To Benjamin Franklin from Claude-Mammès Pahin Champlain de La Blancherie, 19 January 1779
From Claude-Mammès Pahin Champlain de La Blancherie5
ALS: American Philosophical Society
Paris le 19. jvier 1779.
Monsieur le Docteur
Jai l’honneur d’envoyer à Votre Excellence, le nouveau plan de l’établissement que je dirige tel que la consistence que votre protection lui a donnée, a exigé qu’il fût rédige. C’est mercrédi 20. de ce mois à cinq heures après midi l’ouverture de la premiere assemblée dans le beau logement6 que l’on m’a donné et arrangé pour cela j’ose esperer que Votre Excellence m’accordera ce nouveau témoignage de sa protection en voulant bien l’honnorer de sa présence avec m. Adams et m. son petit fils. J’attends de ce bienfait que je la supplie de ne pas me refuser, toute ma gloire et tous mes succès.7
Je suis avec un profond respect Monsieur le Docteur Votre très humble et très obeisst serviteur
La Blancherie
Agent général de correspondance
pour les sciences et les arts rue
de Tournon.
m. Franklin. à Passy
Notation: La Blancherie 19 Janvier 1779.
5. For whom see XXVI, 379; XXVII, 24–5, 218–19. In his last communication to BF on Sept. 2, 1778, he had begged once more for the Doctor’s presence at one of the assemblies of the “République des Lettres et des Arts” which he had organized. On Oct. 16 he announced in the Jour. de Paris (p. 1159) that he was now living on the rue de Tournon. On Nov. 18 he was granted permission to dedicate to the Académie royale des sciences his new journal, to be called Nouvelles de la république des lettres et des arts: Procèsverbaux XCVII, fol. 316. The first issue appeared on Jan. 22, 1779, and the first three sheets were presented to the Académie on Feb. 10. The periodical lasted until at least 1788: Biographie universelle.
6. Bachaumont’s Mémoires secrets (XIII, 275–6) granted grudgingly on Feb. 7 that the new locale was indeed “moins mesquin” than the previous one and added that “cet intrigant” was starting a journal to be comprised of two parts: Nouvelles, containing the latest about arts and sciences, and Supplément, offering a bibliography of works arranged by city of publication. A fuller description of La Blancherie’s undertaking, couched once again in disparaging terms but allowing the man a degree of success, is to be found in ibid., XIV, 287–9, under the date of Nov. 26, 1779.
7. He sent a follow-up message on Jan. 25 (APS), again begging BF to attend his Wednesday assemblies. As shown in Borel’s letter of Feb. 3, below, BF once more did not comply, possibly because of his attack of gout. A little more pressure for BF to attend was applied by Le Roy on Feb. 18.