Algeria, 1845. SIGNED LETTER BY BUGEAUD DE LA PICONNERIE, Duke of Isly, Governor General of Algeria, to Mr. Billard, former Prefect, Algiers, August 16, 1845. 18901-11

Algeria, 1845. SIGNED LETTER FROM BUGEAUD DE LA PICONNERIE, Duke of Isly, Governor General of Algeria, TO Mr. BILLARD, former Prefect, Algiers, August 16, 1845. 18901-11

Header "GOVERNOR GENERAL OF ALGERIA - Office."
Algiers, August 16, 1845.
Very lengthy letter (4 pages in-4), signed by the Governor General of Algeria to former Prefect Billard: he informs Mr. Billard that he has read his studies on the colonies

"… I have read them with the attention and interest that any publication aiming for the success of our enterprise inspires in me [...]"

and tells him that he does not always share his opinion

"... No, the despotism of the Saber does not exist in Africa, and the Military Administration has in no way been an obstacle to colonization; far from being oppressive, it has shown itself to be benevolent and protective towards the civilian population on all points [...] The first question to solve was that of dominating and pacifying the country. Nothing was possible in terms of colonization before a successful war had forced the Arabs to submit and had established security in the areas where we were to first establish ourselves. This question is resolved, meaning that hostilities have been pushed back so far that the settlers do not notice them and can live and work without being disturbed [...]
... You suggest the establishment of a Council for Algerian Affairs. This is an idea that I have already had myself and have discussed with several well-placed individuals to ensure its realization. I will focus on this seriously during my stay in France, as it is important for the current state of our conquest to be clearly established, for the path we must take to be definitively outlined by the chambers and the government, and for the means of action to be finally proportionate to the challenges to overcome [...]."
The Governor General of Algeria: Mal D. d'Isly.*

Good condition.
Addressed to Mr. Billard**, former prefect, 23 Rue de la Ferme, Paris.

BIOGRAPHIES:

* Thomas Robert BUGEAUD, Marquis de La Piconnerie, Duke of Isly, was a French military officer, Marshal of France, born in Limoges on October 15, 1784, and died in Paris on June 10, 1849.
As Governor General of Algeria during the colonial period, he played a decisive role in the colonization and repression of Algerian resistance movements. He served as mayor of Lanouaille and as a deputy for Dordogne and Charente-Inférieure.
He received numerous tributes for a long time. Today, he is mainly portrayed as a symbol of French colonialism and the perpetrator of massacres in Algeria. As such, he is regularly denounced, especially by anti-racist associations, in the context of the decolonization of public spaces.

** François Jacques Marie Auguste BILLIARD, born on October 3, 1788, in Courtomer (Orne), and died on September 16, 1858, was a senior civil servant, writer, and polemicist known for his voyage between 1817 and 1820 to Bourbon Island, now Réunion Island, in the Indian Ocean.
Auguste Billiard had a tumultuous administrative career. Employed at the Ministry of the Interior from 1810 to 1814, he was appointed sub-prefect of Lannion by the government of the First Restoration on September 9, 1814, and was decorated with the Legion of Honor on December 28 of the same year.
The return of Napoleon during the Hundred Days led to his dismissal on April 3, 1815.
Back in France, where he fell out of favor with the ultra power, Billiard relied on his overseas experience to author several polemical writings on the colonial issue.
The July Monarchy temporarily reinstated him in the prefectural career. Initially appointed as secretary general of the Ministry of the Interior on August 13, 1830, he assumed the functions of prefect of Finistère on January 18, 1831, but was replaced shortly after on May 28. His transfer as Prefect of Landes, announced on May 14, was canceled on May 28. [...]