GENOVE'SI, ANTONIO, born near Salerno in 1712, was ordained priest in 1736, and was made professor of eloquence in the clerical seminary of Salerno. He afterwards repaired to Naples, where he was allowed, through the influence of Monsignor Galiani, archbishop of Taranto, to open a class of metaphysics in that university in 1741. He there wrote his 'Elements of Metaphysics,' in Latin, which he afterwards recast into two Italian works, Logica per i giovanetti, and 'Della Scienze Metafisiche,' which had great success, and are still much esteemed. His 'Logica' is perhaps the best elementary book of that science in the Italian language. His Meditazioni fllosofiche sulk. Religions e sully Morale,' are replete with sound judgment, though written in a defective style. In his Diceosina, o la Filosofia dell' Onesto e del Giusto,' he proceeds on the principle that "every thesis in morality is susceptible of logical demonstration." These are the principal works of Genovusi ou the moral sciences. We must now consider him as a political economist. In 1751, Porto lommeo intieri, a wealthy Florentine merchant settled at Naples, founded a chair 'of commerce and mechanics,' and, with the appro bation of the king, appointed Canons' to fill it. This was the first chair of political economy, taken as a distinct science, established in Europe. In the course of his professorship Genovesi wrote his Lezioni di Comrnercio, o di Economia civile, 2 vole. 8vo. His book
is full of sound principles, which were quite new at Naples in his time, although in some instances he still adhered to the Colbert school. His tectures excited a prodigious sensation among the Neapo litans; public attention was at once turned to questions of commerce, arts, and agriculture; and political economy, the very name of which was hitherto unknown, became quite a fashionable study.
When in 1767 the Jesuits were exiled from the kingdom, the minister Tanucci consulted Gcnovesi as to a new plan for the organi sation of the schools and colleges of the kingdom, which he drew up accordingly. He continued to lecture and to write, although his health was greatly impaired for several years, almost to the day of his death, which occurred in September 1769. A selection of Genovesi's familiar letters was published after his death, in two small volumes. He edited in his lifetime the Course of Agriculture' of Cosimo Trinci, to which he added notes and a preliminary discourse on the state of Neapolitan agriculture in his time. Galanti, one of Genovesi'm best disciples, wrote an ' Elogio Storico; or biographical notice of his master, and Fabroni wrote another in Latin. Ugoni, in his ' Lettere tura /Wilma; devotes a long article to Genovesi.