To Benjamin Franklin from Henri Fizeaux & Cie., 20 January 1785
From Henri Fizeaux & Cie.
ALS:3 American Philosophical Society
Amsterdam le 20, Janvr. 1785.
Monsieur
Mrs. Pott & Cie. de Lausanne nous ont fait parvenir Suivant vos ordres un ballot de Livres, en nous en recommandant l’expedition ulterieure à M Thompson à Philadelphie, ce que nous ne differerons pas d’executer, si vous ne nous en ordonnés pas autrement,4 nous prierons ensuite M. Grand de nous rembourser de nos frais, présumant que telles Sont vos intentions.5
Nous avons l’honneur d’etre avec une Consideration Respectueuse Monsieur Vos trés humbles & trés obeissans Serviteurs
H. Fizeux & Cie.
Monsieur Franklin Ministre Plenipotentiaire des Etats unis à Paris.
3. In the hand of Daniel Grand.
4. The books were copies of Antoine de Polier de Saint-Germain’s Du Gouvernement des moeurs, published by Jules-Henri Pott & Cie. of Lausanne. When and how the author had communicated with BF is not known, but he had expressed his desire to distribute free copies to members of Congress. BF advised him to have the books sent to Amsterdam, from whence they could be shipped directly to Charles Thomson: BF to Thomson, May 10, 1785 (Smyth, Writings, IX, 326).
Polier (1705–1797) finished this work as he was nearing the end of a 30-year career as burgomaster of Lausanne. The first edition, published anonymously in 1784, won him a gold medal from the Société d’agriculture de Berne and was so well received that Pott & Cie. issued a second edition in 1785 with the author’s name on the title page: Pierre Morren, La Vie lausannoise au XVIIIe siècle d’après Jean-Henri Polier de Vernand, lieutenant baillival (Geneva and Paris, 1970), pp. 540–2.
5. On May 11, Ferdinand Grand paid Henri Fizeaux & Cie. 61 l.t. 5 s. out of the public account: Account XXVII (XXXII, 4).