O’Meara’s Voice from St.\Helena. 
betrayed and ruined me.«’ Before, when 
he forsook me,. joitied: the: allies with 
sixty thousand men) \and obliged ‘me to 
leave thirty thousand in Italy, when I 
wanted them*sovmuch elséewheres At 
that time, hisiarmy! was wellcofficered by 
French, « Had it not been for this. rash 
step of -Murat’s;: thes Russians would 
have retreated; vas their intentions were 
not to have ladvanced; if Austria did not 
jin thecoalition; so that you would 
have been ‘left to yourselves, and have 
gladly: made a peace.” 
-UoU) ¥) PEACE WITH! ENGLAND. 
 Heobserved that he had always been 
willing toomake'a peace with England. 
“Suet your ministers! say? what they 
like,”\said he, “ Lo was always ready to 
makeva peace. At’ the time that Fox 
died; there was every prospect of effect- 
ing:one. Ff Lord Lauderdale had been 
sincere »at first, it would also have been 
concluded: “Before the campaign in 
Prussia; I caused’ it’ to be signified to 
him,that he had better get bis country- 
mew to make peace, as I would be mas- 
ter of Prussia in two months; for this 
reason, that although Russia and Prussia 
united might be able to oppose me, yet 
that Prussia alone could not. That the 
Russians were three months’ march dis- 
tant; and that, as Phad intelligence that 
their plan’ of campaign was io defend 
Berlin, instead -of retiring, in order to 
obtain the support of the Russians, I 
would°destroy their army, and take Ber- 
lin before’ the-Russians came up, who 
alone-I would easily defeat afterwards. 
T therefore advised him to take advan- 
tage of my offer of peace, before Prussia, 
whowas your best friend on the conti- 
nent, was destroyed. After this com- 
munication, I believe that Lord Lau- 
derdale was sincere, and that he wrote 
to your ministers recommending peace: 
bet they would not agree to it, thinking 
that the King of Prussia was at the head 
of a hundred thousand men; that I 
might be defeated, and that’ a defeat 
would be my ruin. This was possible. 
A Wattle sometimes decides every thing; 
and sometimes the most trifling thing 
decides the fate ofa battle. The event, 
however, proved that Twas right, ‘as, 
after Jena, Prussia was mine. After 
‘Tilsit and’ at Erfurth,” continued ‘he; 
“a letter containing proposals of peace 
to England, and signed by the Emperor 
Alexander and myself, was'sent to your 
ministers, but they would not accept of 
them.” 
SPAIN. 
In answer to a remark of mine, that 
639 
the invasion of Spain had been a mea- 
sure very desttuctive to him, he replied, 
‘©Tfothe government I established had 
remained, it would have been the best 
thing that ever liappened for Spain. I 
would’ have regenerated the Spaniards ; 
Iwould have made them a great nation. 
Instead of a feeble; imbecile, and super- 
stitious race of Bourbons, Tf would have 
given them a new dynasty, ‘that would 
have no claim on the nation; except by 
the good it would have rendered unto it. 
For an hereditary race’ of asses, they 
would have had a monarch, with ability 
to revive the nation, sunk under the yoke 
of superstition and ignorance. Perhaps 
if is better for France that [ did not suc- 
ceed, as Spain would have beena formi- 
dable rival. I would have destroyed 
superstition and priestcraft, and abolish- 
ed the inquisition and the monasteries 
of those lazy bestie di frati. IT would at 
least have rendered the priests harmless. 
The guerillas, who fought so‘bravely 
against me, now lament their’ success. 
When I was Jast in Paris, I had letters 
from Mina, and many other leaders of 
the guerillas, craving assistance ‘to ex- 
pel their frear from the throne.” 
TALLEYRAND. 
On asking his opinion of Talleyrand, 
“ Talleyrand,” said he, “ le plus vil des 
agioteurs, bas flatteur. Cest un homme 
corrompu, who has betrayed .all parties 
and persons. Wary and circumspect; 
always a traitor, but always in conspi- 
racy with fortune, Talleyrand treats his 
enemies as if they were one°day to be- 
come his friends ; and his friends,’ as: if 
they were to become his enemies.» He 
isa man of talent, but venal in every 
thing. Nothing could be done with him 
but by means of bribery. ‘Phe kings of 
Wirtemberg and Bavariamade’so many 
complaints of his rapacity and extortion, 
that I took his portfeuille: from him: 
moreover I found that he had divulged, 
to some tntriganis, a most important se- 
cret which T had confided to him alone, 
He’ hates the Bourbons! in ‘his heart. 
When I returned from Elba, Talleyrand 
wrote to me fron’ Vienna, offering his 
services, and to betray the Bourbons, 
provided I would’ pardon ‘and restore 
him to favour. He atgued upon a part 
of my proclamation; in which I said 
there were circumstances which it was 
impossible to rasist, which he quoted. 
But IT considered that there were a 
few 1 was ‘obliged to except, and re- 
fused, as it would have excited indigna- 
tion if I had not punished somebody.” 
I asked ifit were true that heii or 
a 
