I38 LETTERS FROM 



die off, we are conftantly hearing of new ones ; and/ if 

 fome of thofe whom I have juffc been naming are dead, 

 and perhaps irreparable for the prefent ; yet there is al- 

 ways room to hope that we ihall not too deeply feel 

 their lofs. 



The academy of fciences I have vifited twice, once at 

 an ordinary meeting, and afterwards at a public onq 

 w r hich was held for the purpofe of celebrating the anni- 

 verfary of the birth of the king. As the feveral poli- 

 tical and literary publications will already have in- 

 formed you of what pafTed in the latter of thefe meet- 

 ings, I forbear to dwell upon it here. It was enough 

 for me that I faw and made myfelf acquainted with 

 fuch of the members of the academy, as I had not an 

 opportunity of viiitmg feparately. It has always been 

 made a matter of reproach to the king, that, in the 

 diftribution of places in his academy, he has fhewn 

 too great a partiality to foreigners ; and this reproach is 

 not without foundation, as there are actually at prefent 

 very worthy perfons, and great geniufes in Berlin, who 

 are not academicians # . However, this conduct of the 

 king's will admit of fome excufe, if we conlider, that 

 his choice has conftantly fallen on men r of lingular emi- 

 nence, who by being tranfplanted into Germany, have 

 been enabled to profit that country by the light of their 

 knowledge, while the natives are maintained and at- 

 tached to it by other pofts. However, a dearth of fo- 

 reigners feems now to be creeping up ; there are but 

 few of any great confequence remaining : and we may 



* That the prefent king has applied a remedy to this com- 

 plaint is well-known. 



3 probably 



