Letter from the Count of La Pasture to G. G. Ducarel refuting his opposition
Name:
Pierre Marie François de la Pasture; Gerard Gustavus Ducarel; Elizabeth Ducarel
Date:
1796-08-18
Description:
Letter from the Count of La Pasture refuting a letter in which G. G. Ducarel seems to have stated his opposition to the Count's marrying his daughter, Betsy. The Count argues that while he may have initially entered their house as a drawing teacher, he was not being duplicitous, and Betsy as a widow in control of her own fortune can make her own decisions. It appears that Ducarel was anxious about the Count's status as a penniless émigré after the French Revolution. The Count says that his sister and other relatives are still in France and able to support him financially, and if he marries Betsy and is naturalised as English, the French government will not be able to compel him to return. It appears Ducarel also argued that the law would separate Betsy from her daughter if she remarries; the Count says this appears to be a little-known law. French cursive hand.
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