OR LITTLE ITALIAN OWL, 19 



from London, I was furnished, by the bank of 

 Prince Torlonia, with a very warm and com- 

 plimentary letter of introduction to Passavant 

 of Basle, in case I might fall short of money 

 on my way home ; and Prince Canino (Charles 

 Bonaparte), whom I accidentally met in Genoa, 

 gave me another of the same tenour. But all 

 would not do. I only wanted 121., which, 

 with what I had by me, would have enabled 

 me to reach Cologne, where I could have got 

 any supply of money from the good landlord of 

 the Hotel du Rhin. Passavant, to whom I had 

 presented the two letters, and to whom I had 

 given a full account of the unfortunate ship- 

 wreck, could not possibly comprehend how I 

 could have the temerity to travel without a 

 regular letter of credit. I offered him my 

 draught on Denison of London. He refused 

 to take it. Would he accept my watch worth 

 forty guineas, in pledge, till my bill should be 

 honoured ? No. He looked at me, and then 

 at the letters, and then at me again ; and said 

 there was something equivocal in the one 

 from Prince Torlonias bank. He would not 

 advance me a single sous. On making my 



retiring bow, I told him that, as I was in the 



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