Eight days previously Johan Ernst Gunnerus had sent three specimens of Fucus to Linnaeus through Christian Horrebow. They were addressed to Johan Hieronymus Chemnitz in Helsingör and Bergius in Stockholm, respectively. Gunnerus believes the Fuci to be new ones. There are also two specimens of Lichen involved with each other. The one somewhat resembles Lichen fragilis, the other Lichen pubescens. However, they are not the same. Gunnerus still believes Georg Christian von Oeder’s, Fucus saccharinus to be the plant that he has sent Linnaeus a drawing of. However, in an answer to that letter [Linnaeus to Gunnerus, 1 December 1766{L3839}] Linnaeus declared it to be Ulva latissima. When the second volume of Gunnerus’s ”Flora” [Gunnerus refers to his Flora Norvegica], is sent to the publisher, Gunnerus intends to insert an illustration of an alga in natural size, which he considers to be Ulva latissima. Linnaeus’s character convenes splendidly with it. If this plant, however, is Ulva latissima, the one previously sent must be Fucus saccharinus.
P.S. A few days previously Jens Finne Borchgrevink, had returned from Finnmarken. Together with Maximilian Hell, he is about to leave for Copenhagen. Borchgrevink has brought with him specimens of Veratrum album in parcels with earth. Gunnerus hopes that they can be planted in his garden. However, the specimens do not enable him to improve the illustration he sent Linnaeus [fol. 55]. In the Norwegian ”Acta” [Gunnerus refers to the publications of The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters, Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab, Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskabs Skrifter], Hell promises to publish a treatise on the phenomenon of organisms light up the water [this treatise about ”Morilden” was however not published in the Skrifter]. Hell believes this to be caused by many species of small animals in the sea and not only by Nereis noctiluca. Gunnerus has received new specimens of the ”Lodde” through a merchant [Peter Christian Buck] in Finnmarken. They are well preserved in alcohol. However, Gunnerus wishes to see the ”Slom” to find out whether it, just as the ”Nors”, has some bigger teeth, something that he has not seen in the ”Lodde”. Gunnerus hopes to receive seeds from Linum perenne in his garden. The other seeds that he has received have not come up. He has ordered seeds of Tamarix germanica again; he hopes to be able to send them in the autumn.