44 A C A 
ers, the fame as before, except that the adjunCt-geogra- 
pher for the future be called, the affociate-geographer. 
The late M. Rouble de Meflay, counfellor of the par¬ 
liament of Paris, founded two prizes, the one of 2500 
livres, the other of 2000 livres, which the academy dif- 
tributed alternately every year: the fubjedts of the for¬ 
mer prize refpeCting phylical aftronomy, and of the latter, 
navigation and commerce. And the world is highly in¬ 
debted to this academy for the many valuable works they 
have executed, or publifhed, both individually and as a 
body collectively, efpecially by their memoirs, making 
upwards of a hundred volumes in 410, with the machines, 
indexes, &c. in which may be found 1110ft excellent com- 
pofitioris in every branch of fcience. 
The French have alfo confiderable academies in mod of 
their great cities; as, at Montpelier, a Royal Academy of 
Sciences on the like footing as that at Paris, being as it were 
a counter part thereof; at Thouloufe, an academy under 
the denomination of Lanternifts; others at Nifmes, Arles, 
Lyons, Dijon, Bourdeaux, &c. And we have the belt 
authority for aderting', that, notwithftanding the late un¬ 
paralleled aCts of violence, which ihook the Gallic em¬ 
pire to’ its very foundations, the progrefs of literature was 
but for a (hort time impeded, and the public academies are 
now encouraged and protected. 
The Royal Academy of Sciences at Berlin, was founded in 
1700, by Frederic I. king of Prullia, on the model of that 
of England; excepting that, beiides natural knowledge, 
it likewife comprehends the Belles Lettres. In 1718, it 
was ordained that the prefident fhall be one of the coun- 
fellors of date, and nominated by the king. The mem¬ 
bers were divided into four clades; the fird for profecu- 
ting phydcs, medicine, and chemidry; the fecond for 
mathematics, adronomy, and mechanics; the third for the 
German language, and the hidory of the country; the 
fourth for oriental learning, particularly as it may concern 
the propagation of the gofpel among infidels. The great 
promoter of this inditution was the celebrated M. Leib¬ 
nitz, who was made director. The fird volume of their 
tranfaftions was publidied in 1710, under the title of Mif- 
cellanca Berolincnfia ; and, though they received but few 
marks of the royal favour for fome time, they continued 
topubli'h new volumes in 1723, 1727, 1734, and 1740. At 
lad, Frederic II. the renowned king of Prudia, gave new 
vigour to this academy, by inviting to Berlin fuch foreign¬ 
ers as were mod didinguifhed for their merit in literature, 
and encouraged his fubjeCts to profecute the dudy and 
cultivation of the liberal fciences by giving ample rewards; 
and thinking that the academy, indead of having fome 
opulent nobleman for its prefident, would find an advan¬ 
tage in having a man of letters at its head, he conferred 
that honour on M. Maupertuis. At the fame time he 
gave a new regulation to the academy, and took upon him- 
felf the title of its protestor. The academids hold two 
public ademblies annually, at the lad of which is given a 
gold medal of 50 ducats value: the fubjeCt for this prize 
is fuccedively, natural philofophy, mathematics, meta- 
phyfics, and erudition. 
The Imperial Academy of Sciences at Pcterjhurgh, was pro¬ 
jected by Czar Peter the Great. That monarch having, 
during his travels, obferved the advantage of public fo- 
cicties for the encouragement and promotion of literature, 
formed the dedgn of founding an academy of fciences at 
Peterfburgh. By the advice of Wolf and Leibnitz, whom 
he confulted on this occafion, the fociety was regulated, 
and feveral learned foreigners were invited to become 
members. The emperor himfelf drew the plan, and fign- 
ed it on the 10th of February, 1724; but was prevented 
by the fuddennefs of his death, from carrying it into exe¬ 
cution. His deceafe, however, did not prevent its com¬ 
pletion: for, on the 21ft of December, 1725, the emprefs 
Catharine I. eftablidied it on the original plan; and on 
the 27th of the fame month the fociety was fird aflembled. 
The emprefs fettled a fund of 4982I. per annum for the 
fupport of the academy; and fifteen members, all emi- 
A C A 
nent for their learning and talents, were admitted and pen- 
fioned, under the title of profeffors in the various branches 
of literature and fcience. The moil diftinguifhed of thefe 
profeflors were Nicholas and Daniel Bernoulli, the two 
De I-ifles, Bulfinger, and Wolf. 
During the fhort reign of Peter II. the falaries of the 
members were difeontinued, and the academy was utterly 
neglebted by the court; but it was again patronized by the 
emprefs Anne, who even added a feminary for the edu¬ 
cation of youth, under the fuperintendance of the profef¬ 
fors. Both inftitutions fiouriihed for fome time under the 
direction of baron Korf; but upon his death, towards the 
latter end of Anne's reign, an ignorant perfon being ap¬ 
pointed prefident, many of the mod able members quitted 
Ruflia. At the acceffion of Elizabeth, new life and vi¬ 
gour were again redored to the academy : the original plan 
was enlarged and improved; fome of the mod learned fo¬ 
reigners were again drawn to Peterfburgh ; and, what was 
confidered as a good omen for the literature of Ruflia, 
two natives, Lomonofof and Rumovfky, men of genius 
and abilities, who had profecuted their dudies in fo,reign 
univerfities, were enrolled among its members. The an¬ 
nual income was now increafed to 10,659!. and foon after¬ 
wards the new inditution took place. 
The prefent emprefs Catharine II. with her ufual zeal 
for promoting the dilfufion of knowledge, has taken this 
ufeful fociety under her more immediate protection. She 
has altered the court of directors greatly to the advantage 
of the whole body; die has corrected many abufes, and 
has infufed a new fpirit into their refearches. By her 
majedy’s particular recommendation, the mod ingenious 
profelfors have vifited the various provinces of her vad do¬ 
minions; and, as the fund of the academy was not diffid¬ 
ent to fupply the whole expence or thefe feveral expedi¬ 
tions, the emprefs bedowed a largefs of 2000I. which die 
dill renews as often as occafion requires. In thefe tra¬ 
vels, they were ordered to purfue their inquiries upon the 
different forts of earths and waters ; upon the bed methods 
of cultivating the barren and defert fpots; upon the local 
diforders incident to men and animals, and the mod effica¬ 
cious means of relieving them; upon the breeding of 
cattle, and particularly of dieep ; on the rearing ot bees 
and filk-worms; on the different places and objeCts for 
fifhing and hunting; on minerals ; on the arts and trades; 
and on forming a Flora Ruflica, or collection of indigenous 
plants: they were particularly indruCted to rectify the 
longitude and latitude of the principal towns: to make 
adronomical, geographical, and meteorological, obferva- 
tions; to trace the courfe of the rivers; to take the mod 
exaCt charts; and to be very didinCt and accurate in re¬ 
marking and defcribing tire manners and cudoms of the 
different people, their drelfes, languages, antiquities, tra¬ 
ditions, hidory, religion; and, in a word, to gain every in¬ 
formation which might tend to illudrate the real date of 
the whole Ruffian empire. In confequence of thefe ex¬ 
peditions, perhaps no country can boad, within the Ipace 
of fo few years, fuch a number of excellent publications 
on its internal date, on its natural productions, on its to¬ 
pography, geography, and hidory; on the manners, cuf- 
toms, and languages, of the different people, as have if- 
fued from the prefs of this academy. 
The fird tranfaCtions of this fociety were publidied in 
1728, and intitled, Commentarii Academia Scicntianm Impe¬ 
rials Petropolitance ad anno 1726, with a dedication to Pe¬ 
ter II. The publication was continued under this form 
until the year 1747, when its tranfaCtions were called Novi 
Commentarii Academia, &c. In 1777 the academy again 
changed the title into Atla Academice Scientiarum Imperials 
Petropolitance, and likewife made fome alteration in the 
arrangement and plan of the work. Under the new title 
of A£la Academia:, feveral volumes have been given to the 
public, and two are printed every year. Thefe tranlac- 
tions abound with ingenious and elaborate difquifitions 
upon various parts of fcience and natural hidory, and 
which refleCt the greated honour upon their authors; and 
