Letter of August 30. The hand-writing is in a more flowing style than the subsequent letters. Bigelow omits paragraph ten beginning “It is said.” Both Bigelow and Smyth give another paragraph in the Postscript, beyond the signature “B. F.” in my copy; also a note dated Sept. 2^d, which contains calculations in French relating to the balloon. Smyth says that these additions are not in the University of Pennsylvania draft but that they occur in this press-copy, which is obviously a mistake. In paragraph two of the Postscript “mov’d out,” in Smyth, should read “being moved out,” and in the last line but one “upon” should read “up in.”

Letter of October 8. In the eighth line after the word “Balloon” Smyth inserts “lately.” Part of the valedictory and the signature are omitted by Bigelow and Smyth, but the former gives an “Extract of the Proposals” for the balloon of which I have no copy.

Letter of November 21. This should be dated Nov. 22, since the ascension of d’Arlandes and de Rozier which, according to the letter, took place the previous day is known to have been on the 21st. The orthography of the French words in Bigelow and Smyth does not always agree with the copy. In paragraph three, for “Post,” in Smyth, read “Port;” in paragraph six for “Adventures,” in Smyth, read “Adventurers;” in paragraph thirteen for “By the emulation,” in Smyth, read “But the Emulation;” in paragraph fifteen for the phrase, in Smyth and Bigelow, beginning, “I wish I could see the same emulation,” correct to end, “between the two Nations as I see between the two Parties here;” in paragraph sixteen, in both Bigelow and Smyth, for “Experiment,” read “Experience;” and for the unintelligible phrase in both Bigelow and Smyth, “Beings of a frank and [sic] nature,” read “Beings of a Rank and Nature.” Minor discrepancies between this and the other press-copies and the letters as printed by Bigelow and Smyth also occur. The signature is in pencil in this copy. A “P. S. Nov. 25th” is not in the press-copy, contrary to Smyth’s statement, but I have a press-copy of the French ProcÈs-Verbal, therein referred to, in Franklin’s handwriting with his name and eight others affixed as witnesses. Neither Bigelow nor Smyth print this document, which was first reproduced in the book mentioned by Franklin in the first paragraph of his letter, viz: “Description des ExpÉriences de la Machine AÉrostatique par M. Faujas de Saint-Fond, Paris, 1783.” Since Franklin’s copy of the ProcÈs-Verbal differs only in his spelling the word “sang-froid” instead of “sens-froid,” I do not print it. However, other changes were introduced in the ProcÈs-Verbal when reprinted in the second volume of M. Faujas’ work, published in 1784. The plate forming the frontispiece to this volume shows the balloon as seen from Mr. Franklin’s terrace at Passy.

Letter of November 30. This has never been published so far as I know. “The Journal of the first Aerial Voyage,” here mentioned, was written by the Marquis d’Arlandes to M. Faujas de Saint-Fond on Nov. 28th and first printed in the Journal de Paris but was republished by Faujas de Saint-Fond in his second volume.

Letter of December 1. Smyth states that he reproduced this letter from my press-copy but he omits the capital letters and the contractions in spelling, as well as the references “A” and “B,” which are given by Bigelow with the remark that the drawings were not found. “The Manuscript, containing some Particulars of the Experiment, which I enclose,” mentioned in the Postscript, is a two-page account in French, in Franklin’s handwriting, by an eye-witness of the voyage, M. le Chevalier de CubiÈre. As this interesting document has never been published, to my knowledge, I have given it here literatim from my press-copy.