eant Madame du C. He went the same evening and saw her. She is a
fine woman, about forty, and agreeable. She sees the King every
Wednesday; he writes notes and verses to her, and he has given
her a great deal of money. He has built a house for her, and
given her a _terre_ near St. Denis which is valued at 1,500,000
francs. The King likes M. de Villele[19] exceedingly. He has
occasionally talked to the Duke of Bonaparte. One day, when they
were standing together at the window which looks upon the garden
of the Tuileries, he said, 'One day Bonaparte was standing here
with ----, and he said, pointing to the Chamber of Deputies,
"Vous voyez ce batiment la: si je les demuselais, je serais
detrone." I said, "The King has given them freedom of debate, and
I think I go on very well with it."'

[19] Villele was a lieutenant in the navy, and afterwards
went to the Isle of France, where he was a member of
the council (or whatever the legislation was called).
At the revolution he returned to France and lived with
his family near Toulouse, became a member of the
departmental body, and subsequently Mayor of Toulouse;
he was afterwards elected a Member of the Chamber, when
he distinguished himself by his talents for debate, and
became one of the chiefs of the Ultra party. He was a
member of the Duc de Richelieu's Government, which he
soon quitted, and was one of the principal instruments
in overturning it. He anticipates a long
administration.--[C.C.G.]

The Duke said he had been struck down by a musket shot whilst
reconnoitring the enemy as they were retreating in the Pyrenees.
The people round him thought he was killed, but he got up
directly. Alava was wounded a few minutes before him, and Major
Brooke nearly at the same time. He is of opinion that Massena was
the best French general to whom he was ever opposed.

He said that Bonaparte had not the patience requisite for
defensive operations. His last campaign (before the capture of
Paris) was very brilliant, probably the ablest of all his
performances. The Duke is of opinion that if he had possessed
greater patience he would have succeeded in compelling the Allies
to retreat; but they had adopted so judicious a system of defence
that he was foiled in the impetuous attacks he made upon them,
and after a partial failure which he met with, when he attacked