Voltaire compliments Walpole on his recent work, Historic Doubts; introduces himself as perhaps unknown to Walpole; begs him to send him a copy of Historic Doubts for use in his own ongoing work on history and asks specifically about the involvement of British soldiers in the assassination of M. de Jumonville; and apologizes for his boldness and ignorance. The date, closing, and signature are in Voltaire’s hand, and the manuscript also includes an annotation in the hand of Mary Berry. The letter is followed by a philosophical poem, in Voltaire’s hand, titled Epitre de Voltaire a un homme.