A C A 
difcourfes-which Toricelli, the celebrated difcipleof Gali¬ 
leo, delivered in' the aflemblies, concerning levity, and 
the wind, the power of percuflion, mathematics, and mili¬ 
tary architecture,’are a proof that thefe academifts applied 
themfelves to things as well as words. 
Tht Academy of FruElifen had its rife in 1617, at an af- 
femfely of feveral princes and nobility of the country, who 
met with a defign to refine and perfeCt the German tongue. 
It flourifhed long under the direction of princes of the 
empire, who w ere always chofen prefidents. In 1668, 
the number of members arofe to upwards of 900. It 
was prior in time to the French Academy, which only ap¬ 
peared in 1629, and was not eltabliihed into an academy be¬ 
fore the year 1635. Its hiltory is written in the German 
tongue by George Neumarck. 
The French Academy, which had its rife from a meeting 
of men of letters in the houfe of M. Conrat, in 1629. In 
1635, it was ereCted into an academy, by Cardinal -Rich- 
lieu, for refining and afeertaining the French language and 
ftyle.—The number of its members are limited to forty ; 
out of whom a director, chancellor, and fecretary, are to 
be chofen: the two former hold, their polts for two months, 
the latter is perpetual. They meet three times a week in 
the Louvre; and, at breaking up, forty lilver medals are 
diltributed among them. By this diftribution, the attend¬ 
ance of the acadcmilts is fecured, thofe who are prefent 
receiving the furplus otherwife intended for the abfent. 
To eleCt or expel a member, at leaft eighteen are requi¬ 
red ; nor can any be chofen unlefs he petition for it: by 
this expedient, the affront of refufals from perfons eleCted 
is avoided. Religious are.not admitted; nor can any per- 
fon be admitted on another footing than as a man of let¬ 
ters. The defign of this academy was to give not only 
rules, but examples, of good writing. They began with 
making fpeeches on fubjeCts taken at pleafure, about twen¬ 
ty of which were printed. They have been feverely fa- 
tirized, and their ftyle has been ridiculed as enervating in- 
ftead of refining the French language. The moft remark¬ 
able work of this academy is a dictionary of the French 
tongue; which, after fifty years fpent in fettling the words 
and phrafes to be ufed in writing, was at laft publiftiedin 
the year 1694. 
An Academy fimilar to the above has been fet on foot at 
Peterfburgh, by the learned princefs Dalhkof: it confifts 
of l'ixty members. The plan has alfo been approved by the 
emprefs, who has given a fund for its fupport and efta- 
blifhment. 
The Royal Sbanifk Academy at Madrid, held its firft meet¬ 
ing in July 1713, in the palace of its founder, the Duke 
d’Efcalona. It conlifted at firft of eight academifts, in¬ 
cluding the duke; to which number fourteen others were 
afterwards added, the founder being chofen prefidenc or 
director. In 1714, the king granted them his confirma¬ 
tion and protection. Their device is a crucible in the 
middle of the fire, with this motto, Lympia, fya, y da ef- 
plcndor -, “ It purifies, fixes, and gives brightnefs.” The 
number of members is limited to twenty-four; the Duke 
d’Efcalona to be director for life, but his fucceiTors cho¬ 
fen yearly, and the fecretary to be perpetual. Their ob- 
jeCt, as marked out by the royal declaration, was to culti¬ 
vate and improve the national language: they were to 
begin with chpofing carefylly fuch words and phrafes .as 
have been ufed by the heft Spanifh writers; noting the 
low, barbarous, or obfolete, ones ; and compofing a dic¬ 
tionary wherein thefe may be diftinguiftied from the form¬ 
er.—For a further account of fimilar eftablilhments, fee 
the article Society. 
- Academy is alfo a term for fchools and other femina- 
ries of learning among the Jews, where their rabbins and 
do&ors inftruCted their youth in the Hebrew language, 
and explained to them the Talmud and the fecrets'or the 
Cabbala. Thofeof Tiberias and Babylon have been moft 
noted. 
• The Romans had a kind of military academies, eftablilh- 
ed in all the Cities oi Italy, under the name of Campi 
A C JE 47 
Martis. Here the youth were admitted to be trained for 
war at the public expence. The Greeks, befides acade¬ 
mic's of this kind, had.military profelfors called TaElici, 
who taught all the higher offices of war, &c. See. 
We have two royal academies of this kind in England, 
the expences of which are defrayed by the government; 
the one at Woolwich, for the artillery and military engi¬ 
neers; and the other at Portfmouth, for the navy. The 
former was eftablifhed by his late majefty king George II. 
in 1741, for inftrudting perfons belonging to the military 
part of the ordnance, in the feveral branches of the ma¬ 
thematics, fortification, See. proper to qualify them for the 
fervice of artillery, and the office of engineers. This in- 
ftitution is under the direction of the mafter-general' and 
board of ordnance for the time being: ind at firft the 
lectures cl the mafters in the academy were attended by 
the practitioner-engineers, with the officers, ferjeants, cor¬ 
porals, and private men of the artillery, befides the ca¬ 
dets. At prefent, however, none are educated there but 
the gentlemen cadets, to the number of 90 or 100, where 
they receive an education perhaps not to be obtained or 
purchafed for money in any part of the world. The maf- 
ter-general of the ordnance is always, captain of the ca¬ 
dets’ company, and governor of the academy ; under him 
are a lieutenant-governor, and an infpedtor of ftudies. 
The mafters have been gradually increafed, from two or 
three at firft, now to the number of twelve, namely, a 
profeftbr of mathematics, and two other mathematical 
mafters, a profelTcr of fortification and an afliftant, two 
drawing-mafteTs, two French mafters, with mafters for 
fencing, dancing, and chemiftry. This inftitution is of the 
greateft confequence to the ftate, and it is hardly credible 
that fo important an objeft Ihould be accompliflied at fo 
trifling an expence. It is to be lamented, however, that 
the academy is fixed in fo unhealthy a fituation; that the 
leCture-rooms and cadets’ barracks are fo fmall as to be 
infufficient for the purpofes of the inftitution; and that 
the falaries of the profelfors and mafters ffiould be fo ina¬ 
dequate to their labours, and the benefit of their fervices. 
The Royal Naval Academy at Portfmouth was founded 
by George I. in 1722, for inftrufting young.gentlemen in 
the fciences ufeful for navigation, to breed officers for the 
royal navy. The eftablilhment is under the direction of 
the board of admiralty, who give falaries to two mafters, 
by one of whom the ftudents are boarded and lodged, the 
expence of which is defrayed by their own friends, no¬ 
thing being fupplied by the government but their educa¬ 
tion. 
Academy is likewife a name given to a riding-fehool, 
where young gentlemen are taught to ride the great horfe, 
&c. and the ground allotted is uliially called the Manege. 
Academy Figure, a drawing of a naked man or wo¬ 
man, taken from the life ; which is ufually done on paper 
with red or black chalk, and fometimes with, paftils or 
crayons. 
ACADIE, Or Ac ady, in geography, a name formerly 
given to Nova Scot: or New Scotland, in America. See 
Nova Scotia. 
ACH 2 NA,/i in antiquity, a Grecian meafure of length, 
being a ten-feet red, uil-d in meafuring their lands. 
Ac£na ,f. [azsm*, Gr. a thorn. J In botany, a plant of 
the tetrandria monogynia clafs. The generic characters are 
—Calyx: peri:, r . .m four-leaved; leaflets ovate, con¬ 
cave, equal. permanent. Corolla: none, unlefs the calyx 
be termed as -:h. Stamina: filaments equal, of middle 
length, o-pp ;ute to the calyx. Aniherae quadrangular, 
twin, er®|t. Piftillum: germ inferior, o'oovate, hifpid. 
Style very fmall, beat in on one fide. Stigma a fmall, ma¬ 
ny-cleft, thick fill, coloured, membrane. Pericarpium: a 
dry, obovate, one-celled, berry, befet with fpines bent 
backwards. Seed: jingle .—EJfential CharaElcr. Calyx: 
four-leaved. Corolla: four-petalled. Berry dry, infe¬ 
rior, one-feeded, with fpines bent backwards.—This is a 
Mexican plant. Perennial, woody, very-branching; the 
branches very long. Stems many, Ihrubby, rather ereCt, 
two 
