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Maître Jean-Paul RENOUD-GRAPPIN

12 - Henri-Gatien, Count BERTRAND (1773–1844), general, companion…
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Estimate €300 - €400
Sale commission
Description
Henri-Gatien, Count BERTRAND (1773–1844), general, companion of Napoleon on Saint Helena. Letter from the author, Châteauroux, 11 March 1840, to his son Henri Bertrand, an artillery lieutenant at Vincennes; two and a half pages, in-8 format, with address. Concerning the deplorable behaviour of his son Arthur [lover of the actress Déjazet, before becoming Rachel’s lover; he was running up debts]. He had his horses sent to his eldest son, Napoléon: ‘He will set sail on the 30th, and, sabre in hand, he will make amends for his wrongdoings’. As for Arthur (1817–1871), ‘I wished to settle his debts whilst sparing his purse and his honour; and to that end I had proposed that he transfer his canal shares to me, intending to borrow in my own name at first in order to preserve his reputation; and secondly so that, should the day come when a marriage, the reorganisation of his affairs, or some other circumstances allowed it, he might regain possession of those shares which formed your mother’s dowry—shares which, for you, are a mark of nobility, or, better still, proof of the goodwill of the greatest man of modern times ’. But he has lost all hope of restoring Arthur ‘to honourable conduct […] only one career lies open to him: that of arms. […] at that price he would regain my esteem. Is it conceivable that a young man born on St Helena, and my son, should conduct himself in this manner’… Enclosed is a letter from the Count of MONTHOLON to the Count of Chabrol (1 p. in-8, one corner cut off).
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About the sale AUTOGRAPHS & MANUSCRIPTS – PENNED BY HISTORY’S GREAT FIGURES
Auction location
Auction time 09/18/2026 at 2:00 PM
Ref. : 226165 - 22.29
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