Louis PASTEUR begs for the national reward promised by Napoleon III.

Louis Pasteur (1822.1895)

Autographed letter signed to the Minister of Public Works, Roger Charles de Larcy.

A page in-4°.

Paris. December 30, 1873.

« The Emperor proposed that I be awarded a national prize

After the fall of the Second Empire, Pasteur begged that the national award promised by Napoleon III finally be bestowed upon him.

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"Mr. Minister, I have the honor of sending you, herewith, a note on my work. Here is the occasion on which I take this liberty. On July 19, 1869, at the Palace of St Cloud, in the Council of Ministers, the Emperor proposed that a national award be bestowed upon me in recognition of the services I had rendered to Science and Industry."

The war and its disastrous consequences halted the execution of this project. However, I must point out that I was included on the list of senators appointed on July 27, 1870. Mr. Thiers, at the time he left office, was on the verge of fulfilling the Emperor's vision. Mr. de Fourtou, Minister of Public Instruction, kindly assured me of the attention he would give to studying this matter.

I have the honor to request, Mr. Minister, that you take an interest in this matter yourself and take the trouble to read the printed note that I am enclosing with this letter. Please accept, Mr. Minister, the expression of my highest consideration. L. Pasteur, Member of the Academy of Sciences .

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Tinged with a touch of sycophancy, Pasteur's admiration for the imperial family, and particularly for Napoleon III, his protector, was genuine. At the same time, the Emperor, harboring an undeniable scientific curiosity, forged a bond between the two men that lasted until the fall of the Empire, each serving their own interests.

In 1869, Pasteur learned that Napoleon III had just appointed him a senator for life for services rendered to science. This flattering title never materialized: signed on July 27, 1870, the decree, scheduled for August 15, did not have time to be published in the Official Journal. The fall of the regime deeply distressed the scientist: “I am broken with grief, all my illusions have vanished. Despite the vain and foolish clamor in the streets and all the cowardly failings of recent times, the Emperor can confidently await the judgment of posterity. His reign will remain one of the most glorious in our history.”

Despite the political demise of Napoleon III, Pasteur received numerous honorary distinctions in the following years: the Copley Medal (1874), the Legion of Honour (1878), election to the French Veterinary Academy (1879), election to the French Academy (1882), …