N. Ils succomberaient.

    F.  R. Yes, Sire.

He asked many questions about the Cortes, and when I told him that many of them made good speeches on abstract questions, but that they failed when any practical debate on finance or war took place, he said, “Oui, faute de l’habitude de gouverner.”  He asked if I had been at Cadiz at the time of the siege, and said the French failed there.

    F.  R. Cadiz must be very strong.

    N. It is not Cadiz that is strong, it is the Isle of
    Leon—­if we could have taken the Isle of Leon, we should have
    bombarded Cadiz, and we did partly, as it was.

    F.  R. Yet the Isle of Leon had been fortified with great
    care by General Graham.

    N. Ha—­it was he who fought a very brilliant action at
    Barrosa.

He wondered our officers should go into the Spanish and Portuguese service.  I said our Government had sent them with a view of instructing their armies; he said that did well with the Portuguese, but the Spaniards would not submit to it.  He was anxious to know if we supported South America, “for,” he said, “you already are not well with the King of Spain.”

Speaking of Lord Wellington, he said he had heard he was a large, strong man, grand chasseur, and asked if he liked Paris.  I said I should think not, and mentioned Lord Wellington having said that he should find himself much at a loss what to do in peace time, and I thought scarcely liked anything but war.

    N. La guerre est un grand jeu, une belle occupation.

He wondered the English should have sent him to Paris—­“On n’aime pas l’homme par qui on a ete battu.  Je n’ai jamais envoye a Vienne un homme qui a assiste a la prise de Vienne.”  He asked who was our Minister (Lord Burghersh) at Florence, and whether he was honnete homme, “for,” he said, “you have two kinds of men in England, one of intrigans, the other of hommes tres honnetes.”

    Some time afterwards he said, “Dites moi franchement, votre
    Ministre a Florence est il un homme a se fier?”

He had seen something in the papers about sending him (Napoleon) to St. Helena, and he probably expected Lord Burghersh to kidnap him—­he inquired also about his family and if it was one of consequence.

His great anxiety at present seems to be on the subject of France.  He inquired if I had seen at Florence many Englishmen who came from there, and when I mentioned Lord Holland, he asked if he thought things went well with the Bourbons, and when I answered in the negative he seemed delighted, and asked if Lord Holland thought they would be able to stay there.  I said I really could not give an answer.  He said he had heard that the King of France had taken no notice of those Englishmen who had treated him