Collet, L., Rennes, France, to Archbishop Anthony Blanc, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1854 January

Collet has had no reply to his last letter of February 14, 1853 in which were two letters, one addressed to Mr. Goujon and one to Jean Marie Priour at Mobile. Collet asks Blanc to keep these letters or to send them to their address as he judges fitting. Collet had asked Blanc if it were impossible to send him the receipt which Mr. Huillard had given Father Julian Priour when he deposited his funds with him and to try to send a waiver from Mr. and Mrs. Goujon, Jean Marie, and the guardian of the minors in America who could lay claim to the amount which Father Priour left in France. This act must be notarized and the signatures legalised by the French consul in America. Since Huillard told Collet that nothing could be counted on before December 31, 1853, Collet thought he should wait without useless requests. Collet wrote Huillard on December 21 asking him to count up half the amount with the interest; he replied that he would count up the interest but not the capital. Collet gives Blanc a copy of Huillard's reply so that Blanc can judge of the difficulties caused by the loss of the title sent to Priour: "December 24, 1853, Paris. Huillard is ready to pay the interest on the sum he owes to the estate of Father Priour as he has done previously; Collet is to write an order. As for the repayment, the Archbishop as universal heir must notify Collet regularly and put Collet's receipt in the hands of a notary. As for the Priour heirs, there is no list by which Collet can know who they are. Also, Felix Goujon could contest the will. So Collet is thwarted in assenting to Collet's wishes." Here is Huillard's reply to Collet's second letter in which the Priour heirs offered him all the guarantees in their power, with those which Blanc offered in his last letter of June 18, 1852: "January 4, 1854. 387.25 francs in interest will be put at Collet's disposition. It is impossible to pay otherwise what he owes to the Priour estate. The Archbishop is to send his titles and papers to a notary here." Collet believes that the titles Huillard asks for are the receipt sent to Priour and the will. If Collet were sure that none of the heirs in America would contest the will, Collet would serve a writ on Huillard for the repayment of half of the amount in order to begin the prayers for Priour. If Blanc can send the waiver as soon as possible, Collet will demand a trial. Collet has not been able to keep all the interest because of the high prices of grain; there is a shortage in France. Collet has had to borrow to pay the rights of transfer. :: VI-1-g A.L.S. French 4pp. 4to.