20 JANUARY 1961, Page 15

CONDORCET

owe an apology to readers of my review 'New Adam' (Spectator, January 6), for three inac- curacies in one sentence about Condorcet. The cor- rect title of his last work was Esquisse dun tableau historique des progres de (esprit humain; he wrote it, not in his cell, but in hiding before his arrest; he was not executed, but was found dead in his cell, prob- ably having taken poison. I apologise for this com- plex piece of carelessness.--Yours faithfully.

BERNARD WILLIAMS

Chtiversity College London, Gower Street, WC1