chief town of West Lothian in Scotland. It is supposed to be the Lindum of Ptolemy; and to take its name from its situation on a lake, which the word Lin or Lyn signifies.—It is distant 16 miles from Edinburgh, and is a royal borough and seat of a presbytery. Here is carried on a considerable trade in dressing of white leather, which is sent abroad to be manufactured; and many hands are employed in dressing of flax; also in wool-combing, the wool for which is brought from the borders. Its port, was formerly Blackness; but since the decline of that place, Borrowstounness, about two miles distant from Linlithgow. The town consists of one open street, from whence lanes are detached on both sides; the houses are built of stone, tolerably neat and commodious; and the place is adorned with some stately public edifices. The palace, built, as Sibbald supposed, on the seat of a Roman station, forms a square with towers at the corners, and stands on a gentle eminence, with the beautiful loch behind it to the west. It was one of the noblest of the royal residences; and was greatly ornamented by James V. and VI. Within the palace is a handsome square; one side of which is more modern than the others, having been built by James VI. and kept in good repair till 1746, when it was accidentally damaged by the king's forces making fires on the hearths, by which means the joists were burnt. A stone ornamented fountain in the middle of the court was destroyed at the same time. The other sides of the square are more ancient. In one is a room ninety-five feet long, thirty feet six inches wide, and thirty-three high. At one end is a gallery with three arches, perhaps for music. Narrow galleries run quite round the old part, to preserve communication with the rooms; in one of which the unfortunate Mary Stuart first saw light. On the north side of the high street, on an eminence east of the palace, stands St Michael's church; a handsome structure, where James V. intended to have erected a throne and twelve stalls for the sovereign and knights of the order of St Andrew. In the market-place is another fountain, and surmounted like the former with an imperial crown. In one of the streets is shown the gallery where the regent Murray was shot. Here was a house of Carmelites, founded by the towns people in 1292, destroyed by the Reformers 1559. The family of Livingston, who took the title of earl from this place, were hereditary keepers of the palace, as also bailiffs of the king's bailiary, and constables of Blackness castle; but by their concern in the rebellion of 1715 all these honours with their estate were forfeited to the crown. Sir James Livingston, son of the first earl by marriage with a daughter of Callendar, was created earl of Callendar by Charles I. 1641, which title sunk into the other. Population, in 1811, 4022.

Linlithgowshire, or West Lothian, nearly approaches in form to a parallelogram, about 20 miles long from east to west, and from 10 to 13 broad, from north to south. It is bounded by the river Forth on the north; by the river Almond on the southeast; by Lanarkshire on the south-west, and by the river Avon on the west. It is allowed to be one of the richest counties in Scotland, the soil in general being a rich loam, in a high state of cultivation and improvement. Its surface is diversified by gentle swells and fertile plains; and the number of elegant seats almost everywhere to be met with, gives it both a rich and delightful appearance. The whole is a composition of all that is great and beautiful; towns, villages, seats, and ancient towers, decorate each bank of that fine expanse of water, the firth of Forth. The lofty mountains Linnæus, Sir Charles, a celebrated botanist and natural historian, was born on May 24, 1707, in a village called Roeshult in Smaland, where his father, Nicholas Linnæus, was then vicar, but afterwards preferred to the curacy of Stenbrohult. We are told, that on the farm where Linnæus was born, there yet stands a large lime tree, from which his ancestors took the surnames of Tiliander, Lindelius, and Linnæus; and that this origin of surnames, taken from natural objects, is not uncommon in Sweden.

This eminent man, whose talents enabled him to reform the whole science of natural history, accumulated, very early in life, some of the highest honours that await the most successful proficients in medical science; since we find that he was made professor of physic and botany, in the university of Upsal, at the age of 34; and six years afterwards, physician to Adolphus king of Sweden; who in the year 1753 honoured him still farther, by creating him knight of the order of the Polar Star. His honours did not terminate here: for Linnæus, in 1757 he was ennobled; and in 1776 the king of Sweden accepted the resignation of his office, and rewarded his declining years by doubling his pension, and by a liberal donation of landed property settled on him and his family.

It seems probable, that Linnæus's taste for the study of nature was caught from the example of his father; who, as he has himself informed us, cultivated, as his first amusement, a garden plentifully stored with plants. Young Linnæus soon became acquainted with these, as well as with the indigenous ones of his neighbourhood. Yet, from the straitness of his father's income, our young naturalist was on the point of being destined to a mechanical employment; fortunately, however, this design was overruled. In 1717 he was sent to school at Wexsio; where, as his opportunities were enlarged, his progress in all his favourite pursuits was proportionally extended. At this early period he paid attention to other branches of natural history, particularly to the knowledge of insects.

The first part of his academical education Linnæus received under Professor Stobæus, at Lund, in Scania, who favoured his inclinations to the study of natural history. After a residence of about a year, he removed in 1728 to Upsal. Here he soon contracted a close friendship with Artedi, a native of the province of Angermania, who had already been four years a student in that university, and, like himself, had a strong bent to the study of natural history in general, but particularly to ichthyology. Soon after his residence at Upsal, our author was also happy enough to obtain the favour of several gentlemen of established character in literature. He was in a particular manner encouraged in the pursuit of his studies by the patronage of Dr Olaus Celsius, at that time professor of divinity, and the restorer of natural history in Sweden; who, being struck with the diligence of Linnæus in describing the plants of the Upsal garden, and his extensive knowledge of their names, not only patronized him in a general way, but admitted him to his house, his table, and his library. Under such encouragement it is not strange that our author made a rapid progress, both in his studies and the esteem of the professors: in fact, we have a very striking proof of his merit and attainments; since we find, that, after only two years residence, he was thought sufficiently qualified to give lectures occasionally from the hotanic chair, in the room of Professor Rudbeck.

In the year 1731, the Royal Academy of Sciences at Upsal having for some time meditated the design of improving the natural history of Sweden, at the instance particularly of Professors Celsius and Rudbeck, deputed Linnæus to make the tour of Lapland, with the sole view of exploring the natural history of that arctic region; to which undertaking, his reputation, already high as a naturalist, and the strength of his constitution, equally recommended him. He left Upsal the 13th of May, and took his route to Govalia or Gevels, the principal town of Gestricia, 45 miles distant from Upsal. Hence he travelled through Helsingland into Medalpadia, where he made an excursion, and ascended a remarkable mountain before he reached Hudwickswald, the chief town of Helsingland. From hence he went through Angermanland to Hernosand,