Voltaire writes that it is forbidden to pass in front of the house of Mr and Me Galatin along the small path leading to Geneva with either stone or wooden carts. He adds that the first time that this prohibition is contravened, the carts will be seized, and the offenders will be fined at the Château de Ferney.

The certificate states that Voltaire follows and observes social and religious laws at the Château de Ferney.

Marie-Louise Denis nominates Joseph-Marie Balledier as the Prosecutor of Ferney for an annual wage of 100₶. This is followed by the dismissal of Balleydier on 29 December 1773. Here it is noted that Balleydier was offered 56₶ 16c for the month of August 1773 which he refused to accept. This money, along with an additional 200₶, was deposited with Jean-Louis Raynaud until the affairs were settled. As Balleydier neglected the affairs and wrote insulting letter, Marie-Louise Denis dismisses him, adding that he will not be payed his wages for the past two years as he never presented himself in Ferney during that time except for at assizes for which he was paid additional sums. The remainder of the document concerns the settlement of the dispute between the two parties. The document is bound with a letter from Marie-Louise Denis to Marc Duval, written in the hand of Wagnière from Ferney and dating to c.16 January 1774.

Voltaire begins by saying that he is staying at Condrieux. He flatters Servan and asks after his health, before going on to complain about his exile from Paris. Voltaire then asks Servan for advice on which books to read to gain an understanding of the laws of modern governments such as Denmark and Sweden, rather than those of past governments such as Rome and Sparta.

The notes include quotations from Voltaire, Cicero’s De officiis, Justinian’s Digesten, and Arnobius’ Contra gentes/Adversus nationes. They were likely compiled by Gijsbert Jan van Hardenbroek (1719-1788)

Extrait d’une lettre d’Abbeville du 7 juillet 1766′. [D.app.279] In this letter, Voltaire writes that a resident of Abbeville named Belleval lived intimately with L’abbesse de Vignacour. Two young men arrived in Abbeville and the abbess received them at home and housed them in the convent as they were her cousins. The abbess preferred the younger of the two men, the Chever de la Barre, to Belleval and so he grew jealous and resolved to take revenge. Voltaire writes that Belleval knew that the Chever de La Barre had committed great indecency 4 months earlier and had been criticised for not removing his hat at a procession carrying the Blessed Sacrament, so he ran from house to house recounting these tales. He then went to all of the witnesses and threatened them, forcing the judge of to hear the case. The judge, however, discovered that Belleval’s son had been the leader of the indecent acts with which the Chever de la Barre was involved. Belleval, Voltaire notes, made his son escape with Sr de Talonde and the son of the mayor of the city then had the Chever de la Barre followed by a spy, leading to his arrest. Voltaire notes that he was in Abbeville on business when de la Barre and an acomplice named Moisnel were escorted there from Paris, writing that there was great consternation in the city. In an ‘Autre extrait’ appended to the tale, Voltaire writes that the accused were condemned by the Paris parliament to have their tongue and fist cut off, their heads cut off, and their body thrown into flames. This happened to the Chever de la Barre but a similar fate had not yet befallen Moisnel. Several lawyers signed a consultation proving the illegality of the judgement (of 25 judges, 15 opined death, and 10 opined light correction.)

Du Châtelet thanks Thiériot for the trouble he has taken in order that she may have the finest house in Paris and notes that she has received an answer from the crown prince about her Essai sur le feu. She writes that she hopes to inspire him with a taste for physics and make him give up his mania for verse because ‘one can very well be a mediocre physicist, but it is not permitted to be a bad poet.’ Du Châtelet writes that since Thiériot left her, she has developed an interest in lawsuits and then turns to literary and artistic news, mentioning among others Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, Francesco Algarotti, Roland Desalleurs, John Hervey, Jean-Henri Castéra, Jean-Nicolas Formont, and Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Du Châtelet thanks Thiériot for the trouble he has taken in order that she may have the finest house in Paris and notes that she has received an answer from the crown prince about her Essai sur le feu. She writes that she hopes to inspire him with a taste for physics and make him give up his mania for verse because ‘one can very well be a mediocre physicist, but it is not permitted to be a bad poet.’ Du Châtelet writes that since Thiériot left her, she has developed an interest in lawsuits and then turns to literary and artistic news, mentioning among others Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, Francesco Algarotti, Roland Desalleurs, John Hervey, Jean-Henri Castéra, Jean-Nicolas Formont, and Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Hérault asks that Voltaire be allowed to see and speak to Mr Germain de Breuil, who has been given power of attorney for Voltaire to act for his business, whenever he wishes and taking the usual precautions.

Documents include many on the administration of the Département du Nord and the departments of the Gironde and Isère in the 1790’s, including certificates of baptism and other documents on questions of residence, and documents on the identification and arrest of emigrés from France. Also included are many legal documents ranging from 1629-1810, including opinions and verdicts in civil lawsuits; documents on issues of inheritance and succession; 18th-century marriage contracts and divorce papers; deeds to houses and land titles; and powers of attorney. Other documents include a military discharge dated 1582, military service and pension records, and other documents concerning the French army from 1710-1815.

Also included are census data for Albania and Dalmatia for 1781; correspondence of various French government officials, from the 1870’s and early 20th century; detailed work contracts for repairs and rebuilding of a chateau in 1803, signed by carpenter Jean Baptiste Echeuvin and by Jean Pierre Fluchaire; the autograph text of an address to the king by Monseigneur Leveque on behalf of France’s bishops in 1735; a chapbook quoting extensively from Voltaire, especially on the subject of women and on Christianity; a book-length manuscript on the Jesuits, written after 1810; manuscript essays on the relationship of church and state, apparently dating from the 18th century; a genealogy of the family Le Brun de Rabot, dated 1826; letters of recommendation for students seeking admission to a school, by Marc-Antoine Jullien; an essay criticizing the Gazette de France and the French government for not upholding freedom of the press, apparently 18th century; and correspondence by various 19th-century journalists on editing, publishing and social matters.

Photographs, apparently of the 19th century, show views of Venice and Avignon. Engravings include views of Amiens in the early 19th century and portraits of French authors René Charles de Maupeou, Paul Deroulède, Victorien Sardou, Ludovic Halévy, Mme. Eugènie Foa, and Othenin, comte d’Haussonville.

Correspondents include Louis Barthou; Henri Rochefort; René-Richard Castel; Barthelemy St. Hilaire; Augustin Louis, marquis de Ximenès; Louis-Joseph de Bourbon, prince of Conti; comte Arthur O’Mahony; Artaud de Montor; Alexis Nicolas Pérignon; Auguste Maguet; Jules Ferry; Miguet, secretary of the Institut impérial de France, later the Institut de France; Jules Michelet; A. Augustin-Louis Laya; Jules Lecomte; Othenin, comte d’Haussonville; Calmann Lévy; Adèle Esquiros; Gabriel, comte d’Haussonville; Etienne Vigée; and Auguste Guinard.