National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

XVI.   IN SWEDEN 1 9 3 1

QUESTION OF THE GRANT

My first task in Sweden was to arrange for the further maintenance of the expedition. We now enjoyed great goodwill on the part of the Chinese and had actually a privileged position as compared with other nations. We had "made brilliant discoveries, all our members were fully occupied in their widely scattered fields of work, and it would have been cruel to my young collaborators to interrupt their work at this stage, just when it was redounding not only to their own credit but to the honour of the whole country.

I was immediately given a hearing by H. R. H. the Crown Prince, by the members of the government who were concerned with the work of the expedition and by the party-leaders in the Riksdag. To all these gentlemen I related what we had so far achieved, at the same time emphasizing the critical financial situation of the expedition. I was met with sympathy and kindness on all hands, and His Excellency ARVID LINDMAN gave me definite assurance that government funds would be placed at our disposal. The press, too, was extremely friendly in its attitude.

On the 5th of March it was already considered that the matter could be arranged by taking the money from lottery funds; and on March 21st I therefore submitted an appeal to the King, applying for half a million crowns to meet the expenses of the continued work of the expedition. On May 22nd the government granted half this sum.

The finances of the expedition were thus happily saved, or at least for some time to come; and the field-workers could quietly continue with their researches in Asia.

Another eloquent proof of the appreciation aroused by our work in Asia was the awarding by the Royal Academy of Sciences of the LINNt Medal in gold to HUMMEL for his botanical and zoological collections.

In February, moreover, I had the pleasure of demonstrating these collections to Crown Prince LEOPOLD of Belgium, who is an extremely keen entomologist, and who was at that time staying in Stockholm.

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