e following letter:

Paris, December 24th, 1845.

MONSIEUR ALEXANDRE VATTEMARE,

Sir,

The undersigned young men, citizens of the United States of
America, now in Paris, have heard so much about the successful
realisation of your scheme of international exchanges between
France and their native land, that they are induced to take the
liberty of requesting from you a narration of the results of your
indefatigable exertions in the cause of science during the past
twelve months. They avail themselves of the occasion to testify
their gratitude for your desinterested toil and the high respect
with which they have the honor to subscribe themselves,

Your very obedient and humble servants,

BENJ. PERLEY POORE, of Massachusetts.
W. C. ALLAn, of Kentucky.
F. S. AINSWORTH, M. D., of Massachusetts.
J. HUNT, of Massachusetts.
BENJ. APTHORP GOULD, of Massachusetts.
EDWARD MONROE, of New-York.
JAMES M. HOPPIN, of Rhode-Island.
GEO. H. HALL, of North-Carolina.
BENJ. CHAMPNEY, of Massachusetts.
HENRY WILLARD, of Massachusetts.
W. J. PARKERSON, of Massachusetts.
H. H. J. GIBSON, of New-York.
SAMUEL WANSLOW, New-York.
GEO. C. MASON, Rhode-Island.
JNO. C. MARTIN, New-York.
FLELCHER DERBY, New-York.
J. SUMNER, Massachusetts.
HENDERSON POPE, So. Carolina.
J.-S. HARRIS, Mississipi.
THOMAS DUSTIN, Indiana.
E. HARTSHORN, Pennsylvania.
JOHN S. MILLER, Pennsylvania.
J. C. CROSS, Kentucky.
NORWOOD PENROSE, New-Jersey.
MORTON STILLE, Pennsylvania.
GEO. CATLIN, New-York.

Considering myself highly honored by this kind invitation, I felt it
necessary to endeavour at once to gratify a desire expressed in such
flattering terms.

But, after mature reflection, I resolved to confine myself to the
publication of official documents; and it was again necessary to
choose from these on account of my limits. I have thus been prevented
from publishing letters of the honorable president of the Court of
accounts; the director of the King's library; the secretary of the
society for the encouragement of silk culture; the president of the
Royal academy of Rouen; the perpetual secretaries of the Royal and
central agricultural society; of the academy of science, of the
academy of moral and political science. All these letters were
accompanied by documents and books which have been faithfully
transmitted to their respective destin