and no corporation or government was intitled to claim the possession of his private memoranda. In consequence of his son's death, his collections and library were offered for sale, so that public bodies and individuals were alike free to contend for the purchase. By outbidding the offers of foreigners, the Swedish Prince might have retained these treasures for the benefit of his subjects, and have performed an act of generosity to the surviving members of the family; at the same time, we are inclined to believe that the world at large would not have greatly profited by the transaction. In the custody of the President of the Linnéan Society, none of the venerable spoils have been suffered to repose as useless lumber; and although the interesting document, of which the publication suggested these reflections, is only now rendered intelligible to the English reader, Dr. Smith must not be defrauded of the tribute of praise which he has so well earned by the extent of his care, activity, and perseverance.

To place the authority of this collection, (he says,) as far as possible, out of the reach of accident, he has made it his chief object to extend any information to be derived from it, not only to his own countrymen, but to his fellow-labourers in every quarter of the globe. The Banksian herbarium was, in the course of seven months, compared with that of Linnæus throughout, to their mutual advantage, by a copious interchange, not only of information, but of specimens. Plants or insects were for many years continually sent from France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Germany, and even Sweden, as well as from America, for comparison with the authentic originals named by the hand of Linnæus. The time and labour devoted to this task have been richly compensated, by the acquisition of various novelties, and of much instruction, as well as by the pleasure of so extensive an int rcourse with persons occupied in the same favourite and delightful pursuit, and by the acknowledgements with which most of them have overpaid the trouble.

The manuscripts of Linnæus were no less freely consulted; but great was our disappointment to find the Lachesis Lapponica written in Swedish. For a long time therefore it remained unexplored. At length Mr. Charles Troilius, a young gentleman in the mercantile line, resident in London, undertook the task of translating it. The manuscript proved to be the identical journal written on the spot during the tour, which certainly rendered it the more interesting; but the difficulty of decyphering it proved from that very circumstance unexpectedly great. The bulk of the composition is Swedish, but so intermixed with Latin, even in half sentences, that the translator, not being much acquainted with this language, found it necessary to leave frequent blanks, giving a literal version only of what he was able to read. The whole abounds also with frequent cyphers and abbreviations, sometim, s referring to the publications or opinions of the day, and intended as memorandums for subsequent consider

ation."

Again,

To render the translation fit for the public view, the editor found himself under the necessity of writing the whole over; but in doing this, though often obliged to supply the forms of whole sentences, of which only hints or cyphers exist in the manuscript, he has been careful to give as literal a translation of the rest as the materials would allow. This principle ever kept in view, and the difficulty of the undertaking, which, smail as the book is, has taken up much of his time for seven years past, must apologize for any inelegancies of composition. Yet in many parts the original displays a natural and striking eloquence, of which the translation may possibly fall short. Such passages, when they occurred, repaid the labour and perplexity of studying for hours to decypher some obscure mark, or some ill-written Swedish or Latin word, which the original translator had given up in despair.

The sketches with a pen, that occur plentifully in the manuscript, are not the least curious part of the whole. They are often necessary to explain descriptive passages in the work, and about sixty of them have been selected to illustrate the book. These have been cut in wood, with such admirable precision, that every stroke of the pen, even the most casual, is retained, and it is but justice to the artist, Mr. R. T. Austin, to record his name. Several plants, but rudely sketched in this manuscript, being more completely represented in the Flora Lapponica, it was thought unnecessary to publish such figures, except a few, for the sake of curiosity, or of particular illustration.'

The Doctor's marginal notes, though neither numerous nor protracted, are extremely valuable; and the only editorial omission, with which he seems to be chargeable, is that of a map of his author's route.

The artless preamble to the diary will extort a smile from those who are familiar with the splendid appointments of modern ease and refinement:

Having been appointed by the Royal Academy of Sciences to travel through Lapland, for the purpose of investigating the three kingdoms of nature in that country, I prepared my wearing apparel and other necessaries for the journey as follows:

My clothes consisted of a light coat of Westgothland linseywoolsey cloth, without folds, lined with red shalloon, having small cuffs and collar of shag; leather breeches; a round wig; a green leather cap, and a pair of half boots. I carried a small leather bag, half an ell in length, but somewhat less in breadth, furnished on one side with hooks and eyes, so that it could be opened and shut at pleasure. This bag contained one shirt; two pair of false sleeves; two half shirts; an ink-stand, pen-case, microscope, and spyingglass; a gauze cap to protect me occasionally from the gnats; a comb; my journal, and a parcel of paper stitched together for drying plants, both in folio; my manuscript Ornithology, Flora Uplan dica, and Characteres generici. I wore a hanger at my side, and

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carried

carried a small fowling-piece, as well as an octangular stick, graduated for the purpose of measuring. My pocket-book contained a passport from the Governor of Upsal, and a recommendation from the Academy.'

This particular enumeration of the articles of his personal equipment, in conjunction with a subsequent passage in which he talks of his readers, makes us demur to the opinion of his learned editor, that Linné composed this journal solely for his own use. We can readily believe, however, that it was often hastily and imperfectly indited, and that occurrences were rapidly noted in the form of disjointed materials, in the contemplation of a more detailed and connected narrative.

Accoutred as we have just mentioned, the illustrious tourist took his departure from Upsal on the 12th of May 1732, when within half a day of twenty-five years of age. Scarcely had he passed the northern gate of the city, when he commenced his observations, taking note of the water-byssus, the long legs of colts, the lichen nivalis, &c.: thus registering his remarks in the order in which they happened to be suggested by surrounding objects. Many pages are necessarily occupied with the names and descriptions of plants, which we shall not particularize, because their aspects and habitations are already distinctly commemorated in the Flora Lapponica, which is also edited by the worthy inheritor of the Linnéan collections. The geological notices are vague and scanty; and many of the details relative to the rude and simple domestic economy of the inhabitants refer to the rough outlines of accompanying figures. Yet, after these deductions from the extractable matter of the present volumes, a great variety of interesting passages crowds on our attention, from which, in our cursory report, we can select only a few.

In the forests about Ockstad, the author observed innumerable diminutive firs, with all their branches proceeding as from a common centre, like those of a palm, and as if the top had been cut off; an affection which he denominates Pinus plicata, and which he attributes to the unfavourable quality of the soil.

At the town of Gefle, in Gestrickland, he remarked the last apothecary's shop in the province; no other, and not even a physician, being to be found in any place farther northward.

Uninhabited mountains compose by far the greatest portion of Helsingland; and small dwelling-houses are to be seen only in the valleys, which are more marshy than cultivated. Notwithstanding these unpromising circumstances, the people, especially the men, appeared to be larger in stature than in other places. I inquired (says the journalist) whether the children are kept longer at the breast than is usual with us, and was answered

answered in the affirmative. They are allowed that nourishment more than twice as long as in other places. I have a notion that Adam and Eve were giants, and that mankind from one generation to another, owing to poverty and other causes, have diminished in size. Hence perhaps the diminutive stature of the Laplanders.' The editor acknowleges the obscurity of this passage in the original: but, if it be rendered with any degree. of fidelity, it is no very flattering specimen of the speculative talents of the celebrated naturalist. It is, indeed, reasonable to infer, from the few attempts at generalizing which are scattered through his journal, that Linné, at least at the period in which it was written, was more eminently qualified for observing facts than for investigating their causes, or framing an hypothesis.

We were surprized to find that, under the south side of a steep hill, to the north of Dingersjö, the inhabitants had planted hop-grounds; and still more to learn that these plantations. were in a thriving condition.

The province of Angermanland is represented as consisting of steep hills, which it is not always safe to descend on horseback. In one of them is a cavern which excited the eager curiosity of the intrepid traveller, though with much difficulty he could prevail on two men to shew him the way.

We climbed the rocks, creeping on our hands and knees, and often slipping back again; we had no sooner advanced a little, than all our labour was lost by a retrograde motion. Sometimes we

caught hold of bushes, sometimes of small projecting stones. Had they failed us, which was very likely to have been the case, our lives might have paid for it. I was following one of the men in climbing a steep rock; but, seeing the other had better success, I endeavoured to overtake him. I had but just left my former situation, when a large mass of rock broke loose from a spot which my late guide had just passed, and fell exactly where I had been, with such force that it struck fire as it went. If I had not providentially changed my route, nobody would ever have heard of me more. Shortly afterward, another fragment came tumbling down. I am not sure that the man did not roll it down on purpose. At length, quite spent with toil, we reached the object of our pursuit, which is a cavity in the middle of the mountain."

This cavity, after all, did not repay the trouble and fatigue of arriving at its entrance.

Here, as in some of the other northern provinces, the inhabitants make broad cakes of barley, flour, and chaff, the usual proportions being one part of the former, and three of the latter; but, when they wish to have it of a superior quality, and the country produces enough of barley, they mix only two portions of chaff. Another favourite article of their diet is an inspissated preparation

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preparation of sour whey, obtained by repeatedly pouring lukewarm fresh whey on that which was previously soured, and keeping the mixture till it becomes so glutinous that it may be drawn out from one side of the house to the other.

West-Bothnia is tolerably level, but comprizes large tracts of sand and moss, and consequently is far from fertile, producing potatoes not larger than poppy-heads, and peas which never attain to maturity.-At Umoea, Linné waited on Baron Grundell, the Governor, who imparted to him some memoranda relative to the natural history of the country, and informed him that the clay in the sand-hills increases and decreases with the moon.

I took leave of Umoea. The weather was rainy, and continued so during the whole day. I turned out of the main road to the left, my design being to visit Lycksele Lapmark. By this means I missed the advantage I had hitherto had at the regular post-houses, of commanding a horse whenever I pleased; which is no small convenience to a stranger travelling in Sweden. It now became necessary for me to entreat in the most submissive manner when I stood in need of this useful animal. The road grew more and more narrow and bad, so that my horse went stumbling along, at almost every step, among stones, at the hazard of my life. My path was so narrow and intricate, along so many by-ways, that nothing human could have followed. my track. In this dreary wilderness I began to feel very solitary, and to long earnestly for a companion.'

At Jamtboht, where he arrived in the evening, Linné supped on the breast of a cock of the wood, which had been shot and dressed in the course of the preceding year.

Its aspect was not very inviting, and I imagined the flavour would not be much better; but in this respect I was mistaken. The taste proved delicious, and I wondered at the ignorance of those who, having more fowls than they know how to dispose of, suffer many of them to be spoiled, as often happens at Stockholm. I found with pleasure that these poor Laplanders know better than some of their more opulent neighbours, how to employ the good things which God has bestowed upon them. After the breast is plucked, separated from the other parts of the bird, and cleaned, a gash is cut longitudinally on each side of the breast-bone, quite through to the bottom, and two others parallel to it, a little further off, so that the inside of the flesh is laid open in order that it may be thoroughly dressed. The whole is first salted with fine salt for several days. Afterwards a small quantity of flour is strewed on the underside to prevent its sticking, and then it is put into an oven to be gradually dried. When done, it is hung up in the roof of the house to be kept till wanted, where it would continue perfectly good even for three years, if it' were necessary to preserve it so long.'

The next day's progress was not less dreary, comfortless, and hazardous; the road being wretched beyond description, the

saddle