https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/items/23
type: Item
type: Letter
id: 23
is public: true
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title: Family letter from Darricau (possibly d'Arricau) to Monsieur Michel, notaire, rue St Dizier, à Nancy, 1834-03-01
created: 2026-07-02T10:14:11+00:00
modified: 2026-08-16T12:01:17+00:00
primary media: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/media/209
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identifier: NRA-L-000015
description: Darricau thanks Michel for handling a matter involving his mother, reports that Toulon is peaceful despite newspaper rumours, mentions recent duels, and describes repairs to a frigate.
date: 1834-03-01
temporal: Toulon le 1er mars / 1 March 1834
sort date: 1834-03-01
item sequence: 000015
type: Family letter
broad document category: Personal & family correspondence
language: French
language: fr
creator: Darricau / d'Arricau [unidentified]
recipient: Jean-Baptiste-François Michel, notary at Nancy [high confidence]
place sent: Toulon, Var, France
spatial: Toulon, Var, France
spatial: Nancy, Meurthe, France
subject: Historical correspondence
subject: Private collection
subject: Family letter
subject: French language
public transcript: [[label: Address Panel]] à Monsieur Monsieur Michel notaire rue st Dizier à Nancy Meurthe @fr
public transcript: [[label: Letter Text]] Toulon le 1er mars Mon cher ami J'ai reçu ta lettre et je te remercie de la manière dont tu en as agi avec ma mère tu as bien fait de ne pas la contredire et de ne pas lui en dire tout ce que tu en sais tout sera terminé comme cela elle ne t'en parlera que lorsqu'elle te demandera la Rente. Je suis fâché de la peine que je t'ai donnée, mon ami, mais tu sais que ce seroit avec le plus grand plaisir que je ferais tout ce qui peut t'être agréable. Quoique quelques journaux ayent eu l'air de dire que nous avons eu des troubles dans ce pays, il n'en est rien, tout y est très tranquille au contraire et à l'exception de sept à huit mauvais sujets chargés depuis longtems du mépris général, tout le monde ici pense bien, cherit le Repos. Depuis deux jours nous avons eu quelques duels, mais il s'agissait de femmes et non d'affaires politiques ; il faut que jeunesse se passe, nos jeunes étourdis s'amusent à s'envoyer des balles par la tête. J'ai toujours le plus beau tems du monde pour continuer mes réparations mais je doute fort que je puisse être prêt avant deux mois la pauvre frégate étoit en mauvais état. Je te prie de ne pas m'oublier auprès de ta Dame et des amis Gely et Mandel Adieu mon ami. Darricau @fr
public translation: [[label: Address Panel]] To Monsieur Monsieur Michel, notary Rue Saint-Dizier Nancy Meurthe
public translation: [[label: Letter Text]] Toulon, 1 March 1834 My dear friend, I received your letter and I thank you for the way you dealt with my mother you did well not to contradict her and not to tell her everything you know about it everything will be settled that way she will speak to you about it only when she asks you for the annuity. I am sorry for the trouble I have caused you, my friend, but you know that it would be with the greatest pleasure that I would do anything that might please you. Although some newspapers have seemed to say that we have had disturbances in this region, that is not at all the case, everything here is very peaceful on the contrary and with the exception of seven or eight bad characters who have long been generally despised, everyone here is right-minded, cherishes Repose. Over the last two days we have had a few duels, but they concerned women and not political affairs; youth must have its fling, our scatterbrained young men amuse themselves by firing bullets at one another's heads. I continue to have the finest weather in the world to carry on with my repairs but I very much doubt that I can be ready within two months the poor frigate was in a bad state. Please remember me to your lady and to friends Gely and Mandel Farewell my friend. Darricau [[notes]] Rente is translated as annuity. The phrase pense bien is rendered as is right-minded and carries a political undertone. Il faut que jeunesse se passe is translated as Youth must have its fling.
source: Original item in Neruda Archives.
provenance: Private collection, Neruda Archives.
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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: noncommercial_attribution_required_commercial_permission_required
rights holder: Neruda Archives
bibliographic citation: Neruda Archives, NRA-L-000015.
catalogue period: 1825–1849
extent: 2 web-resolution images; address side and one page of letter text
date certainty: Exact year established by the TOULON-S-MER / 2 MARS / 1834 postal cancellation. The manuscript dateline gives 1 March without a year; the later red annotation `(1832)` is incorrect.

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