Richard Helsham, 1682?-1738, Irish physician and philosopher, was a friend of Jonathan Swift. The first edition of this work was published after his death by his friend Bryan Robinson, 1680-1754, also an Irish physician. Robinson was also a friend of Swift and of “Vanessa,” who left him £15 in her will with which to buy a ring.

This author is entered in the Index of the Library of Congress 1815 Catalogue with reference to this chapter. The book is not listed in the chapter and was probably not sold to Congress. For other works by Emerson, see the Index.

Jefferson purchased a copy from Froullé, while in Paris, on March 19, 1789, price 15 (francs).

Five days later, on March 24, in a letter to Dr. Joseph Willard, and mentioning “ the most remarkeable publications we have had in France for a year or two past,” Jefferson wrote: “ . . . a very remarkeable work is the ‘Mechanique Analytique’ of La Grange in 4 ^to. he is allowed to be the greatest mathematician now living, & his personal worth is equal to his science. the object of his work is to reduce all the principles of Mechanics to the single one of the Equilibrium, and to give a simple formula applicable to them all. the subject is treated in this Algebraic method, without diagrams to assist the conception. my present occupations not permitting me to read any thing which requires a long & undisturbed attention, I am not able to give you the character of this work from my own examination. it has been recieved with great approbation in Europe . . . ”

This book is entered without price on the undated manuscript catalogue.

Comte Joseph Louis Lagrange, 1736-1813, French mathematician, was born in Turin, and soon became one of the greatest scientists of the day. He was a friend of Euler, Condorcet, Lacépède, Chaptal and many others whose works appear in this catalogue. His second wife was the daughter of the astronomer Lemonnier, q.v.