maſters, who meet once a-month; and two of the academiſts teach by turns the art of dancing, ancient and modern.
The French have alſo academies in moſt of their great cities, as, the Academy of Sciences at Montpelier, that of the Lanterniſts at Thoulouſe; beſides others at Niſmes, Arles, Angiers, Lyons, Caen in Normandy, &c.; and the Chirurgical Academy at Paris is a modern inſtitution for the general improvement of the art, and to compile and publiſh the ancient and modern hiſtory of it.
Royal Spaniſh Academy at Madrid, has for its object the cultivation of the Caſtilian tongue, and was eſtabliſhed in 1714 by the Duke d'Eſcalona, with the approbation of the King of Spain. It conſiſts of twenty-four academiſts, including the director and ſecretary.
In Portugal, John V. founded an hiſtorical academy at Liſbon, in the year 1720, for collecting and aſcertaining the hiſtory of his own dominions. It conſiſts of fifty members, a director, four cenſors, and a ſecretary.
In Germany, they have the Academy of Naturæ Curioſi, otherwiſe called the Leopoldine Academy, founded in 1652 by Jo. Laur. Bauſch a phyſician, and, in 1670, taken under the protection of the Emperor Leopold. The deſign of this ſociety was to promote medical knowledge. They began in 1684 to publiſh their obſervations, under the title of Ephemerides; which publication has been continued annually, with ſome interruptions, and under different titles. This academy conſiſts of a preſident, two adjuncts or ſecretaries, and colleagues or members without limitation.
Berlin Academy, was founded by Frederick I. the late King of Pruſſia, in the year 1700. It has for its objects the improvement of natural knowledge, and the belles lettres. The charter of this ſociety was amended in 1710, and by it the preſident is to be nominated by the king. The members are divided into four claſſes; 1. for phyſic, medicine, and chemiſtry; 2. for mathematics, aſtronomy, and mechanics; 3. for the German language, and the hiſtory of the country; 4. for Oriental learning, particularly what relates to the propagation of the goſpel among infidels. The great promoter of this foundation was the celebrated Mr Leibnitz.
Ruſſian Academy was founded by Czar Peter the Great, at Peterſburg, upon the plan of the Academy of Sciences at Paris; beſides which, they take in the Ruſſian language.
Academy is alſo a term for ſchool and other ſeminaries of learning among the Jews, where their rabbins and doctors inſtructed their youth in the Hebrew language, and explained to them the Talmud, and the ſecrets of the Cabbala: Thoſe of Tiberias and Babylon have been the moſt noted.
Academy is often uſed with us to denote a kind of collegiate ſchool, where youth are inſtructed in arts and ſciences. There is one at Portſmouth for teaching navigation, drawing, &c.; another at Woolwich, for fortification, gunnery, &c.
Academy is likewiſe a name given to a riding-ſchool, where young gentlemen are taught to ride the great horſe, &c. and the ground allotted for it is uſually called the Menage.
Academy figure, a drawing of a naked man or woman, taken from the life, which is uſually done on paper with red or black chalk, and ſometimes with paſtils or crayons.
ACADIE, or Acadia, in geography, a name formerly given to Nova Scotia, one of our American colonies. See Nova Scotia.
ACÆNA, in antiquity, a Grecian meaſure of length, being a ten feet rod, uſed in meaſuring their lands.
ACAIABA. See Acajou.
ACAJA, in botany, a ſynonime of the ſpondias lutea, an American tree. See Spondias.
ACAJOU, in botany, a ſynonime of the anacardium occidentale, or caſhew-nut-tree. See Anacardium.
ACALEPTIC, in ancient proſody, a complete verſe.
ACALIS, in botany, an obſolete name of the Ceratonia. See Ceratonia.
ACALYPHA, in botany, a genus of plants belonging to the monœcia monadelphia claſs. There are only four ſpecies of this plant; the acalypha virginica, which is a native of Ceylon; the virgata, indica, and auſtralis, all natives of America. Sir Hans Sloan ranks this plant with the nettle, under the name of urtica minor iners ſpicata.
ACAMATOS, a word uſed to expreſs the beſt ſhape of the human body.
ACAMBOU, a kingdom on the coasſt of Guinea in Africa.
ACAMEEH, among ſome of the old chemiſts, the ſcoriæ of ſilver; as alſo a ſuperfluity of the humidum radicale.
ACANACEOUS plants, ſuch as are armed with prickles.
Acanaphora, in botany, an obſolete name of the centaurea jacea, or knapweed. See Centaurea.
ACANES, in geography. See Akanis.
ACANGIS, that is, ravagers or adventurers; a name which the Turks give their huſſars or light-troops, who are generally ſent out in detachments to procure intelligence, haraſs the enemy, or ravage the country.
ACANNY, an inland country on the gold coaſt of Guinea in Africa, which affords the beſt gold, and in great plenty. There is a town or village of the ſame name, W. long. 0. 5. lat. 8. 30.
ACANTHA, in botany, the prickle of any plant.
Acantha, in zoology, an obſolete term for the ſpinal proceſſes of the back.
ACANTHABOLUS, in ſurgery, an inſtrument for pulling thorns, or the like, out of the ſkin.
ACANTHACEOU, among ancient botaniſts, an epithet given to thiſtles and other prickly plants.
ACANTHE, in botany, an obſolete name for the Cynara or artichoak. See Cynara.
ACANTHIAS, in ichthyology, the trivial name of a ſpecies of ſqualus. See Squalus.
