MÉMOIRES DE MALOUET

(MALOUET, Pierre-Victor) MALOUET, Victor Pierre. Mémoires de Malouet. Paris: E. Plon, 1874. Two volumes. Octavo, contemporary brown half morocco gilt, raised bands, watered silk endpapers, all edges gilt. $500.

Second edition, edited by the Baron de Malouet’s son, with frontispiece portrait.

Baron Pierre Victor Malouet was an 18th-century French publicist and politician. During his career as a civil servant, he was employed in Lisbon, with the Duc de Broglie’s army, in Santo Domingo, and as commissary-general of the marine. “In 1776 he was entrusted to carry out plans of colonization in French Guiana, but was superseded in 1779. On his return to France he was well received at court, and the execution of his plans in Guiana was assured. He became intendant of the port of Toulon, and in 1789 was returned to the states-general, where he soon became well known as a defender of the monarchical principle. He emigrated to England in September, 1792, but shortly afterwards sought in vain permission to return to assist in the defense of Louis XVI. His name was erased from the list of emigrants in 1801 by Napoleon, who restored him to his position in the service and sent him to Antwerp… to superintend the erection of defense works, and the creation of a fleet. He entered the council of state in 1810, but, having offended the emperor by his plainness of speech, he was disgraced in 1812. At the Restoration, Louis XVIII made him minister of marine; and he died on the 7th of September 1814” (Britannica). Text in French. The first edition of these memoirs was published in 1868.

Soiling to endpapers, front inner paper hinges split, light wear to bindings. An extremely good set.