|
In 1728 Johann Maria von Schulemburg proposed to the
Venetian Senate the establishment of a military school which, in addition to the obvious advantage
of improving military training from a technical point of view, would also
foster a deeper relationship between the local elite and the administration of
Venice. Schulemburg wrote of the urgent need to create technicians and experts
'documented in military mathematics, whence they will conduct themselves with
reason and sound principles, understanding the effect of causes. For this
essential objective it is necessary to institute a military school in which one
can learn the elements of these mathematics and later, fortification,
artillery, and the art of navigation; thus also 10 or 12 of these officials
will be trained, and brought up by the fortifications of
Corfù and schooled by me, they will already be skilled in drawing and will promise
greater profit'1.
Footnotes:
1 'documentati delle matematiche militari, onde abbiano ad operare con ragione
e fondati principi ed intendendo l'effetto delle cause. Per questo essenziale
oggetto sarebbe necessario istituire una scuola militare nella quale si
potrebbe apprendere gli elementi di queste matematiche ed in seguito
fortificazione, l'artiglieria e la nautica; così pure si verrebbero a
perfezionare 10 o 12 di questi ufficiali che, allevati dalle fortificazioni di
Corfù a da me formati, si sono già resi abili nel disegno e
promettono maggior profitto'
|