MEMOIR OF PALLAS. 61 



woman and a sovereign did not happen to make the 

 best possible selection, nor act with as correct views 

 as a scholar would have done ; but it is difficult to 

 conceive how those she engaged to co-operate with 

 her, did not venture to point out to her the imper- 

 fection of her plan, seeing it is very clear that a 

 dry vocabulary could never supply an idea of the 

 mechanism and genius of a language. But notwith- 

 standing all this, the treatise before us is a truly 

 valuable work, and has been useful in promoting the 

 researches of other learned men. 



The Empress seemed never to weary in giving 

 her favourite Naturalist fresh proofs of her partiality 

 and confidence. He was appointed a member of 

 the commission which was selected in 1777 to pre- 

 pare a new topography of the empire ; he was also 

 elected historiographer to the admiralty, an office 

 which obliged him to give attention to many scien- 

 tific questions connected with the navy ; and the 

 Grand Duke Alexander, lately Emperor, and his 

 brother, the present Grand Duke Constantine, re- 

 ceived his instructions on the subjects of natural 

 history and physics. 



Thus employed in so truly an honourable manner 

 by government, distinguished by titles corresponding 

 to his employments, and esteemed by all the learned 

 men in Europe, Pallas enjoyed at Petersburg all 

 the consideration which could be paid to him in his i 

 twofold character of a foreigner and a literary man : 

 but it would likewise appear that his long habit of 



