Ehrenberg's Discoveries—Notices of E’minent Men. 127 
own specimens with those found in-other places, he began to 
publish, in 1820, his “Essay towards a Geognostic-botanical 
Representation of the Flora of the Pre-esisting World.” In this 
work he not only gave a great number of very beautiful colored 
engravings of vegetable fossils, but also attempted a systematic 
classification of them. But he stated, in the first portion of his 
work,* that the problems, important alike for botany and geology, 
which offered themselves, could only be solved by combined la- 
bors on a common plan; and after mentioning the various Euro- 
pean Societies to which he looked for assistance (among which he 
includes this Society,) he adds, ‘‘ Bohemia and the hereditary 
states of the Austrian empire, I am ready, with some friends of 
science; to make the subject of continued investigation.” The 
specimens of which he published representations, with many 
more, formed the Count’s collection at his castle of Brzezina; 
but he declared in the outset, that as soon as the National Bohe- 
mian Museum at Prague was provided with the means of receiv- 
ing and displaying this collection, the whole should be transferred 
from Brzezina to the capital. This was afterwards done; and in 
this and other ways he was one of the principal founders of the 
Museum at Prague. He also gave notice, that while the collec- 
“ion continued in his own residence, it was open to the inspection 
of every lover of science, even in the absence of the Count himself. 
The publication of Sternberg’s Flora der Vorwelt went on till 
1825, after which it was discontinued till 1838, when two parts 
appeared, terminating the work. In this last publication he states 
‘hat he is compelled to give up this undertaking, having been in 
* great measure deprived of sight for two years, so that he was 
obliged to devolve the greater. part of such labors upon MM. Cor- 
da and Presi, His hearing also failed him. He adds, however, 
~ though thus no longer able to pursue the path which he has 
tedden for twenty years, he shall not fail to render to the science, 
“which he was one of the founders, any service which may be 
in his power, This publication was the crowning labor of his life, 
for he did not long survive it; he retained, however, to the last 
elasticity and activity of his mind. He died very suddenly 
— Country seat already mentioned, on the 20th of December, 
838, being carried off by apoplexy in his 78th year. 
Sanaa eget 
* Erster Heft, p 16. 
