Philadelphia.
Linnæan Medal.—Has any reader of "N. & Q." in his possession a Linnæan medal? I mean the one by the celebrated Liungberger, ordered by Gustavus III. in 1778. It is of great beauty, and now very scarce: the following is a brief description.
It is of silver, two inches diameter. Obverse, a portrait of the naturalist, very faithful and boldly executed, yet with the utmost delicacy of finish. The face is full of thought and feeling, and the whole expression so spiritual, that this medallion has a strange charm; you keep looking at it again and again. The inscription is,
"Car. Linnæus, Arch. Reg. Equ. Auratus."
On the reverse is Cybele, surrounded by animals and plants, holding a key and weeping. Inscription,—
"Deam luctus angit amissi."
"Post Obitum Upsaliæ, D. X. Jan. MDCCLXXVIII. Rege Jubente."
In the background is a bear, on whose back an ape has jumped; but the bear lies quietly, as if he disdained the annoyance.
This was probably in reference to what he said in the preface to his Systema Naturæ: "I have borne the derision of apes in silence," &c. Adjoining this are plants, and we recognise his own favourite flower, the Linnea borealis.
E. F. Woodman.