Rene Auguste Chouteau, to whom this letter was written, was assistant to Pierre Laclede in the founding of St. Louis in 1763-1764. For some time, under the Spanish regime, he and his half brother Pierre traded among the Osage Indians, but chiefly he was identified with St. Louis, of which by his death in 1829 he had become the wealthiest citizen and largest landholder. Born in New Orleans, he had connections there all his life, particularly in the mercantile field, as exemplified by the present letter, which is written in French. Cavelier & Fils were the agents of the fur traders in New Orleans. This letter replies to a letter of May 26th, received by "le Courrier," in which Chouteau had ordered various goods. It touches on various business affairs and also mentions two names significant in the history of the fur trade, "Mr. Robidou," the elder Joseph Robidoux, and "James Makay", the former Nor'Wester who a decade earlier had headed operations on the upper Missouri of the "Missouri Company" and by this time, had become a solid citizen of St. Louis.                            

References:

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American National Biography, volume 4, pp. 843-844; Dictionary of American Biography, volume two, pp. 94-95; Thrapp, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, volume 1, p. 268; Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, p. 106.