The natural philosopher Giambatista Beccaria was instrumental in the spread of the new electrical theory in Italy during the eighteenth century, and was among the great advocates on the continent for the scientific ideas of Benjamin Franklin. Born as Francesco Ludovico Beccaria in Mondovì, Italy, on October 3, 1716, Beccaria studied theology in Rome and Narni, where he was introduced to the new tendencies in science and philosophy. Upon entering the Scolopian (Piarist) order in 1732, he assumed the religious name Giambatista, under which all of his subsequent publications appeared.

Teaching in the Scolopian schools at Narni, and subsequently, Urbino, Palermo, and Rome, Beccaria's interests devolved to scientific matters, and he took pains to establish himself as a progressive, enlightened thinker. A measure of his success came in 1748, when he was called from Palermo to replace father Francisco Antonio Garro as chair in experimental physics at the University of Turin. There, he proceeded to the systematic study of electrical phenomena, defending Franklin's single-fluid theories against the competing theories of the Abbé Nollet, R. Symmer, and others. The first important fruits of his research, Dell'Elettricismo Naturale ed Artificiale (Torino, 1753), was proclaimed by Franklin as "one of the best pieces on the subject in any language," and brought the cleric welcome and wide acclaim as a man of science. By the early 1760s, he was a regular correspondent not only of Franklin, but of Joseph Banks, Joseph Priestley, and other members of the Royal Society, with a wider orbit in Italy, France, Switzerland, and other European nations. Perhaps the best indication of his stature, however, was that when Franklin was too busy to engage in electrical pugilistics himself during the 1770s, he simply had Beccaria's work translated.

Through his innovative research and voluminous publication, Beccaria established Italy at the center of eighteenth century study of electrical phenomena. His treatises Dell'Elettricismo, Lettere ... Coll' Appendice di un Nuovo Fosforo Descritto... (Bologna, 1758) , Elettricismo Artificiale (Torino, 1772), and Della Elettricità Terrestre Atmosferica a Cielo Sereno (Torino, 1775) passed through several editions and were translated widely, and other, related research took Beccaria into the study of the aurora borealis, sunspots, and aspects of meteorology.

Beccaria cultivated patrons in political and social circles, as well as scientific, and as Antonio Pace notes, he attained a measure of fame in Italy that, if not unparalleled, was nevertheless extraordinary. A visit to Beccaria was de rigeur for scientific travelers, and he was popular in court and civic life, as well. Ultimately, however, he was overshadowed by the reputations of his intellectual forebear, the luminous Franklin, and his successor, Alessandro Volta. The prodigious Volta dedicated his first book to Beccaria, whom he had studied at length, though ironically, it was Volta, his countryman, who subsequently did as much as anything to eclipse Beccaria. Beccaria died in Turin on May 27, 1781.

The Beccaria Papers contain epistolary essays on scientific topics written by Giambatista Beccaria to a number of scientific correspondents. Dating largely from the 1760s and 1770s when Beccaria had already established an international reputation and an international correspondence, many of the manuscripts are drafts of works that were intended for publication and, in a few instances, that were eventually published. Ranging in topic from Beccaria's primary interests in atmospheric and terrestrial electrical phenomena to the aurora borealis, earthquakes, meteorology, and typhoons, the letters are addressed to several of the major figures in eighteenth century European science, including Benjamin Franklin, Laura Bassi, Joseph Priestley, and Joseph Banks.

Among the more important series in the collection are copies of five or six letters from Beccaria to Benjamin Franklin (manuscripts nos. 1, 3-14), with multiple drafts of two. Eandi's Memorie Istoriche (no.16) includes translations of six letters from Franklin to Beccaria into Italian, dating from May 29, 1766, February 21, 1768, August 11, 1773, March 15, 1774, October 19, 1779, and February 19, 1781. His letters to Laura Bassi on the aurora borealis (nos. 37-39), to Gian Francesco Cigna on the mechanical effects of electricity (no. 61), and to Joseph Priestley and Joseph Banks on fulmine (no. 20), provide additional valuable information not only on the study of electrical phenomena, but on the propagation of transnational scientific networks during the mid-eighteenth century. His meticulous recording of the timing of shocks and aftershocks of the earthquake in Alba, January 1771, (no. 24-27) are a valuable addition.

Insight into the continued development of Beccaria's electrical theories is provided by the sixteen letters comprising group IV, which appear to be an extension of his previous works Elettricismo Artificiale and Elettricitࢰ a Cielo Sereno under the title, as Antonio Pace believes, Dell'Elettricità del Cielo Fulinante. These,, along with manuscripts no. 30-35, relate to the dispute over whether lightning rods preserved buildings or, as Beccaria believed, endangered them.

Giovanni Eandi's Memorie Istoriche, a biography of Beccaria, was undoubtedly added to the collection by a later owner, possibly Beccaria's student, Prospero Balbo. Part hagiography, part history, the work is important as a first-hand memoir of the scientist and contains an inventory of Beccaria's papers as they existed shortly after his death in 1781.

The Beccaria Papers were organized by a previous owner of the manuscripts into bundles that only occasionally relate to discrete topics, with individual manuscripts numbered sequentially within. Although there are some inconsistencies, the arrangement has been retained as received.

Provenance

Accessioned 1948.

The precise history of the Beccaria manuscripts cannot be ascertained with certainty, however it appears that after Beccaria's death they were passed to his student, Prospero Bablo, who may have added to them. A subsequent owner arranged and indexed these, numbering each "separate" manuscript sequentially, though the reason for numbering can be obscure and the distinctness of manuscripts equally so.

Preferred citation

Cite as: Giambatista Beccaria Papers, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information

Recatalogued by rsc, 2002.

Other finding aids

See also Antonio Pace, "The Manuscripts of Giambatista Beccaria, Correspondent of Benjamin Franklin," APS Proceedings 96 (1952), 406-416.

Related material

The APS also houses a manuscript by Beccaria, Ex Phisicis Institutionibus, 1769. Call no.: 537 B38exp.

Four letters from the Swiss scientist Henri Bénédict de Saussure to Beccaria were acquired separately and are housed in the Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection. These include:

1. 1767 May 5
2. 1770 February 6 (acknowledging his work on atmospheric electricity, electrical experiments, and mentioning Franklin)
3. 1772 October 9
4. 1780 March 28 (letter of introduction for M. Trembley)

Early American History Note

The Beccaria Collection consists of a folio size volume of collected letters and essays. Giovanni Battista Beccaria was a leading scientist in eighteenth century Italy. The collection includes letters Beccaria wrote to Franklin as well as drafts of essays he prepared for publication. The topics of the letters include discussions of electricity, meteorology, and astronomy.

The collection hints at how widely known Franklin's work and reputation were. It also demonstrates how scientific knowledge circulated in the eighteenth century with Beccaria, stationed in Italy, regularly corresponding with Franklin and others about scientific matters.

Beccaria's significance and the contents of the collection have been discussed at length in Antonio Pace, "The Manuscripts of Giambtista Beccaria, Correspondent of Benjamin Franklin," Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 96, No. 4, pp. 406-411.

In addition to the manuscript collection, the APS also has a bound handwritten volume of Beccaria entitled Ex Phisics Institutionibus. This volume has the feel of a textbook with chapters on different subjects, most dealing with electricity. The back of the book contains fourteen plates. These plates contain diagrams on weights and measures, mechanics, astronomy, and mathematics.

• Foreign Language
• Journals (notebooks)
• Manuscript Essays
• Scientific Correspondence
• Sketches.

• Balbo, Prospero, Conte, 1762-1837
• Banks, Joseph, 1743-1820
• Bassi, Laura, 1711-1778
• Beccaria, Giambatista, 1716-1781
• Cigna, Gian Francesco, 1734-17
• Eandi, Giuseppe Antonio France
• Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790

• Auroras.
• Beyond Early America
• Earthquakes -- Early works to 1800
• Electricity -- Early works to 1800
• Electricity -- Experiments
• Lightning
• Lightning rods
• Meteorology -- Italy -- Observations
• Phosphorescence
• Physics -- Early works to 1800
• Science and technology
• Scientific apparatus and instruments -- 18th century
• Sunspots