To Benjamin Franklin from Georges-Louis Le Rouge, 29 November 1780
From Georges-Louis Le Rouge3
ALS: American Philosophical Society
29 9bre 80
Je Vous prie Monsieur de vouloir bien me renvoyer cette premiere epreuve corrigée le plustot possible. Vous obligeres Monsieur celui qui se dit avec respect Votre tres humble et tres Obeist Serviteur
Le Rouge
Notation: Le Rouge 29. 9bre. 1780.
3. This important Parisian cartographer, who had published numerous maps of North America in 1778 and 1779, seems to have met BF for the first time in mid-September 1780, when delivering a parcel of Thomas Hutchins’ maps and pamphlets: XXXIII, 298n. These must have been copies of Hutchins’ A Topographical Description of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina … (London, 1778). Between that meeting and this letter, Le Rouge translated Hutchins’ work into French and received permission to publish it along with a newly engraved map. His translation, Description topographique de la Virginie, de la Pensylvanie, du Maryland et de la Caroline Septentrionale … was approved by the censor on Nov. 15. (The censor’s letter appears on p. [2].) The proofs that Le Rouge enclosed with the present letter were undoubtedly the first section of the work, which was published in March; see his next letter, below, March 20, 1781.