Description:

French Revolution - Jean-Baptiste Treilhard, former Director of France, regrets missing a friend's visit.

4pp bifold note signed "Treilhard" at bottom of page four, with integral address leaf addressed to "Citoyen P. Montesquiou, Rue Bergere No. 1001" on the top half of the second page, with one blank page. In very fine condition with expected folds, each page measuring 4.75" x 7.25". A small tear in the upper right corner of the first page corresponds with a red wax seal at bottom right. Isolated minor discoloration along gutter of second and third pages does not affect text. A later inscription "Conseil des Cinq Cen[t]s" appears on the address leaf.

This undated note was probably dispatched directly before a planned visit, as Treilhard had missed Montesquiou's recent house call. "I was very angry to have not been at home when Citizen Montesquiou took the trouble to stop by", Treilhard writes. The former Director of France assured Montesquiou that his "assurances of devotion and esteem" were unchanged, much like his "republican principles". Treilhard explained that he had been previously thwarted by the postal system and then distracted by domestic troubles. Yet, in the manner of "old soldiers of the revolution [who] don't look back and don't stop en route", Treilhard proposed an imminent visit to his old friend. "As I suppose that Citizen Montesquiou didn't wake up at the crack of dawn, I will stop by his house bright and early to find him".

Jean-Baptiste Treilhard (1742-1810) originally trained as a lawyer, but was elected to the Third Estate of Paris at the General Assembly in 1789. Between 1792 and 1794, Treilhard served as President of the National Convention; in this capacity, he voted for Louis XVI's execution. Unlike many of his fellow members of the Committee of Public Safety, Treilhard survived the Reign of Terror. Treilhard served as chairman of the Council of Five Hundred, and then as one of five Directors of France during the Directory (1797-1799). The identity of Treilhard's old friend "Citizen Montesquiou" is unknown.

An incredible missive from the French Revolutionary period!

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