"vous entretenir de quelques affaires très importantes pour le Collège de France et qui sont assez pressées..."

Autograph letter dated and signed by Ernest Renan to Louis Liard then director of higher education at the Ministry of Public Instruction, 14 lines in black ink and on letterhead of the Collège de France of which he has been administrator since the previous year.
Postal fold mark inherent to mailing, a small tear at the head of the letter at the date level.
Ernest Renan requests a meeting in order to discuss with his correspondent the future of the Collège de France: "Oserai-je vous prier de me fixer l'heure et le jour où je pourrai, sans vous déranger, vous entretenir de quelques affaires très importantes pour le Collège de France et qui sont assez pressées ?..." ("Dare I ask you to set the time and day when I could, without disturbing you, discuss with you some very important matters for the Collège de France which are rather urgent?...")
Louis Liard noted, in pencil, in the upper left corner of the letter: La 1ere lettre que j'ai reçu de Renan. (The first letter I received from Renan.)