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155 - Anne Robert Jacques TURGOT (1727–1781).
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Estimate €600 - €800
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Description
Anne Robert Jacques TURGOT (1727–1781). Letter, Limoges, 7 April 1770, to the Duke of Choiseul; 3½ pages, folio. On the grain riots in Limousin. M. de Puimaigre forwarded to him Choiseul’s letter concerning the rise in the price of bread, and announcing the departure of the Condé Regiment for the Trois-Évêchés. He understands that the high cost of provisions may necessitate the withdrawal of this regiment from Limoges, but he raises a number of objections. He describes the situation in Limousin: ‘The shortage of provisions of every kind is extreme; grain prices have risen to exorbitant levels, since rye costs 32 livres per Parisian septier everywhere, and the commodity is in short supply in almost all the markets’. The people are anxious and are opposing the transport of grain, encouraged by subordinate judges who are failing to ensure the free movement of goods. There are gatherings everywhere, with only minor consequences for the time being, ‘but I have no doubt that they would have had very serious consequences had I not, taking advantage of the presence of the Condé Regiment, asked Mr de Puimaigre to send reinforcements ’. He has already requested a detachment four times, ‘the arrival of which has calmed everything down’. He anticipates that these disturbances will increase between now and the harvest, and the presence of a troop would enable him to ensure peace, “but I must confess that without this assistance, and reduced to the meagre resources that can be drawn from the constabulary, I cannot vouch for the misfortunes to be feared at every moment’. These could include the disruption of the grain trade, the worsening of famine, or uprisings that would endanger private citizens, and ‘the necessity for the government to punish wretched people driven by hunger and misled by ignorance for crimes which could easily be prevented by measures that deter them from proceeding ’.
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About the sale Letters and Autograph Manuscripts – Part I
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Auction time 10/13/2026 at 2:00 PM
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