388 Imperial Agricultural Society of Moscow, 



to be wished, and may be expected, between Russia and the 

 Continent, as well as Great Britain. The director, professor 

 Fischer, is a most indefatigable naturalist, and although not 

 more than fifty years of age, the catalogue of his works and 

 translations on different subjects occupies nearly three quarto 

 pages; and they better proclaim his character and the extent 

 of his erudition than any encomium I can add. A few distin- 

 guished characters of Great Britain are honorary ; but a greater 

 number non-resident ordinary members of this society. The so- 

 ciety of natural history of Moscow is well known on the Conti- 

 nent, and wishes to be better known in Great Britain by an ex- 

 change of its Transactions for the Transactions of the literary 

 societies of our island; as well as to receive donations in na- 

 tural history, or of the works of its members, or of other in- 

 dividuals disposed to assist its views." 



IMPERIAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF MOSCOW. 



" The regulations of this society were published in the Rus- 

 sian language in the year 1820. They commence with a short 

 historical account of its formation, which is followed by some 

 general remarks on the pleasures and advantages of agricul- 

 ture, and on its influence on a nation, in a moral, a political, 

 and a commercial point of view. After a sketch of the opinions 

 of the ancients regarding agriculture, its present state in Ger- 

 many, France, and England, as also in America, is noticed. 

 It is* then stated that in Russia this science as yet is almost 

 in its infancy. As contributing to the advancement of agri- 

 culture in this empire, the effects of the works of the Free Eco- 

 nomical Society at Petersburg; — the utility of the universities 

 in Russia (each of which has a chair for agriculture) ; and 

 the observations of the Economical Society of Livonia, are al- 

 luded to. 



" The difficulty of leaving off old, and of adopting new plans, 

 is remarked ; — and especially among the peasantry. 



" To the tiers etat, — the middling ranks of society, which 

 exist in most countries of Europe, — arts and sciences, agri- 

 culture and commerce, chiefly owe their improvement and 

 perfection. But in Russia there are no properly corresponding 

 classes of society. The advancement of the arts and sciences, 

 and of agriculture, principally depends upon the government, 

 the nobility, the literati, and societies. Commerce in a great 

 measure is in the hands of the merchants ; but a few of the 

 nobility are great speculators. 



" As things are at present, by far the greatest part of the 

 stewards upon noblemen's estates are their own slaves, and 

 are generally very corrupt in their morals. Some of the 



richer 



