, a native of Finland, and a Lutheran divine of considerable eminence
, a native of Finland, and a Lutheran divine of considerable eminence in the sixteenth
century, studied divinity and medicine in the university of
Wittemberg. Having become acquainted with Luther,
that reformer recommended him to Gustavus I.; and on his
return to Sweden, he was made rector of Abo, in 1539.
Gustavus afterwards sent him to Lapland to preach Christianity to the benighted Laplanders. In 1554, he was appointed bishop of Abo, and then went into Russia, with the
archbishop of Upsal, Laurentius Petri, in order to have a
conference with the clergy of that country. He died in
1557. He translated the New Testament into the Finland
language, which was printed at Stockholm, 1548; and is
said also to have translated into the same language a work
entitled “Rituale Ecclesise ab erroribus pontificiorum rep.urgatus.
”
, a very celebrated naturalist, was a native of Finland, and was born in 1715. Having imbibed a taste
, a very celebrated naturalist, was a native of Finland, and was born in 1715. Having imbibed
a taste for the study of natural history, it appears that he
pursued his inclination with much zeal and industry. His
first researches were rewarded by the discovery of many
new plants in Sweden, of which he gave some account to
the botanical world between the years 1742 and 1746. He
was particularly anxious to explore the virtues of plants,
both with respect to their uses in medicine, and in the
useful arts, so that planting and agriculture occupied some
portion of his attention. His reputation as a naturalist caused
him to be appointed professor at Abo; and in October 1747,
he set out upon his travels, sailing from Gottenburg for
America; but, on account of a violent hurricane, was obliged
to take shelter in a port of Norway, whence he could not
depart till the ensuing February, when he proceeded immediately for London. From hence he went to North
America; and having spent two or three years in exploring
whatever was worthy of observation in that country, he
returned to his professorship at Abo in 1751. The expences of this undertaking appear to have exceeded what
was allowed him by the Academy of Sciences, so that our
author was obliged to live rather penuriously upon his return; yet he found means to cultivate, in a small garden
of his own, several hundred plants, for the use of the university, as there was no public botanical garden at Abo His
discoveries in botany very materially enriched the “Species
Plantarum
” of his great master, and the LinntEan Herbarium abounds with specimens brought home by him, distinguished by the letter K. Haller enumerates a long list of
tracts published by Kalm; and his inaugural dissertation
appeared in the “Amcenitates Academicae
” of Linnæus.
He was originally intended for the ecclesiastical profession,
but was drawn aside from this pursuit by attending the
lectures of Linnæus on natural history, given in the university of Upsal. Indeed, it was through the recommendation of Linnæus that professor Kalm was fixed upon to
undertake the voyage to North America, and the account
of his voyage was published in English by Forster in 1771.
He afterwards made, at his own expence, a very extensive
tour into Russia, the history of which never appeared in
print, but which is supposed to have furnished considerable matter for the work of a Swedish writer, who published a book of travels in that kingdom. Kalm was a
member of the royal Swedish academy of sciences, and
died in 1779. His collection of dried plants, made in
his various journeys, and doubtless valuable for the purposes of botanical information, is said to remain in the
hands of his family in a state of neglect.