Page:A memoir of Lewis David von Schweinitz.djvu/39

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30
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF

tion of the whole amount of human knowledge on this subject.[1]

At the decease of Mr. Schweinitz, the whole of his rich collection passed, by bequest, into the possession of this institution.

Independent of the fungi and other cryptogamous specimens, not yet arranged, or even fully examined since their arrival, the herbarium thus bequeathed to the Academy by our deceased fellow member, contains about twenty-three thousand species of plants, either collected by himself, or procured through the agency of his numerous and valuable correspondents. Among the latter, the examination has shown that many names, high in science, are included.

Of European plants, many were furnished by Dr. Schwaegrichen, of Liepsic, author of the Prodromus Historiæ Muscorum Hepaticorum, and already mentioned as the editor of one of Mr. Schweinitz' publications; others, by Dr. Steudel, author of the Nomenclator Botanicus; some were obtained from his attentive and valued correspondent Dr. Zeyher, and others from the well known naturalist, M. Brongniart, of Paris.

From M. Ledebour author of the Flora Altaica, Mr. Schweinitz received most valuable contributions of Altaian and Siberian plants, originally discovered by that traveller in his Asiatic journies, and described in the work just mentioned. From Dr. Wallick, superintendent of the Botanic Garden at Calcutta, and editor of an

  1. The whole number of species at present known, has been estimated at 60,000.