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ACADEMY, ROYAL William Crary Brownell, Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, Woodrow Wilson, Arthur Twining Hadley, Henry Cabot Lodge, Edwin Howland Blashfield, Thomas Hastings, Brander Matthews, Thomas Nelson Page, Elihu Vedder, George Edward Woodberry, George Whitefield Chadwick, Abbott Henderson Thayer, George de Forest Brush, William Rutherford Mead, Bliss Perry, Abbott Lawrence Lowell, Nicholas Murray Butler, Paul Wayland Bartlett, Owen Wister, Herbert Adams, Augustus Thomas, Timothy Cole, Cass Gilbert, William Roscoe Thayer, Robert Grant, Frederick MacMonnies, William Gillette, Paul Elmer More, Barrett Wendell, Gari Melchers, Elihu Root, Brand Whitlock, Hamlin Garland, Paul Shorey, Charles Piatt, Maurice Francis Egan, Archer Huntington.

ACADEMY OF ARTS, THE ROYAL, a British institution for the encouragement of painting, sculpture, and designing; founded in 1768 by George III., with Sir Joshua Reynolds as president. It is composed of a president (P. R. A.), 40 academicians (R. A.), and 30 associates (A. R. A.), which include professors of painting, architecture, anatomy, and perspective.

ACADEMY OF DESIGN, NATIONAL, an American institution, in New York City, founded in 1826, conducting schools in various branches of the fine arts, and holding semiannual exhibitions at which prizes are awarded. The membership consists of academicians, who are the corporate body and use the title N. A. (National Academicians), and the associates, who use the title A. N. A.

ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, THE, a French institution, originally founded in 1648 at Paris under the name of the Academy of Painting and Sculpture. In 1795 it was joined to the Academy of Architecture, and has borne its present name since 1819. See INSTITUTE OF FRANCE.

ACADEMY OF INSCRIPTIONS AND BELLES LETTRES, an institution founded at Paris by Colbert in 1663, under the name of Petite Académie. It was composed originally of four members, chosen by the ministry to belong to the Académie Française. In 1702 the Academy assumed its definitive form; 40 academicians were named. In 1803 the Academy was reconstituted and became the third class of the Institute. Comparative philology. Oriental, Greek, and Roman antiquities and epigraphy have received the attention of the Academy. See INSTITUTE OF FRANCE.

ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, an institution founded in 1812. It has one of the best natural history collections in the world—especially rich in stuffed birds—and a valuable scientific library. It has published "Journals" since 1817, and "Proceedings" since 1841.

ACADEMY OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCE, AMERICAN, an institution organized at Philadelphia in 1889 and incorporated in 1891. It has a large number of members and publishes bi-monthly "Annals."

ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, THE NATIONAL, an American institution, chartered by Congress in 1863, consisting of 150 members, elected from among the most distinguished scientific men of the United States; analogous to the Royal Society of London.

ACADIA, a former French colony in North America, including Nova Scotia and nearly all of New Brunswick, settled in 1604. When, by the peace of Utrecht (1713), it was given to the English, the inhabitants, having refused to take the oath of allegiance, were ordered to leave their homes. The story of their sorrow is touchingly introduced into Longfellow's "Evangeline."

ACANTHACEÆ, an order of monopetalous exogens, with two stamina; or, if there are four, then they are didynamous. The ovary is two-celled, with hard, often hooked, placentæ, and has from one or two to many seeds. There are often large, leafy bracts. The acanthaceæ are mostly tropical plants, many of them being Indian. They have both a resemblance and an affinity to the Scrophulariaceæ of this country, but are distinguishable at once by being prickly and spinous. In 1846 Lindley estimated the known species at 750, but it is believed that as many as 1,500 are now in herbariums. The acanthus, so well known in architectural sculpture, is the type of the order.

ACANTHITE, a silver sulphide classed by Dana under his chalcocite group. Composition AgS. It has about 86.71 of silver and 12.70 of sulphur. It is orthorhombic; the crystals are generally prisms with slender points.

ACANTHUS, the name of three ancient cities: (1) in Egypt, (2) in Caria, and (3) in Macedonia. The latter city is noted for the construction, across the neck of the peninsula of Mount Athos, of the great canal through which sailed the fleet of Xerxes on its way to Greece.