For 265 years, 104 letters written to French sailors by their loved ones sat on shelf in government building in U.K. They were never opened, until recently. They were read for first time in two and a half centuries. The letters were on French warship Galatée. The ship was captured by British Navy in 1758 during the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. The sailors on Galatée were captured before they had time to open and read their mail. letters were taken to London, where they were put in storage and forgotten about, gathering dust. academic from Cambridge University said the letters were in archive in London. He said many of them were love letters.
group of academics read and studied letters. Lead researcher Renaud Morieux said messages provided rare and unique look into history. writers were from poor people and rich people; from fiancés, parents, siblings and wives. writing showed differences in levels of literacy among classes of French society. Professor Morieux said letters were important documents. He said: "They reveal how we all cope with major life challenges…like pandemics or wars. We have to work out how to stay in touch, how to care for people, and how to keep passion alive. Today, we have Zoom. In 18th century, people only had letters, but what they wrote about feels very familiar."
