1763 (February 7), Madrid to Gurmençon, Béarn, France, stampless
folded letter from the French Embassy, manuscript "20" rate marking
on
1763 (February 7), Madrid to Gurmençon, Béarn, France, stampless
folded letter from the French Embassy, manuscript "20" rate marking
on front, routed via Bayonne and Pau, addressed to the Seigneur de
Gurmençon, surface and edge wear with small tears along mailing
folds reinforced with archival tape, else fine. Written just days
before the conclusion of the Seven Years' War with the Treaty of
Paris, the letter reveals an active lobbying effort from a member
of the French Embassy staff to assist his brother regarding the
family's "moulins" (mills) in Gurmençon, mentioning correspondence
with the astronomer Joseph-Jérôme de Lalande to exert influence on
the local administration. Cynically, the sender notes the Spanish
proverb "a muertos y a idos no ay mas amigos" (to the dead and the
gone, there are no more friends).
