Contemporary copy of letter, in French, by the convict 'François Antonini | No 18933. Salle 4 [Bagne de Brest]' to 'trés chèr [sic] Père', docketed 'Lettre écrite et traduite par le Prètre Contrafatto'.

8vo: 2 pp. Thirty lines of text. Very good, on lightly-aged laid paper. Distinctive use of diacritics. Informing the recipient of 'des bonnes nouvelles, ayant participé à la clémence Royale. Ma peine a été rémise a 8. ans, par consequence je ne' Suis plus condamné a perpetuité, et j'éspere en Dieu et les bontés du Roi qu'aprés la moitié de mon temps vénir vous embrasser.' Thanks all his wellwishers, particularly 'Monsieur Le Maire de notre commune'. Signs off 'Votre infortune fils jusqu'a la tombe'. This document is undoubtedly contemporary, but its authorship and connection with Contrafatto are unclear. By all accounts the first name of Contrafatto, who was found guilty 'd'attentat à la pudeur' on the person of Hortense Le Bon, a five-year-old girl, was Joseph, and according to another document his convict number was 17105.