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DOCUMENT 101.
SWEDENBORG TO BENZELIUS. *
Most honoured and dear Brother,
By the last post I had the honour to receive
your dear letter. With regard to the professorship of the
late Celsius, 12 for which the Chancellor desires an able
man, whoever he may be, to be proposed-there are some fine
men at the University, as Magister Buhrman,89 and after him
Vassenius,75 or Hasselquistot My own business has been geo
metry, metallurgy, and chemistry, and there is a great differ
ence between them and astronomy. It would be inexcusable
for me to give up a profession, in which I think I can be of
good use ; further, I have not the donum docendi (i. e. the
gift of teaching); you know my natural difficulty in speaking;
I hope, therefore, that the Academy will not propose me,
as it would act as an obstruction on the part of the Chan
cellor with His Majesty in the matter of my receiving a
salary at the College, which is now before him , and which I ex
pect to obtain some time; again, I no longer find my thoughts
directed towards an academical life, and I should no longer
feel satisfaction in it, even were I to receive a salary of
1500 Rixdalers, which is, however, out of the question. You will
do an act of great friendship to me, if, in case any one in
the Consistory should think of me, you will answer with an
absolute No, yet at the same time expressing my gratitude to
them for considering me worthy.
I thank you for your kind invitation to Upsal; I should
like very much to accept it, if I could venture, immediately
* “ Benzelius’ Collection," Vol. XL, No. 152.
* This name ought probably to be Hasselbom, see Note 77.
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