No 55.Geneva May 21, 1773

Dear Sir,

Your Printed letters to Mansfield have given me perfect satisfaction.
While they display all the correctness of Elegant composition, they are wrote at the same time with the sensibility and firmness of a gentleman, conscious of his own Integrity, repelling Personal Injury, avenging the Cause of Truth, but in the height of resentment never forgetting his own dignity. You have Raised a Monument to your Reputation and Talents which the malevolence of Party, the Malice of Enemies, & art of Mansfield cannot overturn. Nor, innumerabilis annorum series, et fuga Temporum3; die when you will this may be with great Truth engraved on your Tomb — This Person whose Reputation Mansfield attempted Publickly to murder, tho' then obliged to keep an Indignant silence, has not descended unlamented and unrevenged to his grave.

The Duke and me went to Ferney lately but had the misfortune to miss mons^r Voltaire. I left a Copy of your letter with a line Informing him of what you had wrote me. A few days after, I received a letter wrote by himself which I shall now transcribe verbatim. [here follows Best.voltBD18369.]

I Returned to Ferney yesterday and had the pleasure of Conversing with the old gentleman about an hour. He had read your Book with great attention, was Master of most of the great facts in the cause and expressed the Utmost astonishment at the decision. He said a woman who in a forreign Country was about to bring forth an Heir to the great Family of Douglas would naturally have taken every measure to render the truth of the Birth satisfactory. But it appeared to him that every Circumstance attending this pretended fact carryed falsehood in its forehead — & he was amazed that any man of sense could give the smallest weight to the vague rambling evidence of Menager contradictory to the acc^t given by s^r John Stuart himself. He Added that he had a very bad opinion of that man on acc^t of his Conduct in some late affair in which this same Menager has been engaged — and was curious to know what could be Lord Mansfield's motives or by what means he could Fascinate the Judgements of the other Lords so much as to make them Concurr in a decision contrary to evidence which in his opinion amounted to demonstration. To this last I could not give a very satisfactory answer. We afterwards talked on other subjects & when I took my leave he desired his compliments to you & Mr Crawfurd.

The Duke happened to be otherwise engaged but I was accompanyed on this occasion by Mr Lock, a Gentleman for whom I have the highest esteem who is in this Country with his family, & who was present at the whole of our conversation. …

I ever am my Dear m^r Stuart most sincerely yours

J. Moore. …