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the examples that had taken place under his own eyes of the cases of Countess Montholon, General Gourgaud, Tristan, and others; who if they had been left to nature, would have gone to the other world. I observed that in practice we always had a certain object in view, and never prescribed remedies without first having considered well what we had to expect from their operation. Napoleon, however, was sceptical; and inclined to think that if they had taken no medicine, maintained strict abstinence from every thing except plenty of diluents, they would have done equally well. However, after having heard all my arguments, he said, well, perhaps if ever I have a serious malady, I may change my opinion, take all your medicines, and do what you please. I should like to know what sort of a patient I should make, and whether I should be tractable, or otherwise. I am inclined to think the former." I reasoned with him afterwards about inflammation of the lungs, and asked him if he thought that nature, if left to herself, would effect a cure in that complaint. He appeared a little staggered at this at first; but after asking me what were the remedies, to which I replied that venesection was the sheetanchor, he said, "that complaint belongs to the surgeon, because he cures it with his lancet, and not to the physician." I then mentioned dysentery and intermittent fevers. " The remedies given

in intermittent fevers," said he, "frequently produce worse complaints than the disease that they remove. Suppose now that the best informed physician visits forty patients a day; amongst them he will kill one or two a month by mistaking the disease, and in the country towns, the charlatans will kill about half of those who die under their hands."

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The country towns in England, as well as in France," said he, "abound with Molière's doctors. Are you a fatalist ?" I replied, "in action I am," Why not every where else?" said the emperor; I said, that I believed a man's dissolution, in certain cases, to be inevitable if he did not endeavour by the means placed in his power, to prevent his fate. For example, I said, that if a man in battle saw a cannon shot coming towards him, as sometimes happened, he would naturally step to one side, and thereby avoid an otherwise inevitable death; which comparison I thought would hold good with certain complaints, by considering the ball to be the disease, and stepping aside, the remedy. Napoleon replied, "perhaps by stepping to one side, you may throw yourself in the way of another ball, which otherwise would have missed you. I remember," added he "an example of what I tell you having occurred at Toulon, when I commanded the artillery. There were some Marseillois artillerymen

Now of all the people in

sent to the siege. France, the Marseillois are the least brave, and indeed, generally speaking, have but little energy. I observed an officer, like the rest, to be very careful of himself, instead of shewing an example. I therefore called out and said, Monsieur officer, come out and observe the effect of your shot. You do not know whether your guns are well pointed or not.' At this time we were firing upon the English ships. I desired him to see if our shot struck them in the hull. He was very unwilling to quit his station; but at last he came over to where I was, a little outside of the parapet, where he began to look out. Wishing, however, to make himself small, and to secure as much of his body as possible, he stooped down and sheltered one side of his body behind the parapet, while he looked under my arm. He had not been long in that position before a shot came close to me, and low down, which knocked him to pieces. Now, if this man had stood upright, and more exposed to danger, he would have been safe, as the ball would have passed between us, without hurting either."

I recounted to the emperor, after this, a circumstance which had happened in the Victorious, seventy-four, Captain Talbot, when I was on board of her, which I explained minutely to him. During the action with his ship the Rivoli, a man who

had been slightly wounded, had crept into the heart of the cable tier in the orlop deck, and placed himself among the cables in such a manner, that it appeared to be a matter of impossibility that a shot could reach him. Notwithstanding the apparent security of the place, towards the end of the action a shot struck the ship very low down, penetrated the wings, went through two or three coils of the cable, then rose upwards, struck one of the beams which supported the lower deck, and being spent, rebounded back, fell upon this man's breast who was lying on his back, and killed him. He was found afterwards with the shot, (a thirty-six pounder,) lying upon

his breast.

"This," said he, "confirms what I say to you, that a man cannot avoid his destiny." Napoleon appeared entertained with this anecdote, and asked, whether the man was a sailor or a soldier? I replied, a sailor.

The emperor during the course of conversation, spoke about eunuchs; the making of whom he observed was a most disgraceful and horrid practice. "I suppressed it," said he, "in all the countries under my dominion; even in Rome itself I prohibited it under pain of death. It was entirely put a stop to, and I believe that although the pope and the cardinals are now in power, it will not be again revived. I recollect," added

he; " an incident with respect to one of those gentry, which made me laugh. There was one Crescentini, an excellent singer, who often sàng before me and delighted me much. As I wished to encourage merit in every science, and as it was his misfortune, and not his fault to have been mutilated, having been probably only two or three years old when it was performed, I conferred upon him the knighthood of the iron crown. This, how, ever, displeased a great many, who said that a thing that was not a man ought not to have an order for manhood conferred upon him. There were great discussions about it, in which Madame Grassini, whom I suppose you know, took a part. Whilst others were blaming me, Grassini said, “I really think the emperor has done right in giving it to him; I think that he deserves it.' Being asked why, she replied, I think he merits it, if it were only on account of his wounds.' This sally produced the greatest laughter, and turned the business completely. I believe that no person laughed more at it than myself."

23rd.-Yesterday Napoleon was indisposed, and had recourse to his customary remedies, diet and diluents. He remained all day in his bedroom, and eat nothing. Told me that he had risen, at three in the morning, and wrote or dictated all day.

Gave him two or three newspapers.

He re