History professor Renaud Morieux did not know what to expect when he opened the box. Inside were three piles of letters, held together by ribbon. "The letters were very small and were sealed," he says.

"I realised I was the first person to read these very personal messages since they were written."

The letters were sent during the Seven Years WarA global conflict that began in 1756. to the crew of a warship called the Galatee. When it was captured, the French authorities sent the letters to the AdmiraltyIn the past, the Admiralty was the UK government department that was responsible for the navy. in London for forwarding.

Renaud Morieux believes officials opened and read two of the letters, hoping for naval information. But as the letters seemed only to contain "family stuff", they were put into storage. "It's agonising how close they got," he says.

One letter was to the ship's first lieutenantAn army officer of middle rink. , Louis Chambrelan, from his wife Marie Dubosc.

"I could spend the night writing to you," she wrote. "I am your forever faithful wife. Good night, my dear friend. It is midnight. I think it is time for me to rest."

Several letters were written to Nicolas Quesnel, a young sailor from NormandyA region of northern France.. They reflect tension in his family.

His mother tells him off for writing more to his fiancee than to her. She adds: "In your letters you never mention your father. This hurts me greatly."

Morieux did some research and found that Nicolas's mother had remarried. So this "father" was in fact Nicolas's stepfather. The implication is that the two men did not get on.

"These letters are about universal human experiences," Morieux says. "They're not unique to France or the 18th Century. They reveal how we all cope with major life challenges.

"When we are separated from loved ones by events beyond our control, like the pandemic or wars, we have to work out how to stay in touch - how to reassure, care for people and keep the passion alive."

Yes: The letters show that love, anxiety, sorrow and anger were felt as strongly in the 18th Century as they are today - and that the things that aroused them were very much the same.  

No: Our emotions are governed by the culture we live in. What some communities find frightening, others find exciting. Some languages have words for particular feelings that do not exist in others.  

Or... It may not change, but our ability to express it does. The art of writing letters - particularly love letters - has largely disappeared, and text messages are a poor substitute.