EMPIRE. Cardinal D’ISOARD. Joachim-Jean-Xavier d’ISOARD (176 - Lot 553

EMPIRE. Cardinal D’ISOARD. Joachim-Jean-Xavier d’ISOARD (1766–1839), Archbishop of AUCH (Gers), Cardinal in 1826. 5 autograph letters, Paris, August 31, 1803; March 11, April 6, July 4, and December 19, 1812, to his brother Joseph d’Isoard, Grand Provost in Aix; 9 pages, in-4 and in-8 formats. A superb account of Étienne Clary’s candidacy for the Senate (1803); the Pope; Cardinal Fesch, Madame Mère, and Pauline Bonaparte, who “are at the spa in Aix-en-Savoie”; and the Emperor’s return to Paris on December 19, 1812. Enclosed are two letters from another Isoard to his family—Letter dated August 31 (1803) “I wrote to you yesterday, my dear friend; today I am writing to you again to ask you to urge those voters in Aix whom you may know to cast their votes for Mr. Étienne CLARY of Marseille, a legislator, so that he may be nominated as a candidate for the Senate. Clary is a close friend of ours, a man of sound judgment, and the brother-in-law of Joseph BONAPARTE, who has written to the prefect and to Citizen BARTHÉLÉMY, the president, in Marseille; so you can see that this is the family’s wish. Do this discreetly so that no one can say we’ve been scheming on his behalf…” (Excerpt) + “(Paris) December 19, 1812. “The cannon is firing right now, my dear Joseph, announcing the Emperor’s arrival in this capital (Napoleon I has returned from Russia), which took place yesterday evening or last night; he is in perfect health. MADAME (Letizia BONAPARTE, the mother of Emperor Napoleon), to whom I had just sent a message around 11 o’clock, was already at the Tuileries… (Excerpt)