264 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. 



king, by sending in their names to the chamberlain, who 

 appointed an hour in the morning for them to attend a sort 

 of levee at his Majesty's residence. The only difference 

 necessary to be observed in the usual toilet was the adoption 

 of a white neckcloth, or white choker, as it was irreveren- 

 tially termed, and from the sale of which (expressly for 

 these occasions) a pretty little Munich milliner gained a fair 

 amount of profit, as she not only sold them, but fitted them 

 (they were usually stocks) on the necks of the devotees at 

 the shrine of royalty. 



We, of course, had to go through the same ordeal, and as 

 my friend was a member of a noble family, and a person of 

 some consequence in England, it was arranged between us 

 that if an opportunity presented itself, he should attempt to 

 obtain the desired permission to fish in the royal stream, of 

 which we had made a closer inspection since our arrival, and 

 were more impressed than ever of its being an actual piscatory 

 paradise. 



King Louis, who, as everybody knows, was a most accom- 

 plished gentleman, but possessed certain peculiarities, received 

 us perfectly sansfaqon in the little parlour of his temporary 

 palace the following morning, and commenced the conver- 

 sation, or rather asked a few questions in English, chiefly in 

 connexion with our domestic relations and political views. 

 As far as I could judge from the few minutes we passed in 

 his society, he considered the first duty of a man was to have 

 a large family of children, and the second, to be a high Tory 

 in politics ; and had formed some dreadful ideas of the cha- 

 racter of Mr. O'Connell, who was then in the zenith of his fame. 

 Upon asking us, as a finale to the interview, how we liked 

 Brukenau, my friend made a desperate effort, and after 

 passing a glowing eulogium upon its beauties, added that he 

 should consider it quite perfect as a residence, with the faci- 

 lity of fly-fishing in the charming river. " Ah !" exclaimed 



