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[Page 1]

Genoa July 5th 1787

Dear Sir

I should sooner have returned you my thanks for your last favour, & have answered your queries about Spalanzani, [Spallanzani] but since I came here I have been confined with a pleuritic attack the rapidity of which was allarming;  I could not however have been in better hands than the Genoese Sangrados on such an occasion;  all my complaints are now quite removed.  I spent four days at Pavia & spared no pains to learn the whole history about Spalanzani, which indeed his colleagues were ready enough to tell, for they are all against him, & not without reason. The truth in short is this.  Spalanzani & Scopoli had the care of the Museum at Pavia, as they still have. Several things, as shells & minerals, were often missing, & Spalanzani had frequently insinuated to several people that Scopoli ought to be watched.  At last however the deficiency became so great that some man of consequence at Milan put it into the head of Seraphin Volta (who was going a little journey with Scarpa towards Modena) to visit Spalanzani's private Museum at Scandiano, which was become within a few years so celebrated that all travellers went to see it.  Volta accordingly went alone to Scandiano, leaving Scarpa at Modena.  There he found about 600 specimens of various things, most of which he could swear to as belonging to the  

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