JET. 40.] VISIT TO FRANCE. 325 



an Italian friend to cross the Simplon together to- 

 morrow, and cannot put him off, otherwise I should 

 have wished to remain a week with them, having been 

 here while there was no tolerable society. My tra- 

 velling companion is a distinguished Liberale, of very 

 high birth, who has just refused an archbishopric from 

 principle. With best compliments to Lady Grey, 

 believe me ever yours most truly, H. BROUGHAM. 



" Address Aux soins de Messieurs Marietti, Ban- 

 quieri, Milan." 



As the election of the Chamber of Deputies was to 

 take place in September (1817), I resolved to go to 

 Paris, the Hollands having determined to do the same. 

 My stay there was short, and I was so fully occupied 

 that I had no time to write to Lord Grey; but on my 

 return to London in October I gave him an account 

 of my visit in the following long letter : 



TO EARL GREY. 



"LONDON, October 20, 1817. 



" MY DEAR LORD GREY, I did not write while I 

 was at Paris, very much from an apprehension that 

 my letters might be opened, and from wishing to have 

 the power of saying I never had written at all on what 

 was going on. The watch kept on me by the police 

 I presume, for what I did one day, even late in the 

 evening, was in the next morning's papers was ex- 

 tremely disagreeable; and the Ultras (who are the 

 greatest fools in the world, without any exception) 

 kept up a succession of the most absurd reports from 

 day to day as that Lord Holland and myself were 

 come over to canvass (Holland being nailed to his 



