BAUDIN (Charles) - Lot 231

BAUDIN (Charles) Paris, 1784 - 1854. French naval officer, admiral and politician. L.A.S. "Ch. B." addressed to Dr. Cloquet. Toulon, July 11, 1842. 3 pages in-8 with autograph address on verso. Mourning paper. Interesting autograph letter mixing administrative matters, family considerations and health news, addressed to the famous Doctor Cloquet. Baudin replies to a request concerning his nephew, whom he would like to foster "as his own child", but he comes up against the strict rules of the maritime administration: "...as the exemption from service time has already been refused, even for two months, to other candidates, I fear that we will be obliged to apply the rule, this time again, in all its severity...". The letter then takes on a more intimate tone. The admiral mentions a visit to the "Prieuré", where the doctor is soon to stay with friends, and reassures him about the state of the premises: "...the Priory which has only just become fit to receive you simply but properly..." He also expresses concern about the health of relatives, and asks for news of "la bonne mère Rousseau", whose condition seems worrying: "...she has been very ill... I was saddened...". A fine testimony to Admiral Baudin's personal ties with medical and bourgeois circles under the July Monarchy, combining family solicitude, administrative recommendations and domestic concerns. Beautiful letter on mourning paper, with autograph address on verso. Charles Baudin was one of the leading French naval officers of the 19th century. A former officer of the Empire, maritime prefect and then Minister of the Navy under the Second Republic, he played an active role in modernizing the French fleet and in the major developments in steam-powered shipping.