"corporation politicks," and publick generofity, than on the vernal bounties of exuberant NATURE. Anthology requires the ethereal warmth of fpring. We attribute to the hard, inflexible, horn-beam fibre of a Johnson, which no climate could alter, nor feason soften, this erroneous fentiment :-" Thofe who look upon the mind to depend on the feafons, and fuppofe the intellect fubject to periodical ebbs and flows, may july be derided as intoxicated by the fumes of a vain imagination. The author that thinks himself weather bound, will find, with a little help from kellebore, that he is only idle, or exhausted. But while this notion has poffeffion of the head, it produces the inability which it fuppofes." This ftern philofopher however was compelled, in the evening of his life, to groan out, that we are "the faves of funfbine and of gloom."+ When -the vernal fun awakes The torpid fap, detruded to the roof By wintry winds ;" or when "the winter is paft, and the rain over and gone when "flovers appear on the earth, and the finging of birds is come; when the fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell," then will the BOTANIST quit his conglaciated ftate, and, congenial to the cheerful feafon, once more attempt to delineate the beauties of earth's renovated carpet ;-unless the cold hand of death, or the Dean Swift. ti. e. A treatise on FLOWERS. Verfes on Winter. § Solomon. ftill colder hand of a gothick spirit, fhould paralize his forever! Left thofe who have regarded the labours of the Botanist with a favourable eye fhould be difap. pointed, we feize this opportunity of introducing them to the acquaintance OF LINNEUS. The figure this illuftrious phy fician and naturalift made whilft living, and the reputation of his works now he is dead, will juftify us in devoting a number to his honour. CHARLES VON LINNÉ, or, as the learned throughout the world have latinized it, CAROLUS LINNEUS, was born at Smaland in Sweden in the year 1707. His father was the parish minister of a fmall village, with an income fo fmall, and his family fo straitened in their circumstances, that this prince of naturalifts was on the point of being bound 'prentice to a mechanick.* When young men are just stepping on the ftage of life, they almoft all prefs forward to the acquifition of riches, as the fur eft road to power and reputation; whilft a few, a very few, confider wealth, as a fecondary object, and pursue with ardour fame or reputation, as the first. Hence there have been few famous literary characters, who have not commenced their career in poverty. Laudatur et alget. The defign of binding Linnæus to a me Dr. Pulteney's general view of the life If the reader would glance over and writings of Linnæus, he will fee whence we have taken most of our facts ; and will perceive that we have some times used his expreflions. chanick was over-ruled, and he was fent to school, when he was ten years of age. At this early period his chief amufement was the ftudy of plants and of infects. In the year 1728 he removed to Upfal, where he obtained the patronage of feveral eminent men, particularly of OLAUS CELSIUS, at that time Profeffor of Divinity, and the reftorer of natural hiftory in Sweden. Under fuch encouragement he made rapid progrefs in his ftudies, and in the efteem of the Profeffors. We have a ftriking proof of his merits and attainments that, after only two years' refidence, he was thought fufficiently qualified to give lectures occafionally from the botanick chair, in the room of Profeffor Rudbeck. In 1731 the Royal Academy of Sciences, having a defire to improve the natural hiftory of Sweden, deputed Linnæus to make the tour of Lapland, with the fole view of exploring the natural history of the arctick region, to which his reputation, as a scholar and a naturalift, and his tough conftitution, equally recommended him. He traversed the Lapland defert, deftitute of villages, roads, cultivation, or any conveniences. He spent about five months in this tour, fuffering innumerable hardships and privations; and that too for a very fmall ftipend, fcarcely enough to buy him fhoes, which muft have been an important article of cloathing; for poor Linnæus travelled ten degrees of latitude on foot. Several years after he travelled through Holland, Brabant, and France, in the fame manner, gathering plants on the way, and fearching for minerals. In 1733 this indefatigable naturalift was fent by the government to vifit the mines in Sweden. On his return to Upfal, he gave lectures on mineralogy in the univerfity. In 1735, when he took his degree of Doctor of Phyfick, he published the first sketch of his SYSTEMA NATURÆ, in a very compendious way, and in the form of tables, in twelve pages only. By this it appears, that he had at a very early period, before he was twenty-four years of age, laid the bafis of that mag nificent work, which he aftewards raised, and which will ever remain a lafting monument of his genius and industry. In the fame year he retired to Fahlum, a town in Dalecarlia, where he gave lectures on mineralogy and the docimaftick art; and where he practifed phyfick. But his vaft and ardent mind would not allow him to be confined to fuch drudg ery, for in 1736 he paffed over into England, carrying letters of warm recommendation from the famous BOERHAAVE, who was at that time Profeffor of the Theory and Practice of Phyfick at Leyden, the glory of the medical world, and one of the best botanifts of the age. The patronage of fo illuftrious a man rendered Linnæus ftill more confpicuous; Boerhaave himself being a culti vator of natural history and bota ny, the merits of Linnæus could not efcape his perfpicacity. In 1738 Linnæus really imagined, that he had fixed down for the last time in the practice at Stockholm; for being now married, he concluded it was time to fettle down for life, and give over gathering plants in the arctick circle, and fearching the bowels ever the name of Linnæus, and which has reflected honour on his country, is THE SYSTEMA NATU RE. Nothing fince the labours of Ariftotle can be compared to it for depth of knowledge and extent of refearch. From this period the reputa tion of Linnæus bore fome proportion to his merit, and extend of the earth for minerals. He however met with great oppofi, tion in his büfinefs. He was too learned and too eminent not to excite all, that envy and jealousy could engender and inflict. At Stockholm his enemies oppreffed him with many difficulties; but the abilities and perfevering fpirit of Linnæus furmounted them all, and he came into extenfive praced itself to distant countries; intice. Count Teen was his patron, through whofe influence medals were ftruck in his honour, He enjoyed alfo a ftipend from the citizens for giving lectures in botany. In 1741 Linnæus was appoint ed joint Profcilor of Phyfick with Rafen. Thefe two colleagues agreed to divide the medical de partment between them. Profef, for Rofen, took anatomy, phyfiology, pathology, and therapeuticks; whilt Profilor. Linnaus natural hiflory, botany, materia medica, diatsticks, and the diagnos morborum. The fyftematick genius of this prince of naturalifts dilplayed itself in his mode of teaching medicine, for he arranged in a table all the difcafes that allist mankind. Sauvage in France, followed his, plan, and made many improve ments; and the late Dr. Cullen carried it to a high degree of perfection. According to this plan, difenfes are arranged, in im itation of botanils, into che, ardens, genera, and fpecies; and this mode of arranging diforders is called Nafulag The reputa tion of the Swedish univerfity at Upul pole to a height before unknown, during the time that its medical department was under the direction of Linnæus. But that, which has established for fomuch that there was fcarcely a learned fociety in Europe, but was eager to elect him a member; feareely a crowned head, but fought fome means to honour him. His emolument kept pace with his fame and honours. It was no longer laudatur et alget ; his practice as a physician became lucrative; and we find him poffeffed of his country houfe and gardens in the vicinity of the capital. Linnæus received one of the most flattering teftimonies of the extent and magnitude of his fame, that perhaps was ever fhewn to any literary, character, the ftate of the nation which conferred it, with all its circumstances, duly confidered. This was an invi tation to Madrid from the king of Spain, there to prefide as a naturalift, with the offer of an annual penfion of 2000 piftoles, letters of nobility, and the perfect free exercife of his religion. But, after the most perfect acknowl edgments of the fingular honour done him, he returned for anfwer, that "if he had any merits, they' were, due to his own exuntry." This extraordinary, man died, January, 11th, 1778, in the hift year of his life, leaving behind him a glorious reputation. Uncommon relpect was fhewn to his. memory. At the commémoraș tion of his death, by the Royal Academy of Sciences, the king of Sweden honoured the affembly with his prefence; nay farther, in his fpeech from the throne to the Swedish parliament, that philofophick monarch lamented the death of Linnæus, as a publick calamity. Linnæus had a good conftitution, though often grievoufly afficted with head-ache, and in the latter part of life with the gout. This great man was of a diminutive ftature, his head large, and its hinder part very high. His look was ardent, piercing, and apt to daunt the beholder; and his temper quick; neverthelefs his conduct towards his numerous opponents fhews a dignified fpirit of forbearance. He difavowed controverfy, and never replied to the numerous attacks on his doctrine. He laid it down as a firm maxim, that every fyf. tem must finally reft on its intrinfick merit; and he willingly committed his own to the judgment of pofterity.* The Massachusetts BOTANIST is far from being difpofed to cenfure any cotemporary writer; but he cannot refrain from remarking, that Dr. Barton of Philadelphia feldom mentions OUR GREAT MASTER without a fneer. "The Swede," "the Swedib naturalift," and the like degrading epithets, run through Barton's Elements of Botany, which mark and difgrace a work, otherwife not deftitute of confiderable merit. Suppofe, if fpeak ing of the famous EDMUND BURKE, We fhould fay," the Irifoman"...." the Hiberrian evator"... the Irish declaimer.....would not the admirers, of that great man be hurt and offended? Whilft Dr. Barton, fpeaks in refpectful and proper terms of of Martyn, Milne, Loefling, and other retailers of botanick knowledge, the fountain of, it all is constantly spoken of in Diminutive as was the ftature of Linnæus, his mind was of gigantick fize. He was poffeffed of a lively imagination, corrected by a strong judgment, and guid ed by the laws of fyftem; added to these a moft retentive memory, an unremitting induftry, and the greatest perfeverance in all his purfuits; as is evident from that continued vigour with which he profecuted the defign, that he appears to have formed fo early in life, of totally reforming and fabricating anew the whole fcience of natural hiftory: And this he actually raifed, and gave to it a degree of perfection before unknown; and had moreover the uncommon felicity of living to fee his own ftructure rife above all others, notwithstanding every difcouragement its author at first laboured under, and the oppofition it afterwards met with. Neither has any writer more cau-. ticufly avoided that common errour of building his own fame on the ruin of another man's. He every where acknowledges the feveral merits of each author's fyftem, and no man appears to be more fenfible of the partial defects of his own. Linnæus was well acquainted with the art of recommending. fcience by elegance of language, and embellifhing philofophy with polite literature. No man of the age had fo happy command of the latin tongue as Linnæus ; and no man ever applied it more fuc cefsfully to his purpose, or gave to defcription fuch copioufnefs, a tone of disrespect. Dear Doctor, can any of us make a book two inches thick on botany, without being indebted for half of it to the Shvedi naturalift? precifion, and elegance. The glaring paint of Buffon fuffers in comparison with the pleating but folid manner of Linnæus; for this prince of naturalifts poffeffed the found, diftinct, and comprehenfive knowledge of Bacon, with all the beautiful light graces and embellishments of Addifon. He knew, that thofe authors who would find many readers, and thofe lecturers who would fecure attentive hearers, muft pleafe, whilst they inftruct. He was not one of thofe teachers, who think obfcurity contributes to the dignity of learning, and that, to be admired, it is necessary not to be understood. Befide medals there are feveral monuments erected in honour of this great naturalift in the gardens of his admirers in different places in Europe. In 1778 Dr. Hope laid the foundation ftone of a monument, fince finished, in the botanick garden at Edinburgh. The Botanist poffeffing an original letter, written by the fon of this great man to the celebrated DR. FOTHERGILL, giving an ac BIR, count of his father's death, conceives that its infertion here would be generally pleafing to the learn. ed part of the readers of the Anthology, and particularly to every American naturalist. CAROLUS a LINNÉ, Filius nobiliffimo experientiffimo Medicine Botanices Pro for Upfalia, Dno. Doctori Fothergill. S. P. D. befcens, omnibus tandem proftratis corLENTO per biennium morbo intą. poris viribus, vitæ ftatione feptuagenarius deceffit pater opt. Archiater Eques de ftella polari CAROLUS a LINNé d. IV. Iduum fan. MDCCLXXVIIL : Hunc mihi totique domui Ejus luctuofum cafum, exigente id non fincera minus in TE obfervantia mea, ac, quæ beate defunctum TIBI junxit, amicitia neceflitudine obfequioffifime fignificandum putavi. Ut vero, qui TE coluit, viri post funera beati memoriæ faveas, quaque ille, dum in vivis erat, apud TE valuit, gratiæ hæredem conftituas Filium, qua decet verborum honore contendo, Deuru immortalem precaturus, velit, in fingu lare fcientiarum decus & emolumen tum, TIBI, Vir Nobiliffime extentum omnique felicitatis genere refertum vitæ fpatium concedere. Dabam Upfaliæ d. X. Cal. Febr. MDCCLXXVIII To the Editor of the Anthology. IF you will be fo good as to refer your readers to the Monthly Anthology, vol. 1. pp. 486, 531, 587, they will fee the propriety of the following Extract from "the Lady's Monthly Museum, or Polite Repofitory of Amusement and Inftruction," for November, 1803, with an elegant Portrait. "MRS. KNOWLES is a native of Staffordshire, and now the widow of Dr. Knowles, a much efteemed physician in London. Her parents being of the fociety of Friends, fhe was carefully brought up in fubftantial and use ful knowledge; but this alone could not fatisfy her active mind; for fhe has been long diftinguithed by various works in the polite arts of poetry, painting, and more especially the imitation of Nature in needle-work. Some fpecimens of this laft having been accidentally feen by their Majefties, they |