To Benjamin Franklin from Jean-Louis Giraud Soulavie, 2 April 1783
From Jean-Louis Giraud Soulavie8
AL: Dartmouth College Library
Paris ce 2 avril 1783
Monsieur
Vous faites bien de L’honneur a mes faibles Travaux, non seulement en agreant L’hommage que je j’en ai fait au Liberateur de l’amerique, Mais en Voulant bien faire passer Sous Vos auxpices un exemplaire à La bibliotheque De philadelphie qui Vous doit Son existence est a Celle de lacademie de la meme ville qui vous doit Sa gloire.9 Daignés recevoir mes remercimens pour le service que vous Voulés bien me rendre en maccordant Votre protection auprès de la societé De philadelphie dont je ne suis pas digne d’etre l’assossié; mais pour laquelle je suis penetré de Veneration.1
Je suis avec un profond Respect Monsieur Votre Très-humble & très obeissant serviteur
L’abbé SOULAVIE
8. This is the last extant letter from the naturalist, with whom BF discussed geology and whose Histoire naturelle de la France méridionale was nearing completion: XXXV, 354–61; XXXVII, 384–5; XXXVIII, 123–7, 239–41. Vol. 6 had just been published; it was announced for sale in the March 23 issue of the Jour. de Paris.
9. BF forwarded sets of Soulavie’s works to both the Library Company of Philadelphia and the APS. The former recorded the gift on Nov. 11 (unpublished minutes), the latter on Sept. 26 (Early Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society … compiled … from the Manuscript Minutes of its Meetings from 1744 to 1838 [Philadelphia, 1884], p. 118). One of Soulavie’s letters of presentation survives, written on April 2 and perhaps enclosed with the present letter. He does not name the institution, but refers to his gift as being sent under the auspices of “Votre immortel fondateur.” Hist. Soc. of Pa.
1. At BF’s suggestion, Soulavie was elected to membership in the APS in 1786: BF’s “List of Persons to be Recommended for Members of P. Society” (undated, Library of Congress); APS membership records.