[Beginning lost.] Monsieur Dalibard had a very good magical picture, and a large cucurbit from which he had made himself a good Leyden jar. Both objects became conductors of electricity through and through. He discovered the discernible reason for this in the alteration of the glue that had been used to hold the silvering to the glass, and that was found to be sour-smelling and spoiled. It would be desirable for the future progress of electricity if a good series of experiments were conducted on kinds of glass that are different in nature, that is to say, kinds of glass that the different types of melting agent, both saline and metallic, can permeate in different proportions. The experiments should be conducted on each of these kinds of glass at different degrees of heat.

At this moment an idea has just passed through my mind that you will perhaps find utterly fantastic. I will nevertheless be able to communicate it to you by the next post, but it must be given at least that amount of time, in order either to come to fruition or to rot away.

We have phytolacca here; I suspected that it was the same as “pokeweed,” but there are at least three different kinds. Which is the right one?

One of my colleagues and myself have agreed to work jointly on translating the American Philosophical Transactions.

Is it possible, is it pardonable that I have not yet given you the least word of thanks for all the troubles that you deigned to take with regard to the printing of the Petit Code? I have been so transfixed by the feeling of betrayal that I experienced upon receiving a copy that it made me lose my senses. Please deign to receive my excuses, as sincere and humble as they are tardy and out of proportion to the fault. Please try also, I beg you, to arrange the continuation of the kindnesses shown me by Madame Hewson, whom I honor with all my soul and whom I will not easily be able to repay; but if I can find an opportunity to do so, I will neglect nothing in that regard.

As for the typographical execution of this pamphlet, it is very good. Nonetheless, we could revise the following: The frontispiece is a rather uniform page. In the dedicatory letter, the two instances of “Monsieur” are still a little too much alike. Preface, page 1, line 12: for son, read sont. Page 13, line 16: for “leur jouissances” [“their pleasures”], read leurs. Page 38, line 5: in né, libre [“born free”], omit the comma. Page 41, line 16: separate d’engrossir into two words and read d’en grossir [“to grow bigger from it”]. Page 52: omit the la in la fin. The character &c seems to me to be a little too ornate and too prominent. I do not know what certain numbers at the bottom of some pages signify, such as 9 (on page 8), 6 (on page 5), 6 (on page 10), 7 (on page 17), 5 (on page 30), 4 (on page 37), and 6 (on page 44).

For the rest, the printed characters are fine, the paper quite good, and the articles of the Code well laid out. In a word, as I see it, your kindnesses touch me deeply.

Yesterday we received a letter from Mademoiselle Biheron by post, but those that she sent when occasional carriers presented themselves are still on their way. Could you bring her back to us soon, along with you? God willing that it should be so. The time of day urges me to finish. I enclose nine new sheets.

I have the honor to be, with an attachment and a [torn] without limits, my dear monsieur, your very humble and very obedient servant