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THROUGH FINLAND. 243
ll
wife of the prefident of the court of juftice: fhe underftands
Italian and French, and has acquired a tafte for the beauties of our
beft Italian poets.
I faw at the houfe of the prefident a’very intelligent and con-
verfable clergyman. We had much converfation concerning the
Finlanders, efpecially on the fubject of their poetry, and he men-
tioned a variety of interefting particulars. Speaking of Linnzeus
with whom he had been well acquainted at Upfala, he had much
to fay on the character of the Swedifh naturalift, and dwelt par-
ticularly on the extreme vanity which that great man feems to
have carried to the moft difgufting length. He related to me
fome anecdotes which gave ftrong indications of that weaknefs.
A lady of the province of Upfala, who had never been beyond its
boundaries, applied to a friend of Linnzeus for a letter of recom-
mendation, that fhe might have an opportunity of making the
acquaintance of this eminent character, and at the fame time fee
his colleGion. The philofopher received her with much polite-
nefs, and as he was fhewing her the mufeum, the good lady was
fo filled with aftonifhment at the fight of an affemblage of fuch
a number of different objefis, upon each of which Linnzus had
always fomething to remark, that fhe exclaimed with a figh, I xo
longer wonder that Linnaeus is fo well known over the whole province
of Upfala! Linneus, who inftead of the province of Upfala expeA-
ed to hear the whole universe, was fo fhocked, that he would thew
her nothing more of the mufeum, and fent the lady away quite
confounded at the change of his humour, and at the fame time
2 firmly
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