Antoine-Marie Chamans, comte de LAVALLETTE (1769-1830)

Letter Signed (“Lavallette”), to Citizen Crespeaux, informing him that a widow’s request for pension arrears addressed to the First Consul has now been passed on to the appropriate authority.

1 page folio, cut down to 4to, in French, Paris, 7 pluviose an 11 [27 January 1803].

Trans: “I have received, Citizen, your letter of 15 nivose last, and I hastened to pass to the director general . . . the plea of the widow Pitter to the First Consul, regarding a pension of two thousand ecus for which she is seeking arrears.

It was in error that this plea was not included with my letter of the 22^nd, further to yours of the 25^th, for which I thank you, this error has now been rectified.”

Lavellette had fought with Bonaparte in Egypt and assisted in the coup d’état of the 18^th Brumaire which brought Napoleon to power. They were also linked by family ties, as Lavallette had married Josephine’s niece. When Napoleon became First Consul, he appointed Lavallette to an administrative post in the department of finance dealing with the public debt. He later became director general of the postal service, in which capacity he was personally in charge of surveillance and censorship of the post, the cabinet noir, furnishing Napoleon with a daily report of his findings.

The letter has been slightly cut down from its original folio size and has light foxing. There are the remains of mounting on the verso; the removal from the mount has slightly damaged the top left of the letter.

Delivery

Autographs can be delivered worldwide. Delivery costs are calculated at the time of order and items will be sent by the most appropriate means, depending on your location and the value of the item. This will usually be by Royal Mail Special Delivery within the UK and Royal Mail Tracked outside the UK. 

The current delivery charges are:

• UK:

  Royal Mail Special Delivery £9.00

• Europe:

  Europe Royal Mail Tracked £15.00
  EU customers should note that, following brexit, local VAT and customs duties may apply to their purchases. 

   USA:

• Royal Mail Tracked £25.00

  Rest of the World:

• Rest of the World Tracked £20.00

   

Export Licensing

Customers should be aware that all letters and documents over 50 years old require an export licence, which may delay delivery by anything from one to three weeks. Signed photographs are not subject to export licence regulations, and can be sent immediately.

There is no charge for the export licence and I will take care of the application, the only inconvenience to you will be the delay.

Authenticity

The authenticity of the letters and documents offered is guaranteed.

Payment

Online sales orders

Payments made via the website are processed by Shopify Inc and can be made using Visa, Mastercard or American Express.

Telephone sales orders

Items may be purchased by phone. Please contact me using the website Contact Form and I will call you within 48 hours to discuss your requirements. Payment for purchases ordered by phone can be paid upon receipt of the invoice and must be paid within 7 days. Phone orders can be paid by cheque (in pounds sterling only) or bank transfer.

Items will be reserved for one week following the order confirmation and will be dispatched either within 7 days after full payment has been received, or after any required export licenses have been granted.

Returns Policy

Should you be in any way dissatisfied with your purchase, items may be returned within six weeks of delivery and a full refund will be made upon receipt of the returned item. The item must be received by Richmond Autographs in the same condition as when dispatched.  For full details, please read our Terms and Conditions.