ROUGET DE LISLE CLAUDE JOSEPH: (1760-1836) French military officer during the French Revolutionary Wars, author of the words and music for the French national anthem La Marseillaise. A.L.S., with his initials R.L., one page, 8vo, n.p., 'Mercredi 28' (28^th May 1828), to Francois Mongin de Montrol, in French. Rouget de Lisle writes to his colleague to announce his upcoming arrival in Paris, 'depuis quelques jours....et j'y suis pour quelque temps, ou pour mieux dire, a poste fixe, car il est escrit que je dois y crever' (Translation: 'for a few days…..and I'm there for a while, or better said, in a fixed position, because it is written that I must die there'), continuing 'Je me trouve sous la main cette drogue que j'ai copiee pour vous. Je vous l'enverrais de suite si je n'imaginais que peut-etre n'aimeriez-vous pas qu'elle courut les champs a votre adresse' (Translation: 'I find at hand this drug that I copied for you [most likely the recipe for a medication] I would send it to you immediately if I did not imagine that perhaps you would not like it to run the fields to your address'), concluding by exclaiming 'Sargat Junior. Votre Mar.[seillaise?] vous attend. Si vous la voulez, venez la chercher. Il est bien rare que je sorte avant midi, ou une heure' (Translation: 'Sargat Junior. Your Mar.[seillaise?] is waiting for you. If you want it, come get it. It is very rare that I go out before noon, or one o'clock'). With integral address leaf (small area of paper loss caused by the original breaking of the small seal). VG

Francois Mongin de Montrol (1799-1862) French writer and politician, one of the founders of the French Society for the Abolition of Slavery.