1800. ] 
Jabour of the undertaking fell te the fhare 
of Rumovfki. 
In 1769, the fecond tranfit of Venus 
over the difk of the fun happened. All 
the powers of Europe fent altronomers to 
every quarter of the globe, to obferve this 
gare and important phenomenon. On fuch 
an occafion, an altronomer of Rumov{ki’s 
talents and celebrity could not -remain 
dle the Imperial Academy of Sciences 
fent ‘him to Kola, in Ruffian Lapland, 
where he made this obfervation with the 
greatelt fuccefs. The refults he commu- 
nicated to the learned world in a feparate 
publication, entitled, Objirwationes fpec- 
tantes Tranfitum Veneri is per Difcum Solts 
et Eclipfin Solarem die 23 Maji 3 (funii) 
1769, Kole in Lapponia inftitute—Petro- 
polt, 1769, and in Vol. XIV. of the Pe- 
terfburg Commentaries. 
On his return from this literary expe- 
ition, his fovereign, Catherine IT. ap- 
pointed him director of the ftudies in the 
newly erected feminary for the education 
of young Greeks, who, to the number of 
two hundred, had been brought from the 
Archipelago to Peterfburg by the vitto- 
rious Ruffian fleet. So many avocations 
did not permit Rumoviki to give unremit- 
ting attention to aftronomy: but he never 
Joft fight of that {cience; and negleéted no 
important obfervation. By defire of the 
Academy, he wrote in the Ruffian lan- 
guage the whole hiftory o! the ceiebrated 
tranfit of Venus, and am account of all the 
aftronomical, geographical, and phyfical 
Bbieevatani which on that occafion were 
made in the Ruffian dominions. For 30 
syears he has compofed for the whole em- 
pire the Ruffian Calendar; and even the 
few moments of leifure, that his nume- 
rous labours left him, he dedicated to his 
Ruffian tranflation of Euler’s. Letters to a 
German Princefs. 
In the year 1774, Count Wlodimir Or- 
lof reigned, to the great forrow of the 
whole Academy, the direction of it; and, 
in the following year, Doma/chueff, cies 
berlain tothe Emprefs, was nominated his 
fucceflor. His condu& caufed in the com- 
mittee (of which the Eulers, father and 
fon, had long ceafed to be members) very 
difacreeable difputes and divifions, which 
afterwards {pread throughout the whele 
body of academicians. Thefe contentions 
are {poken of in the firft volume of the new 
‘Commentaries of the Academy : they laft- 
ed three years ; and Rumovfki was obli- 
ged to take upon himlelf the whole charge 
of the replies, petitions, and juftifications 
of the committee, againft the accufations 
nd criminations of Domafchneff, The 
Memoirs of Stephen de Rumoufki, 
45 
condu&ing of this procefs and the de- 
fence of himielfand colleagues before the 
throne was entirely entrufted to Rumov{- 
ki; and left him no leifure to engage in 
{cientific purfuits; and it is to be la- 
mented, that fo intelligent and aétive a 
literato fhould have been under the necef- 
fity of throwing away his precious time in 
fo vexatious and thanklefs a manner. At 
laft, the Emprefs put an end to this difa- 
greeable affair, by appointing the Prince{s 
Dafchkow direStrefs of the Academy ; and 
ordering, that in future the members of 
the committee fhould occupy themfelves 
each with the particular branch of {cience 
allotted to him. Rumovfki was thus re- 
fiored to the fciences; and that he might 
be able to dedicate himfelf to them with- 
out reftraint, he refigned the direction of 
the Greek feminary, and likewife wholly 
difengaged himfelf trom the geographical 
department. The new Commentaries of the 
Peterfburg Academy of Sciences contain 
ample proofs how ufefully he has fince 
that-time been employ.ed for the promotion 
of the {ciences. But his unwearied acti- 
9g 
vity did not ftop here; he likewife affifted - 
in the compofition of the Diétionary of 
the Ruffian Language, which, in the {pace 
‘of from four to five years was publifhed 
by the newly-eftablifhed Ruflian Academy, 
He likewife tranflated, conjointly with Le- 
pechin, into Ruffian the fir part of Buf- 
ton’s works. In 1796, the Emprels re- 
ceived, as a prefent from the King of 
Great Britain, a ten-feet telefcope by 
Herfchel: and being defirous to make 
trial of it, and to contemplate the fublime 
{pectacle of the ftarry heavens, fhe defired 
Rumovwki to attend her; and on this oc-_ 
cafion he had the honour of converfing for 
hours with his fovereign. Rumovifki 
feized this opportunity to reprefent to the 
Emprefs the wants cf aftronomy in Ruf- 
fia, and the neceffity of building a new 
obfervatory ; and already were well-found- 
ed hopes entertained, that his requeft 
would be granted, when the fudden death 
of Catherine rendered the whole plan abor- 
tive. Rumoviki wrote at that time, when 
he had the happinefs of entertaining that 
exalted protectrefs of the f{ciences at Szarf- 
ko Zelo, to the writer of thefe memoirs as 
follows, ‘* Our converfation chiefly turned. 
on aftronomical fubjeéts : and F was ftruck 
with the greateft aftonifhment at the know- 
ledge which her Majetty manifefted in her 
difcourfe and queftions. I was myfelf 
fometimes puzzled with the doubts and 
queries which fhe propounded to me, rela- 
tive to the form of the earth, the libration 
of the moon, its inequalities, the motion 
3N 2 and 
- 
SS SS SS ee ee 
peti cldeeces 



