FLORIAN - The Most Traveled Man on Earth

Letter 1.
[Letter from Magdeleine Florian Joli de Pontcadeuc (1771-1858), sister of Jean-Baptiste
Florian Jolly, to Jean-Baptiste’s wife Marguerite Marie LeDet de Segrais; original and
translation in possession of Edward Ladd, Mobile, AL.]
15 November 1801
[From:] Beaumont le Roger, Department De Seure
[To:] Assembly House, Boarding School, Layton Stone, Essex, England
I cannot tell you, my good friend, all the pleasure I experienced on receiving your letter.
It is the first I have received since your departure and have only had news of you through
my sisters. I reproach myself for having kept the same silence, but in the depth of my
retreat I did not know how to reach you with my letters. Nothing could be more
interesting than all the details which you gave me. I have therefore, the hope of seeing
you, my very dear friend. With what joy I would embrace you and all your good and
beautiful little daughters. I thank you for having made me acquainted with them. Never
fear, my dear Gogo, with ever tiring me with the most minute details of all which
concerns you. <strong>The</strong>y interest me and as I am persuaded that you partake of the same
sentiments I am going to speak of myself with the same details.
I have but one son, my very good friend. I don’t know if my family will ever be more
numerous. I do not think so, neither do I desire it. He is 2 and ½ years old and although I
have had enough trouble in raising him, he enjoys at present the best of health and is very
large and advanced for his age. He is a good child, less from the regularity of his traits
than by his great freshness and his little lively airs and determination. I have never yet
seem him show the least sign of fear. His supreme happiness is to be with the horses and
the dogs, to see his father drive or be with the driver of the cart, who always puts him in
the cart or on one of the horses.
His determined character does not interfere with the goodness of his heart. I only have to
say that I am chagrined, when he comes and embraces me. He caresses me until I am
consoled, promises many times never to do any more mischief. He has a little temper but
I have never yet seem him pout more than two minutes. To tell you how I love him, my
good friend, you know it is not possible to describe it in language; but you have the heart
of a mother and I leave you to be the judge. I take great care not to spoil one so naturally
happy and help him form a good disposition.
But I should leave the subject of my son, where I speak with all the prejudice of a too
tender mother, I should return to our situation. With some of our means, I built a little
villa in Normandy, about 8 leagues from Reux and 10 from Rouen, where my husband is
and where part of his family lives. <strong>The</strong> country is so commercial and the Normans so
active that we have as much business between the two towns which I named, as if we
were at the port. And we find at any time of the day the opportunity to go to either to
finish any little errands. <strong>The</strong> little town where I live resembles Parame [Brittany] a little,
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