a pile of old papers sitting on top of a table
Premium Maître Paul PASTAUD

874 - [MANUSCRIPT]. – [SAINT-DENIS (Louis-Etienne)]. Notes [on the…
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Estimate €1,400 - €1,500
Sale commission
Description
[MANUSCRIPT]. – [SAINT-DENIS (Louis-Etienne)]. Notes [on the genuine *Mémorial de Hudson Lowe*]. Sl [Sens], undated (1854). 3 folio-sized files, [17] ff.; [6] ff.; [22] ff., filled over two columns in very fine, perfectly formed handwriting, but difficult to read due to the size of the letters (approximately 40 lines per page), on loose sheets. A most valuable document relating to the very final period of Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis’s (1788–1856), which, following the expedition to repatriate Napoleon’s ashes—in which he had played an active part—was devoted to the drafting of memoirs and notes on Napoleon’s captivity; thanks to the work of Jacques Jourquin, these have finally been recognised for their full significance. These are notes and reflections on the very recent publication by William Forsyth (1812–1899), which was intended, at the family’s request, to present the Governor of St Helena’s account of his illustrious captive: History of Napoleon’s Captivity on St Helena: based on unpublished official documents and the manuscripts of Sir Hudson Lowe (Paris, Amyot, 1853, 4 vols., in-8). In response to the criticism aroused by his handling of Napoleon’s captivity on St Helena, Hudson Lowe compiled a vast collection of 134 volumes comprising copies of correspondence and official documents. Used by William Forsyth for his *History of the Captivity of Napoleon at St Helena* (1853), this collection constitutes the principal source for the British account of the Emperor’s captivity and fuelled a heated controversy, particularly in France. (Details available on request.)
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About the sale MONTIGNAC – 31st BOOK SALE – Day 2 of 4 – Nos. 550 to 1084
Auction location
Auction time 08/20/2026 at 11:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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