The Sun.
London, England, 1834-09-29 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

INBURGH CABINET LIBRARY.
LIVES OF EMINENT ZOOLOGISTS.
Simphin and Marshall. London, 1834.
'e life of the great Swedish naturalist may, not-
withstanding the more general title, be considered as
the chief object of this work ; the preceding bio-
graphers commencing with the Stagyrite, serve only as
4.11 introduction to show the previous state of science—
if that can be called science, which was no more than
a collection of a few obvious facts, without order or
arrangement, and with an abundant admixture of the
gtortolseses,tveerrors and absurdities. In the life of Aris-
see that, whatever else might be the
Merits of the Greeks, they knew little of natural his-
ht°rY, and that, with a very imperfect knowledge of the
Pf°man structure, they were prOfoundly ignorant of
Ysiology, What was to be expected from the rest
his countrymen, when the acute Stagyrite could
suPPose
``, The brain to be a cold spongy mass, adapted for col-
tended and exhaling the superfluous moisture, and in-
heateldedf for aiding the lungs and trachea in regulating the
theofouthe. body.
The heart is the seat of the vital fire,
tio- htain of the blood, the organ of motion, seiis?.-
of a.; and nutrition, as well as of the passions, and the origin.
,h.`ine veins and nerves. The blood- is confined to the veins ,
mealciestthe arteries. contain an derial. spirit ; and by nerves he
kinds tendons, nerves, and arteries—in short, strin&s. of all.
she as the name implies. The heart has three cavities ; in
,atiarger animals it communicates with the windpipe, or the
cations of the pulmonary artery receive the breath in the
vtile:l:sana;dtic:rry it to the heart. Respiration is performed. by
,expansion of the air in the lungs, by means of the. internal
subsequent irruption of the external. air to .
pre-
Perfortned Digestion is
.a kind of concoction or boiling,
in the stomach, assisted by the height of the neigh-
g viscera."
th Bad as this is, matters are far from being mended in
Lett PageS of Pliny. Instead of old errors being de-
,ed and fresh facts discovered, the lapse of years
rod brought with them only new absurdities, and the
broad to knowledcre was but rendered more difficult by
being blocked up with an endless farrago of lies and
coil"ners,
Never has the world seen a more assiduous
t ect°r of nonsense than the so highly eulogized na-
sre:%e'eorQdfe(lilie; Comum, who had the good fortune to be
Suetonius, and to be the friend of Vespa-
411: perverse industry raked out all the
-"sters and marvels from more than two thousand
trh°es, and piled them upon the reluctant head of
q't°, as the Gods heaped up mountains on Enciladus.
jealous Moor, with his wares idle," never
the 'eyed niore sturdily, or imagined greater miracles
an occur in these few lines
(T° come againe to our lions ; the signe of their. intent
for thssposition, is their taile; like as in horses, their ears
the the I!: two marks and tokens, certainly bath natureh
given
nec-
liens ,eyt. couragious beasts of all others, to. know
good U • for when the lion stirreth not his taile, hteeeiri.s in a
Were 111.th3d, gentle,, mild, pleasantly disposed, and as hee
se willing. to be plaied withal' ; but in that fit he is seldome
hee:e for lightly hee is alwaies angrie. At the first, when.
tailee.ntreth into his choller, hee beateth the ground with
ierkeeken hee groweth into greater heats, hee flppeth and
Belle, his sides and flanks withal', as it were to quicken him-
liethi encl. stirre up his angry humor., His maine strength.
Ittsit
011,1 his breast : bee maketh not a wound (whether it be by
that folltaile, scratch of claw, or print of tooth), but the blond.
anger . follow is blacke. When his belly is once full, all h!s
and tnis Past, and he doth no more harme. His geerositie
rage o;gtl,allimitie he showeth most in his daungers ; which cou-
pdreosi3teiss"t;,l:
with the
not onely herein, that he seemeth to
tint`e
o`. all shot of darts against him, defending himselfe along
the terrible aspect of his countenance, and
,oreed It?!
aigaine
ner.e.toit were that he is unwilling to deale unlesse ho be
rbe
a_e,
but
here:: his own defence, and at length maketh. head
seet'Ot as eonapelled and driven thereto for any penll that
I'l4 angred at their follie that assaile and set upon
follow, hat b also is seen rather his noble heart and cou-
„ -e there never so many of hounds and hunters both
Ic'herelf! after him, so long as hee is in the open plaines
leonte,,,,,;('l,_aY he scene, bee maketh semblance as though
.he
---nuetl_ dog and man, dismarching and retiring with
"4,114: flpet,aervihiles seeming in his retreat to turne againe
, and iao'ttelnbllt when be bath gained the thickets and
8'146 aWa
hen
once into the forrests out of sight, then he
well that 3;,' -en hee runneth amaine for life, as knowing full
lodgin the trees and bushes hide him, that his shamefull dis-
fono,,,g,and flight is not then espied. When he chaseth and
pant,
wili.after other beasts, he goeth alwaies saltant fn. Fam-
but is 'eh he never useth to doe when he is chased in sight,
bath a nelY passant. If lice chaunce to be wounded,
.hee
finedtia,b:;rveillous eye to marke the partie that did it—.
e the hunters never so many in number—upon him
onely. As for him that bath let flue a
hart at
him, and yet missed his marke, and done no
t " bee haunce-t? catch. him, hoe all to touzeth, shaketh,
Zsteth, and turneth him lying along at. his feet, but doth him
y hgallne at all besides. When the lionesse fighteth for her
ti%lnyetivclelpes by report, she setteth her eies wistly
.and en-
the pen the ground, because she would not be affrighted at
tintilf_lght of the chasing-staves._ of the hunters. Lions are
oysgq at all craftie and fraudulent, neither
,; be they suspici-
k,,.tneY never look askew, but alwaies cast their eie directly
lookurd, and they love not that any man should in that sort
ssit,,e side-long upon them. It is constantly beleeved, that
ath they lie a dying they bite the earth, and in their very
trithshed
teares. This creature, so noble as he is, and
404:4 so cruel' and fell, trembleth and quaketh to heare the
eani, of CartWheeleg, or to see them turne about ; nay he
(n abide of all things charriots when they be void and
myth frighted he is with the cocks comb, and his crowing
is /11 ore but most of all with the sight of fire. The lion
alilltretveer sick but of the eevishnes of his stomacke, loathing.
eers,i at and then the way to cure him, is to tie unto him
lag tnn shee apes, which with their wanton mocking and mak-
the ve°Wes at him, may move his patience and drive him for
adnesseindignitie of their malapert saucinesse, into a fit of
ate • `sse ; and then, so soone as bee bath tasted their bloud,
'igsi Perfectly well againe : and this is the onely remedie."
was le naturalist, who could entertain these notions,
cyst not likely to reduce the zoological chaos into a
keriern, even though he might have found some glim-
p4o ngis::: such an attempt in the pages of Aristotle.
trade4l this period, till the sixteenth century, the science
progress, and could boast of no names of
ri°te, unless we are to class under that head YElian,
PPlan
4, , and Albertus Magnus, which last must have
soph,,i4re celebrated for his magic than his philo-
brazejt: h Like our own Friar Bacon, he constructed a
bat b ead, that was capable of answering questions,
l'rokehY:a similar degree of ill luck, the oracle was
Su; '1). a fit of terror by his pupil, Thomas Aquinas.
Aartiall was the state of knowledge, its darkness
Gentler 111 u • , •
, illumined, as time went on, by the labours of
wll„4l,.edi, Swammerdam, and a few kindred spi-
-644
Linn Mus made his appearance in the field,
Pmight be 80 little aid from others, that his first work
411-5,'. Compared to the sudden and perfect birth of
NN e • the head of Jupiter. His life affords an
by ettr
hog le on, which cannot be too carefully studied
't°l4 the wile, devote themselves to art or science.
oi thine when his father wished to make a shoe-
Palish I'll, because he was too stupid for a
Eeated Priest, up to the hour of his being
°,4lleti. cort-litintulleed Chair of Medicine, his days were
first struggle with poverty and neglect.
rua,vPkart of his life is a perfect romance, and as
`ll°lth far be greedily read by many who will profit little
It is 4r°l4 its example.
Nre 4:"., sing to see how men are inclined to mea-
NI. ;eti by an arbitrary standard of their
otli -.4 their
er the Gods are not his Gods, he cannot be
Lin
tiered 'll an idolater. Thus his schoolfellows consi-
-417e jus, rius as an idle vagabond ; his father, as we
'aid, thought—
at wflake
and niehrihim good for nothing but to
exio snoes ; and, on leaving the gymnasium
arse,o better Krok, the rector, could give him
at c ertificate than a doubtfully expressed hope
to b. 4li
prodeer climate may perhaps prove favourable
rip'lttrient f%ls." Thg same fate of neglect and disap-
rai;e`.,Befor •e he him at Upsal
keafkthat had been a year there, his pecuniary resources
liOns, at was in a manner cast upon the charity of his
even "g whom lie was glad to accept an occasional
Loam hich taey gave hi article of clothing. The old shoes
eifieje birj "ini he was often bliged to mend with paste-
et' "-bark, before he could render them tolerably
Y et
h
(1€ 11°w noble
r t e
idle s, ac is bearingthe of Linnmus un-
renjw cumulated difficulties ; he has no
IgB, n
blvino.s 0 relaxation of his efforts, no weak
°lof his
their
ius, own powers nor any doubts
41orace ", direction
own
, Lie toils the " teres atque rotundus" of
11 never fi, With straightforward perseverance,
liags for ,
a single instant, nor deviates a

ED

step to the right or left from the path he has chosen,
though its difficulties, instead of lessening, seemed to
encrease the farther he advanced. In this way, he
continued to struggle till
" A new prospect opened to his ambition. A society had
been instituted at Upsal, chiefly for- the purpose of examining.
the natural productions of the kingdom. The remote and
desert regions of Lapland were less known than any other of
the Swedish provinces, although Rudbeck the elder had been
sent by Charles XI. to explore them. The curiosities which
he brought home had been destroyed by the great fire in 1702 ;
and it was now proposed to repair the loss by sending out
another scientific traveller. The choice fell on Linnaeus, who
was recommended by Celsius and the younger Rudbeck."
The details of this solitary tour are amongst the
most amusing and romantic parts of his romantic bio-
graphy. Some idea of it may be gathered from the
following extract, which shows that travelling in Lap-
land may be as wild and adventurous as roaming
through the forests of America :
" After wandering a long time in a labyrinth of marshes,
he was met by a woman, whom he describes as presenting a
very extraordinary appearance : " Her stature was very dimi-
nutive—her face of the darkest brown, from the effect of
smoke—her eyes dark and sparkling—her eye-brows black—
her pitchy-coloured hair hung loose about her head—and on it
she wore a fiat red cap. ' 0 thou poor man,' quoth she, ' what
hard destiny can have brought thee hither, to a place never vi-
sited by any one before ? This is the first time I ever beheld
a stranger. Thou miserable creature ! how didst thou come,
and whither wilt thou go :' Linnaeus entreated her to point
out some way by which he might continue his journey. Nay,
man,' said she, thou hast only to go the same way back again
—for the river overflows so much, it is not possible for thee to
proceed further in this direction. From us thou hast no assis-
tance to expect in the prosecution of thy journey, as my hus-
band, who might have helped thee, is ill.' The traveller
begged of her something to cat, and after much difficulty pro-
cured a small cheese. He was obliged to retrace his steps
through the marshes ; and, when almost exhausted by hunger
and fatigue, at length reached the house of a poor curate,
where his wants were supplied;'.

As a pendant to this picture we may quote a scene
with the priest and schoolmaster of Joekmock, two of the
richest specimens of ignorant pretension we ever re-
collect to have met with ; the unconscious simplicity
of their arrogance takes off from its offensiveness, and
we could almost forgive them their assumption, if it
were only for the perfect honesty of their belief :

" The latter began his conversation with remarks on the
clouds, showing how they strike the mountains in their passage
over the country, carrying off stones, trees, and cattle. I
ventured,' says Linnaeus, to suggest that such accidents were
rather to be attributed to the force of the wind, for that the
clouds could not of themselves lift or carry away any thing.'
He laughed at me, saying, surely I had never seen any clouds.
I replied, that whenever the weather is foggy I walk in clouds,
Ind when the fog is condensed, and no longer supported in the
air, it immediately rains. To all such reasoning, being above
his comprehension, he only returned a sardonic smile. Still
less was he satisfied with my explanation how watery bubbles
may be lifted up into the air, as he told me the clouds were
solid bodies. On my denying this, he reinforced his assertion
with a text of Scripture, silencing me by authority, and then
laughing at my ignorance. He next condescended to inform
me, that after rain a phlegm is always to be found on the
mountains, where the clouds have touched them. Upon my
replying that this phlegm is a vegetable, called nostoc, I was,
like St. Paul. judged to be mad, and that too much learning
had turned my brain."
The rebukes of these worthies did no great harm
either to mind or body ; these he might be expected to
endure without flinching, but there were other dangers
to be found in the Norway wilderness, that came in a'
more real and tangible shape, and such as might have
made a less determined traveller repent of his under-
taking. On one occasion, when resting on the side of
a hill he had just climbed, he was shot at from below,
and the ball struck the rock close beside him ; and
subsequently he had a no less narrow escape from a
burning forest. These, with perils from precipices,
floods, and morasses, make up a tolerable share of ad-
ventures for a few months only, that is from early in
May to the commencement of October, during which
time he had travelled about three thousand eight hun-
dred miles, over some of the most rugged parts of
Europe. He himself observes—

" My journey through Lapland was the most toilsome, and
I confess that I was obliged to sustain more hardship and dan-
ger in wandering through this single tract of our northern
world, than in all the travels which I undertook in other parts,
though these were certainly not without fatigue. But when
my journeys were over, I quickly forgot all the dangers and
difficulties, which were compensated by the invaluable fruits
obtained in the excursions."

His sole reward for all this fatigue and danger was
a small bursary, of which he was soon after deprived,
and the insubstantial honour of being elected a mem-
ber of the Royal Academy of Sciences. His reputa-
tion, it would seem, was now just great enough to pro-
voke enemies, but not so high and decided as to
command patrons. Presuming to lecture on bo-

tany, chemistry, and mineralogy, without having
first taken a degree, his superior knowledge was
not allowed to counterbalance this legal disqualifica-
tion, for in Sweden, it should seem, as in England,
the grounds of science are a close preserve, into which

no man may venture without a license. He was ac-
cordingly denounced by Dr. Nicholas Rosen, the ana-

tomical professor, and, notwithstanding the interest
made for him by his friends, was prohibited from con-
tinuing his course, a degree being indisputably a much
better qualification for a lecturer than any superiority
of genius. Desperate in his circumstances, and stimu-
lated by ungovernable fury at this attempt to ruin him,
he waylaid Rosen with a full determination to run
him through, and it was with difficulty that the by-
standers prevented this consummation, by wresting the
weapon from his hand. Morality will call this a crime,
but morality is not always in the right, and has, more-
over, at times a strong disposition to play the hypo-
crite ; when the law will not protect men, or,—as is too
often the case,—when it takes the part of the wealthy
and powerful, and bullies justice, we are not entitled to
complain if the injured, reverting to the first principles
of nature, determine to protect themselves. With Lin-
nmus, too, though he was highly irritable, there was
no malice in his temper. When fortune smiled upon
him, he was the first to seek a reconciliation with his
ancient rival, and at a subsequent period, upon being
appointed to the Chair of Anatomy and Physiology,

he exchanged it, with Rosen for that of Materia Medics,
Botany, Dietetics, and Natural History. This,
however, is somewhat anticipating the order of
events. From 1733 to 1738, he travelled through
a part of Germany, visited Holland and Eng-
land, and published many works, that added con-
siderably to his reputation, though his doctrines even
now were far from being universally accepted. To the

honour of the Dutch, it must be said that his merits
were better appreciated there than in any other country.
His native land had, as we have seen, rejected him ;
in France he was pronounced to be " a young enthu-
siast, who confounds all, and whose only merit con-
sists in having reduced botany to a state of anarchy ;"
in
.England, the learned Dillenius, whose reception of
him had been any thing but cordial, was " afraid his
method will not hold ;" but in Holland, it was far
otherwise ; Boerhave, Burman, Gronovius, Van Swie-
ten, and all the principal literati of the country, were
his friends, and the Dutch, anxious to avail them-
selves of his genius, proposed that he should make a
botanical voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, with the
promise of a professorship on his return. This offer
he rejected. As his reputation became more widely
diffused, he was seized with a longing desire to try his
fortune over again-in his native country.
At Hamburg his love of truth involved him in hos-
tilities, apparently more dangerous than the floods and
burning forests of Norway, for the latter he had braved
withoat injury, while from the first he was glad to fly:
" In the museum of John Von Spreckelsen was a prepara-
tion of great value, presenting the appearance of a serpent
with seven heads. It had even been pledged for a loan of
10,000 merks, and it was in fact considered one of the most
remarkable objects in the cabinets of the curious. Linnaeus,
however, on minutely inspecting the monster, discovered that
the heads consisted of the jaws of a small quadruped covered
over with the skin of a serpent. The wonder ceased,
Spreckelsen nearly became bankrupt, and the stranger was
obliged to leave Hamburg in order to avoid the enmities in
whic his sagacity had involved him."

On his return to Stockholm he was still neglected