LOUIS XVIII (Louis-Stanislas-Xavier, count of Provence, future). Autograph letter to his "dear baron". [Turin, May 1794]. 1 p. 2/3 in-4, traces of adhesive tape on the second leaf (blank). A VERY BEAUTIFUL LETTER OF EMIGRATION FROM THE COUNT OF PROVENCE, THEN A REFUGEE AT THE COURT OF HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW KING VICTOR-AMEDE III OF PIEDMONT-SARDINIA. The family links of the house of France with the house of Savoy were indeed close: the count of Provence had married a sister Victor-Amédée III, Marie-Joséphine of Savoy, his brother the count of Artois, Charles-Philippe of France, future Charles X, had married another sister of the same one, Marie-Thérèse of Savoy, and his sister Clotilde of France had married the crown prince of Piémont-Sardaigne, the future Charles-Emmanuel IV. "YOU SURELY KNOW... THAT THE COL DE TENDE IS FORCED [on May 8, 1794, general Claude Dallemagne, had taken this pass which opened by Cuneo a way towards Italy to the revolutionary armies]. On hearing this news, THE KING DECLARED TO ME THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO LEAVE, I insisted only on obtaining permission to follow him to his army, and on his formal and positive refusal, I told him that, within three days, I would no longer be here [he was going to Verona, in the States of the Republic of Venice]. I AM LITTLE IN PAIN OF ME, I WAS LOTS IN PAIN OF MADAME [Marie-Joséphine of Savoy], FOR I FORESEEEN THE MOMENT WHEN HIS ROYAL FAMILY WILL LEAVE HERE, I immediately spoke about it to my sister [Clotilde of France], who came precisely to dine with the king. She told me that no matter how friendly she was to me, she could not take care of Madame, and she told me that her royal family would disperse. This did not lessen my discomfort and after thinking it over, I FOUND THAT I HAD NO OTHER WAY TO GO, THAN TO REUNITE BOTH SISTERS, WHEREVER ON THE EARTH IT WAS. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ON THE SIDE OF MADAM, THAT IT EXPERIENCES DIFFICULTIES, IN ANY CASE, THE MARITAL AUTHORITY WOULD SETTLE THEM. BUT I AM NOT AS TRANQUILY ON THE SIDE OF THE COUNTESS OF ARTOIS, perhaps even of Ventimiglia [the Marquis Charles-Félix René de Ventimiglia Du Luc, knight of honor of the Countess of Artois] to whom (we are confessing here) such a charge may well cause some fear, especially since by bringing them together, it is as if he will be in charge of an infinite number of things, such as the expenses. However, it must be, because I cannot, in my wandering errands, take Madame with me, nor leave her alone with Mde Gourbillon [Jeanne-Marguerite de Gourbillon, reader and close friend of the Countess of Provence]. He did not appear here, because the king had given him the form of a House, but outside Piedmont, it is no longer the same thing. To return to my matter, I beg you to make Ventimiglia consent to it with good grace, you will easily understand my reasons and I hope that you will make him feel all the obligation I will have to do something which I am quite sure he would do if I demanded it by authority, but which I would like not to demand by authority, you feel this nuance. When Ventimiglia is ours, he will still have to direct me as to what to do with the C[OMTE]SSE D'ARTOIS, I WOULD HAVE KNOWN, SIX YEARS AGO, HOW TO GO ABOUT IT, BUT SINCE THE REVOLUTION, I HAVE TOTALLY LOST THE MAP OF THAT COUNTRY and I need a guide. I am writing this to you, but I think that you must not only be the only one to read it, but even to have read it, because it must be reflections that come to you by themselves, by reading my other letter that Ventimiglia can see and must see. He is excellent, but sensitive, which is why I am taking all these precautions. P.S. Whatever the success of your negotiation with Ventimiglia, bring the matter up again this evening, when we are in committee, it is better that you talk about it, otherwise it would be the miracle of the Septuagint, and as we are no longer in the time of miracles, it would smell like connivance. In the upper margin of the first page, the Count of Provence wrote: "For you alone, read first the enclosed paper and then this one, while the others will read the other one in their turn".