FLORIAN - The Most Traveled Man on Earth

Letter 7.
[Letter from Marguerite Marie Le Det de Segrais, 1770-1817, in England, to her husband
Jean-Baptiste Florian, in Louisiana. This letter is present in its best form in the
handwritten and typed English translations in the Edward Ladd collection in Mobile,
AL.]
London, June 20, 1809
To Florian Jolly, Esq.
c/o Emanuel Ledet, New Orleans
I flatter myself that you have now received so many of our letters that you no longer have
reason to suppose negligence on our part. I assure you, my beloved, that the anxiety
expressed to me about us made me rail against Mr. Cheriot, who has often told Joseph
that he was sending to you the letters he received from us. We even expected, after what
he had told us, that one of our letters had been able to reach you in Philadelphia. You
may be the judge of his remissness! We hope that our last letters reached you without
fail, as Joseph addressed them directly to New Orleans.
We have been more fortunate than you, as we received very exact news about you.
[Your] last letters are of March 3 and 5 [1809], which I received at the same time. I
cannot hope to describe to you the pleasure they have brought me; nevertheless, I shall
not be really happy until we are all re-united. You know what a coward I am, and the
nearer we approach the date of our departure, the more the crossing frightens me,
especially now that it has been decided that Joseph will not accompany us. He has
written to Peter to hasten his [Peter’s] return. No matter what happens, I hope to leave in
the month of August or September [1809].
Joseph tells you doubtless that he will go to Jamaica; with great plans for succeeding
(may things be different than they were formerly). He certainly deserves the best of
fates. I hope also that Peter’s voyage will bring some success. He will have the pleasure,
at least for us, of obtaining news of your sisters. 65
I told you in my last letters that I had written to your sisters, and sent them several copies
of the plan for dividing [?] the property, in order to arouse their friendship into doing
something for you. <strong>The</strong> result is two very kind letters from your dear Eugenie; they have
all been deeply touched by the misfortune we have undergone. Eugenie especially and
her husband will do all they can for us—they have already sent Peter a sum of money
they had available, which, with what Peter has received for us at Lemo, makes 70 pounds
sterling I have received.
65 Apparently Peter is off on a voyage to France.
94