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the distinction itself will be diminished. If, at any time, a multitude of persons having no sort of knowledge of science are admitted, it must cease to be sought after as an object of ambition by men of science, and the class of persons to whom it will become an object of desire will be less intellectual.

Let us now compare the numbers composing some of the various academies of Europe.—The Royal Society of London, the Institute of France, the Italian Academy of Forty, and the Royal Academy of Berlin, are amongst the most distinguished.

Name Country.	Population.	Number of Members of its Academy.	Number of Foreign Members.
1. England.	22,299,000	685		50
2. France	32,058,000	75	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	8 100	Mem. Corr.
3. Prussia	12,415,000	38		16
4. Italy	12,000,000	40		8

It appears then, that in France, one person out of 427,000 is a member of the Institute. That in Italy and Prussia, about one out of 300,000 persons is a member of their Academies.