ISABELLA II: (1830-1904) Queen of Spain 1833-68, deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1868, formally abdicating ...

ISABELLA II: (1830-1904) Queen of Spain 1833-68, deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1868, formally abdicating two years later. A.L.S., Isabelle de Bourbon, two pages, 8vo, Treigny (?), 28th August 1879, to Elisabeth de Mac Mahon ('Madame la Marechale et tres chere amie'), on black bordered mourning stationery, in French. The former Queen writes, in part, 'Je ne trouve point de termes qui puissent vous exprimer, aussi qu'a Monsieur le Marechal de Mac-Mahon, mes remerciements pour la part la plus vive que vous prenez a la perte douloureuse que je viens de subir. Pendant je ne puisse pas avoir le plaisir de vous voir agreez ma chere amie ainsi que le Marechal votre mari la nouvelle assurence de mes sentiments bien devouees' (Translation: 'I cannot find words that can express to you, as well as to Monsieur the Marshal de Mac-Mahon, my thanks for the most lively part that you take in the painful loss that I have just suffered. Whilst I cannot have the pleasure of seeing you, accept my dear friend as well as the Marshal your husband the new assurance of my very devoted sentiments'). With blank integral leaf. One very small, minimal area of paper loss to the lower left corner of the black border, and a small, neat split to the base of one fold, otherwise VG Elisabeth de Mac Mahon (1834-1900) Duchess of Magenta, wife of Patrice de MacMahon (1808-1893) French General and politician, a Marshal of France who also served as President of France 1873-79. At the time of the present letter the former Queen was in mourning for the loss of her daughter, Infanta Maria del Pilar (1861-1879), who had died suddenly, probably from tuberculosis meningitis, on 5th August 1879 at the young age of eighteen.