£ LA HEINE HORTENSE.’ 149 
Hortense ,” the Emperor’s yacht, a magnificent screw 
corvette of 1,100 tons. I had last parted with her three 
years ago in the Baltic, after she had towed me for 
80 miles on our way from Bomarsund to Stockholm. 
Then there were two English screw steamers, of about 
700 tons each, taken up by the French Government 
as tenders to the yacht; not to mention a Spanish 
brig, and one or two other foreigners, which, together 
with the frigate, the barque, and the vessels we had 
found here on our first arrival, made the usually de¬ 
serted bay look quite lively. Until this year no 
steamers had ever cockneyfied its secluded waters. 
This morning, directly after breakfast, I went on 
board the u Reine Hortense ” to pay my respects to Prince 
Napoleon; and H. I. H. has just done me the honour 
of coming to inspect the u FoamR When I was first 
presented to him at the Geysirs, he asked me what 
my plans might be ; and on my mentioning my reso¬ 
lution of sailing to the North, he most kindly proposed 
that I should come with him West to Greenland instead. 
My anxiety, however, to reach, if it were possible, Jan 
Mayen and Spitzbergen, prevented my accepting this 
most tempting offer; but in the mean time, H. I. H. 
