Jean-Baptiste SAY (1767–1832). 2 letters, Paris 1831–1832, t - Lot 121

Jean-Baptiste SAY (1767–1832). 2 letters, Paris 1831–1832, to Constance, Princess of Salm; 1 page in-8 and 2½ pages in-4, one address. April 28, 1831. Since the princess had left the Rue du Bac to move to the Rue Richer, Say was delighted to “become your neighbor by joining my daughter, Madame Comte, two floors above you; and I am not such a gruff bear as to be unmotivated by the desire to offer you my modest and respectful tribute. […] It has been many years since we last saw each other, Madam; but those years have taken their toll only on me, for wit and charm know no age”… May 2, 1832: During the cholera epidemic, he reassures the Princess about her situation and that of their neighborhood, which appears to have been spared: “Not only do we not have a single case of cholera in our three-unit house, nor in any of the adjoining ones, nor in those across the street, but the Sabatier boarding school and its 200 students have not been affected either […]; the greatest harm the cholera has done in our neighborhood, madam, has been to keep you away from it.” However, there have been some deaths, including that of “Madame de Laclos, the author’s widow, who is certainly no *Dangerous Liaisons*.” The Duvals are well; Amaury has married off his daughter. “Ever since our prime minister, following an order from Dr. Esquirol, exchanged his embroidered suit for a (historic) straitjacket, I have been plunged into grief” [Casimir Périer, stricken with cholera, would die on May 16]. The performances continue, however, and he was unable to find a seat “in the immense hall of the Opera to hear Paganini.” […] There was a moment of consternation when we saw that cholera was striking down so-called respectable people, sometimes killing them within 24 hours, but that moment of terror is beginning to pass, and now people are making jokes about this terrible enemy.” He urges the Princess to return to Rue Richer…