Skip to main content

Letters to Lucile

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-0544

Scope and Contents

The letters, in verse and prose, cover a variety of topics related to the island. Its geography, geology, and climate are discussed, including references to La Grande Soufrière, a volcano on Basse-Terre; the springs of Bouillante; and to a hurricane that swept Guadeloupe and Dominica, an island to the south. He also describes local flora and cultivated crops, including sugar cane. Many letters touch on the creole population, his estimation of their abilities and health as well as attitudes about their customs, especially funeral practices.

The numbering of the letters indicates that we do not have the complete set. We have all or part of letters 2-3, 7-11, and 13-19. Letters 2-16, as far as we have their beginnings, were written from Pointe à Pitre, with letters 17-19 originating in Basse-Terre.

A transcription and translation into English is available. The translation is fairly literal, preserving the wording and syntax of the original as much as possible.

Dates

  • after 1803 and before 1815

Conditions Governing Access

None

Extent

0.02 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

French

Overview

A numbered series of letters to Lucile from an unknown man living in on Guadeloupe, an island in the Lesser Antilles, during the early nineteenth century. Alternating between verse and prose, they discuss the geography, geology, and agriculture of the island, as well as reveal details about local creole culture.

Provenance

unknown

General

To provide faster access to our materials, this finding aid was published without formal and final review. Email us at archives@ua.edu if you find mistakes or have suggestions to make this finding aid more useful for your research.

Processed by

Kate Matheny, 2016
Title
Guide to the Letters to Lucile
Status
Completed
Date
2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Box 870266
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0266
205.348.0513