French Revolution | A collection of c. 40 documents, 1789-95

French Revolution

A collection of documents relating to Paris, c. 1789-1795, including:

i-ii) Antoine Quentin Fouquier Tinville, two autograph letters signed, the first ‘L’accusateur public près le tribunal revolutionnaire au Citoyen Ministre de la guerre’, opening “Mes fonctions m’imposant le devoir de suivre les traitress et conspirateurs de tout genre”, listing names but saying there are others about whom the Comité de Salut Public lacks information, asking the Minister to make enquiries, “C’est le seul moyen de faire frapper promptement du glaive…ceux qui le meriteront”, 2 pages, 4to, Paris, 2 pluviose de l’an second [21 January 1794]; the second to M. Delpeck, about the payment of 50 livres, 28 May [1789]

iii) Philippe Antoine Merlin, document signed, a decree of the National Convention, ordering that Carrier shall be taken once to the Conciergerie and his papers sealed, signed also by Becker, Legendre and two others, one page, folio, 4 frimaire l’an 3e [24 November 1794]

iv-v) Antone Joseph Santerre, autograph note signed, as Commandant General of the Garde National, on an autograph order signed by Jean Marie Roland, concerning the handling over of weapons, Santerre instructing an officer to carry out the order, ), Paris, 14 September [1792]; and an autograph letter signed to "Ami Richard", (“...Tu as en moi un ami bien importun mais c’est justice qu’il te demandera toujours...”), referring to the payment for fuel supplied to the republic by Citoyen Pille and to his own petition, “La requete de moi et de ma jument sont cy joint en l’original”, one page, 4to, Paris, le 26 Brumaire, n.y.,

vi) Jean-Marie Collot d’Herbois, letter signed ‘au Citoyen Pache, maire de Paris’, Compiegne, about a boatload of wheat at Pont L’Evêque and proposing measures to check night-time raids on supplies, 2 pages, 4to, 28 aout l’an second [1793]

vii-x) Jacques René Herbert, letter signed, as Deputy Procurator of the Paris Commune, to Ménage about a denunciation (1793); a letter to Legendre denouncing Herbert; and two related items referring to La Lanterne Magique

[with:] approximately 30 other letters and documents relating to the activities of the Paris Commune, and Revolutionary Committees, signed by Pache (2, one as Minister of War), Chaumette (Procurator of the Paris Commune), Montane (former President of the Paris Revolutionary Tribunal), Boisset (Archivist of the Jacobin Club), Jean Baptiste Gobel (Constitutional Bishop of Paris, on the suppression of the bells of Notre Dame), the Municipality on the surveillance of priests and cults; the Abbé Gregoire; Palloy; a report and letter about the use of trees at Versailles for naval timber; summons by Revolutionary Committees, orders relating to the Garde Nationale; a report on the capture of the Bastille; a copy of the Republican Oath (printed) signed by Xavier Andouin, and a letter from him to Palloy, accepting the document; six assignats (of which 2 are counterfeit), and similar;

altogether approx. 40 items, 60 pages, mainly 4to and folio, repairs to a few leaves

PROVENANCE:

Christie's, London, 29 June 1995, lot 398