le (for we should have opposed it) he proposed
Prince Charles of Naples, his nephew. This was likewise rejected.
The Emperor Don Pedro wants the Duke of Leuchtenberg, his wife's
brother, to marry her.[3] This Duke went to Havre the other day,
where the Prefet refused to admit him, though he went with (or
to) his sister, pleading the law excluding Napoleon's family. He
went to the Prefet to say that he protested against such
application of the law, but, as he would not make any disturbance
there, desired to have his passports _vise_ for Munich, and off
he went. At the same time he wrote a letter to Palmerston, which
George Villiers, to whom Palmerston showed it, told me was
exceedingly good. He said that though he did not know Palmerston
he ventured to address him, as the Minister of the greatest and
freest country in the world, for the purpose of explaining what
had happened, and to clear himself from the misrepresentations
that would be made as to his motives and intentions in joining
his sister; that it was true that Don Pedro had wished him to
marry his daughter, and that he had written him a letter, of
which he enclosed a copy. This was a very well written letter,
begging the Emperor to pause and consider of this projected
match, and setting forth all the reasons why it might not be
advantageous for her; in short, Villiers says, exhibiting a very
remarkable degree of disinterestedness, and of longsighted views
with regard to the situation of Portugal and the general politics
of Europe.

[3] [Queen Donna Maria did eventually many the young Duke
of Leuchtenberg, son of Prince Eugene Beauharnais and a
Bavarian Princess. But he survived his marriage only a
few months, and died of a fever at Lisbon.]

He told me another anecdote at the same time. Palmerston showed
him a letter he had received from Charles Napier, in which,
talking of the possible interference of Spain, he said; 'Your
Lordship knows that I have only to sail with my fleet (enumerating
a respectable squadron of different sizes) to Cadiz, and I can
create a revolution in five minutes throughout the whole South of
Spain.' Palmerston seems to have been a little amused and a little
alarmed at this fanfaronade, in which there is, however, a great
deal of truth. He said that of course they should not allow Napier
to do any such thing, but as nothing else could prevent him if we
did not, the Spaniards may be made to understa