peated his disbelief of the rumour of war being likely to take place between Russia and America, as it was contrary to the interests of both.

General Gourgaud the day before yesterday rode out towards the alarm-house, and on his way met the Russian commissioner and Captain Gor, with whom he conversed for a considerable time. They were seen by Captain Poppleton, who was on his way to dine at Plantation House. When his excellency was informed of this, he said at first that Captain P. ought to have remained with them to listen; but when it was explained to him that he could not have done so without affronting them, as General Gourgaud knew that he was to dine at Plantation House, he acknowledged that it could not have been done.

This day, however, a note came from Major Gorrequer, stating that the governor wanted to see Captain Poppleton directly, and that he was required to write an official statement of what he had witnessed yesterday between the commissioner and Gourgaud. That the governor regretted he had not followed and kept company with them, in pursuance of the conversation he had had with him (Captain P.) in town on a certain day. In this conversation the governor said he expected that he would, whenever he saw them speaking together, drop in as it were by accident, and make one of their party.

These precautions appeared curious, as the parties had a long interview together at the last races before the governor himself and his staff without molestation.

Saw Napoleon in the evening again, who de clared himself to be quite well. He spoke of the time he was in the habit of devoting to business when in Paris. That occasionally he used to dictate to four different secretaries at a time, all upon different subjects, and sometimes even to five, each writing as fast as he could. Made some observations upon the Emperor of Austria. Observed that if he were in his power, no treatment could be too good or limits too extensive. The emperor he pronounced to be a good and religious man, but a ganache. A man, who though he did not want common sense, never did any thing of himself, but was always led by the nose by Metternich or some one else. As long as he had a bad minister, his government would be bad, as he entirely trusted to him, and only paid attention to botany and gardening.

24th.-Napoleon in very good spirits. Very curious in his enquiries about Murat's expedition against Sicily. Asked me to describe minutely the strength of the English force which had then occupied Sicily, and appeared surprised when I said that it had amounted to about twenty thousand English, Hanoverians, &c. He asked if I thought

that Murat would have succeeded in taking the island, if he had landed ?* I replied that I be lieved not, as, independent of the formidable English force against him, in general the Sicilians themselves hated the French, and declared that they would have caused another "Sicilian Vespers" if they came. He asked "how many troops Ferdinand had?" I replied, perhaps fifteen thousand men, of whom, however, we were very doubtful, and consequently kept near Palermo, with the exception of a regiment of cavalry. He wished to know "if our ships could have kept the channel on the night that Murat had caused a landing to be made by a small body, and whether they could have remained at anchor along the Sicilian side of the Faro?" I replied, that I had no doubt the ships might have kept the channel on that night; that they might also have remained at anchor along the Faro, but at a risk during the Scirocco winds, as the bottom was a bad holding ground, and if the anchors went, the ships must go on shore. He asked the name of the English admiral. "That imbecile Murat," added he, "lost me about twelve or thirteen hundred men by the foolish disembarkation he made in Sicily. I know not what

* It may be necessary to explain to the reader, that I was attached to the flotilla against Murat in a mortar-boat, under the command of Captain Coffin, R. N. during the whole of the period alluded to.

object he could have had in view by thus landing a few men." I replied that Murat had said he intended to have landed with his whole army near the Faro, while this small body was intended to act as a diversion. "Do you think that he could have landed on that night?" said Napoleon. I replied, I thought he could, as all our ships were withdrawn from their stations and locked up in the harbour of Messina. Napoleon said, "If I had really intended Murat to have taken Sicily, I would have pushed out the Toulon fleet with thirty thousand men to effect a landing near Palermo, from whence the fleet should have proceeded directly to the Faro, to cover Murat's landing. But it was only intended to keep your English army doing nothing in Sicily by means of the canaglie under Murat,* and not to take Sicily, as there were few French troops with him, and I was apprehensive that your army might have been employed elsewhere against me." I asked if there had been any secret treaty between Murat and the English admiral and general

* Murat was not aware of this. He was sincere in his intentions of landing in Sicily; but on the night in which he wanted to embark all his army for that purpose, General Grenier, who commanded the French troops with him, shewed him an order prohibiting them to make the attempt. Of this I have been since informed by a person who was minister to the unfortunate King Joachim at the time.

to allow Murat to withdraw with his boats and troops without molestation. "No," said the einperor, "none that I know of. Why do you ask such a question?" I replied, "because so little had been done to annoy them in their retreat, that I often thought some agreement must have been made to let Murat withdraw quietly with his troops, provided he abandoned his enterprize." He laughed, and said, "there was none, at least to my knowledge."

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I then mentioned to him the plot to måssacre the English officers, and drive the English out of Sicily, said to have been discovered in 1810, (I think) by ***. Caroline," said he, was very capable of forming such a plot. I believe, however, that ** invented a great part of it, and also. betrayed you at the time that he pretended to make such important discoveries. Murat got information from some officer in the English service." I said that *** had frequently gone over to Calabria disguised as a peasant. "Very probably he betrayed you every time he went," replied Napoleon.

He spoke about the Corsicans: observed that they were brave and revengeful by nature, the best friends and the most inexorable enemies in the world. "Their prominent national character," added he, "is never to forget a benefit or an injury. For the slightest insult in Corsica, una ar