[MARINE] DUGUAY-TROUIN (René). Autograph letter signed, Apri - Lot 310

[MARINE] DUGUAY-TROUIN (René). Autograph letter signed, April 16, 1734, Paris. Rare and interesting military strategy letter from Duguay-Trouin in the context of the War of the Polish Succession. Stanislas Leszczynski, the French-backed candidate to the throne, had taken refuge in the port of Danzig. Preparations for a second squadron, this time from Brest, were set in motion before the order was abandoned. "Monseigneur I have the honor to inform you that after leaving you I was seized in my carriage by a shiver which was followed by a violent attack of fever, on the other hand my trusted valet fell ill at the same time, so I will be very happy if I find myself in a position to leave in 2 days, it will be as soon as possible. Although I have found Monseigneur the destination you have planned for the ships and galleys perfectly sensible, I cannot help feeling worried that you persist in only wanting to send me reinforcements on the advice you receive that the English are preparing to blockade us at the bottom. If you would be so kind as to pay attention to the time it takes to receive these notices and to give orders to the Brest ships to come and join me, you would no doubt judge that the English will be there before they are, especially as we have the whole Channel to cover more than they do, This reason, sensitive as it is, is not, in my opinion, the most serious. In fact, Monseigneur, can you hope that with ten ships we will be able to fight with any semblance of success the Russian fleet, which will probably be twice and perhaps three times as strong as we are? I want this fleet to be able to get to Dancing [Danzig] only in the month of June, which is also about the time we will get there, so that we will find it in front of this place or it will find us there, and then if I only have ten ships, you can be sure that one of two things will happen, either we'll be forced into a fight that's too unequal, with the obvious danger of succumbing without resources, or we'll be forced to flee in shame and abandon the transport ships to the mercy of the Russians. You know, Monseigneur, that I take great pleasure in respecting you and attaching myself to you, so do me the favor of believing that the entire Brest squadron is not too much to ensure the success of this mission, and if you absolutely want to leave a few ships in the Brest roadstead, be so kind as to leave the Triton, the Grifon, the Argonaute, the Parfaite and the Venus there, but at the same time order that we work with extreme diligence to arm the 2 Philippe ships, the Bourbon, the Graston and the Content so that they can join us without loss of time. I am no more susceptible to fear than anyone else, and I have some experience, but I would be betraying my duty if I did not represent to you that everything depends on this, and that to do otherwise is to compromise the Glory of the King and to compromise yourself more than you think. I am with deep respect Monseigneur Vostre très humble et très obéissant serviteur " Expert : Nicolas ASVISIO