Who was the duchesse d’Enville, and what was Adam Smith’s relation to her? In his excellent contribution to the secondary literature on the Scottish philosopher-economist [see “Adam Smith in Geneva” in Valérie Cossy, Béla Kapossy, & Richard Whatmore, editors, Genève, lieu d’Angleterre, Slatkine (2009), pp. 153-167], historian Brian Bonnyman describes the duchesse’s network of “visiting and local literati” in Geneva and reports that Smith was introduced to her circle during his time in the Swiss city-state:

… Smith was introduced to the circle of the duchesse d’Enville, who had accompanied her daughter, the comtesse Rohan-Chabot, to Geneva to be treated by Tronchin. As a keen advocate of the new learning in the sciences and literature, d’Enville had gathered round her both visiting and local literati, with several of whom Smith was to make lasting friendships. These included the eminent English mathematician Philip Stanhope, the 2d Earl of Stanhope, who had edited the works of Smith’s old professor at Glasgow, Robert Simson, and whom Smith would later help with the arrangements for the appointment of a tutor to his charge, the Earl of Chester. Also frequenting d’Enville’s circle were the natural philosopher Charles Bonnet, who would later refer to Smith as « the sage of Glasgow », and the physicist Georges-Louis Le Sage, both of whom were Professors at the University of Geneva. It has also been suggested by Smith’s latest biographer that the duchesse d’Enville, as a keen advocate of Physiocratic thought, and as a close friend of Turgot, may have been an important conduit for Smith’s awareness of the French economists ideas. And certainly, Smith would meet the main proponents of the Physiocratic « school » at the duchess’s salon in Paris, which he would frequent later during his tour. (Bonnyman 2009, p. 164, footnotes omitted.)

The reference to “Smith’s latest biographer” in the passage above is to the late great historian Ian Simpson Ross (1930-2015), who as it happens has a lot to say about the duchesse d’Enville, for she is mentioned by name no less than 10 times in his meticulous and sweeping biography of Adam Smith … (To be continued)