INSTITUTE OF FRANCE. On the revival of letters, associations for mutual inter course and co-operation, called academies (q.v.), were formed in Italy and France, one of which, composed of poets of no great note, was converted by Richelieu into a national institution, tinder the name of Academie Francaise, and met for the first time July 10, 1637. The chief object of this institution was the cultivation of the French language; but this was indifferently accomplished, owing to the intermeddling of the court, which arrogated to itself the right of directing the public taste. Many of the judgments of this academy were strangely erroneous—e. g., its rejection of the Cid of Corneille, and its refusal to admit Moliere, Boileau, and La BruyZre as members. The academy was intrusted with the preparation of a dictionary of the French language; but the merits of this work have beerpmuch disputed, and the plan of it generally condemned.The taste i for devices, inscriptions and medals, which prevailed in the 17th c., suggested to Louis XIV. the foundation of the Academie des Inscriptions in 1663, for the immediate object of examining his collection of medals and other antiquities; but the abbi; Bignon, superintendent of the royal library, secured its perpetuation, with an extension of its field of labor, as the Academie Royale des Inscriptions et under which desig nation it met for the first time July 16, 1701.—The third academy in order, and at present the most distinguished scientific association in the world, the Academie Royale des Sciences, was founded by Colbert in 1666, remodeled by Bignon in 1099, and further enlarged in 1785.—The painter, Le Brun, founded in 1648 an Academie de Peinture, for which he obtained a charter in 1655; and in 1664, Colbert remodeled and established it as the Academie Royale de Pei tture et Academie Royale & Architecture was also founded.
All these academies were suppressed by an edict of the convention, Aug. 8, 1793; but on Oct. 25, 1795, the directory established a great national association for the pro motion of the arts and sciences, called the Institut _National. It was at first divided into three classes: viz., sciences physiques et mathematiques; sciences morales et politiques; sciences de litterature et beaux-arts; but on the suppression of the second class by the first consul in 1803, the remaining classes were rearranged as follows: sciences physiques et mathematiques; langue et litterature Francaise; histoire et litterature ancienne; beaux-arts; and this arrangement continued during the empire. On March 21, 1816, a royal ordinance commanded that the four classes should be replaced by four academies, but the general title, "Institute of France," was retained, being modified by the epithet "royal," "imperial," or "national," in harmony with the political changes in France. Since 1870 it is, of course, the Institut _National. The four academies are: 1. I,' Academie Franfaise ; 2. I) Academie des Inscriptions et Belles lettres ; 3. L' Academie des Sciences ; 4. L' Academie des Beaux-Arts ; and an ordinance, bearing date, Oct. 26, 1832, the old second class as a fifth academy, L' Academie des Sciences Hordes et Politiques, and this organiZation still subsists.
Each academy has its own independent government, and the free disposition of the funds alloted to it, an agency and secretaries; the library and the valuable collections of the institute are common to the five; the common fund is managed by a committee of ten members (two from each academy), under the presidency of the minister of public instruction. Members are elected by ballot, the election requiring to be confirmed by
government, and members of one academy may be elected as members of any or all of the other four. Each member has an annual salary of 1500 francs, and the secretaries have 6,000. Each member also receives a napoleon for each meeting of the academy at which he is present, but is liable to a fine if absent for a whole year, or to expulsion for a prolonged, absence without sufficient cause shown. Each academy meets once a week for two hours; each has also one public annual sitting; and on Aug. 15 there is a general public meeting of the whole five. All the academies, with the exception of the first, have a certain number of academiciens libres, associes strangers, and correspon dents; the "academiciens libres" have only the right of attending the meetings of the academy; the " associes (grangers " are foreign members. The following table gives the full complement of members and correspondents for each academy: Among the assoeies &rangers in 1874 there were in the 2d academy, prof. Max Muller; in the 3d, profs. Owen, Airy, and Wheatstone; and in the 5th, the right hon. W. E. Gladstone, and the fight hon. earl Stanhope. Of correspondents, Mr. Thomas Wright belonged to the 2d, as did also sir H. Rawlinson, Mr. Layard, and Dr. John Muir of Edinburgh. Late correspondents with the various academies were prof. Faraday, sir D. Brewster, sir J. W. Herschel, lord Brougham, Mr. Mr. Grote, and Drs. Whewcil and Whately. The Academie Franceise occupies itself with debates on gram mar, rhetoric, poetry, and French literature in general, and its great work is the prep aration and continual improvement of a dictionary of the French language. It has the disposal of two prizes of 10,000 francs each, one of 2000 francs, and every alternate year h sum of 1500 francs to be bestowed on meritorious authors in Nor cirmunstances. The Academie des Inscriptions et has for its subject history in its most com prehensive. sense, including chronology, geography, numismatology, and the study of monuments of every kind, and of the languages of all nations at all times. It has in its gift a prize of 2000 francs, and another for numismatology. The Academie des Sciences has for its subject statistics, pure and mixed mathematics, medical science, etcl.; and has the gift of eleven prizes, several of which are of 10,000 francs; all are annual, with the exception of one, which is decennial. The Academie des Beaux Arts occupies itself with painting, sculpture, architecture, engraving and music; and with the prepara tion of a dictionary of the fine arts, and alternately with the first academy, distributes the sum of 1500 francs among poor meritorious authors. The Academie des Sciences Morales et Politiques discusses mental philosophy, law and jurisprudence, political economy and statistics, general and philosophical history, and politics, administration. and finance; and has the gift of two prizes—one decennial, the other quinquennial. There is. also a Bordin prize in the gift of each academy; and two general prizes—one annual, the other triennial—in the gift of the institute.
Each year a sum is voted by the French government for the general fund of the institute, and from this fund are paid the allowances of members, salaries of the secre taries and other officials, and several prizes; also experiments, printing, etc.