54 LORD COCHRANE. 
to recite a prologue in praise of the Emperor. 
Then followed a piece of which I understood 
very little; and the whole was concluded by a 
ballet, greatly superior to my expectations. 
During the performance, the Emperor gave au- 
dience in his box to many of his subjects, the 
interview always beginning with the homage of 
kissing hands on the bended knee. As soon as 
the curtain rose, the company in the pit became 
tolerably quiet, and much more attentive than 
those in the boxes; the latter appearing to take 
more interest in conversation with their ac- 
quaintances than in the performance. I paid 
my respects to Lord Cochrane and his amiable 
wife in their box, and remained with them till 
the conclusion of the piece. 
He spoke much of Chili, and wore even on 
this day of ceremony, a Chilian uniform and a 
blue scarf, its honorary decoration. This sur- 
prised mie the more, as he seemed dissatisfied 
with the Chilian government. His explanation 
was, that the Emperor had not yet decided 
what his Brazilian uniform should be, and con- 
sequently, that he was still obliged to wear that 
of Chili. The lady preferred Chili to Brazil, 
