Ehrenherg^s Discoveries — Notices of Einine7it Men. 127 



own specimens with those found in other places, he began to 

 pubhsh, 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- 

 tion 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 Vorioelt went on till 

 1825, after which it was discontinued till 1838, when two parts 

 appeared, terminating the work. In this last publication he states 

 that he is compelled to give up this undertaking, having been in 

 a 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 Presl. His hearing also failed him. He adds, however, 

 that though thus no longer able to pursue the path which he has 

 trodden for twenty years, he shall not fail to render to the science, 

 of which he was one of the founders, any service which may be 

 in his power. This publication was the crowning labor of his hfe, 

 for he did not long survive it : he retained, however, to the last 

 the elasticity and activity of his mind. He died very suddenly 

 at his country seat already mentioned, on the 20th of December, 

 1838, being carried off by apoplexy in his 78th year. 



* Erster Heft, p 16- 



