and
unexampled rapacity, and, having thus signalized themselves as robbers
in war, became no less eminent as picture-dealers in peace." Was it more
immoral in Marechal le Due de Dalmatie to take Murillos than it was in
Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington to take the lead in cutting the
Koh-i-Noor, the pictures as well as the diamond being spoil of war?
There is something eminently absurd in English morality, when Englishmen
seek to lay down rules for the governance of the world. It amounts to
this: that they shall be at liberty to plunder everybody, but that all
other men shall stay their hands, no matter how great may be the
temptation, to help themselves to their enemies' goods.

The conquerors of the Havana had no scruples on the subject of plunder.
They obtained, in treasure and other property, about fourteen millions
of dollars,--a great sum, though not a third part so large as had been
assigned them by the newspapers. Not content with this, they sought to
get a donation from the citizens, to the amount of two hundred thousand
dollars; but the attempt failed, and was not persisted in, when it was
found that the Spaniards were utterly averse to giving on compulsion. A
demand was made, through Colonel Cleveland, who commanded the artillery,
"on the Bishop and the clergy, requiring an account of the bells of the
churches, convents, and monasteries of the Havana and the other towns in
the district, as well as of the _ingenios_ in the neighborhood, and of
all such metal as is used in the making of bells, in order that the
value might be adjusted, and the amount paid, according, as he asserted,
to the laws and customs of war, when a city after a siege has
surrendered by capitulation." The astonished Bishop wrote to Lord
Albemarle, and had the satisfaction of learning from that eminent
authority, that, "when a city was besieged and taken, the commander of
the artillery receives a gratification, and that Colonel Cleveland had
made the demand with his Lordship's concurrence." This mode of kissing
the rod was not at all to the taste of the worthy prelate, excellent
Christian though he was. It was bad enough to give "a gratification" to
an enemy because he had pounded them with balls until they had been
forced to surrender; but it was an aggravation of the original evil to
have to redeem "blessed bells" from the heretics who had come four
thousand miles to disturb the repose of the Spanish Indies. But
negotiation was unavoi