200 Biographical Notice of H, G, Florke. 



of his career and under the imperious necessity of want, it is a 

 very great and painful sacrifice, especially to a mind like that of 

 Florke, who cherished science before riches and honours. 



It was at Berlin that Florke commenced to distinguish him- 

 self as a lichenographer. The ' Berliner Magazin ' and the ' Bci- 

 trage ' of Weber and Mohr were the most important and most 

 esteemed scientific reviews of that period. He published in 

 these a very great number of papers, which produced him the 

 reward of a just renown, and placed him in communication with 

 the first cryptogamists of his time. The intrepid Russian tra- 

 veller Tilesius, Bory de Saint- Vincent, Weber, and Wallroth 

 sent to him their lichens, and referred them to his skilful de- 

 termination. 



When Florke began to write, Acharius had already edited 

 his first works, and enjoyed a European reputation. Our liche- 

 nologist attacked him fiercely in nearly all his publications; and 

 the two celebrated lichenographers continued rivals throughout 

 their whole lives. Florke was the better judge of species, 

 Acharius was the creator of lichenography, and sought to es- 

 tablish his genera on microscopic characters. Both had incon- 

 testable merits, and it is difficult to pronounce on the superiority 

 of talent of these two rivals. But every one smiled on Acharius, 

 and the Court of Sweden heaped upon him her favours ; Florke, 

 on the contrary, was poor and neglected : this tainted his 

 writings, and his criticism was often too severe and sometimes 

 even unjust, as I have remarked in my 'Cladonise Acharianse/ 



Nevertheless misfortune did not pursue Florke to the end of 

 his career. In 1816, Professor Treviranus Raving resigned the 

 chair of Natural History at Rostock in order to accept that of 

 Botany at Breslau, the vacant post was offered to our licheno- 

 grapher, who accepted it with gratitude. 



Florke was nearly fifty-three when he became professor of 

 zoology, of botany, and of natural history at Rostock. But 

 honour had come too late; nevertheless he performed the duties 

 of professor during fifteen years with zeal and reputation. 



Florke was not what may be termed a brilliant professor, 

 but, simple, clear, correct, and conscientious in his lessons, he 

 had the faculty of communicating to his pupils that love of 

 science which he himself possessed. 



Keeping himself au courant with the progress of the natural 

 sciences, he voluntarily shared with his pupils the fruits of 

 his studies, and often gave them, besides his official courses, 

 supplementary lessons in popular astronomy, agricultural che- 

 mistry, or physical geography. 



As professor of botany he attached little importance to vege- 

 table anatomy and physiology. To him the descriptive part 



