Lettre autographe signée à Ferdinand Denois

Autograph letter signed by François-René de Chateaubriand to Ferdinand Denois, written in Rome and dated 11 August 1829, 2 pages and two lines in black ink on a bifolium. A tear caused by the opening of the letter on the blank portion of the final leaf, not affecting text.

"I must also, Sir, thank you once again: my poor friend La Ferronays [the Minister of Foreign Affairs Auguste Ferron de La Ferronnays was to resign two weeks later due to poor health] has written to me that all his ailments have returned, that he feels unwell two or three times a day, and that he cannot consider returning to public affairs, etc. I believe that the interim will nevertheless be prolonged and that this will allow matters to carry through to the end of the session. I requested leave through MM. Boissy and Givré [his embassy secretaries Hilaire-Étienne-Octave Rouillé de Boissy, and Bernard Desmousseaux de Givré], without being entirely resolved to make use of it: this will depend on events. A telegraphic dispatch of 4 April, arriving via Toulon, informed me that the king étoit fort content de la nomination du pape. Our cardinals rallied to me and conducted themselves very well. Cardinal [Anne-Antoine-Jules de] Clermont-Tonnerre, who suffered a fall, is lodged at the embassy, where I am caring for him as best I can - what will the Gazette say of this? [La Gazette de France, journal of the radical royalists known as Ultras, was highly hostile to Chateaubriand.]... "

From 1828 to 1829, during his mission as ambassador to the Holy See, Chateaubriand corresponded regularly with the French diplomat Ferdinand Denois. The latter unofficially served as an agent of the French government, "bearer of official decrees and instructions for the embassadors to Rome", as reported by Pierre Féret. In return, Chateaubriand at times entrusted him with his personal reflections: "what will the Gazette say of this?"

This question, revealing a concern on the part of the writer, echoes the turbulent political situation in France in August 1829. Three days before this letter was written, the ministry lead by M. de Martignac was replaced by the ultra-royalist government of Jules de Polignac. Aware that his position was under threat, Chateaubriand resigned three weeks later rather than be dismissed. Heavy of heart, he then returned to France, leaving behind the Eternal City where he had found a form of peace: "Rome is a marvelous place to forget eveything, despise everything and die".

For his part, Ferdinand Denois was enjoying a period of success at this time: became a baron in May, and then appointed Consul General of France in Milan in August.

Letter from François-René de Chateaubriand to the French diplomat Baron Ferdinand Denois, with whom the writer maintained regular exchanges concerning his duties as ambassador in Rome. Shortly thereafter, Chateaubriand would bring his Roman mission to an end in the wake of the political upheavals of the summer of 1829.