https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/items/1522
type: Item
type: Letter
id: 1522
is public: true
owner: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/users/1
resource class: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/resource_classes/66
resource template: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/resource_templates/2
title: Letter from Rivière frères to Hennessy & Saule, 1777-10-12
created: 2026-08-04T10:52:07+00:00
modified: 2026-08-05T11:16:11+00:00
primary media: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/media/1523
media: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/media/1523
media: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/media/1524
item set: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/item_sets/1509
site: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/sites/1
identifier: NRA-L-000391
description: A letter from La Tremblade to Hennessy & Saule reporting the 1777 grape harvest, wine prospects, scarcity and demand, remaining 4/8 eau-de-vie and the price of boiler salt.
date: 1777-10-12
temporal: La Tremblade 12.e 8.bre 1777
sort date: 1777-10-12
item sequence: 000391
type: Commercial correspondence
language: French
language: fr
creator: Rivière frères
recipient: Hennessy & Saule
place sent: La Tremblade
spatial: La Tremblade
spatial: Cognac
spatial: La Tremblade–Cognac
subject: Cognac trade
subject: Hennessy & Saule
subject: Grape harvest
subject: Wine
subject: Eau-de-vie
subject: Prices
subject: Salt
subject: La Tremblade
subject: Hennessy
subject: France — domestic trade
incipit: Messieurs Hennessy & Saule a Cognac. @fr
public transcript: [[label: Address panel]] A Messieurs Messieurs Hennessy & Saule à Cognac @fr
public transcript: [[label: Documentary page 2]] Messieurs Hennessy & Saule a Cognac. LaTremblade 12.e 8.bre 1777. Messieurs Rep. 25 Nous avons l'honneur de vous informer que nous avons commencé les Vendanges: elle promettent moitié moins de vin que l'année derniere, mais il sera beaucoup meilleur. Il n'y a encore point de prix en cette denrée, quy sera très demandée icy, a cause de la petite quantité qu'il y a ailleurs, & principalement en Bretagne, ou les foires ont manqué. Il ne nous reste que quelques Pieces d'eaudevie de 4/8, dont on offre 200.ll sans vendeurs: on en fera gueres l'an prochain. La fourniture a été un peu plus forte que la precedente: le sel de chaudiere est a 750.ll les 28/ Muids, a quitté. Nous avons l'honneur d'etre bien sincerement Messieurs vos très humbles & obeissans serviteurs Riviere freres @fr
public translation: [[label: Address panel]] To Messrs. Messrs. Hennessy & Saule in Cognac
public translation: [[label: Documentary page 2]] Messrs. Hennessy & Saule in Cognac. La Tremblade, 12 October 1777. Replied the 25th. Gentlemen, We have the honour to inform you that we have begun the grape harvest. It promises half as much wine as last year, but it will be much better. There is not yet any price for this commodity, which will be in great demand here because of the small quantity available elsewhere, principally in Brittany, where the fairs have failed. We have only a few pieces of 4/8 eau-de-vie left, for which 200 livres are offered without sellers; hardly any will be made next year. The supply was a little greater than the previous one; boiler salt is at 750 livres for 28 muids, duty paid. We have the honour to be very sincerely, Gentlemen, your very humble and obedient servants, Rivière frères.
source: Original item in Neruda Archives.
provenance: Private collection, Neruda Archives.
rights: Publicly available images, transcriptions, translations, metadata and descriptions may be copied, shared, reproduced and republished, in whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes, provided that Neruda Archives is clearly credited and the relevant item identifier and stable URL are preserved. This permission includes non-commercial scholarly, educational, editorial, exhibition, website and social-media use. Automated machine use, including crawling, indexing, text and data mining, retrieval, embeddings and AI training by commercial and non-commercial systems, is permitted, provided provenance is retained where technically feasible and the item identifier and stable URL are preserved in source records or associated documentation. Commercial publication, commercial reproduction, resale, advertising use, paid access to a database or dataset and bulk redistribution of images require prior written permission. For the avoidance of doubt, permission is not required merely because an AI system or its operator is commercial. The images displayed and downloadable on this page are public access copies, and the permissions above apply to those files. Access to non-public source scans (preservation masters) or files specially prepared for print, where available, requires prior written agreement. Attribution may not be removed or replaced by false or misleading attribution.
access rights: Open public access. The images displayed and downloadable on each item page are public access copies. Non-commercial reuse of those images and of public transcriptions, translations, metadata and descriptions is permitted with clear credit to Neruda Archives and preservation of the relevant item identifier and stable URL. Automated use and AI training are permitted for commercial and non-commercial systems with provenance retained where technically feasible. Commercial republication, resale, advertising, paid database or dataset access and bulk image redistribution require prior written permission. Access to non-public source scans (preservation masters) or files specially prepared for print, where available, requires prior written agreement.
rights category: Open metadata and AI use; non-commercial public reuse
rights holder: Neruda Archives
bibliographic citation: Neruda Archives, NRA-L-000391.
research status: Both complete captures, La Tremblade dateline, Hennessy & Saule recipient, quantities, commercial wording, sealing evidence and date were directly image-checked. Date evidence: Dateline on P002; 8bre is the historical abbreviation for October. Origin evidence: Dateline on P002 and docket on P001.
transcription status: Image-checked raw transcription
translation status: Image-checked English translation
catalogue period: 1700–1799
date certainty: Exact
extent: 2 documentary sides: Documentary page 1; Documentary page 2; 2 digital images.

https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/users/1
id: 1

https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/resource_classes/66
id: 66

https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/resource_templates/2
id: 2

https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/media/1523
id: 1523

https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/media/1524
id: 1524

https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/item_sets/1509
id: 1509

https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/sites/1
id: 1