an order o f recall, he returned through the Ukraine to Mof-
, cow and Pcterfburgh, where he arrived in the month of
March, 1775 '*• :
Upon his return he was employed in arranging his papers;
but before he could finiih them for the prefs, was
leized with a violent fever, which proved mortal, and carried
him to the grave, in the month of March, 1 7 8 1 . His writings,
which have been hitherto publiihed, confift only of
the following treatifes.
I ’heoria virium corf oris humani primitivarum, & c. by which he obtained
his dodtor’s degree^Memoire fur les produits de Ruße propres pour foutenir
la balance du commerce exterieur toujours favorable. St. Pet. 1777.— Account
of the Havens in the Seas of Azof, Euxine, and Marmora, in the Journal of
St. Peterfburgh for 1776.— Of the Harbours and Trade of the Cafpian Sea,
with a Chart in the fame Journal for f 77 7.— Chymical Analyfis of the Warm
Baths near the River Terek, in the Geographical Calendar for 1778.— Geographical,
Hiftorical, and Political Account of the new Ruffian Line's between
the Terek and the Sea of Azof, accompanied with a Map in the
Journal, for 1779.— Thoughts on the Commerce to be opened between
Ruffia and Germany, through the Danube, in the Journal for ,178a.— The
five lait articles are written in the German language; and the following,
which are printed in the Afts of the Academy, are in the Latin tongue.
Mus Sußica— Anas Nyroca— Spalex novum glirium genus— .Teregbufna nova
Muftela fpecies— Salmo Leucichtys et Cyprinus Cbalcoides defcripti— Krafche-
ninicovia novum plantarum genus— Cyprinus Copoeta et Cyprinus Murfa—
Acerina pifcis ad Percce genus periinens.— Sex avium defcriptiones.— Loxia Ru-
bicilla.— Fanagra Melanibleta.— Mufciapa Melanoleuca— Motacilla Erythro-
gaßa— Scolopax Fubarquata— et Cinerea— Chacalce bißoria— Chaus, animal
feli affine iefcriptum.— Antilopes Subguttorofa Defcriptio, et Anatomia.— Cyprinus
Barbus et Cyprinus Capita, Appendix Obfervationum ad hift. reliquarum
Cyp. cirratorum pertinentium.
* F a r an ac count o f G u ld en ila ed t fe e r ie h t von den L eb en a -Umilan den des
R u lf . B ib . v . I p . 49. 102. 30 1 . 548. v . IX. H e r rn P ro f. G u ld en ila ed t, in Tourn. St. Pet.
p . 2 2 1 . 4 5 6 . v . I I I . p . 72. 4 2 1 . H ift . des. ‘ fo r 1 7 8 1 .
He cou ve rtes , & c , In t ro d , p . 27. and N a ch -
C H A P.
C ]
C H A P . v iir .
Origin o f the Sclavonian alphabet.— Its introduSlioh into Ruffia.—
The fm all progrefs made by the Ruffians in the arts
and fciences owing neither to want of genius nor to the effects
o f climate,— Inquiry into the rife and progrefs o f Ruffian literature.—
I. Hijlorians.-—Neftor and bis continuators.— ,
Cyril.— Makari. — Nicon.— Thedphanes. — Khilkof.—
Tatifchef.— Sherebatof.— Remarks on Voltaire’s Life o f
Peter the Great.— II. Poets.— Lomonozof. —- Digreffton
concerning the Ruffian Jlage.— Volkof.— Sumorokof.— ■
Kheraikof.— His epick poem the Rofftada.— Ruffian tranf~
lations.— Claffcal learning.
r I ^HE invention o f the Sclavonian characters is generally c h a p .
attributed to Conftantine, a Greek philofopher, after-, VL .
wards more known by the name o f Cyril, which he aflumed
when he turned monk. About the middle o f the 9th century,
Cyril and his brother Methodius were fent from Con-
ftantinople by Michael III. to plant the Gofpel among the
Sclavonian nations inhabiting the countries bordering upon
the Danube, now called Hungary and Bulgaria, and, thofe
which were fettled in Bohemia and Moravia. As thofe barbarous
nations fcarcely knew the ufe o f letters, Cyril com-
pofed for them an alphabet, and tranilated feveral religious
books into their tongue The greateft part o f the characters
were the capitals o f the Greek alphabet, the fame
4 Petentibus deinde, lit litte r is in ilru - 44 ep ifcopatum ad iit , Con ftan tin us mona-
u p enJ.u r» M ich ael Im p . M eth od ium e t ** ch atum ind uit e t nomen C y r i li i . ” E x -
(l Jpon“ antinum L e on is Theflalon icenfis f i- t r a d e d b y Ba yer from an an tien t annali{t in
bos mifif, qui cum p erm ulto s libros co n - . his .in g en ious D if le r ta t io n , de R u ilb rum in
vertiffent Slavonice, M e th od iu s Moravia: C om m . P e t ro p . y i , p .’ 366.
V ol. II. A a ufually