will require some years to build it, and before that time I shall be no more. All must be done by the labour of those poor soldiers and sailors. I do not wish it, I do not wish to incur the hatred of those poor fellows, who are already sufficiently miserable by having been sent to this detestable place, and harrassed in the manner they are. They will load me with execrations, supposing me to be the author of all their hardships, and perhaps may wish to put an end to me." I observed, that no English soldier would become an assassin. He interrupted me, by saying, "I have no reason to complain of the English soldiers or sailors; on the contrary, they treat me with every respect, and even appear to feel for me."

He then spoke of some English officers. "Moore," said he, "was a brave soldier, an excellent officer, and a man of talent. He made a few mistakes, which were probably inseparable from the difficulties with which he was surrounded, and caused perhaps by his information having misled him," This eulogium he repeated more than once; and observed, that he had commanded the reserve in Egypt, where he had behaved very well, and displayed talent. I remarked, that Moore was always in front of the battle, and was generally unfortunate enough to be wounded. "Ah!" said he, "It is necessary sometimes. He

died gloriously-he died like a soldier. Menou was a man of courage, but no soldier. You ought not to have taken Egypt. If Kleber had lived, you would never have conquered it. An army without artillery or cavalry. The Turks signified nothing. Kleber was an irreparable loss to France and to me. He was a man of the brightest talents and the greatest bravery. I have composed the history of my own campaigns in Egypt, and of yours, while I was at the Briars. But I want the Moniteurs for the dates."

The conversation then turned upon French naval officers. Villeneuve," said he, "when taken prisoner and brought to England, was so much grieved at his defeat, that he studied anatomy that he might destroy himself. For this purpose he bought some anatomical plates of the heart, and compared them with his own body, in order to ascertain the exact situation of that organ. On his arrival in France, I ordered that he should remain at Rennes, and not proceed to Paris. Villeneuve afraid of being tried by a court martial for disobedience of orders and consequently losing the fleet, for I had ordered him not to sail, or to engage the English, determined to destroy himself, and accordingly took his plates of the heart, and compared them with his breast. Exactly in the centre of the plate, he made a mark with a large pin, then fixed

the pin as near as he could judge in the same spot in his own breast, shoved it in to the head, penetrated his heart, and expired. When the room was opened, he was found dead; the pin in his breast, and a mark in the plate corresponding with the wound in his breast. He need not have done it," continued he, "as he was a brave man, though possessed of no talent."

"Barré," said he, "whom you took in the Rivoli, was a very brave and good officer. When I went to Egypt I gave directions, after I had disembarked and had taken Alexandria in a few hours, to sound for a passage for the fleet. A Venetian sixty-four (and a fifty-gun ship I think he said) got in, which I suppose you have seen there, but it was reported that the large ships of the line could not. I ordered Barré to sound. He reported to me that there was a sufficiency of water in one part of the channel. Brueys, on the contrary, said there was not enough of water for the eighty-gun ships. Barré insisted that there was. In the mean time I had advanced into the country after the Mamelukes. All communication with the army from the town by messengers, was cut off by the Bedouins, who took, or killed them all. My orders did not arrive, or I would have obliged Brueys to enter; for you must know that I had the command of the fleet as well as of the army. In the mean time, Nelson came and destroyed Brueys and his fleet. By

what I have learned from you, I see that Barré was right, as you saw the Tigre and Canopus enter."

After this, he made some observations upon the island. "Such," said he, "is the deplorable state of this rock, that the absence of actual want or starvation is considered as a great blessing. Pointkowski went down to Robinson's, the other day, where they said to him, 'Oh, how happy you must be to have fresh meat every day to dinner. Oh, if we could enjoy that, how happy should we be." Is this a place," continued he, "fit for any person who has been accustomed to live amongst human beings?"

28th.-Napoleon asked me if I had not had a very large party to dinner yesterday. I replied, "a few." "How many of you were drunk?" I said, • none." "Bah, bah; what, none? Why they could not have done any honour to your enter tainment. Was not Captain Ross a little gay?' I replied, "Captain Ross is always gay." He laughed at this, and said, "Ross is a very fine fellow (un bravissimo uomo), and the ship's company are very happy in having such a captain. I saw," said he, "that poor clergyman, Jones.* They have used that poor man most cruelly in depriving him of his employment. For the sake of his family, if not for himself, they ought not to have

Mr. Jones had been a tutor to Mr. Balcombe's children during Napoleon's residence at the Briars.

superseded him. He is a good man, is he not?" I replied, that he was a man of good heart, but that he was accused of being too fond of meddling with what did not concern him.

I told him, that news had arrived that the Queen of Portugal was dead, and also, that a French frigate had arrived at Rio Janeiro to demand one of the king's daughters in marriage for the Duc de Berri. "The queen," said he, "has been mad for a long time, and the daughters are all ugly."

29th. A ship arrived from England; went to town; saw the governor, and on my return went to Napoleon, who was playing at nine pins with his generals in his garden. I told him (by desire of the governor) that a bill concerning him had been brought into parliament, to enable ministers to detain him in St. Helena, and to provide the necessary sums of money for his maintenance. He asked if it had met with opposition? I replied, "scarcely any." "Brougham or Burdett," said he, "did they make any?" I replied, "I have not seen the papers, but I believe that Mr. Brougham said something." Gave him some French newspapers, which the admiral had given me before he had read them himself. "Who gave you those papers ?" "The admiral." "What, for me?" (with some surprise). "He told me to give them to Bertrand, but in reality they were intended for you." After some conversation, he desired me to