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an old document with a black ink writing on it
Ader

525 - Frans Josef von SAURAU (1760–1832), Austrian politician.
See original version (French)

Estimate €200 - €250
Sale commission
Description
Frans Josef von SAURAU (1760–1832), Austrian politician. Autograph letter addressed to ‘Count Louis’; 4 pages, in-4 (central fold repaired). ‘It is a great comfort for a man buried under piles of paperwork, and all too often condemned to the most tedious reading, to receive letters such as yours, dear Count Louis! They are charming flowers, all the more precious for the fact that I pluck them from amidst the thistles and narcotic plants that surround me.” He thanks the Count for his efforts in procuring ‘Newfoundland fishing dogs’ for him and having them transported to Vienna. He will no longer employ Monsieur Rançonnet ‘for delicate errands’. He then discusses the choice of a banker… As for the state’s finances, he admits to being at a loss in ‘this tangled web of finances, loans and subsidies […] I do not even know where we stand on several counts, and as soon as one thinks of drawing up plans or taking measures for the good of the state and the sovereign, there is, first of all, the opposition (for it exists everywhere) which will take pleasure in thwarting you, and it is for this reason that no one can count on the success of even the most carefully devised plans and undertakings of proven utility, which all too often fail despite the integrity and good intentions of the finest of rulers; how fortunate we would be if we had only to consult his just judgement and his heart, the seat of all virtues’…
See original version (French)
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About the sale Letters and Autograph Manuscripts – Part II
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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