Preface. vii 



gratefully acknowledge that my share in this work came 

 of my possession of the letter which contained the 

 above matter. I had the letter, just received, in my 

 pocket, while attending one of the regular meetings 

 of the Academy. And it so happened, likewise, that 

 among the matters of business which occupied the 

 meeting was a report of progress from the Rumford 

 Committee of the Academy, in the trust assigned to 

 them of collecting and editing the works of our emi- 

 nent benefactor. Knowing that I had with me some- 

 thing so appropriate to the matter then in hand, I 

 read to the Academy the above extract from the letter 

 of our associate. I mentioned, likewise, that I had 

 in my house and had recently been reading with 

 great interest the contents of a very valuable manu- 

 script volume, loaned to me by its owner, my valued 

 friend, George Rumford Baldwin, Esq., of Woburn, 

 in which he had carefully copied the correspondence 

 of Count Rumford with his father, the late Colonel 

 Loammi Baldwin, and many other papers of bio- 

 graphical use. I suggested that possibly the Rum- 

 ford Committee might find help in examining these 

 documents. A proposition was then made and urged, 

 that I be requested to furnish a biographical memoir 

 of the Count as introductory to the edition of his 

 Works. Though surprised at the request, and wholly 

 unprepared to comply with it, I consented to enter- 

 tain and consider it. I had no other expectation or 

 purpose, in finally acceding to it, than that all which 



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