248 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



had become personally acquainted with several, one of 

 whom, an English doctor, had extracted a ball from 

 his side ; and his intercourse with all had been so sat- 

 isfactory, that his feelings had undergone an entire re- 

 vulsion ; and he said that they were the only people 

 who never deceived him. He had done, too, what .1 

 consider extraordinary ; in the intervals of his hurried 

 life he had learned to write his name, and had thrown 

 aside his stamp. I never had the fortune to be pre- 

 sented to any legitimate king, nor to any usurper of 

 the prerogatives of royalty except Mohammed Ali. 

 Old as he was, I gave him some good advice ; and it 

 grieves me that the old lion is now shorn of his mane. 

 Considering Carrera a promising young man, I told 

 him that he had a long career before him, and might 

 do much good to his country ; and he laid his hand 

 upon his heart, and with a burst of feeling that I did 

 not expect, said he was determined to sacrifice his life 

 for his country. With all his faults and his crimes, 

 none ever accused him of duplicity, or of saying what 

 he did not mean ; and, perhaps, as many self-deceiving 

 men have done before him, he believes himself a pa- 

 triot. 



I considered that he was destined to exercise an im- 

 portant, if not a controlling influence on the affairs of 

 Central America ; and trusting that hopes of honoura- 

 ble and extended fame might have some effect upon his 

 character, I told him that his name had already reached 

 my country, and that I had seen in the newspapers an 

 account of his last entry into Guatimala, with praises 

 of his moderation and exertions to prevent atrocities. 

 He expressed himself pleased that his name was known, 

 and such mention made of him among strangers ; and 

 said he was not a robber and murderer, as he was called 



