From The Seminary of Amiens

August 23, 1818

Mr. Prieur is no longer in our seminary, he left on July 18; I do not know where he is. I have not received any letter from you, addressed to the superior; sent on the 11th of the month. I am responding to your more recent letter, in the absence of the Superior, who is at the waters of Vichy. [1]

Your respectful and humble servant,

Bailly, Seminary of Amiens [2]

[ M.B notes: “Since this letter was not signed under the same name as the previous one, I informed the head of the seminary appropriately. – M.B.”]

[1] Vichy, France is known for its mineral springs, and is a World Heritage Site under the category,  “great spa towns of Europe”. It had seen some recent fame, Louis XVI expanded its thermal baths in 1787, Napoleon’s mother visited in 1799, and it became known as a medicinal, therapeutic destination, increasingly popular for the rich and famous. 

[2] “Bailly” may be a figure of some note, possibly the founder of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, formed by “six young college students and an older gentleman,” Joseph-Emmanual Bailly. 

His father, Nicolas Bailly, was a superior at Amiens, thrown into prison in 1793 and died in captivity. Emmanual had nine male cousins, presumably all named “Bailly,” and his brother, Ferdinand Bailly, taught at Amiens. Emmanuel studied at the seminary, and moved to Paris, teaching in the area. Is this the “Bailly” mentioned here? Maybe, maybe not, the timing seems a bit off for either Ferdinand or Emmanual to have signed the letter, but Bailly was clearly a name that opened doors in the Amiens seminary. And interestingly, both Emmanual Bailly and Trippier, mentioned earlier, had done a lot of community work supporting young boys with religious inclinations, and may have worked with Etienne Prieur in some capacity.