TRAVELS 
*34 
theim. This cabinet is open to the infpection of everybody; but 
if you with to fee it alone, or without being interrupted by a 
crowd of fpe&ators, a gratuity of about an Englifh {hilling' given 
to the door-keeper will procure you this favour. My infpe&ion 
influenced me to remark, that many mechanical inventions and 
improvements, which are produced to the Englifh nation as new, 
may be found to have originated in Germany, and to have been 
previoufly known in Sweden. This fliould put the people of 
( 
England upon their guard not to betray their ignorance in giving 
approbation and patronage to things that are borrowed from other 
nations, and held out to them as inventions. That favoured 
country poflefles fo much original genius, and has been the foun¬ 
tain of fo much excellence, that it is vain, foolifh and fuperfluous 
in its inhabitants to plume themfelves on mechanical novelties 
firft brought to light in other nations. 
Although it muff be confefled, that the Swedifh academies are 
not altogether formed on plans that Rand the tefl: of philofophical 
fcrutiny, yet it cannot be denied that there is notwithftanding in 
Sweden, and even in the academies, much genius and induflry 
directed to ufeful purpafes, and productive of the beft fruits. 
The original intention of thofe inflitutions certainly was good, 
though they were afterwards perverted and abufed; for when 
men meet and converfe freely together, they have an opportunity 
of comparing their ideas, of confirming their opinions when 
right by the obfervations of others, or correcting them when 
wrong by their criticifms. Different notions are {farted by dif¬ 
ferent 
