eook 17 2 7 , 2. Gerhard Frederick Muller, hiftoriographer, and
— „— > keeper of the archives at Mofcow, 17 31. 3. Jacob Staehlin,
173 6 , 4. Francis Æpinus, 1757:. 5. Semen Kotelnikof,
in mathematicks, 17 3 7 . 6. John Albert Euler, fon o f the
celebrated Euler, in natural philofophy, 176 6. 7. Stephen
Rumoviki, in aftronomy, 176 3. 8. Gafpar Frederick Wolf,
in anatomy, 176 7 . 9. Peter Simon Pallas, in natural hiftory,
17 6 7 . 10. Eric Laxmant, in agriculture, 17 70. 1 1 .
Alexèy ProtaiTof, in anatomy, 176 4 . 12. IvanXepekin, in
natural hiftory, 1 7 7 1 . 13. Wolgang Ludwig Kraft, in experimental
philofophy, 17 7 1 . 14. Andrew John Lexel, in
aftronomy, 1 7 7 1 . 15. Anthony John Guldenftaedt, in natural
hiftory, 1 7 7 1 , fince deceafed. Adjuncts, 1. Peter
Inokodtzof, in aftronomy, 1768 ; appointed in 17 7 9 extraordinary
profeffor. 2. John Gottlieb Georgi, in chymiftry,
I 775> 3- Nicholas Fufs, in mathematicks, 17 7 5 . 4.
Michael Golovin, in experimental philofophy, 17 7 5 .
This general account o f the eftabliihment, progrefs, and
prefent ftate of the academy, will be naturally fucceeded by a
defcription o f the library, the cabinet of-natural hiftory, and
the other curioiities, which I vifited feveral times during my
ftay at Peteriburgh.
Mr. Bachmeifter, the librarian, has juftly remarked, in a
recent publication +, that war, which in moft other countries
is unfavourable to the fciences, has tended to promote them
in this empire. The library owed its origin to 2500
volumes which Peter the Great feized at Mittau in his
Swedifh campaign : it was afterwards increafed by the bounty
o f that emperor, and o f his fucceflors ; and lately enriched
by the curious colle£tion o f prince Radzivil at Newitz, taken
by the Ruffians, in 17 72 , during the troubles o f Poland.
* L a xm an , b ein g promoted, is fucceeded f E f la ifu r la bibliothèqu e, & c . d e l ’Acad»
b y F e rb e r , the famous Swedilh min e ralog ift, des Sciences.
Mr.
Mr. Bachmeifter informed me, that fince this laft acquifition, c h a p .
the number o f books amounted to about 36,000. The m n f t , V 1 ,
antient MSS. are the Lives o f the Saints, written in 1298,
and a Chronicle o f Neftor, the earlieft hiftorian o f this*
empire. This Chronicle, together with thofe o f Novogorod,
Pleicof, the Ukraine, Cafan, and Aftracan, the genealogical
tables o f the early great-dukes, from Vladimir the Great to
the tzar Ivan Vaffilievitch, compiled in the 12th, 13th
14th, and following centuries, convinced me, that Ruffia is
extremely rich, as well in documents relating to its more remote
annals, as- to thofe of later times *. They are all written
in the Sclavonian tongue. Among the MSS. relating to the
hiftory o f Ruffia, muft not be omitted 16 volumes in folio,
containing an account o f the negotiations o f Peter’s minifters’
from 1 7 1 1 to 1 7 1 6 ; as alfo 30 volumes o f the official cor-
refpondence o f prince Menzikof, from 1703 to 1 7 1 7 : thefe
colledhons would ferve as good materials towards compiling
an authentick hiftory o f Peter the Great, a work much wanted.
One MS. although o f very modern date, is'yet highly valued,
on account o f the auguft perfon by whom it was written,
and is preferved in an elegant vafe o f bronze gilt. It
contains the empreffes inftruftions to the committee delegated
to form a new code o f law ; inftrudhons drawn up by
herfelf and written with her own hand. This MS. is always
placed upon the table, whenever the membersof the academy
hold a folemn meeting.
Among feveral books the librarian ilrowed me a volume
containing the Ad s o f the Apoftles, and the Epiftles, which
is curious, as being the firft book printed in Ruffia + ; it bears
e ate of 1564, and iffued from the prefs eftabliffied at
* See C h a p . V I I I , c i c ■
t M r . N ich ols inform. „ 1 , . , , ' o i the nrft p rinters w ere Iv an Hoderfon and
Was ten years in the p refs, an d 'th a t the names ° f
Mofcow.