The MS forms part of a recueil of various documents whose provenance and acquisition have gone unrecorded. Their order within the recueil corresponds to their approximate arrival in the BNF’s manuscripts department.

Du Châtelet begins telling d’Argental of a letter in which it was stated that Voltaire would have been arrested a long time ago had it not been for her family’s good reputation. She notes that her protection of him is not infallible and discusses her concerns that it was a member of her family who informed the ministry, likely the Marquis de Breteuil. She questions whether or not she should move to Paris, and asks for d’Argental’s advice.

Voltaire asked Hersch to purchase bonds on his behalf. Voltaire gave Hersch notes to do so and in return Hersh deposited jewellery with Voltaire for security. Finding a more favourable deal elsewhere, however, Voltaire withdrew from the deal and Hersch was subsequently arrested. In this document, Hersch presents his side of the story, stating that Voltaire had been spreading lies and seducing the public with misinformation.

Voltaire opens by saying that it is with pain that he is obliged to return to Audibert a letter from a strange man who surely had not been arrested by mistake. He then asks Audibert to write to him for information before Audibert gives his money and acknowledges that Audiebert must have been caught out more than once because he has a good character. Voltaire adds that he recently read a life of the four Paris brothers that was dedicated to Audibert, noting that this life was not complete but was filled with very real and very curious things. He adds that the ‘maddness’ of the Mississippi Company was reported faithfully in the work and wishes to who the man was that dedicated this work to Audibert. He signs off by describing himself as ‘the sick old man. V’