Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/88

Rh ACADEMY The Electoral Academy at Erfurt was established by the Elector of Mentz, in the year 1754. It consists of a pro tector, president, director, assessors, adjuncts, and asso ciates. Its object is to promote the useful sciences. The memoirs were originally published in Latin, but afterwards in German. The Hessian Academy of Sciences at Giessen publish their transactions under the title of Acta Philo- sophico-Medica Academics Scientiarum Principalis Hessiacve. In the Netherlands there are scientific academies at Flush ing and Brussels, both of which have published their transactions. Jtussia. The Imperial Academy of Sciences at St Petersburg was projected by the Czar Peter the Great. Having in the course of his travels observed the advan tage of public societies for the encouragement and promo tion of literature, he formed the design of founding an academy of sciences at St Petersburg. By the advice of Wolff and Leibnitz, whom he consulted on this occasion, the society was accordingly regulated, and several learned foreigners were invited to become members. Peter him self drew the plan, and signed it on the 10th of February 1724; but he was prevented, by the suddenness of his death, from carrying it into execution. HLs decease, how ever, did not prevent its completion; for on the 21st of December 1725, Catharine I. established it according to Peter s plan, and on the 27th of the same month the society assembled for the first time. On the 1st of August 1726, Catharine honoured the meeting with her presence, when Professor Bulfinger, a German naturalist of great eminence, pronounced an oration upon the advances made in the theory of magnetic variations, and also on the progress of research in so far as regarded the discovery of the longi tude. A short time afterwards the empress settled a fund of 4982 per annum for the support of the academy; and 15 members, all eminent for their learning and talents, were admitted and pensioned, under the title of professors in the various branches of science and literature. The most distinguished of these professors were Nicholas and Daniel Bernouilli, the two De Lisles, Bulfinger, and Wolff. During the short reign of Peter II. the salaries of the members were discontinued, and the academy utterly neglected by the Court; but it was again patronised by the Empress Anne, who even added a seminary for the educa tion of youth under the superintendence of the professors. Both institutions nourished for some time under the direction of Baron Korf ; but upon his death, towards the end of Anne s reign, an ignorant person being appointed president, many of the most able members quitted Russia. At the accession of Elizabeth, however, new lif e and vigour were infused into the academy. The original plan was enlarged and improved ; some of the most learned foreigners were again drawn to St Petersburg; and, what was considered as a good omen for the literature of Russia, two natives, Lomonosof and Ilumovsky, men of genius and abilities, who had prosecuted their studies in foreign universities, were enrolled among its members. Lastly, the annual income was increased to XI 0,659, and sundry other advan tages were conferred upon the institution. The Empress Catharine II., with her usual zeal for promoting the diffusion of knowledge, took this useful society under her immediate protection. She altered the court of directors greatly to the advantage of the whole body, corrected many of its abuses, and infused a new vigour and spirit into their researches. By Catharine s particular recommendation the most ingenious professors visited the various provinces of her vast dominions ; and as the funds of the academy were not sufficient to defray the whole expense of these expeditions, the empress supplied the deficiency by a grant of 2000, which was renewed aa occasion required. The purpose and object of these travels will appear from the instructions given by the academy to the several per sons who engaged in them. They were ordered to institute inquiries respecting the different sorts of earths and waters ; the best methods of cultivating barren and desert spots; the local disorders incident to men and animals, together with the most efficacious means of relieving them; the breeding of cattle, particularly of sheep ; the rearing of bees and silk-worms; the different places and objects for fishing and hunting; minerals of all kinds; the arts and trades; and the formation of a Flora Russica, or collection of indi genous plants. They were particularly instructed to rectify the longitude and latitude of the principal towns; to make aslronomical, geographical, and meteorological observa tions; to trace the courses of rivers; to construct the most exact charts; and to be very distinct and accurate in re marking and describing the manners and customs of the different races of people, their dresses, languages, anti quities, traditions, history, religion; in a word, to gain every information which might tend to illustrate the real state of the whole Russian empire. More ample instruc tions cannot well be conceived; and they appear to have been very zealously and faithfully executed. The conse quence was that, at that time, no country could boast, within the space of so few years, such a number of excellent publications on its internal state, its natural productions, its topography, geography, and history, and on the manners, customs, and languages of the different tribes who inhabit it, as issued from the press of this academy. In its researches in Asiatic languages, and general knowledge of Oriental customs and religions, it proved itself the worthy rival of our own Royal Asiatic Society. The first transactions of this society were published in 1728, and entitled Commentarii Academice Scientiarum Imperialis Petr opolitanQe ad annum 1726, with a dedica tion to Peter II. The publication was continued under this form until the year 1747, when the transactions were called Novi Commentarii Academic, &c. ; and in 1777, the academy again changed the title into Acta Academic Scien tiarum Imperialis Petropolitance, and likewise made some alteration in the arrangements and plan of the work. The papers, which had been hitherto published in the Latin language only, were now written indifferently either in that language or in French, and a preface added, entitled Partie Historique, which contains an account of its pro ceedings, meetings, the admission of new members, and other remarkable occurrences. Of the Commentaries, 14 volumes were published: the first of the New Commen taries made its appearance in 1750, and the twentieth in 1776. Under the new title of Acta Academice, a number of volumes have been given to the public ; and two are printed every year. These transactions abound with ingenious and elaborate disquisitions upon various parts of science and natural history ; and it may not be an exaggeration to assert, that no society in Europe has more distinguished itself for the excellence of its publications, particularly in the more abstruse parts of pure and mixed mathematics. The academy is still composed, as at first, of 15 pro fessors, besides the president and director. Each of these professors has a house and an annual stipend of from 200 to 600. Besides the professors, there are four adjuncts, with pensions, who are present at the sittings of the society, and succeed to the first vacancies. The direction of the academy is generally entrusted to a person of distinction. The buildings and apparatus of this academy are on a vast scale. There is a fine library, consisting of 36,000 curious books and manuscripts ; together with an extensive museum, in which the various branches of natural history, &c., are distributed in different apartments. The latter ia extremely rich in native productions, having been consi-