MADAGASCAR - Prince Berora Lot n° 44

PRINCE BERORA'S UNEDITED CORRESPONDENCE (1830 - 1833) As part of an agreement between France and the King of Madagascar, and to counter the English influence that was dominating the country, it was agreed that the son of the King of Madagascar, Prince Berora, would be entrusted to France to continue his culture and education. The Marquis de Clermont Tonnerre, who had been Minister of the Navy (and therefore in charge of the French overseas territories), was given the honor of becoming his godfather, and facilitating his steps in France. Prince Berora was sent to Paris in 1830, and reported to his protector on events in his immediate environment, the steps he took, the difficulties he encountered, etc. His letters to his godfather, the Marquis de Clermont Tonnerre, span three years (1830 - 1833). Letter dated July 12, 1830. 2 pages in 4° in English. Letter dated July 31, 1830. 2 pages in 12°: The Revolution of 1830 has taken place and King Charles X, Prince Berora's supreme protector, has been overthrown. The Court Order has been turned upside down, and the Prince is a little lost in this upheaval: "I am, I confess, quite embarrassed here, for I no longer know who will provide me with my effects and pay my pension ... Then, my dear Godfather, I have other fears that torment me. I don't know if you, my godmother and your children are safe or if anything untoward has happened to you. What's more, I think I might be a burden to you. Forgive me, my dear Godfather, but someone in my position and in these circumstances might not think otherwise. Besides, I didn't want to hide anything from you, so I opened my heart to you. If I can get to you [The Marquis de Clermont Tonnerre was then living in Marseille], I would like nothing better than to stay, but if I am far from you, I beg you, teach me and provide me with the means to return to Madagascar...". Letter dated September 20, 1830. 4 pages in 12°. The Revolution of 1830 took place at the end of July, and the Marquis de Clermont Tonnerre, a pillar of Charles X, was no longer at court. The Orléans have a grievance against him, and Prince Beroba has to do a lot of lobbying to keep his pension. He recounts all the steps he has taken, the ministerial intrigues that are being waged against him, etc... Letter dated October 20, 1830. 3 pages in 12°: "We started going to the Collège yesterday. I am determined to make good use of my year. I hope you will be pleased, because these days, I must look to you alone, to try to imitate you... I see here in Paris how much one is in danger when one has a public office, frightening rumors have been circulating for some time, concerning arrested ministers... I have to talk to you about (...) where I will have the pleasure of seeing you. You tell me that you would make up for this on another occasion. Please, chez Parrain, let it be later, but not now, it costs me, but, please, don't come to Paris these days. I think we're on the verge of something terrible. I'll just tell you something that happened on Monday, in the Luxembourg, a middle-aged man, the placards that were in the Luxembourg Palace, all of a sudden, he ripped them off, immediately, the people seized him screaming into the water and were leading him to the basin to drown him, when fortunately two great nationals pulled him from their hands ... Letter dated January 7, 1831. 2 pages 1 / 2, in 12°. "... Thank you for the New Year's gift you gave me.... Only since this year have we had the 3 sons of Monsieur le Comte de Beauvoir, whom you must no doubt know. They are well-behaved young people, the youngest especially has excellent principles, and his gentle character and pity have made me want him as a friend. I'll also tell you that I've made the acquaintance of their mother, who seems to me an excellent person. I share my acquaintances with you so that you may tell me whether you approve of them, for if you do not, do not doubt my obedience in breaking them off at once..." Letter dated July 19, 1831. 3 pages in 12°. Prince Berora has been seriously ill. "I had a violent cough that made me spit pure blood...". He didn't want to say anything, and the illness got worse. The doctor finally prescribed some remedies... "Now I'd like to ask you if you'd like me to take my exams. This little setback has put me a long way behind my classmates, and they are finishing a faculty that was very important for me to see with them. It's called Analytical Geometry. I'm quite behind, I'm quite weak in algebra too, so I'll only be able to take my exam in arithmetic, geometry, descriptive geometry and statics. I'm asking for your decision on this,