UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Letters from America by Paul Alexi - Lot 207

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Letters from America by Paul Alexis SABBATON to his parents in Pons (Charente-Maritime), with some missing pages: Letter from New York dated December 17, 1791: “ …Here come so many ships arriving without a single word from you… I am very eager to know how many little nephews and nieces I have… whether they are beginning to babble, and whether they are old enough to know that they have an uncle… over there, over there… Here is the completed new French Constitution. As soon as it is accepted by the People, the Aristocrats will no longer have any grounds to seek to disrupt France’s happiness. Everything will return to normal, and the French people will be the happiest people on earth… ” + Letter from New York, November 6, 1801: “…your letters were delayed by events that were quite common at a time when communication between the two continents had become very difficult, because ship captains very rarely dared to carry letters, for fear of endangering their ships and cargoes should they be boarded by warships… This letter will be delivered to you by Mr. Chevallier Jr., who will be sailing for Bordeaux in two or three days on an American ship currently anchored in the harbor… ” + Letter from New York dated May 25, 1802: “After a 42-day voyage, I have finally arrived in this city… We saw seven or eight whales coming to play around the ship; they were as big as the ship itself… it was a monstrous creature. I want to tell you that New York is a very pretty and very large city. All the houses are built of brick and very well constructed, as are the bell towers—there are five or six of them… There is one bell tower with 10 bells of different tones, and they play tunes with them… ” + Letter from New York, February 18, 1804 + Letter from Richmond, March 7, 1804 + Letter from Richmond, April 15, 1815: “… I am also writing to you, dear father, regarding my marriage to the daughter of my employer—the owner of the foundry where I worked. Having developed a great fondness for this type of manufacturing and having wholeheartedly devoted myself to learning its secrets, after my marriage I went into partnership with two American gentlemen in this place, where I manage the foundry in all its aspects… ” + Letter from New York dated January 26, 1826 + Letters from his father SABBATON of Pons in Saintonge, to SABBATON in New York, 1806