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402 VYORTIA’S TRAVELS IN SWEDEN,
Cuap. 1V.—State of the Arts and Sciences. —Academies.—King’s Librarys—Cabinets
of Natural Hiftory.—Cabinet of Models.—Gynnafia.—Public Schools.—Academy of
Painting. —Patriotig Society.
It cannot be diflembled that the number of learned Swedes is very inconfiderable;
people read but little in general in Sweden, and are at very little pains for information ;
the nobility efpecially may be looked upon as ignorant; the clergy there, as almoft
every where, are the beft informed ; yet in this clafs few are confpicuous. The late
King, however, left the fciences in a far more improved ftate than that in which he
found them ; the-academies, gymnafia, and fchools, all felt the benefit of the enlight-
ened tafte of the fovereign. .
The academies of Stockholm are three in number, exclufive of that of painting.
The Academy of Sciences, founded in 1739, confifts of a hundred Swedifh members,
and a confiderable number of foreign aflociates. Every three months it publifhes its
memoirs in the Swedifh language ; its Prefident, likewife, is nominated every quarter ;
it has no honorary, that is to fay ufelefs members, a fingularity we much admire. It
has two perpetual fecretaries ; the cabinet of natural hiftory, and the obfervatory, of
which we fhall fpeak prefently, belong to the academy. The only fund it receives from
government, confifts in its exclufive privilege of felling almanacs, which produces an-
nually about two thoufand rix-dollars: its other revenues are derived from the gene-
rofity of a number of citizens in eafy circumftances, among which M, Sahlgren, of
Gottenburg, ftands foremoft. A part of the library of the academy is a donation of
M. Rofenadler ; it contains fome valuable works—a Swedifh Bible, in {mall folio, printed
at Upfal, in1§41, with wooden prints ; a New Teftament, in quarto, Stockholm, 1549 ;
wooden prints, very rare; a New Teftament, the firft printed in Sweden, Stockholm,
1521, very rare; this is a fmall folio, has fuffered from fire, and is not complete—the
Battles of Duke Charles (Charles IX.), rare, on account of its being prohibited : the
whole of its firft apartment is filled wth books in the Swedifh language. It is affirmed,
that it contains all the works publifhed in that tongue, but for this we are far from °
vouching. Ina {mall room adjoining, are the memoirs of different academies, fome
voyages, works on natural hiftory, phyfics, &c. Such as treat of aftronomy are at the
obfervatory.
The cabinet of natural hiftory is confided to the care of M. Sparmann, Door of
Phyfic, known by his travels in Africa, and his refearches into natural hiftory ; he has
enriched this cabinet with a number of curious objects collected in his travels, either
when by himfelf or with Captain Cook. The cabinet is clafled according to the fyftem
of Linnaeus. When any fubjeét occurs which is pofitively new, M. Sparmann ex-
plains it at the fittings of the academy, at which the Swedifh language alone is fpoken*.
In this colleétion we faw a great number of animals preferved in {pirits of wine.—The
member of a rhinoceros— Mus pumitio from Africaa—An amphibious moufe.—The
* Weremarked before that the tranfaGtions of the academy were publifhed in the Swedifh language.
Tt is our opinion that the Swedifh language is not (ufficiently diffufed, not well enough known, even to the
literary world, to juftify the omiffion on the part of the academy, of publifhing them in two languages, or
at leaft in one more generally known. Many Swedifh authors have to attribute to this circumftance the
{mall fale of their publications, and the little fame they acquire. If Linnzus had written in his own tongue
he would not have had lefg merit it is true, but certainly lefs celebrity.
8 foetus
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