Kings, Rulers, Matters of State

Letter of Thomas Jefferson to Angelica Church
Philadelphia. June 7, 1793
Mon. de Noailles, the brother of Lafayette, had fled to America to escape the Jacobin government in Paris. He had established himself in Philadelphia near the new American government and had become, as Talleyrand remarked, a "véritable americain." Jefferson's concern for his friends in Paris, especially Palivae de Corney the wife of the French philosopher, is paramount. He was concerned for Maria Cosway who was caught in France where she had been convalescing after the difficult birth of her daughter, Louisa.

Letter of Mon. Lally-Tollendal to Angelica Church
May 7, 1794
He writes to Angelica to inform her of the executions of her acquaintances, Mme. de Gramont and Mme. de Chatelet, during the Reign of Terror. He also laments the failure of the invasion force and the King's flight in 1791. The Marquis de Lally-Tollendal was both a courtier to King Louis XVI and a member of the National Assembly, a post he resigned in anger in 1790. Lally-Tollendal was also a writer, and he thanks Angelica for her good wishes on the presentation of his book.

Letter of the Marquis de Talleyrand to Angelica Church
Philadelphia. May 11, 1794
Talleyrand has left France and has taken the opportunity to renew his friendship with Angelica's father, Philip Schuyler. He has met Mr. Hamilton, who speaks too much of "grandes personnages," and notes too little of the beauty of his wife, Angelica's sister Elizabeth. In a coy compliment, Talleyrand reports that Elizabeth's beauty resembles her sister's, but that his own lack of English prevented a comparison of their character: "If she is spiritual, amiable, and has your sensibilité, then there is the resemblance."

Letter of François Barthélemy to Angelica Church
Bale. Sept. 3, 1795
In gushing prose, Mon. Barthélemy writes as a close aquaintance of the entire Church family. He is answering Angelica's fearful inquiry regarding the fate of friends left behind in Paris. He writes that Mon. St. André, the head of the Republican Navy, after whom she has made an inquiry, was lost in the Reign of Robespierre. He was taken with the brothers Trudaine, both members of the Convention. He also confirms that the mutual friend of Angelica and Jefferson, Mme. de Corny, survived her husband. Barthélemy became one of the leaders of the new government which followed the Fall of Robespierre.