On his return, Linnæus was elected a member of the Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps - Academien (Stockholm), and at once recommenced his lectures; but the demon jealousy stepped in, by somebody complaining to the authorities of the college that it was against the charter of the University that lectures should be given by any but those who had obtained the full academical degree of Ph.D. This was a critical and trying time; but, being supported by his students, he and they went on a visit to the mountainous districts of Sweden in order to study mineralogy and other sciences. At Fahlun he was introduced to Baron Reuterholm, himself a student of nature, and a man of great influence. He placed his two sons under Linnæus' care, and together with a few other young nobles, all went on a travelling tour.
On their return a little college was established under the patronage of the baron, and here Linnæus' lectures and the assaying of ores brought him friends as well as money.
In 1735 he set out for Holland, spent some time at Leyden, obtained his medical degree, visited Boerhaave, who gave him a letter of introduction to Burmann, then professor of botany at Amsterdam; and for some time he aided the professor in the description of the plants of Ceylon, which the latter had collected in the island. At this time Linnæus was introduced by Boerhaave to a wealthy patron named Cliffort, who spent large sums of
