Unpublished paper, 'Mémoire sur la désinfection des lettres' [Paper on the disinfection of letters] by Bernardino António Gomes Gomes discusses the yellow fever or 'plague' epidemic and ways of disinfecting letters received from countries in which the disease is prevalent. Gomes proposes making slits in letters and then fumigating their contents or soaking them in vinegar without fully opening the letter. He ultimately deduces that the best way to disinfect letters is through the combustion of sulphur with saltpetre [potassium nitrate]. An English translation of this paper is found at AP/8/12. Subject: Chemistry / Epidemiology Written by Gomes in Lisbone [Lisbon, Portugal]. 20 April 1814