TALLEYRAND CHARLES-MAURICE DE (1754-1838) Autograph letter signed ‘C.M. Talleyrand’ to François Marbois. Munich, January 11 [1806].

2 pp. ½ in-4. A superb letter from Talleyrand, Napoleon’s minister, flattering himself with having brought peace, After the signing of the Treaty of Pressburg, which puts an end to the Third Coalition. Talleyrand wrote about how he restored peace After the signing of the Treaty of Presburg, which ended the Third Coalition. (...) I have been leading a wandering life for the past six weeks, but I have been working for you. You wanted peace, and peace has been achieved. It is real and widely accepted, and everything suggests that it will be long-lasting. This is one of the elements of credibility that you sought; the Emperor’s return will consolidate everything. The crisis is over: everything is moving towards the restoration of business, and France is held in the highest esteem. The opinion that peace is stable is spreading every day; and the Emperor, freed from the cares of war, will turn his genius to domestic administration (...). For the past two months, Talleyrand has been too busy to follow the affairs of Paris closely; he is concerned about the economic crisis affecting several businesses; However, I hear talk of a large number of bankruptcies, and that of Mr Hervas pains me. We must believe that the Emperor’s return will cure some of the ills that have been suffered in Paris: we will live again with money (...). These bankruptcies were linked to the ‘piastre affair’, in which Talleyrand was involved. In 1812, Talleyrand bought Hervas’ Parisian mansion. Charles-Maurice de TALLEYRAND, bishop of Autun, politician, diplomat.