To Benjamin Franklin from Jean-Sylvain Bailly, 8 September 1784
From Jean-Sylvain Bailly7
AL: American Philosophical Society
a chaillot ce 8 7bre 1784.
Comme mrs les commissaires doivent aller voir demain jeudi Mr Franklin, mr Bailly a l’honneur de lui envoier le registre original qui doit etre signé demain; afin que Monsieur Franklin puisse en prendre lecture, et signer aussi demain avec les autres commissaires.8
Il suffit qu’il lise depuis la pag 87 ou sa derniere signature est placée. Quoiqu’il n’y ait plus de secret relativement au travail de la commission, Mr Franklin est prié de le serrer et de ne le pas laisser voir à cause de certain article sur lequel la commission n’a pas jugé a propos de s’expliquer.
Monsieur Franklin voudra bien bruler ce billet et recevoir l’assurance du respectueux attachement d’un de ses plus devoues serviteurs
Notation: Bally 8. 7bre. 1784.
7. The eminent astronomer who, with BF, was a commissioner from the Académie des sciences serving on the joint Académie/Faculté de médecine commission to investigate animal magnetism. The commission’s official report, published c. Aug. 21 (XLII, 475–93), was widely read. Bailly presented a paper on the commission’s work to the Académie at its meeting of Sept. 4, on behalf of the five members who had served: BF, Le Roy, Bory, Lavoisier, and himself. Titled Expose des expériences qui ont été faites pour l’examen du magnétisme animal, it was printed by order of the king and announced for sale in the Jour. de Paris on Sept. 18.
8. Bailly had been the commission’s contact with BF throughout the investigation, arranging meetings and sending him, in a locked box, the confidential registre (log) of experiments for his review and signature: XLII, 210–11, 332, 333–4, 389, 472, 477. The present letter and Bailly’s of Dec. 7, below, indicate that the commissioners continued to add to the registre even after their official report had been published and their supplemental secret report had been delivered to the king (XLII, 478–9). The nature of these additions, and indeed of the registre itself, is not known, but it seems that every commissioner was required to read and sign every portion of text.