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an old book with a piece of paper on top of itan old book with writing on it sitting on top of a tablean open book with writing on it sitting on top of a tablean open book with writing on it sitting on top of a table
Premium Maître Paul PASTAUD

981 - Indian Ocean – [MANUSCRIPT]. – [BRUNO (Louis de)]. Miscellan…
See original version (French)

Estimate €1,800 - €2,000
Sale commission
Description
Indian Ocean – [MANUSCRIPT]. – [BRUNO (Louis de)]. Miscellany. – Business letters or letters of no interest [sic]. Book of letter copies. n.p., n.d. (1812). Folio, [53] folios, covered in medium-sized handwriting, generally legible (approximately 40 lines per page), with erasures and crossings-out; 29 folios remain blank; one or more folios are missing between folios 16 and 17 (with a gap from 16 December 1785 to 24 March 1787), and 3 loose leaves (letters LVIII and LIX dated 6 and 7 September 1811), stiff vellum with flaps, fastened with a double cord, plain, unmarked spine, title in ink on the upper cover (reused binding). Stains and small pen marks on both covers. An important register of outgoing correspondence (in the form of drafts) by Louis de Bruno (1739–1814), born in the French East Indies, who served as introducer of ambassadors to Monsieur, the King’s brother. It comprises 71 letters dispatched from Saint-Germain-en-Laye between 1 July 1784 and 4 August 1812, shortly before the author’s death. The vast majority of these letters concern the business affairs and interests of Louis de Bruno, and later those of his son Adrien (the future general, 1771–1861), either in Pondicherry or in Île-de-France (Mauritius). Consequently, the recipients are mainly businessmen or authorised representatives, some of whom were friends or relatives of the author. This extensive correspondence of Louis de Bruno (1784–1812) is devoted chiefly to the management of his interests in Pondicherry, Île-de-France and Bourbon. Beyond matters of inheritance, trade and family affairs, these letters, addressed to the leading figures in the French administration and trade in the Indian Ocean (Moracin, Monneron, Léger, Desbassayns…), constitute a first-rate source on French networks in the Indian Ocean on the eve of and in the aftermath of the Revolution, offering rare insights into the events of 1789, inheritance matters, trade, and the consequences of the Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars for French settlements in the East. (Details available on request.)
See original version (French)
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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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