MASSIAC (Claude Louis d'Espinchal, marquis de). - Lot 107

MASSIAC (Claude Louis d'Espinchal, marquis de). MARINE - MASSIAC (Claude Louis d'Espinchal, marquis de). Born in Brest, 1686-1770. Vice-admiral of the Levant, then Secretary of State for the Navy under Louis XV. L.S. "Massiac" addressed to M. Le Brun, Commissaire de la Marine à Brest. Versailles, June 3, 1758. 1 handwritten folio page. Autograph signature at the bottom of the letter. Autograph address on verso. Important letter concerning Massiac's appointment as head of the Navy Department at the height of the Seven Years' War, a critical period for the French Royal Navy. Massiac informs his correspondent of the royal decision following Machault d'Arnouville's resignation: "Le Roy ayant agréé (...) la démission de M. de Moras pour la charge de Secrétaire d'État de la Marine, Sa Majesté m'a nommé pour remplir cette place". He immediately realized "the importance of the Department" entrusted to him, and stated his intention to work "to support and increase the Navy". The letter reflects the strategic concerns of the French monarchy in the midst of its maritime confrontation with England. Massiac insists on the need for administrative zeal and efficiency on the part of the staff at Brest, the kingdom's main arsenal: "I am fully convinced of your attention and zeal to fulfill the service you have been entrusted with". A fine piece of maritime history, written in elegant 18th-century cursive, illustrating the Marquis de Massiac's ministerial debut in a particularly tense military context for French naval power.