ual and certain
success, which has actually been realised."

Mr. Robinson has described in his Diary the manner in which he became
connected with the foreign correspondence. "In January, 1807," he
says, "I received, through my friend J.D. Collier, a proposal from Mr.
Walter that I should take up my residence at Altona, and become The
Times correspondent. I was to receive from the editor of the
'Hamburger Correspondenten' all the public documents at his disposal,
and was to have the benefit also of a mass of information, of which the
restraints of the German Press did not permit him to avail himself.
The honorarium I was to receive was ample with my habits of life. I
gladly accepted the offer, and never repented having done so. My
acquaintance with Mr. Walter ripened into friendship, and lasted as
long as he lived."[1]

Mr. Robinson was forced to leave Germany by the Battle of Friedland and
the Treaty of Tilsit, which resulted in the naval coalition against
England. Returning to London, he became foreign editor of The Times
until the following year, when he proceeded to Spain as foreign
correspondent. Mr. Walter had also an agent in the track of the army
in the unfortunate Walcheren expedition; and The Times announced the
capitulation of Flushing forty-eight hours before the news had arrived
by any other channel. By this prompt method of communicating public
intelligence, the practice, which had previously existed, of
systematically retarding the publication of foreign news by officials
at the General Post Office, who made gain by selling them to the
Lombard Street brokers, was effectually extinguished.

This circumstance, as well as the independent course which Mr. Walter
adopted in the discussion of foreign politics, explains in some measure
the opposition which he had to encounter in the transmission of his
despatches. As early as the year 1805, when he had come into collision
with the Government and lost the Customs printing, The Times despatches
were regularly stopped at the outports, whilst those for the
Ministerial journals were allowed to proceed. This might have crushed
a weaker man, but it did not crush Walter. Of course he expostulated.
He was informed at the Home Secretary's office that he might be
permitted to receive his foreign papers as a favour. But as this
implied the expectation of a favour from him in return, the proposal
was rejected; and, determined not to be baffled, he employed speci