"It would be uncourteous, were that celebrated philosopher still living, and ungenerous now he is dead, to question the truth of his assertion; nor do I conceive I have any more right than I have inclination, to do so. His ignorance of Rey's work is, perhaps, not very extraordinary, since, as will appear by M. Bayeu's letter, at the end of the Avertissement, that the book was extremely rare, and probably known to very few. After the publication of that letter, however, in 1775, Lavoisier must have known, and have read Rey's Essays, as, indeed, appears from his own words in the note already quoted; and, it is matter of regret, that he never did that extraordinary man the justice of mentioning his name, either in his papers read before the Academy of Sciences, or in his Elements of Chemistry, published in 1789. This, probably, proceeded from his considering Rey's opinions as mere speculations (see the preceding note); the reader will judge, whether they deserved no higher, praise. How ready Lavoisier was to do justice to his cotemporaries, may be gathered from his conduct towards Doctor Priestley, respecting the discovery of oxygen gas; and it will hardly be considered an uncharitable inference, if we suspect something of the same spirit to have influenced, him with regard to Jean Rey."