X 



zilian Government, it has gone on more rapidly, and has now reached 

 the 46th part. The completion, which Martins so longed to see, 

 has been intrusted to his friend Dr. Eichler. It was one of Martius's 

 last cares to take the needful steps to ensure its continuance ; so that we 

 may reasonably hope to see this noble monument of German industry in 

 science brought to a close. Even now the parts that have appeared form 

 the most comprehensive work in botanical literature yet published. Nearly 

 10,000 species are described, and these are illustrated by more than 1100 

 folio plates. It is evident that the editing and publication alone of so 

 enormous amass of matter is a performance worthy of the highest acknow- 

 ledgment ; but Martius's merit was by no means limited to that. True, 

 of all the monographs published, two only were by Martius ; but then he 

 supplemented nearly all the others by valuable explanations on the geo- 

 graphical distribution and the medicinal, technical, and economical im- 

 portance of the several plants. He also contributed a series of charac- 

 teristic plates representing the vegetation (' Tabulae Physiognomicee '), 

 accompanied by masterly definitions, in elegant Latin. He also contributed 

 maps of the floral districts, routes of travel, &c. Several of the mono- 

 graphs in the * Flora Brasiliensis ' are esteemed as masterpieces ; for in 

 many cases the men who wrote them had previously devoted years of 

 study to the respective groups. The mere enumeration of Martius's other 

 writings would fill a long space, for there are more than 150 separate 

 works. Among these may be specially mentioned his ' Beitrage zur Eth- 

 nographie und Sprachkunde Braziliens ' as evidence, besides what appears 

 in the narrative of his travels, that he devoted himself to other objects in 

 Brazil besides the study of its natural history. 



Reverting to the main facts of Martius's life, we left him in 1820, just 

 after his return from Brazil, when he was nominated ordinary member of 

 the Academy, and second conservator of the Botanic Garden. For some 

 years his position remained unchanged. When, however, in 1826, King 

 Ludwig I. ascended the throne, and the University of Landshut was re- 

 moved to Munich, he was appointed Professor of Botany in that institu- 

 tion ; and six years later, upon the retirement of the aged Schrank, he 

 received the post of first conservator. "With the exception of occasional 

 journeys to England, France, Holland, &c, he discharged almost un- 

 interruptedly the duties of both appointments until 1854. In 1840 

 he was elected Secretary to the Mathematical and Physical Class of 

 the Munich Academy, and continued in the office till the time of his 

 death. 



With a budget of only 4500 florins, Martius succeeded, with the assist- 

 ance of the highly meritorious gardener Weinkauff, in making the Botanic 

 Garden a model establishment. The Garden had just been rearranged 

 with great care, and partially replanted, when in 1854, by the erection of 

 a glass building for an industrial exhibition, the beautiful plan was marred. 

 Martius, who had vainly remonstrated against this intrusion, ceased to 



