The notes were produced by an unknown transcriber and are undated.

In this addition ot the Memoire, Voltaire describes having hear Francesco Algarotti speak about Sir Isaac Newton.

Voltaire begins by discussing the work of Alexis Clairaut in the context of Leibniz, Émilie du Châtelet, and Sir Isaac Newton. He concludes by mentioning his prior corresponsance with Clairaut [D8455]. The copyist states that the recipient of the letter is ‘Mr. de Varennes, Receveur des Tailles de Montargin’. Besterman, however, instead notes that the recipient is Philibert Charles Marie Varenne de Fénille.

The manuscript is a 19-line poem about the priest Desfontaine’s homosexuality, its historical impermissibility, and punitive measures. The manuscript does not replicate the entire poem, excluding the prefatory lines that read ‘L’abbe Desfontaines et le ramoneur, ou le ramoneur et l’abbé / Desfontaines, conte par feu m. de la Faye.’ According to T. D. N. Besterman, ‘despite m. de la Faye being named as the author, the poem ‘ is of course by Voltaire himself’. Furthermore; the poem is a fragment of D1514 that discusses the wedding of Marie Elisabeth Mignot, Voltaire’s younger niece, as well as an influential book by Maupertuis (perhaps La Figure de la Terre, déterminée par les Observations de Messieurs Maupertuis, Clairaut, Camus, Le Monnier & de M. l’Abbé Outhier, accompagnés de M. Celsius) and the faulty edition of Eléments de Newton.

M.F. Lomax asks questions about the nebuar hypothesis proposed in William Whewell’s Bridgwater treatise. He also enquires as to whether or not Sir Isaac Newton was a Unitarian, writing: ‘they see no difference between Newton and Voltaire and Laplace (not that they know any more than their names) and class them altogether as a set of clever learned infidels’.

Voltaire writes that he has read Robert Smith’s book of optics, adding that he cannot be so mightily please with a book without loving the author of it. He adds that Smith follows Sir Isaac Newton closely in ‘the path of truth and glory’.

Voltaire writes that he has read Robert Smith’s book of optics, adding that he cannot be so mightily please with a book without loving the author of it. He adds that Smith follows Sir Isaac Newton closely in ‘the path of truth and glory’.

De Missy writes that he luckily received Voltaire’s last letter (D2648) whilst in the company of a bookseller who has agreed to carry out Voltaire’s commission for a universal history, and, provided he obtains the consent of his Father, will also undertake a new edition of Voltaire’s works. He adds that the bookseller does not believe they should wait until then to publish Mahomet, stating that the bookseller would have printed it on the spot if he had it. De Missy promises that it would be printed correctly as he himself would read the proofs. He asks Voltaire to send him a memorandum of what he must, and what he could, say to the bookseller. The letter then turns to Voltaire’s persecution in France, with de Missy noting that superstition makes the greatest souls very small and causes them to be petty.

Voltaire thanks Gravesande for the figure he sent him of the machine used to fix the image of the sun. He notes that he will have one made according to the design and will be freed from great embarassment because he is clumsy and has lots of trouble in his dark room with his mirrors. He remarks that the package from Gravesande also included the work he had asked for in which his adversary uses c.300 pages on the subject of some thoughts of Pascal that Voltaire had examined in less than one sheet. He goes on to provide some excerpts of quotes that the editors of Pascal’s works suppressed from print. Voltaire claims that Pascal was blighted by melancholy, stating that Leibnitz makes this claim a little harshly. Voltaire then discusses the original sin, melancholy states, and the nature of the soul.

Voltaire begins by discussing a generality of the principle of attraction (page 274 of Élémens de la philosophie) before describing with diagrams the influence of mass and matter on the vibrations of a pendulum. The sheet written in alternate hand but ammended by Voltaire relates to page 21 of Élémens.