1807. ] 
three and four, though seldom of four, 
They are built of wood, those of the 
richer sort, with bricks; their roofs are 
low, and, where the owner has money, 
eovered with lead. 
«« They are powerful in the field, suc- 
eessful_against their enemies, impatient 
of any thing like slavery; vastly fond of 
great noises that fill the ear, such as the 
firmg of cannon, drums, andthe ringing of 
bells, so that it is common for a nutnber 
of them that have got a glass in their 
heads, -to yo up into some belfrey and 
ring the bells for hours together, for the 
sake of exercise. If they see a foreigner 
very well made or particularly handsome, 
they will say, “It is a pity he is not an 
Englishman.” 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 265 
FONTENELLP, 1657-1757, 
Who was destined to live a century, 
appeared at his birth not likely to sur 
vive an hour. 
It was not till near 90, that he began 
to feel the usual infirmities of age, and 
then his eyes grew dim, and his sense of 
hearing nearly failed him. But his wit 
remained to the last. ~ Calling one morn- 
ing very early on a lady, with whom he 
was intimate, she very complaisantly rose 
on purpose to see him, though much be- 
fore her usual time. When she came 
down stairs, she said to him, ‘ Vous 
voyez, Monsieur, qu’on se léve pour vous.” 
—He immediately answered, “ Oui; mais 
vous vous couchez chez les autres—dont 
jenrage.” 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 
——— 
IMPERIAL ACADEMY OF SCTEN- 
CES AT ST. PETERSBURGH. 
HIS Society had, at their last pub- 
lic sitting, offered a prize of five 
hundred roubles to amy naturalist who 
would communicate to the Academy, 
within a limited time, “a series of new 
and useful experiments on light consi- 
dered as matter, as also on the proper- 
ties which may be in part ascribed to it; 
on the aftinities it may appear to bear to 
organized, or inorganized matter, as well 
as on the modifications and phenomena 
which these substances undergo by their 
combinations with the matter of light.” 
The academy declared at the same time, 
that, in order to give free scope to genius, 
they had stated the subject generally, 
leaving the candidates at liberty to con- 
sider the question in any point of view, 
that might appear to them best calculated 
to throw the greatest light on this delicate 
subject. 
The Academy received within the 
prescribed time six Memoirs, each ac- 
companied by a motto. 
No, 1. Written in the Russian lan- 
guage, with the following motto; “ A 
Beeaeepher who has learned to doubt, 
<nows more than all the learned, &c.” 
No, 2. Also composed in the Russian 
Janguage with this motto; “'[ime is the 
éarliest thing in nature, &c.” 
No. 8. Written in Latin with this 
motto; “* Est-ne color proprius verunt, 
duscisne repulsus eludunt aciem 2” 
No. 4. In the Trench language, with 
the following; “ Nox abiit, nec tamen 
artadies !” 
Montury Mae, No. 162. 
No. 5. In German, with this motto; 
“ Ut noseas splendore novo res semper 
egere, ct prunum jactum, &c.” 
No. 6. Also written in German with this 
motto; ‘* Lu physique ne sera veritable- 
ment wne science, gue lorsque tous les 
effets naturels se deduiront clairement 
dun seul et meme principe evidemment 
demoniré.” 
The three first of these Essays, besides 
being wholly unsupported by  experi- 
mental proof, which was one of the con- 
ditions required by the Academy, con= 
sisted merely of hypotheses and proposi- 
tions either well known, false, or ill ex- 
pressed; and asserted without the most 
distant attempt at demonstration. For 
these reasons the Academy rejected 
them as wholly unworthy to obtain the 
prize. 
No. 4 was declared to be not wholly 
destitute of merit. In it the writer con- 
siders several interesting questions re- 
specting the nature of light, insuch a 
manner as to shew that he is well ac- 
quainted with the subject; but the want 
of cunnection and systematic arrange- 
ment discoverable in this tract, and still 
more especially the tot#l deficiency of 
new experiments, from which new results 
could be deduced, or which might tend 
to support the numerous hypotheses ad- 
vanced by the author, without any kind 
of demonstration, would have prevented 
the prize from being adjudged to this 
Memoir, even had there been none of 
greater merit. 
No. 5 & 6 were found worthy ef par- 
ticular attention by the Academy, from 
Mm the 
