April, 2nd, 1870
My dear friend,
I hope all is well with you and your family. I am writing to invite you to join me in an expedition to the city of Rio de Janeiro at the Empire of Brazil in the coming June. I have been called there by my good friend Dr. Carlos Cruz to help him research some odd events that happened after their last yellow fever outbreak. These oddities, I believe, are sure to draw your attention since I believe they might call upon your expertise and previous areas of interest.
If you have some reservations about going to Rio de Janeiro let me dissuade you from them by saying first that Dom Pedro II, the emperor of Brazil, is a man of both great learning and great ethical stature. I am assured of this by our mutual friends Louis Pasteur and Richard Wagner.
The emperor also is an abolitionist who endeavors to end the plague of slavery in his kingdom and is a patron of arts and sciences. Secondly, I inform that the terrible Triple Alliance War involving Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay against Paraguay is finally over with the victory of the Allies, so the city of Rio de Janeiro in a welcoming mood and friendly to foreigners. Finally, although the city of Rio de Janeiro has over 200,000 inhabitants and cannot be considered among the most salubrious places on Earth there are no outbreaks of yellow fever, cholera of typhus at present.
May I count them with your good services and even better company in this endeavor?
Your friend,
My dear friend,
I hope all is well with you and your family. I am writing to invite you to join me in an expedition to the city of Rio de Janeiro at the Empire of Brazil in the coming June. I have been called there by my good friend Dr. Carlos Cruz to help him research some odd events that happened after their last yellow fever outbreak. These oddities, I believe, are sure to draw your attention since I believe they might call upon your expertise and previous areas of interest.
If you have some reservations about going to Rio de Janeiro let me dissuade you from them by saying first that Dom Pedro II, the emperor of Brazil, is a man of both great learning and great ethical stature. I am assured of this by our mutual friends Louis Pasteur and Richard Wagner.
The emperor also is an abolitionist who endeavors to end the plague of slavery in his kingdom and is a patron of arts and sciences. Secondly, I inform that the terrible Triple Alliance War involving Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay against Paraguay is finally over with the victory of the Allies, so the city of Rio de Janeiro in a welcoming mood and friendly to foreigners. Finally, although the city of Rio de Janeiro has over 200,000 inhabitants and cannot be considered among the most salubrious places on Earth there are no outbreaks of yellow fever, cholera of typhus at present.
May I count them with your good services and even better company in this endeavor?
Your friend,
Abraham Van Helsing