| Surname | Constant (de Rebecque) | ||
| First Name | Charles | ||
| Gender | male | ||
| Place of birth | Geneva | ||
| Place of death | London | ||
| Year of birth | 1762 | ||
| Year of death | 1835 | ||
| Profession | banker | ||
| Religion | Protestant | ||
| Place(s) of activity | China, London, Geneva | ||
| Century | 18 | ||
| Biographical information | Son of François-Marc-Samuel and Charlotte Pictet, he gets married in 1798 in Middlesex, with Anne-Louise-Renée, daughter of Jacques Achard and Anne-Renée Bontemps. They have two children: Anne-Rosalie (1799) and Henriette-Anne-Louise (1800). He travels three times to China hoping to make a fortune. After his return, in 1793, he stayed in London, then in Geneva where he worked in the bank. He was a member of the representative council of Geneva. | ||
| Title |
1) Troisième voyage à la Chine a bord du vaisseau le Dauphin parti de l'Orient le 5 janvier 1789 1er cahier 2) Journal du retour de Charles Constant de Chine en Europe a bord du vaisseau toscan l'Etrusque parti de Canton le 2 janvier 1793 2e cahier 3) Suite du journal du retour de Charles Constant en Europe à bord de l'Etrusque 3e cahier 4) Suite du journal de Charles Constant 4e cahier 5) Suite du journal de Charles Constant 5e cahier 6) Suite du journal de Charles Constant 6e cahier 7) Suite du journal de Charles Constant 7e cahier 8) Suite du journal de Charles Constant 8e cahier 9) Journal de Charles Constant 9e cahier voyage en Italie |
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| Genre / Art |
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| Additional genre details | |||
| Period writen | 5 January 1789 - 15 March 1822 | ||
| Period covered | 5 January 1789 - 15 March 1822 | ||
| Format / Language | Manuscript, French (copy made by the sister's writer, Rosalie Constant). | ||
| Physical description | 9 notebooks with hard cover, 19 x 24.5 cm, 230 p., 130 p.,122 p., 172 p., 177 p., 181 p., 190 p., 180 p., 182 p. |
| Content | Charles de Constant's diary begins with him embarking on his third trip to China. Over the next 33 years he would sometimes write on a daily basis, while at others more episodically. The diary alternates between daily life and accounts of his travel. He writes with great detail and feeling about the weeks before his marriage and his hopes for the future. He also gives his thoughts on the political situations of France and England. Following the birth of his children he occasionally comments on their development – educational and otherwise. |
| Place of deposit | BCUL |
| Classification | Fonds Constant CO II/38/1 et 38/2 |
| Document |
Online : notebook 1 Online : notebook 2 Online : notebook 3 Online : notebook 4 Online : notebook 5 Online : notebook 6 Online : notebook 7 Online : notebook 8 Online : notebook 9 |
| Transcription | |
| Restrictions | |
| Edition(s) | |
| Secondary litterature |
Louis Dermigny, Les mémoires de Charles de Constant sur le commerce à la Chine, Paris : SEVPEN, 1964 Sylvie Moret Petrini, "Charles Constant, un père entre deux époques", Annales Benjamin Constant, 2015. |
| Other sources | |
| Related documents | |
| Author | SMP |
