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FLORIAN - The Most Traveled Man on Earth

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the educati<strong>on</strong>, with the compensati<strong>on</strong> for [?] your boarding school for all, and the<br />

instructi<strong>on</strong>s of the little <strong>on</strong>es, you should have, together with our help from the<br />

Government, your private painting less<strong>on</strong>s and <strong>on</strong> the harp (and Joseph will remit to you<br />

besides), all the m<strong>on</strong>ey you should want from time to time.<br />

Arrange all this so<strong>on</strong>er or later. I count <strong>on</strong> leaving at the end of this m<strong>on</strong>th or at the<br />

beginning of September or so<strong>on</strong> after, because it will be necessary to go by way of New<br />

York, there being no opportunity for New Orleans direct.<br />

Charles-Alexandre, Vicompte de Cal<strong>on</strong>ne, 1734--1802 (from wikipedia)<br />

I have never had the funds of Cal<strong>on</strong>ne in my hands for <strong>on</strong>e instant. But I used my name<br />

for the sake of appearances, in order that the creditors of his father might pass their<br />

claims over to V. Cars<strong>on</strong> and Co. And by that I am put under suspici<strong>on</strong>, according to the<br />

law, although not according to Justice. But Justice and the law are very different things. 3<br />

I have resp<strong>on</strong>ded to <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>ophilus Richards.<br />

3 Flight of a Suspect gives the translati<strong>on</strong> of this letter and its underlying meaning as follows: Florian’s<br />

words in that work: “I have never for an instant had the Cal<strong>on</strong>ne funds in my hands, but I lent my name to<br />

make it seem as though I had so that his father's creditors couldn't reclaim them from V. Cors<strong>on</strong> & Co., and<br />

by that, I got myself into it according to the law, though not according to justice, but justice and the law are<br />

two very different things.” Comments from the author of Flight of a Suspect: We know that Cal<strong>on</strong>ne, the<br />

former minister of Louis XVI, died in 1802, shortly after his return to France, leaving <strong>on</strong>ly debts as an<br />

inheritance, although during his emigrati<strong>on</strong> he gained a very rich marriage, but he squandered that fortune.<br />

His s<strong>on</strong> must have had trouble with his father’s creditors, and Florian, in an attempt to come to his aid, took<br />

in his own name several of Cal<strong>on</strong>ne's securities to prevent them from falling into the inheritance's<br />

liquidati<strong>on</strong> and from being reclaimed by the creditors. Cal<strong>on</strong>ne seemed to want to abuse the situati<strong>on</strong> by<br />

reclaiming the reimbursement of these sums from Florian. [Note that Charles-Alexandre de Cal<strong>on</strong>ne lived<br />

from 1734 to 30 October 1802, according to wikipedia.]<br />

17

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