versations held with the Duke of Wellington for the
especial purpose of connecting my account of his operations.

5. Notes of conversation with officers of high rank in the French,
English, and Spanish services.

6. Original journals, and the most unreserved communications with
Marshal Soult.

7. My own notes of affairs in which I have been present.

8. Journals of regimental officers of talent, and last but not least,
copies taken by myself from the original muster rolls of the French army
as they were transmitted to the Emperor.

Having thus distributed all my best wares in the bow window, I shall
leave you to judge for yourself; and, as the diplomatists say, will be
happy to treat upon a suitable basis. In the meantime,

I remain, your very obedient Servant,

W. NAPIER.

About a fortnight later (December 25, 1827) he again wrote that he would
have the pleasure of putting a portion of his work into Mr. Murray's
hands in a few days; but that "it would be disagreeable to him to have
it referred to Mr. Southey for an opinion." Murray, it should be
mentioned, had published Southey's "History of the War in Spain." Some
negotiations ensued, in the course of which Mr. Murray offered 500
guineas for the volume. This proposal, however, was declined by Colonel
Napier.

Murray after fuller consideration offered a thousand guineas, which
Colonel Napier accepted, and the volume was accordingly published in the
course of 1828. Notwithstanding the beauty of its style and the grandeur
of its descriptions, the book gave great offence by the severity of its
criticism, and called forth a multitude of replies and animadversions.
More than a dozen of these appeared in the shape of pamphlets bearing
their authors' names, added to which the _Quarterly Review_, departing
from the general rule, gave no less than four criticisms in succession.
This innovation greatly disgusted the publisher, who regarded them as so
much lead weighing down his _Review_, although they proceeded from the
pen of the Duke's right-hand man, the Rt. Hon. Sir George Murray. They
were unreadable and produced no effect. It is needless to add the Duke
had nothing to do with them.

Mr. Murray published no further volumes of the "History of the
Peninsular War," but at his suggestion Colonel Napier brought out the
second and succeeding volumes on his own account. In illustration of the
loss which occurred to Mr. Murray in publishing the first volume of the
hist