The book examines the activities of the "Society for Promoting the Success of Experimental Sciences and Their Practical Applications" organized by the famous merchant and philanthropist Christopher Semenovich Ledentsov. According to the plan of its founder, the Society, at whose disposal Ledentsov provided significant funds, was supposed to support such discoveries and inventions that “with the least expenditure of capital could bring the greatest possible benefit to the majority of the population” - to become the engine of Russian practical science. This, however, did not happen. Mainly due to the political naivety of Ledentsov, who, instead of entrusting the care of his foundation to truly outstanding Russian scientists, such as D.I. Mendeleev, turned to the mediocre, but widely advertised “democratic intelligentsia”. As a result, instead of financing promising inventions, the fund managers appointed by Ledentsov engaged in the most vulgar disbursement of funds - allocating grants to themselves, their employees and clients, as well as to persons “who suffered from the reactionary government.” The book is intended for specialists in the field of the history of science, but will also be of interest to a wide circle readers.