am certain, that the merits of Newton in philosophy and mathematics are equalled in botany, and all the principles of natural history, by the immortal Von Linne. These great men stand equal and unrivalled, in my judgment, as the most faithful interpreters of Nature's works. I trust, sir, you will not take amiss this testimony of mine in favour of your distinguished parent; for, as you are closely allied to him in blood, I feel myself scarcely less intimately attached, by the particular friendship with which he was so good as to favour me. His memory will ever be cherished by me, as that of a beloved preceptor, and I shall value, as long as I live, every pledge of his regard...." With this testimony to the transcendent merits of Linnaeus we conclude the present section, regarding it as a fit introduction to that which follows, in which we shall attempt to sketch the character of this extraordinary man. SECTION XI. _Character of Linnaeus._ Specific Character of Linnaeus--Remarks of Condorcet--Linnaeus's Appearance and bodily Conformation--His Habits, mental Characteristics, Sociality, domestic Relations, Parsimony, and Generosity--His Forbearance towards his Opponents, Inaptitude for the Acquisition of Languages, Love of Fame, moral Conduct, religious Feelings--Character of his Writings--Remarks on his Classifications. The character of Linnaeus, marked as it is by features which the least reflective mind can hardly fail to distinguish as indicative of qualities that seldom present themselves in so high a degree of development, is not difficult to be appreciated. The method which he employed for characterising the genera and species of animals and plants, he applied to himself as an individual, and the description which he gave of his own person and mind is too remarkable to be omitted here. It is this:-- "Occipite gibbo, ad suturam lambdoideam transverse depresso, pili in infantia nivei, dein fusci, in senio canescentes. Oculi brunnei, vivaces, acutissimi, visu eximio. Frons in senio rugosa. Verruca obliterata in bucca dextra et alia in nasi dextro latere. Dentes debiles, cariosi ab odontalgia haereditaria in juventute. "Animus promptus, mobilis ad iram et laetitiam et maerores, cito placabatur; hilaris in juventute, nec in senio torpidus, in rebus agendis promptissimus; incessu levis, agilis. "Curas domesticas committebat uxori, ipse naturae productis unice intentus; incepta opera ad finem perduxit, nec in itinere respexit." To convert this aphoristic description into elegant English, such as is employed by writers of the Buffon school,--men of many words and few facts,--would be to destroy its peculiar beauty, which can only be retained in an appropriate translation:--