book lakes, and foreft, agreeable fpots o f corn and pafture, nume-
Vfli v c r
<— . >xous villages, and farm-houfes.
The Academy o f Sciences at Stockholm owes its inftitution
to fix perfons o f diftinguilhed learning, amongft whom was
the celebrated Linnseus: they originally met on the ad o f June,
173 9 , formed a private fociety, in which fome differtations
were read, and in the latter end o f the fame year their firft
publication made its appearance. As the meetings continued
and the members increafed, the fociety attracted the notice
o f the king, and was, on the 31ft o f March, 1 7 4 1 , incorporated
under the name o f the Royal Swediih Academy.
Not receiving any penfion from the crown, it is only under
the protection o f the king, being diretfted, like our Royal
gociety, by its own members. It has now a large fund,
which has chiefly arifen from legacies and other donations;
but a profefior o f experimental philofophy, and two fecre-
taries, are ftill the only perfons who receive any falaries.
Each of the members refident at Stockholm becomes prefi-
dent by rotation, and continues in office during three months.
There are two fpecies o f members, native and foreign; the
election o f the former is held in April, and o f the latter in
July : no money is paid at the time o f admiifion. The dif-
fertations read at each meeting are collected and publiihed four
times in the yea r ; they are written in the Swediih language,
and printed in odtavo, and the annual publications make a
volume. The forty firft volumes, which were finiihed in
17 7 9 , are called the Old TranfaCtions; for in the following
year the title was changed into that o f New TranfaCtions.
The king is fometimes prefent at the ordinary meetings, and
particularly at the annual aflembly in April for the eledtion
o f members. Any perfon who fends a treatife which is
thought worthy o f being printed, receives the tranfadlions for
that quarter gratis^ and a filver medal, which is not efteemed c^ap.
for its value, being worth only three fhillings, but for its«— <
rarity and the honour conveyed by it. All the papers relating
to agriculture are put forth feparateiy under the title o f
Oeconomica a5ia ; o f thefe three volumes have been already
publiihed in 1775, 1777, 1779. Annual premiums, in
money and gold medals, principally for the encouragement
of agriculture and inland trade, are alfo diftributed by the
academy. The fund for thefe prizes is fupplied from private
donations.
Sweden contains the three univerfities o f Upfala, Lund,
and A b o ; and twelve feminaries for the education o f youth,,
called Gymnafta, o f which fix were founded by Chriftina.
In every large town there is alfo a fchool maintained at the
expence o f the crown, in which boys generally continue until
they have attained the age o f eleven, when they are fent
to the Gymnajia, and from thence, at about fixteen, to one o f
the univerfities. In the Gymnajia, and many o f the greater
fchools, the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew languages are taught.
The biihops infpeCt thefe feminaries and fchools in their
refpeciive diocefes, in which they are bound to refide.
Before my departure from Stockholm I was introduced to*
a native o f Lapland, who had received his education in the*
univerfity o f Upfala, and was a perfon o f confiderable
knowledge : his name is Oehrling ; he was born in the village
of Arieploy, which is fituated to the weft o f the Gulf
of Finland. He was at that time employed in compiling a
Lapland, Swediih, and Latin Dictionary, which was publiihed*
at Stockholm in 17 8 0 ; a work highly ufeful, and extremely
curious, to all perfons verfed in the ftudy o f languages
* Lexicon Lapponicum cum Interpreta- Latino-Suecana Johann is Ihpe, nee non
tione Vocabulornm Sueco-Latina et Indice auihinvGiafciiaia ticaLap p on ica aDom. Erica
Succano Lapponico illuftratum Prsefatione , Lindahl, et Johanne Oehrling.
Mr.