Draft of Chapter CXLV from l’Essai sur les mœurs
Identifiers
CMV:
CMV36049
Repository:
Shelfmark:
Voltaire Library, 5-240 (VIII, f.7-7v), ‘Minute du chapitre CXLV de l’Essai sur les mœurs’
Title:
Draft of Chapter CXLV from l’Essai sur les mœurs
Collection(s):
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Reproductions:
Content
People:
Incipit Diplomatic:
C’est à ces découvertes des Portugais dans l’ancien monde.
Incipit Modernised:
C’est à ces découvertes des Portugais dans l’ancien monde.
Language(s):
In Own Hand:
Yes
Brief Summary:
The manuscript is Voltaire’s handwritten draft of Chapter CXLV from l’Essai sur les mœurs.
Detailed Summary:
In this chapter, Voltaire discusses the expedition of Christopher Columbus, highlighting the challenges of securing sponsorships, including failed attempts in England, Portugal and France, before finally gaining support from Spain under Queen Isabella I of Castile. The chapter details Columbus’ discovery of the Santo Domingo Islands, the Caribbean, and Jamaica, amongst others, and explores his resourcefulness in addressing the scepticism and jealousy of his critics. Voltaire also discusses Amerigo Vespucci and his expeditions, as well as the indigenous peoples of the Americas, their physical characteristics, customs, and interactions with the Spaniards. The chapter concludes with a discussion of America’s flora and fauna, as well as the Columbian Exchange, the laws regulating Spanish trade and the disadvantages of the Columbian expeditions, including Spanish emigration driven by colonisation and the spread of infections, to mention a few.
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Physical Description
Material(s):
Extent:
1 f.
Format:
Dimensions:
Hands:
1
Watermark:
Countermark:
Binding:
The manuscript is bound with other documents in contemporary red morocco.
Additional Comments:
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History
Date:
c.1756
Ownership:
After Voltaire’s death, the MS passed into the ownership of Catherine II and remained in the imperial and then national collection thereafter.
Origin (transcript):
[Geneva]
Origin:
Provenance:
This MS was probably taken to St Petersburg by Wagnière in the summer of 1779 along with the rest of Voltaire’s library.
Bibliography
Bibliography:
Fernand Caussy, Inventaire des manuscrits de la bibliothèque de Voltaire conservée à la bibliothèque impériale publique de Saint-Pétersbourg (Geneva, Slatkine reprints, 1970), p.37.
OCV Reference:
26A, p.189-206
OCV Manuscript Reference:
26A, ‘MSL’, p.xxv-xxvi