(Manuscript in French) Diverses Pensées Reflexions et Souvenirs.

Bookseller Notes

The ascription to Delandine (1756-1820), lawyer, writer, journalist, and librarian of the academy of Lyon, is written on the inside back cover in French, in a hand of a date not much later than the MS itself, and confidently reasserted in an old (English) bookseller's description, which claims further that this is 'the sole Autograph MS of this Author known to have occurred [for sale]': no other appears in auction records. The topics covered - historical, political, literary - would certainly chime with his authorship: however, right at the end we find reference to events in 1822, so the attribution must be doubtful. Most of the volume is a sort of dictionary-cum-commonplace book, with definitions and disquisitions, including, for instance, pert remarks about medical doctors. Events of the French Revolution are chronicled and discussed. The sequence is alphabetical, though within each 'letter' the order is quite random. It begins at the letter J, so this is probably a second volume only.Delandine became an advocate in the Paris Parliament in 1777, but left the bench in pursuit of literature. His Histoire des Assembles Nationales led to his election to the Etats Gnraux at the outbreak of the Revolution, where he voted constantly with the Monarchical party. After the session of the Constituent Assembly, Delandine became Librarian of the Academy of Lyon, but his insistence in transmitting to the King a protest against the resolutions of 20 June 1792 obliged him to flee. He was arrested soon after by the Conventionnel Javoque and imprisoned in the Recluses de Lyon. Under the Directoire Delandine occupied the Legislative chair at the Central School of the Rhne. Upon the suppression of the Central Schools, Delandine returned to his post as librarian and there remained until his death.