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paunchy man, who is called an ambassador, and said to "represent his sovereign." I never could fancy Louis XVIII. a gentleman; and Garibaldi, the Pope's nuncio at Paris, always reminded me of a huge pudding in a black bag. It is quite inconsistent, that a man who requires to have so much in his head, should waddle about with such an enormous stomach-it is unfair upon the legs, they must totter under the weight; these fillets of veal upon castors always look ridiculous in uniforms, and never dignified; but I have seen his Majesty, Ferdinand, dance; and there is an exhibition in the Cirque Imperatrice, at Paris, to which it might be likened. Their Majesties having taken up a position, one on one side, the other on the other of the throne, and in advance, close to the edge of the platforms, were faced by the generals and admirals of the kingdom; and here again I must digress a little.

I confess my astonishment-I know it is very vulgar to express astonishment, or to go gaping and staring about at chandeliers or furniture in any gentleman's house-but it did. astonish me to see the generals, admirals, and high dignitaries of either the court, the camp,

or the sea; and I begin to curse the many idle hours I had wasted over some poetry of Dryden, Pope, or Byron, and neglected to read of the great and splendid deeds of the Neapolitan services. Here before me stood drawn up in line from forty to fifty officers, literally covered with stars-here was one brown man, with dyed hair, fat, unhealthy-looking, and suspicious, covered with orders; I confess I blush for my ignorance, but I never could call to mind that I had ever heard of his name, excepting where it had better never have figured.

It was in vain to ask of the witty and spiritual Prince who was at my side, and who was the only person between myself and the Queen, what great services these men had performed, and how it was that no poet existed to hymn their praises. The Neapolitans answer by signs; and the Prince, throwing his head back, and making an indescribable noise with his lips, conveyed the full force of the word " Niente," much better than if he had expended an hour in its explanation. I asked another, what that poor, old, wizened, decrepid bearer of gold and orders had done? -"Niente." Another, younger, with a bright

eye, as if something good might come of him. "Niente." A bald, red-faced man, whose teeth, at any rate, had done him good service

"Niente." There they were, however, this regiment of "Nientes," bedizened and decorated, stars, ribbons; some stuck here, others dangling round the neck, as if the body was too small to carry the just rewards of such intrepid souls. There are 60,000 of the Legion of Honour in France-there are more in Naples, in proportion to the population. I presume it is done to encourage the manufacturers of medals of honour.

The, King with his cocked hat athwart ships, as the sailors say, stood like the Colossus of Rhodes, with his feet somewhat apart, occasionally gently vibrating from side to side, like a lazy pendulum. The doors were opened in front, and in walked the first of the fifteen hundred who were to have the honour of kissing the royal hands; for not only were their Majesties to have fifteen hundred kisses, but this token of humility and submission was to be extended to the royal family, all of whom were dressed up in uniform, and some were only nine or ten years of age. His Majesty looked like the nucleus of a comet,

with his royal progeny tailing off, getting "small by degrees, and beautifully less."

Now of these fifteen hundred men, some of whom went down upon both knees, and the rest upon one, and who kissed his Majesty's hand so loud as frequently to excite the risibility of the Queen, I would wager there were not fifty who were not in heart and soul, but not in courage, opposed to his Majesty. They were there they were obliged to be therethe prisons, although crowded, may yet hold more, and absence might be suspicious.

There is a great quickness in the King's eye and his frown!

"Gravis ira regum semper!"

:

He possesses that peculiar faculty of never forgetting a name or a person to some he gave his hand, then let it fall by his side-the next man took it, and kissed it, but the King was looking elsewhere. Another came-the royal cheek was tickled, and the hand was required to scratch it; but to some he spoke, but this honour was only to a few-very few.

The Queen, who is the model of all propriety, and so scrupulous as to decency, that the opera dancers at St. Carlos are obliged to

wear green inexpressibles, thereby drawing the attention to that, which in the light airy gossamer had been neglected from custom, was equally observant; and although she allowed her hand to be warmly caressed by some, she withdrew it altogether from others, who, having knelt down looked remarkably silly in their distress. The little children scarcely knew what to do-the heir-apparent managed his part with some dignity; but the young ones soon thought the whole show as excessively irksome, gaped, and had their hands kissed as unconcernedly as if the nurse had patted it. Now came the judges, these luminaries of Neapolitan law, as venal as they are treacherous—here again were orders and decorations, and absurdities. There is a Neapolitan judge, who is a foreign consul! only imagine for a moment, a judge of a county court being the Spanish Consul in England.

It is extraordinary the difference and bearing of men who are free, in contrast with those who are slaves; the free man gives his respect with a true and sincere heart to the power he has raised; he has nothing to fear from the frown of his sovereign, or the pride of his ministers; he knows that he cannot be incar

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