poetic justice in such a fate, to say
the least.

The empress is quite popular in France, but not so much so as the
journalists and letter-writers would make out. She is exceedingly
handsome, and this fact goes a great way with the Parisians. Her conduct
since her marriage has been irreproachable, which should always be
mentioned to her credit. But that she is naturally a very lovely woman,
gentle, and filled with all the virtues, few who know her early history
will believe. She is, like the emperor, shrewd, and acts her part well.
She is certainly equal to her position, and in goodness is satisfactory
to the French people. It has been thought by many that if Louis Napoleon
had married a French woman it would have better satisfied the people,
but this is by no means certain.

The emperor and empress seem to live together happily, or at least rumor
hath nothing to the contrary; and he would be a brute not to be
satisfied with the woman who has presented him with what he desired
above everything else--a male heir.

Portraits of the empress abound in all the shops and in private houses.
Her great beauty is the passport to the French heart. It is not of the
dashing, bold style, but is delicate and refined. Louis Napoleon has in
his provisions for the prince calculated largely upon the popularity of
the empress, in case of his own death.

He confides the boy-prince to the Empress Eugenia, and thinks her
popularity is such, and the gallantry of the people so great, that they
will gather round her in the day of trouble. But though the French are a
gallant people they estimate some things higher than politeness or
gallantry. There is no loyalty in France. The only feeling which
approaches to it is the veneration which is felt in some of the
provinces for the elder Napoleon. But that sentiment of loyalty which is
felt in all ranks and circles in England is unknown to France. Who
carries in his bosom that sentiment towards the man who procured his
throne by perjury? Not a single Frenchman. Many admire his intellect,
his daring, and many others accept his rule with pleasure, but nobody
has the feeling of loyalty toward him. It has died out in France, and I
must confess that this is a good sign. While it is true, France cannot
really _like_ a monarchical despotism, though she may for a long time
endure it.

THE BAPTISM OF THE PRINCE.

The 14th of June was a great day in Paris, for it witnessed the baptism
of the pri