Voltaire discusses the claims of the Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch to lands in the New World, explaining that such lands are shared very unequally amongst the various countries.

The ode describes Marie-Thérèse d’Autriche, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary. In the manuscript, it is given the alternative title of: ‘Ode sur les affaires du temps faitte le 30 Juin de lannée 1742’ / Ode on the affairs of the time written on 30 June 1742. In the accompanying letter, written on the back of the ode, Voltaire describes the poem as a ‘citizen’s ode’, adding that is could appear following a tragedy. Voltaire adds that he is waiting for a response from the recipient, noting that the tragedy has also been printed in Holland, but that it would be more successful in England than elsewhere if it were printed with a preface in the recipient’s style. He ends by asking de Missy to write to him at Fauxbourg St Honoré, and notes that this package will not reach de Missy as soon as he would like as the post has already left and the package will have to wait four more days.