“ He made his fortune by his skill in the manufacture of weapons, and established an iron foundry for the government. Peter the Great, with whom he was a favourite, ennobled him in 1720. His son, Akinfiy Demidov (d. c. 1740) , increased his inherited wealth by the discovery and working of gold, silver and copper mines. The latter’s nephew, Paul Grigoryevich Demidov (1738–1821) , was a great traveller who was a benefactor of Russian scientific education; he founded an annual prize for Russian literature, awarded by the Academy of Sciences. ”