(50i5 Warden's Letters on Napoleon. 



greaHoe of his right foot ; described the 

 fiCnsation be relt,aiid asked ifit betukened 

 the gout. — 1 requested to 



if he 

 could trace the disease of goui to any 

 -hereditary transmission. " No," he re- 

 plied, " neither of his parents ever had 

 the gout;" but, recollecting himself, he 

 added, that " his uncle, Cardinal Fesch, 

 Jiad been very much afidicied by it." 



He now returned to the grievance of 

 lieing watched by an officer. " You are 

 acquainted," he said, " with the Island 

 of St. Helena, and must be sensible that 

 a sentinel, placed on either of these hills, 

 can command the sight of me from the 

 moment I quit this house till 1 return to 

 it. If an officer or soldier placed on 

 that height will not satisfy your Gover- 

 nor, why not place ten, twenty — a troop 

 of dragoons. Let them never lose sight 

 of me ; only keep an officer from my 

 side." 



'■-'i' ANOTHER VISIT. 



'"' 1 passed a considerable part of the 

 afternoon in Napoleon's apartment; 

 and, as usual, was employed in an- 

 swering, to the best of my informa- 

 tion, such as it is, the various questions 

 which he thought proper to ask me. His 

 enquiries were particularly directed to the 

 nature, circumstances, and state of the 

 fleet which had just arrived : Our trade 

 to India, and the numerous English 

 which appeared to be constantly passing 

 to and fro, between India and Europe. 

 In the course of this conversation I hap> 

 pened to mention the hope entertained 

 by the strangers in the town of being gra- 

 tified by the sight of him as he passed to 

 the Plantation-House to dine with the 

 Governor, This little piece of informa- 

 tion proved to be fort mal a propos, as it 

 produced the only symptom of petulance 

 I iiad witnessed in my various communi- 

 cations with the Ex-eniperor; and it was 

 (displayed in tone, look, and gesture, in 

 his very brief, but hasty, reply.— " What, 

 go to dinner, perhaps, »ith a file of sol- 

 diers to guard me !"— In a few minutes, 

 however, he resumed his usual cool man- 

 ner, and continued the subject. — " After 

 all," he said, " they could not, I think, 

 expect me to accept the invitation. The 

 distance is considerable, and the hour 

 unseasonable; and I iiave almost rtlin 

 quibhed the idea of exceeding my chain, 

 accompanied as I must be by an 



" officer." 



The Countess of Loudon left the island 

 without seeing the Ex-emperor, and is 

 said to have acknotvledged her disap. 

 tjoininient on the occasion; and, if 1 



it is certainly my own, I think the regret 

 is mutuiil. 



He usked me some days after, if I had 

 seFn the Countess. I answered in the 

 affirmative; and added, thai she had lio- 

 noured the Northumberland with a visit, 

 and, as it was usual with all visitors 

 to the ship, she was shewn tlie cabin 

 which he had occupied during the pas- 

 sage. I thought also, it would amuse 

 him to be informed, that curious stran- 

 gers generally chose to indulge their fancy 

 by sitting down in his chair, " And did 

 the Countess," he said, " do the chair 

 that honour?" Unfortunately, I could 

 not speak with certainty on chat item of 

 his enquiry, not having been in the cabin 

 at the time. He seeu>ed, however, to 

 enjoy the whim of sitting in his chair, and 

 continued his questions. " Would it, 

 do you suppose, have appeared indeco- 

 rous to the people of England, if the 

 Countess of Loudon had visited Lon^ 

 wood ? Could it have been thought in- 

 correct in any degree, if the lady, in com- 

 pany with Marlame Bertrand, had' paid 

 me a visit in this garden ? Many ladies, 

 on their return to England, have bren 

 introduced to me in that inanner. Had 

 the Countess of Loudon expressed her- 

 self fatigued by the voyage, or had been 

 indisposed from any other cause, I should 

 have been pleased to wntt on her." — I 

 could only say, in return, ** that I was a 

 countryman of her ladyship, and, if by 

 any chance, I should have the honour of 

 possessing the opportunity, I would cer- 

 tainly intrude myself so far upon her 

 attention, as to inform her of your polite 

 disposition towards her." 



He now dashed at once on a subject so 

 totally different from any thing you can 

 expect, that I would give your sagacity 

 its full play for the rest of your life, nor 

 fear your stumbling upon it. It was, as 

 usual, in the form a question, and yo«r 

 impatience will, in a moment, be satisfied. 

 — "Have you," he exclaimed, "any 

 knowledge of physiognomy?" — "Not 

 from study. "-^"Haveyou read Lavater?" 

 — "I have read some extracts from his 

 works, and that is all 1 know of them.** 

 —"Can you judge wheiher a man posses- 

 ses talents from observing the features of 

 his face?" — "All I can say, general, is 

 this, that I know when a face is pleasing 

 or displeasing to me."— "Ah," he re- 

 plied in an instant, "there it is — ^you 

 iiave found it out. — Have vou observed 

 Sir Hudson Lowe's face?"— "Yes, I 

 have." — "And what does it promise?" — 

 "If I am to speak the truth, I like Lady 



uiav xs'^Aui^ ftn pjii^ui)) buf> iftnemtjer |<owe's much belter."— Ik now iaughed, 



T;-fif.i<.i. f „.•■ - - . . - ^^^ 



