciences ; and from anec- entomolpgift in Europe.. H e has diftin-
dotes o f his life b yF a b r ic iu s . See G edæ ch - guifhed himfelf, among oth er publications,
n itzred e A u f den C a r l von L in n é , & c . von b y the followin g w orks : R e ife nach Nor-
A . Bæ ck ; and E in ig e naeheré Umftande we g en .— Syflema E n tom o lo g iæ .— Genera
aus’ dem Lfeben des R itter s von L in n é ; Von- In fe ilo rum .— Philofophia Entomologies.—*
Johan C h r iflian . F ab riciu s , in the Deu tch es Species In fc& o rum .
V-'h" v 'T I ’ ' I H cîen
den. o f his parfonage with the cultivation o f plants and flow- CHAP-
ers. Linnaeus, while an infant, was foon led to take afhare'— . <
in this entertainment;S and, before he was fcarcely able to
walk, exprefled extreme fatisfacftion when he was permitted
to accompany him into the. garden. As his ftrength increased,
he delighted in, digging and planting; and afterwards,
obtained .fpr his own ufe a. fmall portion o f ground,
which was called .Charles’s garden. He foon learnt to dif-
tipgniflx the different flowers 4 and, before he had attained
the tenth year o f his age, made fmall excurfiods into the
neighbourhood o f Raffhult, and brought many indigenous
plants into his little garden.
:. Beiug feP h in .17 17, to fchool at W exio, under the tuition
o f Laparius, by. Wknnl he was, indulged with the permiffion
of continuing his excuriions, he palled. his whole time in
Qollefting plants, talkingiof them,..and making himfelf acquainted
with their names and qualities. He was fo abforbed
hi this favourite purfuiti as 'totally' to. -difregard his other ftu-
difs ; and made inch an incorifideriblh prdgrefs, that, upon'
his removal, in 1724, to ihieigyinnafmin in the fame town, .
his new: ® after repeatedly .complained of his idlenefs. Urged’
by thefe renaonftrancefi, his father conceived hisTon to have-
flP¡tafte fpr .literature* and: propofed to bind him apprentice to»
a Ihoe-makgrfj -.and this defiination would hav-e taken place,
i f Abpighflouring .phyfician, whpfe name was Rothman t ,
the .boy’s great genius* had not predicted, that he
would, in time, become deeply ikilled in a fcience, to which-
he:feemed naturally indined. Thisfagacious obferver, having
prevailed upon the father of Linnaeus to continue his- -
fpn’s education, took the b o y into his houfe, fupplied him
with botanical books, and inftrudted him in the firft rudi-
* F a b r ic iu s . ' ’ 1 , Bajck,
. meats;