Voltaire is in Senones undertaking research in the library for his universal history (Essai sur les mœurs). Villaume writes a bibliographic reference at the top of the letter, to which Voltaire appends a quote in Latin, both of which are omitted from published versions of this letter. Voltaire is asking Dupont for information relating to this reference.

There are variants at lines a, b, 2, 4, 11, 14, 19, 26, 30, 35-36.

The complete text is written on one side of the sheet. It contains all but one of the corrections stipulated by Voltaire in D9587 and D9597. There are variants at lines a, b, 2, 4, 11, 14, 19, 26, 30, and 35-36.

The manuscript is incomplete as the beginning of ‘Conciles’ is crossed out.

This is the first known draft of the majority of the first part of Doutes nouveaux. The present whereabouts of the MS is unknown, but Theodore Besterman owned a photocopy of it.