154 Kations lately become Literary. [Ch. XXVI. 



tutions ; sent some of the most conspicuous young 

 noblemen in his dominions into different parts of 

 Europe, for the purpose of improving themselves 

 in literature ; and invited many foreigners of dis- 

 tinction to settle at his court. He established a 

 printing office in Petersburg, for publishing books 

 in the vulgar tongue; and among many other 

 works caused a large edition of the Bible in that 

 language to be printed and scattered through his 

 dominions. He instituted also, beside schools of 

 less celebrity, in different parts of the empire, a 

 mathematical school, a seminary for instruction 

 in navigation, a museum for the collection of cu- 

 riosities from all parts of the world, and an obser- 

 vatory, for the promotion of astronomical sci- 

 ence: in short, he endeavoured, as far as possible, 

 to transplant from all other nations, into his own 

 country, every thing that appeared to him orna- 

 mental or useful. By these means he produced a 

 taste for letters and science among some of the 

 higher classes of his subjects, and laid the foun- 

 dation of that general improvement in his empire, 

 which has since risen to such an honourable 

 height *. 



The establishment of the Imperial Academy of 

 Arts and Sciences forms an important era in the 

 history of Russian literature. This institution 

 owes its origin to Peter the Great, who, during 

 his travels, observing the advantages of public 

 societies for the promotion of useful knowledge, 



* For more juinute information on the subject of Russian li- 

 terature than it is convenient to give in the present sketch, see 

 Coxe's Travels, and Tooke's Survey of the Russian Empire, his 

 History of Russia, and his Life of Catharine JI. 



