NIÈVRE. Marquis d'ESPEUILLES. Autograph letter signed by Ant - Lot 540

NIÈVRE. Marquis d'ESPEUILLES. Autograph letter signed by Antoine Théodore de VIEL DE LUNAS D'ESPEUILLES (St-Honoré-les-Bains/ Nièvre 1803 - 1871) Marquis d'Espeuilles, General Councillor of Nièvre, Mayor, Senator and Agronomist. - Beautiful, friendly and political letter written from the Château de LA MONTAGNE in St-Honoré-les-Bains, Nièvre, on March 29, 1852. 3 pages in-8°: "Your letter could not be more timely, my dear Abbé, I am leaving for Paris within the week. I shall find Eugène de MAC-MAHON, who is leaving for Africa to spend some time with his brother the General.... Your father is doing very well, not weakening too much under the weight of his old age... Yesterday I held my first municipal meeting. St Honoré (-les-Bains) seems satisfied... I see with pleasure that we are united in supporting NAPOLÉON (III). You know he's always been my man, and I don't know who could do better than him. That Messrs. Les Orléanistes, now united with the Socialists, are unhappy about it is of little concern to me, but I love a man who takes us out of the lawyers' chatter by doing something useful for the country every day, and whose motto is "Res non verba"... I see with great pleasure that we are coming back to him. Legitimist opinion is an old machine that still shrieks in spite of the oil we put in it... A man who spares the Legitimists, pats the Socialists, pats the Orleanists, gives back to the cult all that is due to it, our heel faquins are finally willing to recognize that this man has some good. Judge what all these people would be like if HENRY V came back. They'd blind themselves with their white plumes. Everyone's doing well. Antonin (his son) almost had his foot crushed by a piece of cannon whose wheels cut the toe of his boot clean off. He's a sergeant and my son is... one of Saint-Cyr's most distinguished subjects. Albéric is in boarding school. He's been working very badly for the past month. Adieu, mon Cher Abbé..."