Joseph de Maistre signed autograph letter Rare

  

Autograph letter signed, Saint Petersburg, May 21, 1816, addressed to a Princess. Rare letter from Joseph de Maistre, then Ambassador of the King of Sardinia to Tsar Alexander. He addresses a Princess, with great deference, who had asked him for a service.

“Madam Princess,

Your Serene Highness, in entrusting me by your letter of last April 20 with a matter that concerns you, gives me only one cause for concern: the fear of not succeeding. I would wish with all my heart to be able to use greater influence in this matter, but you may be sure, Madam Princess, at least of all that depends on me.

I ask Your Serene Highness’s permission to contradict the passage in your letter in which you speak to me as though I were a stranger: everything bearing your name is perfectly known to me and can always command my services. I shall make it my duty to inform Your Serene Highness, even before a decision is reached, of the more or less favorable direction the matter may take.

In the meantime, please accept, Madam Princess, the zeal I shall bring to advancing your interests, and the tribute of the infinite respect with which I remain,

Your Serene Highness’s most humble and most obedient servant,

Count de Maistre,

Extraordinary Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the King of Sardinia to His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias.

”

Joseph de Maistre remained for fourteen years, from 1802 to 1816, ambassador of the Kingdom of Sardinia to Tsar Alexander, which allowed him to establish highly placed contacts, notably with the Tsar himself and with the Russian high aristocracy. He defended his country’s interests with some success before returning to France, where he was celebrated and received into the French Academy. Autograph letters by Joseph de Maistre are extremely rare.

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