The Linnean Correspondence

Link: linnaeus.c18.net/Letter/L4186 • Carl Linnaeus to Johannes Burman, 10 February 1769 n.s.
Dated 1769 d. 10. februarii.. Sent from Uppsala (Sweden) to Amsterdam (Netherlands). Written in Latin.

L4186. Carl LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus (1707-1778). Swedish. to Johannes BurmanJohannes Burman (1707-1779). Dutch.
Botanist, professor of medicine in Amsterdam.
Close friend of Linnaeus. Correspondent of
Linnaeus. , 10 February 1769 n.s.

Viro Amplissimo,
D[omino] D[octori] JO[HANNI] BURMANNO,
Professori Botan[ices] Amstel[edamensi] vere inclyto,
S[alutem] pl[urimam] d[icit]
Car[olus] Linné.

Tuas, Vir Amplissime, d[ie] 20 januarii datas rite habui, nec suaviores umquam. Laetor magnopere, quod etiamnum valeas et vigeas. Tantis me involvisti antiquae et infucatae amicitiae documentis, ut videbam me haerere in Tuis amplexibus. Vix dies prae-teriit, quin Te cogito, cui, dum vixero, debeo plura quam alio ullo. Tuas dum quotidie evolvo, obstupesco ad merita Tua. Ante Tuum tempus paucissimae exoticae plantae fuere rite figuris illustratae; jam vero Tua ope plurimae. Vellem, quod numerares quot plantarum e[di]disti figuras in Thesauro Zeylanico, Dec[adibus] Africanis, Rumphii Herbario, Plumieri Americanis; quaeso, numeres et communices quot Species figuris illustratae sint in his omnibus simul. Certe nullus mortalium paria praestabit Scientiae. Cum edidisti Catalogum Tuum Indicarum plantarum, quaeso, pro amicitia Tua eum communices.

Nondum accessit fasciculus datus D[omino] Balguiero. Utinam mitteret, antequam semina exsiccarentur.

Non obliviscar commendare filium Tuum suavissimum membrum societatis nostrae.

Cum in epistola Tua perveni ad Filii Tui Clarissimi morbum, exhorrebam; vix ausus legere sequentia. Tibi et Publico gratulor, mihique maxime de ejus felici restitutione; faxit Deus, ut plenarie reconvalescat, ne morbus relinquat aliquam labem.

Laetor animitus, quod nunc non tantum liceat gratulari Tibi et illi de felici restitutione sed et de sparta in orbe illustrissima, dum nomine, omine et haereditate Tibi in munere succedat; hoc unicum et ultimum nostrum votum; memini qua laetitia ipse perfusus fui, dum mea sparta concedebatur a S[erenissimo] Rege filio meo. Nunc ex illis, quos voco meos, Professores habeo Burmannum Amstelodami, Beckmannum Gottingae, <u<Falk Petropoli, Kuhn Philadelphiae, Solandrum Londini, Fabricium Hafniae.

Tua ope et per plantas mecum a Te benevole communicatas plurimae Indicae et Capenses ad sua genera relatae sunt, quae antea vagae et incertae erant. Dum tu vixeris, qui possides inter mortales summam collectionem siccatarum plantarum ex hisce dissitis regionibus, et ego, qui magis in generibus laboravi, quam forte alius, quaeram devotissime, numne velles mecum communicare literis flosculum ex etiamnum dubii generis plantis, et spondeo sanctissime, quod Tibi integrum erit nomen cuique generi novo imponendi. Sic potuissemus conjunctis viribus etiamnum aliquid praestare. Quoties Africanas Tuas pervolvo, haesito

ad Rapuntium t. 39. f. 1. Lychnidea t. 49. f. 4. Crataegus t. 87. f. 1. Leucoxylon t. 92. f. 1. 2.

In Zeylanicis Chamaelea t. 24. An Leea? Ricinocarpos t. 93. f. 1. An Acalypha?

In Amboinensibus. Casuarinam utramque habeo exsiccatam, sed absque floribus; si habeas, quaeso, mittas florem; videtur novi generis et Cupressi affinis, sed distinctum genus.

Faba marina est Mimosa.

<u<Globba siccam habeo jam cum flore; novi generis est, ad diandriam monogyniam spectat.

Lingoum Pterocarpus. Si habeas florem, unicum mihi exoro, cum nondum certus, utrum filamenta sint distincta aut coalita.

Pandani genus. Anne umquam vidistin flores, et sexcenta alia?

Inclusam schedulam, quaeso, tradas filio Tuo.

Millies cogitavi de Ixiae affinibus Tuis, quarum stupendam copiam possides et optavi eas videre apud Te, si non vivas, tamen siccas.

Quaeso, mittas mihi aliquot semina pro futura aestate, si vixero, ut habeam aliquid grati, quo fallam senium meum.

Quaesivi ab omnibus Botanicis Loosam (Ortigam Fewillaei), quae fuit in Hortis Europaeis ante duos annos, unde possideo specimen optimum, sed nullus potuit mihi semina procurare; si occurrat in vestra patria, quaeso, millies des mihi unum alterumve, cum nulla planta mihi in hac vita gratior esse[t] visu, viva.

Dabam Upsaliae 1769 d[ie] 10 februarii.

Viro Clarissimo
D[omino] D[octori] Jo[hanno] Burmanno
Professori Botanico
Amsterdam.

SUMMARY

Linnaeus has received Johannes Burman’sBurman, Johannes (1707-1779).
Dutch. Botanist, professor of medicine
in Amsterdam. Close friend of Linnaeus.
Correspondent of Linnaeus. letter dated 20 January 1769Letter L4223 that pleased him more than ever. He is happy to see that Burman is still well. Burman has given him such proofs of their old and genuine friendship that Linnaeus feels as if he is constantly embraced. Linnaeus thinks of him almost every day and as long as he lives he owes more thanks to Burman than to anyone else. He is amazed at Burman’s merits. Earlier very few exotic plants were illustrated, now, because of him, a great many. Linnaeus asks Burman to count how many illustrations there are in his works and how many species. Linnaeus is convinced that no one else has done anything like it for science. Linnaeus asks Burman for old friendship’s sake to send a copy of his catalogue of Indian plants when it is published [Linnaeus refers to the Flora Malabarica:sive index in omnes tomos Horti MalabariciBurman, Johannes Flora
Malabarica: sive index in omnes tomos
Horti Malabarici, quem juxta normam a
botanicis hujus aevi receptam
(Amsterdam, 1769). ].

Linnaeus has not received the parcel Burman forwarded to Daniel BalguerieBalguerie, Daniel (1733-1788).
Swedish. Swedish agent in Amsterdam,
succeeded his father Pierre Balguerie. [Nicolaas Laurens BurmanBurman, Nicolaas Laurens
(1734-1793). Dutch. Professor of
botany. Linnaeus’s pupil in Uppsala in
1760. Correspondent of Linnaeus. told him that in a letter to Linnaeus, 22 September 1768Letter L4114]. He hopes that the seeds have not dried.

Linnaeus will not forget to recommend Burman’s son [Nicolaas Laurens BurmanBurman, Nicolaas Laurens
(1734-1793). Dutch. Professor of
botany. Linnaeus’s pupil in Uppsala in
1760. Correspondent of Linnaeus. ] for the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences [Kungliga Svenska VetenskapsakademienKungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademien,
Swedish. The Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences, Stockholm. Founded
in 1739. ].

When Linnaeus read Burman’s letter and reached the part about Burman’s son’s illness, he hardly dared to continue reading. Now he congratulates Burman and the world on the recovery and hopes that the illness will leave no marks.

Linnaeus congratulates the Burmans on the son’s appointment as Professor of Botany and his father’s successor. He remembers when the same favour was granted to his son [Carl Linnaeus the YoungerLinnaeus the Younger, Carl
(1741-1783). Swedish. Botanist. Son of
Carl Linnaeus and Sara Elisabet Linnaea.
Brother of Elisabeth Christina, Louisa,
Sara Christina and Sophia Linnaea.
Attended his father’s lectures, had
private tutors (Löfling, Rolander,
Solander and Falk, all Linnaeus’s
students). Demonstrator of botany at
Uppsala. Succeeded his
father. ] by the king.

The following of his disciples are professors now: Burman in Amsterdam, Johannes BeckmannBeckman, Johannes (1739-1811).
German. Professor of economy,
Göttingen. After a two-year stay in
St Petersburg, he travelled in Sweden
and Denmark in 1765-1766. Correspondent
of Linnaeus. in Göttingen, Johan Peter FalckFalck, Johan Peter (1732-1774).
Swedish. Professor of botany and
curator of the botanical garden of St
Petersburg. Correspondent of Linnaeus. in St.Petersburg, Adam KuhnKuhn, Adam (1741-1817).
American. Physician, Philadelphia.
Studied under Linnaeus at Uppsala
University in 1762-1763. Linnaeus’s only
American student. Correspondent of
Linnaeus. in Philadelphia, Daniel SolanderSolander, Daniel (1733-1782).
Swedish. Naturalist, explorer. Student
in Uppsala under Linnaeus and Johan
Gottschalk Wallerius. Went to London in
1760. Curator of natural history
collections at the British Museum.
Botanist on Cook’s first voyage
1768-1771. Joseph Bank’s librarian.
Correspondent of Linnaeus. in London and Johan FabriciusFabricius, Johan Christian
(1745-1808). Danish. Professor of
economy and natural history in
Copenhagen. Linnaeus’s pupil 1762-1764.
Correspondent of Linnaeus. in Copenhagen.

Linnaeus has classified most of the Indian and Cape plants whose genus was previously uncertain. Burman possesses the world’s largest collection of plants from distant parts and Linnaeus wishes that he can continue to receive flowers of uncertain genus, but Burman can feel free to name them. In that way they can still achieve something through their united efforts.

Linnaeus comments on some African plants. Some are still doubtful as Rapuntium etc. He asks Burman to send a flower of Casuarina, of Lingoum and Pterocarpus. Has Burman seen the flowers of Pandanum?

Linnaeus asks Burman to forward the enclosed sheet to his son.

Thousand of times Linnaeus has thought of Burman’s amazing collection of Ixia that Linnaeus would like to see, live or dried.

Linnaeus asks Burman to send some seeds for the summer to take away the effects of his old age if he is still living then.

Linnaeus has asked all botanists if they have seeds of Loosia, a plant that pleases him more than others to look at.

MANUSCRIPTS

a. original holograph (KVA, Carl von Linnés arkiv, 2401-2404). [1] [2] [3] [4]

EDITIONS

1. Epistolae ineditae Caroli Linnaei (1830), p. 112-115 .
2. Bref och skrifvelser (1943), vol. II:2, p. 186-188 p.186 p.187 p.188.