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Letter 12 February 1763 to Gerhard Friedrich Müller. L3214.
(Text, Manuscript)
Language
Undetermined
Persons
Linné, Carl von
, 1707-1778
(author)
Müller, Gerhard Friedrich
, 1705-1783
(addressee)
Incipit
Numquam magis anxius haesi,
Origin
No place, unknown, or undetermined, 1763-02-12
Physical description
Format:
Non digital
Abstract
Linnaeus is sorry that things have turned out the way they have regarding Daniel Solander. Linnaeus never intended to deceive anybody let alone the Imperial Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg, [Imperatorskaja akademija nauk] and Gerhard Friedrich Müller. Linnaeus was honoured to have been consulted regarding the vacant professorship of botany at St Petersburg and that Count de Rasumowski [Kirill Grigorjevitj Razoumowsky] was ready to accept the candidate that Linnaeus suggested. Linnaeus still does not know anybody better suited for the Academy or more learned. Linnaeus had written to Solander about the professorship [Linnaeus to Solander, 11 December 1761{L3010}; Linnaeus also wrote two other letters on the same subject, dated 1 January and 5 March 1762, respectively, {L3033}{L3052}]. But Linnaeus received Solander’s letter about what he wanted too late [Solander to Linnaeus, 13 May 1762{L3072}]. Solander also promised to write to Müller and thank him. However, Linnaeus has learnt from Müller’s letter dated 10 September o.s. 1762 [Müller to Linnaeus, 21 September 1762{L3129}] that there has been no letter. When Linnaeus had received Müller’s letter, he wrote two letters to Solander [these letters, which must have been written during the late fall of 1762, have not come down to us], to be sure that at least one would arrive. Solander answered but again late and he sounded so anxious and timorous that Linnaeus hardly understood what he meant [this letter has not come down to us]. However, soon friends of Solander’s and Linnaeus’s began to write to Linnaeus; they praised Solander highly but advised against his going in all possible ways saying that the Russians did not like foreigners, that it was difficult to live in Russia, that he would not be allowed to leave Russia, that others who had lived in Russia had left displeased, etc. Linnaeus could have accepted all these reasons, if only they had not written that the English had conspired never to let Solander leave and that they would see to it that he received a good salary so that he could describe the collections of the British Museum and remain in London [see for example, Peter Collinson to Linnaeus, 16 November 1762{L3160} and John Ellis to Linnaeus, 21 December 1762{L3175}]. Linnaeus is sorry that he is so old and tired and has such a big family. Otherwise he would have left for St Petersburg himself because of the double salary, considering what he gets now.
Linnaeus fears that Solander is deceiving him and will put him in a bad light in the Imperial Academy. Linnaeus therefore feels forced to write. If Solander would now like to have the professorship, he should not have it.
There are other good botanists in Europe, although they cannot be compared to Solander. Jonas Theodor Fagraeus is a good botanist who is also well versed in zoology; he combines natural history with economy.
Peter Hernquist is a man of solid learning and Linnaeus’s disciple.
Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber from Bützow studied for Linnaeus a few years ago; he has all the qualifications but is perhaps a bit too young.
Antoine Gouan from Montpellier could also fulfil his duties honourably.
Nicolaus Joseph, baron von Jacquin from Vienna has travelled through the middle of America; he has recently published an excellent work [Linnaeus refers to Jacquin´s,
Selectarum stirpium Americanarum historia
(1763), see also Jacquin to Linnaeus, 5 January 1763{L3202}, where he informs Linnaeus about his new work and Linnaeus´s reply to Jacquin, 23 January 1763{L3189}].
Linnaeus asks Müller to help him so that he will not get a bad reputation because of his unfortunate interaction in the case of Solander.
Transcription
Viro illustri et vere Magno,
D[omi]no GER[ARDO] FR[IDERICO] MUELLERO,
s[alutem] pl[urimam] d[icit]
Car[olus] von Linné,
Equ[es].
Numquam magis anxius haesi, qui fidem liberarem meam, quam hisce ultimis mensibus ob caussam Solandri. Meum numquam fuit ludere quemquam multo minus illustrissimam Academiam Scientiarum et imprimis Te, quem semper colui ob virtutem, sapientiam et eruditionem summam. Perquam honorificum mihi duxi, quod me, dum vacaret cathedra Botanica, consulere velles, quodque mea intercessione Excellentissimus Praeses Comes de Rasumowski, quem proposui adsumere, gratiosissime vellet. Nec adhuc novi quemquam, qui magis satisfaceret illustrissimae Academiae vel doctior in hisce esset. Scripsi ad eum, ut novisti, de hac re, quae constitueret fundamentum ejus fortunae. Sero et nimis tarde accepi responsorias, quod vellet. Promisit etiam se litteras et gratiarum actiones ad Te missurum. Sed ex Tuis d[iei] X Septembris intellexi, quod nullas dederat. Hisce Tuis acceptis binas scripsi ad Solandrum literas, ut, si altera periret, altera accederet. Respondebat iterum tarde, sed quasi anxius et meticulosus, ut vix epistolam intelligerem. Mox varii ejus et mei amici ad me suas dedere, in quibus extollunt Solandrum ob doctrinam et mores in coelum, sed omnibus modis dissuadent, nescio, quo agitati panico terrore, quasi Rutheni non bene perferrent exteros, quod esset difficile ibi vivere, quod non liceret exire, quod alii, qui ibi fuere, discessere minus contenti et sexcenta ejusmodi vana. Haec tamen superassem omnia, sed quasi conjurati Angli nullo modo dimittere vellent Solandrum, sed pro eo ambiere, quod obtineret honorificum salarium, ut describeret Museum Britannicum et Londini permaneret.
Doleo ego, quod sim senex, exhaustus et multa familia stipatus; alias ipse ambirem tam honorificam munus stipatum duplo sostro respectu istius, quod ego reporto.
Quidquid sit, vereor, quod me illudat D[ominus] Solander et ego incurram malam gratiam Illustrissimae Academiae, adeoque coactus haec scribo. Et certe, si iam vellet habere, non deberet accipere.
Sunt alii Botanici in Europa non spernendi, licet nullus horum comparari queas cum Solandro. D[ominus] D[octor] Fagraeus nostras non infelix est Botanicus. In Zoologicis etiam egregie versatus; applicat historiam naturalem ad oeconomiam.
D[omi]n[us] Hernquist etiam nostras habet solida studia academica et adeo assiduus in omni eruditione, ut quamcumque penetrat scientiam; me audivit pluribus annis nec verbum ipsi praeterlapsum est.
D[ominus] D[octor] Schreber, Professoris filius Buzowiae, est juvenis ad historiam naturalem aptissimus, qui etiam ante aliquot annos apud me fuit, cui nil deest nisi anni.
D[ominus] D[octor] Gouan Monspeliensis etiam hanc Spartam posset honorifice adimplere.
D[ominus] D[octor] Jacquin Viennensis, qui peragravit Americam meridionalem, nuper inclaruit egregio opere.
Hos novi nec plures.
Sed per sacra quaevis oro, cures, ne incurram malam gratiam Excellentissimi Comitis illustrissimae Academiae et Tuae, qui alienus ab omni fuco proposui, quem videbitis quondam fuisse optimum, licet ille non respondebat meis votis. Non ausus procrastinare; has invitus scripsi d[ie] 12 Februarii 1763.
Notes
Letter from or to Linnaeus
Literature
Jacquin, Nicolaus Joseph von,
Selectarum stirpium Americanarum historia : in qua ad Linnaeanum systema determinatae descriptaeque sistuntur plantae illae, quas in insulis Martinica, Jamaica, Domingo, alliisque, et in vicinae continentis parte
(Vienna, 1763)
Related records in Alvin
See also:
Letter 11 December 1761, Uppsala to Daniel Solander, London. L3010.
See also:
Letter 1 January 1762, Uppsala to Daniel Solander, London. L3033.
See also:
Letter 5 March 1762, Uppsala to Daniel Solander, London. L3052.
See also:
Letter 13 May 1762, Busbridge to Carl Linnaeus, Uppsala. L3072.
See also:
Letter 21 September 1762, St Petersburg to Carl Linnaeus, Uppsala
See also:
Letter 16 November 1762, London to Carl Linnaeus, Uppsala. L3160.
See also:
Letter 21 December 1762, London to Carl Linnaeus, Uppsala. L3175.
Document type
Letter
Subject, persons
Müller, Gerhard Friedrich
, 1705-1783
Solander, Daniel
, 1733-1782
Razoumowsky, Kirill Grigorjevitj
, 1728-1803
Collinson, Peter
, 1694-1768
Ellis, John
, c.1710-1776
Fagraeus, Jonas Theodor
, 1729-1797
Hernquist, Peter
, 1726-1808
Schreber, Johann Christian Daniel
, 1739-1810
Gouan, Antoine
, 1733-1821
Jacquin, Nicolaus Joseph, baron von
, 1727-1817
Subject, organisations
Imperatorskaja akademija nauk
Contact
Contact us
Location
Uppsala University Library
Carolina Rediviva, Dag Hammarskjölds väg 1
Box 510
SE 751 20 Uppsala
Linnaean correspondence
Identifiers (general)
urn:nbn:se:alvin:portal:record-231602
(nbn)
Identifiers (local)
L3214
(Linnébrev)
alvin-record:231602
(alvin)
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Permanent link
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:alvin:portal:record-231602
Direct link
https://www.alvin-portal.org/alvin/view.jsf?pid=alvin-record:231602
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