NEWS BY HAND. Collection of 72 manuscripts, April-December 1778 mainly; about 300 pages in-4, in a half-vellum volume, title-piece on spine. Interesting set of handwritten short stories. Weekly or biweekly news from April 2 to December 31, 1778. There is a lot of talk about the American War of Independence, Benjamin Franklin, Queen Marie-Antoinette's pregnancy, etc. Voltaire occupies a great place, with his Parisian triumph, his reception at the Masonic lodge of the Nine Sisters, and his death; that of Jean-Jacques Rousseau is also announced. One also notes news from abroad (notably Russia and Catherine II), and curious miscellaneous facts. Former collection Gustave Bord.