Nations lately become Literary. 305 



first of December, 1725, and the first meeting took 

 place two days afterwards. This Empress not 

 only favoured the institution, but also exercised 

 great munificence towards it. She made a liberal 

 grant of money for the support of fifteen members 

 eminent for learning and talents, who were pen- 

 sioned under the title of Professors in the various 

 branches of literature and science. And that 

 nothing might be omitted which could promote 

 her leading object, she invited a number of emi- 

 nent foreigners to Petersburgh, for the purpose of 

 filling the professorial chairs, for which provision 

 had been made. The most distinguished of these 

 foreigners were Nicholas and Daniel Bernoulli, 

 the two De Lisles, Bulfinger, Wolf, and Eu- 

 ler, whose profound erudition and scientific indus- 

 try could not fail of promoting the interests of 

 knowledge wherever they were placed. 



Perhaps few institutions of this nature, in mo- 

 dern times, have been more diligent or more suc- 

 cessful in pursuing the objects for which it was 

 formed than this Academy. Besides its published 

 transactions, which amount, it is believed, to 

 near fifty volumes, and which are full of valuable 

 information both in literature and science; its 

 members have done much, both in their official 

 and private capacities, to diffuse almost every 

 branch of useful knowledge throughout the empire. 

 Perhaps no country can boast of having produced 

 within the space of a few years, such a number 

 of excellent publications on its internal state, its 

 natural history, its topography, and geography, 

 and on the manners, customs, and languages of 

 different nations, as have issued from the press of 

 the Academy. 



These exertions of Peter and Catharine 

 were aided by some of their native subjects, who 

 began to perceive the importance of literature. 



VOL. II. % k 



