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MEMOIRS OF LINNZUS.

By Mr. Coxe.

ARL. Von Linnè, or, as he is more known to foreigners, Linæus, the eldest son of Nils Linnæus, = Swedish divine, was born on the 4th of May 1707, at Rafhult, in he province of Smoland.

His inclination for the ftudies in which he afterwards made fo wonBerful a progrefs, commenced at a very early period of his life, and ook its rife from the following circumftance: His father ufed to amuse himself in the garden of his parfonage with the cultivation of plants and flowers. Linnæus, while an infant, was foon led to take a fhare in this entertainment; and, before he was scarcely able to walk, expreffed extreme fatisfaction when he was permitted to accompany his father into the garden. As his ftrength increased, he delighted in digging and planting; and after wards obtained, for his own ufe, a fmall portion of ground, which was called Charles's garden. He foon learnt to diftinguish the different flowers; and, before he attained the tenth year of his age, made finall excurfions in the neighbourhood of Rafhult, and brought many indigenous plants into his little garden.

Being fent, in 1717, to fchool at Wexio, under the tuition of Lana rius, by whom he was indulged with the permiffion of continuing his excurfions, he paffed his whole time in collecting plants, talking of them, and making himfelf acquainted with their names and qualities. He was fo absorbed in this favourite nurfuit.

ftudies; and made fuch an inconfiderable progrefs, that, upon his re moval, in 1724, to the Gymnasium in the fame town, his new mafter repeatedly complained of his idleness

Urged by these remonftrances, his father conceived his fon to have no tafte for literature, and propofed to bind him apprentice to a fhoemaker. This destination would have taken place, if a neighbouring phyfician, whofe name was Rothman, ftruck with the boy's great genius, had not predicted, that he would, in time, become deeply fkilled in a science, to which he feemed natu rally inclined.

This fagacious obferver, having prevailed upon the father of Linnæus to continue his fon's education, took the boy into his house, supplied him with botanical books, and inftructed him in the first rudiments of phyfic, in which he foon made a confiderable progrefs. When his father had affented to this advice, he had defigned him for the church; and was not, without great difficulty, induced to agree, that he fhould apply himself to the study of botany and phyfic.

In 1727 he was fent to the univerfity of Lund, where he acquired, under the celebrated Stobæus, the firft fyftematic principles of natural hiftory. Being lodged in that profeflor's houfe, he enjoyed many opportunities of improvement; and particularly from a curious collection of foffils, fhells, buds, and plants.

In 1728 he was removed to the university of Unfala, where his nar

tion.

fight, his just conceptions, and his zealous ardour for the knowledge of nature. He diffufed a fudden fpirit of enquiry, and kindled among his ftudents-a new zeal for the fludy of natural history.

During the first years of his refidence at Upfala, he gave public herborifing lectures in the fpring and fummer. In these botanical excurfions he was attended with a band of trumpets and French horns, and fallied out at the head of two or three hundred ftudents, divided into detached companies. When Linnæus was inclined to explain any curious plant, bird, or infect, which had either fallen under his own notice, or was brought to bim by any of the ftudents, the stragglers were called together by the found of mufic, and, crowding round their master, liftened in refpectful filence, while he offered his obfervations.

His knowledge was confiderably proved by a journey into Lapd in 1732, to which he was deted by the Royal Society of Scices at Upfala, in order to inveftie the natural history of that unown region. But as he received y a gratuity of about eight pounds vards defraying this expence, he 8 obliged to travel almoft the ole way on foot, which he permed with great alacrity and rit. He commenced this expedition the 11th of May 1732; ftayed ne time at the mines of Fahlain; ited various parts of Lapland; derwent many hardships; efcaped minent perils; and returned to fala in the month of October of following year, after having verfed near four thousand miles. In 1741 he at length obtained the ject of his warmest ambition, the ofefforship of botany in the unifity of Upfala. He turned his ncipal attention and care to the ulation and improvement of the tanical garden, which, at the time his appointment to the profefforp, fearcely contained forty exos; but produced, in 1748, nothstanding the obstructions arifing m the feverity of the climate, ven hundred fpecies, exclufive of igenous plants and varieties. By his incomparable lectures he fed the univerfity to the highest ute, and induced many foreigners efort to Upfala.. He was always Ended by a numerous audience,

ferent times, Gothland an vinces of Sk land; and com lic, in his nat neraries of h faid to be repl philofophical neral purport

pally directed history to econ Many of H under his au various parts expence of th cular focieties have caught master a fpirit for fcience. which he rece mitted labour fuch informat comprehenfive as it were, th "exemplify detailed manr ture." Thus faid to have d the most distan and his fpirit mate the zea Linnæan scho In the ye ftroke deprived of his right fi wholly to his gradually forf faculties wer

His reputation was now fo widely fpread in foreign countries, that he received the moft flattering invitations to Petersburgh, to Gottingen, and particularly to Madrid, where he was offered, by the king of Spain, a very confiderable ftipend, the rank of nobility, and the toleration of his religion. But the profpect even of the moft fplendid advantages could not feduce him from his native country, where he had acquired the efteem of his fovereign, and the ge-. neral refpect of his countrymen, which he maintained until the day of his death.

His fervices, in promoting every branch of natural history, were ac

knowledged

ague, attende on a tranquil of January 17 year of his ag VOL. 11.

knowledged in the fulleft manner, and every affiftance afforded to his endeavours to improve and diffufe his favourite science. A new houfe was raised for him, at the public expence, clofe to the phyfic-garden. He was occafionally deputed by the ftates to make excurfions into various parts of Sweden, with a view to the advancement of natural hiftory. For this purpose, he, at different times, visited the iflands of Gothland and Oeland; the provinces of Skone and Weft Gothland; and communicated to the public, in his native language, the iti neraries of his travels, which are faid to be replete with curious and philofophical obfervations; the general purport of which was principally directed in adapting natural hiftory to economical ufes.

Many of his fcholars were alfo, under his aufpices, difpatched to various parts of the world, at the expence of the public, or of particular focieties; and they all feem to have caught from their beloved mafter a spirit of emulation and zeal for fcience. The communications, which he received from their unremitted labours, furnished him with fuch information, as enabled his comprehenfive mind to appropriate, as it were, their difcoveries, and to "exemplify in a more perfect and detailed manner his fyftem of na ture." Thus his genius may be faid to have diffused itself through the most distant regions of the globe; and his spirit still continues to animate the zealous difciples of the Linnæan school.

In the year 1776, a paralytic ftroke deprived Linnæus of the ufe of his right fide, and confined him wholly to his bed. His ftrength gradually forfook him; his mental faculties were impaired; and an ague, attended by a dropfy, brought on a tranquil diffolution on the 10th of January 1778, in the feventy-first year of his age,

VOL. II.

His remains were interred in the cathedral of Upfala, with all the funeral honours which gratitude and refpect could infpire. The king of Sweden ordered a medal to be struck, expreffive of the dejection of Science upon the death of Linnæus, and a monument to be erected over his afhes. His majefty alfo attended the meeting of the Academy of Sciences, in which his commemoration fpeech was delivered; and, as a ftill higher tribute to his memory, lamented, in a fpeech from the throne to the diet of 1778, the irretrievable lofs which Sweden had fuffered from his death.

To the honour of his country and the prefent age, Linnæus reaped the advantage of his fuperior genius, by the unfolicited accumulation of wealth and honours. In 1753 he was created knight of the polar ftar, and ennobled in 1756.

His writings brought him, on account of their number, no inconfiderable emolument; while his falary as profeffor, his practice as a phyfician, and the prefents which he occafionally received from his scholars, rendered him eafy and independent. He purchafed, in the neighbourhood of Upfala, two eitates, at Hanmarby and at Sæfja; at the former' of which he built a villa; and at his deceafe bequeathed an ample provifion to his widow and children. He left four daughters and one fon, Charles Linnæus, who fucceeded him in the profefforfhip, and died on the 1ft of November 1783.

The name of Linnæus may be claffed amongst thofe of Newton, Boyle, Locke, Haller, and other great philofophers, who were friends to religion. He always teftified in his converfation, writings, and actions, the highest reverence for the Supreme Being; and was fo ftrongly impreffed with the idea of omniprefence, that he wrote over the door of his library, Innocui vivite, numen ad eft.

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REVIEW

BRUCE'S TRAVELS. CONCLUDED

FROM P. 388.

T is with fome concern that we obferve Mr. Bruce about to enter

the great Nubian defert. "Having received all the affurances poffible from Idris that he would live and die with us, after having repeated the prayer of peace, we put on the best countenance poffible, and committed ourselves to the defert. There were Ifmael the Turk, two Greek fervants befides Georgis, who was almost blind and useless. Two Barbarians, who took care of the camels, Idris, and a young man, a relation of his, who joined him at Barbar, to return home; in all nine perfons, eight only of whom were effective. We were all well armed with blunderbuffes, fwords, pistols, and double-barrelled guns, except Idris and his lad, who had lances, the only arms they could ufe. Five or fix naked wretches of the Tu corory joined us at the watering-place, much against my will, for I knew that we should probably be reduced to the difagreeable neceffity of feeing them die with thirft before our eyes; or by affifting them, fhould any accident happen to our water, we ran a very great risk of perifhing with them.”

The manner of fecuring water and provifion for this hazardous journey is truly curious; but our limits will not Hermit us to extract it. Our traveller, in a few days after their departure, found that they had forgotten à material circumftance: their thoes were now be come useless, and the hard ground had worn the skin off their feet in feveral places, fo that they were much infamed by the burning fand.

"On the 14th, at feven in the morning, we left Affa Nagga, our courfe being due north. At one o'clock we alighted among fome acacia-trees at Waadi el Halboub, having gone twenty-one miles. We were here at once furprised and terrified by a fight surely one of the most magnificent in the world. In that vast expanie of defert, from W. and to N. W. of us, we faw a number of prodigious pillars of fand at different distances, at times moving

with great celerity, at others ftalking on with a majestic flownefs; at intervals we thought they were coming in a very few minutes to overwhelm us; and finall quantities of fand did actually more than once reach us. Again they would retreat, fo as to be almost out of fight, their tops reaching to the very clouds. There the tops often feparated from the bodies; and thefe, once difjoined, difperfed in the air, and did not appear more. Sometimes they were broken near the middle, as if ftruck with a large cannon fhot. About noon they began to advance with confiderable fwiftnefs upon us, the wind being very ftrong at north. Eleven of them ranged alongfide of us about the distance of three miles. The greateft diameter of the largest appeared to me at that diftance as if it would meature ten feet. They retired from us with a wind at S. E. leaving an impreffion upon my mind to which I can give no name, though furely one ingredient in it was fear, with a confiderable deal of wonder and astonishment. It was in vain to think of flying; the fwiftelt horfe, or fafteft failing thip, could be of no use to carry us out of this danger, and the full perfuation of this rivetted me as if to the fpot where I stood, and let the camels gain on me fo much in my state of lameness, that it was with fome difficulty I could overtake them.

The fame appearance of moving pillars of fand prefented themselves to us this day (the 15th) in form and difpofition like thote we had feen at Waadi Halboub, only they seemed to be more in number, and lefs in fize. They came feveral times in a direction clofe upon us; that is, I believe, within lefs than two miles. They began, immediately after fun-rife, like a thick wood, and almost darkened the fun : his rays shining through them for near an hour, gave them an appearance of pillars of fire. Our people now became defperate: the Greeks fhrieked out, and faid it was the day of judgment. Ifmael pronounced it to be hell, and the Tucorories, that the world was on fire. I asked Idris if ever he had before feen fuch a fight? He faid he had often seen

them

them as terrible, though never worfe; but what he feared moft was that extreme redness in the air, which was a fure prefage of the coming of the fimoom. I begged and intreated Idiis that he would not fay one word of that in the hearing of the people, for they had already felt it at Imhanzara in their way from Ras el Feel to Teawa, and again at the Acaba of Gerri, before we came to Chendi, and they were already nearly distracted at the apprehenfion of finding it here.

"While we contemplated with great pleasure the rugged top of Chiggre, to which we were faft approaching, and where we were to folace ourselves with plenty of good water, Idris cried out, with a loud voice, Fall upon your faces, for here is the fimoom.' I faw from the S. E. a haze come, in colour like the purple part of the rainbow, but not fo compreffed or thick. It did not Occupy twenty yards in breadth, and was about twelve feet high from the ground. It was a kind of blush upon the air, and it moved very rapidly, for I fcarce could turn to fall upon the ground with my head to the northward, when I felt the heat of its current plainly upon my face. We all lay flat on the ground, as if dead, till Idris told us it was blown over. The meteor, or pur ple haze, which I faw, was indeed paff ed, but the light air that still blew was of heat to threaten fuffocation. For my part, I found diftin&tly in my breaft that I had imbibed a part of it, nor was I free of an asthmatic fenfation till I had been fome months in Italy, at the baths of Poretta, near two years afterwards.

"This phenomenon of the fimoom, unexpected by us, though foreseen by Idris, caufed us all to relapfe into our former defpondency. It fill continued to blow, fo as to exhaust us entirely, though the blaft was fo weak as fcarcely would have raised a leaf from the ground. At twenty minutes before five the fimoom ceased, and a comfortable and cooling breeze came by ftarts from the north, blowing five or fix minutes at a time, and then falling calm. We were now come to the Acaba, the afcent before we arrived at Chiggre, where we intended to have ftopt that night, but we all moved on with tacit confent, nor

did one person pretend to say how far he gueffed we were to go."

Mr. Bruce furprised a Bishareen murderer attempting to fteal one of the camels. Having only two miferable women, his wives, with him, he was eafily made prifoner; and, to fave his life, however wretched it appeared, confented to affift in conducting our traveller through the defert.

"At two o'clock in the afternoon we left Abou Heregi, and at four had an unexpected entertainment, which filled our hearts with a very short-lived joy. The whole plain before us seemed thickcovered with green grafs and yellow daifies. We advanced to the place with as much speed as our lame condition would fuffer us, but how terrible was our difappointment, when we found the whole of that verdure to confist in senna and coloquintida, the moft nauseous of plants, and the most incapable of being fubftituted as food for man or beaft. At nine o'clock in the evening we alighted at Saffieha, which is a ridge of craggy mountains to the S. E. and N. W. The night here was immoderately cold, and the wind north. We were now very near a crifis, one way or the other. Our bread was confumed, so that we had not fufficient for one day more; and though we had camels flesh, yet, by diving fo long on bread and water, an invincible repugnance arofe either to finell or talte it. As our camels were at their laft gasp, we had taken fo fparingly of water, that, when we came to divide it, we found it infufficient for our neceffities, if Syene was even fo near as we conceived it to be.

"Georgis had loft one eye, and was nearly blind in the other. Ifmael and he had both become fo ftiff by being carried, that they could not bear to set their feet to the ground; and I may fay for myself, that, though I had fupported the wounds in my feet with a patience very uncommon, yet they were arrived at that height as to be perfectly intolerable, and, as I apprehended, on the point of mortification. The bandage, which the Bifhareen had tied about the hollow of my foot, was now almost hidden by the fleth fwelling over it. Three large wounds on the right foot, 3 F

and