A C A 
it may not be an exaggeration to aflert, that no fociety in 
Europe has more diltinguifned itfelf for the excellence of 
its publications, and particularly in the more abftrul'e parts 
of the pure and mixed mathematics. 
The academy is fiill compofed, as at firft, of fifteen 
profelT'ors, befides the prefident and director. Each of thefe 
profelTors has a houfe and an annual llipend from 200I. to 
600I. Belide the profelTors, there are four adjuncts, who 
are penlioned, and who are prefent at the fittings of the 
fociety, and fucceed to the firft vacancies. 
The building and apparatus of this academy are extra¬ 
ordinary. There is a fine library, confiding of 40,000 
curious books and manufcripts.—There is an extendve 
Riufuem, in which the various branches of natural hiftory, 
&c. are diflributed in different apartments : it is extreme¬ 
ly rich in native productions, having been confiderably 
augmented with a variety of fpecimens collected by Pallas, 
Gmelin, Guldenftaedt, and other learned profeff’ors, dur¬ 
ing their late expeditions through the Ruffian empire. 
The fluffed animals and birds occupy one apartment. 
The chamber of rarities, the cabinet of coins, See. contain 
innumerable articles of the higheft curiolity and value, not 
to mention Cox’s Mufeum ^nd other valuable curiolities 
purchafed from thiscountry. The fociety has this modeft 
motto, Paulatim. 
Tim Academy of Sciences at Bologna, called the Injlitule of 
Bologna, was founded by Count Marligli in 1712, for the cul¬ 
tivating of phylics, mathematics, medicine, chemiftry, and 
natural hiftory. Its hiftory is written by M. de Linders, 
from memoirs furnifhed by the founder himfelf. 
The Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, or Royal Swedift Aca¬ 
demy, owes its inftitution to fix perfons of diftinguifhed 
learning, amongft whom was the celebrated Linnaeus; they 
originally met on the 2d of June, 1739, formed a private 
fociety, in which fome differtations were read; and in the 
latter end of the fame year rheir firft publication made its 
appearance. As the meetings continued and the members 
increafed, the fociety attracted the notice of the king, and 
was, on the 31ft of March, 1741, incorporated under the 
name of the Royal Swedifti Academy. Not receiving any 
penfion from the crown, it is only under the protection of 
the king, being directed, like our Royal Society, by its own 
members. It has now a large fund, which has chiefly 
arifen from legacies and other donations; but a profeffor 
of experimental philofophy, and two fecretaries, are ftill 
the only perfons who receive any falaries. The differta¬ 
tions read at each meeting are collected and publifhed four 
times in the year; they are written in the Swedifti lan¬ 
guage, and printed in oCtavo, and the annual publications 
make a volume. The firft forty volumes, which were 
finifhed in 1779, are called the Old Tranfaftions; for in 
the following year the title was changed into that of New 
Tranfaclions. The king is fometimes prefent at the ordi¬ 
nary meetings, and particularly at the annual affembly in 
April for the election of members. Any perfon who 
fends a treatife which is thought worthy of being printed, 
receives the tranfaClions for that quarter gratis, and a di¬ 
ver medal, which is not efteemed for its value, being worth 
only three (hillings, but for its rarity and the honour con¬ 
veyed by it. All the papers relating to agriculture are 
put forth feparately under the title of Oeconomica aCla. 
Annual premiums, in money and gold medals, principally 
for the encouragement of agriculture and inland trade, are 
alfo diftributed by the academy. 
The Royal Academy of Sciences at Copenhagen, owes its infti¬ 
tution to the zeal of fix literati, whom Chriftian VI. in 
1742, ordered to arrange his cabinet of medals. The count 
of Holftein was the firft prefident; and the fix perfons who 
firft formed the defign, were John Gram, Joachim Frede¬ 
ric Ramus, Chriftian Louis Scheid, Mark Woldickey, 
Eric Pontopidan, and Bernard Moelman. Thefe perfons, 
occafionally meeting tor that purpofe, extended their de- 
figns; aff’cciated with them others who were eminent in fe¬ 
deral branches of fcience; and forming a kind of literary 
fociety, employed themfel ves in fearching into, and explain- 
Vol. I. No. 3. 
A C A 45 
ing the hiftory and antiquities of their country. The count 
of Holftein warmly patronized this fociety, and recom¬ 
mended it fo ltrongly to Chriftian VI. that, in 1743, his 
Danilh majefty took it under his protection, called it the 
Royal Academy of Sciences, endow'ed it with a fund, and 
ordered the members to join to their former purfuits, na¬ 
tural hiftory, phylics, and mathematics. In confequence 
of the royal favour, the members engaged with frelh zeal 
in their purfuits; and the academy has publifhed twenty 
volumes in the Danilli language, fome whereof have been 
tranflated into Latin. 
The American A.cadcmy of Sciences, was eftablifhed in 1780 
by the council and houfe of reprefentatives in the province 
of Maffachufet’s Bay, for promoting the knowledge of the 
antiquities of America, and of the natural hiftory of the 
country; for determining the ufes to which its various na¬ 
tural productions might be applied; for encouraging me¬ 
dicinal difcoveries, mathematical difquilitions, philofophi- 
cal inquiries and experiments, aftronomical, meteorologi¬ 
cal, and geographical, obfervations, and improvements in 
agriculture, manufactures, and commerce; and, in ffiort, 
for cultivating every art and fcience which may tend co ad¬ 
vance the intereft, honour, dignity, and happinefs, of a 
iree, independent, and virtuous, people. The members 
ot this academy are never to be more than 200, nor lefs 
than 40. 
VI. Academies or Schools of Arts; as that at 
Peterlburgh, which was eftablilhed by the emprefs Eliza¬ 
beth, at the fuggeftion of count Shuvalof, and annexed to 
the academy of fciences: the fund w'as4oool. per annum, 
and the foundation for 40 fcholars. The prefent emprefs 
has formed it into a feparate inftitution, enlarged the an¬ 
nual revenue to 12,000k and augmented the number of 
fcholars to 300; fhe has alfo conliruCted, for the ufe and 
accommodation of the members, a large circular building, 
which fronts the Neva. The fcholars are admitted at the 
age of fix, and continue until they have attained that of 18 ; 
they are clothed, fed, and lodged, at the expence of the 
crown. They are all inftruCted in reading and writing, 
arithmetic, the French and German languages, and draw¬ 
ing. At the age of 14 they are at liberty to choofe any of 
the following arts, divided into four dalles. 1. Paintingin 
all its branches of hiftory, portraits, battles, and land- 
fcapes; architecture; Mofaic ; enamelling, &c. 2. En¬ 
graving on copper-plates, feal-cutting, &c. 3. Carving 
in wood, ivory, and amber. 4. Watch-making, turning, 
inftrument-making, calling ftatues in bronze and other me¬ 
tals, imitating gems and medals in palle and other coinpo- 
fitions, gilding, and varnilhing. Prizesare annually d'ltri- 
buted to thofe who excel in any particular art; and from 
thofe who have obtained four prizes, twelve are leleCled, 
who are fent abroad at the charge of the emprefs. A cer¬ 
tain fum is paid to defray their travelling expences; and 
when they are fettled in any town, they receive an annual 
falaryof 60I. which is continued during four years. 'There 
is a fmallalTortment of paintings for the ufe of the fcholars; 
and thofe who have made great progrefs are permit¬ 
ted to copy the pictures in the emprefs’s collection. For 
the purpofe of defign, there are models in plaifter of the 
bed antique ftatues in Italy, all done at Rome, of the lame 
lize with the originals, which the artifts of the academy^ 
were employed to call in bronze. 
The Royal Academy of Arts in London, was inllituted for 
the encouragement of Dcfigning, Painting, Sculpture, &c. 
See. in the year 1768. This academy is provided with a 
noble fet cf apartments in the front of Somerfet-place, 
under the immediate patronage of the king, and under the 
direClion of forty artifts of the firft rank in their feveral 
profeffions. It furnilhes, in winter, living models of dif¬ 
ferent characters to draw after; and in fummer, piodels of 
the fame kind to paint after. Nine of the abielt academi¬ 
cians are annually eleCted out of the forty, whole buiinefs 
is to attend by rotation, to fet the figures, to examine the 
performance of the ftudeuts, and to give them neceffary 
inftruCtions. There arelikewife four profelTors, ol Paint- 
N i«S» 
