of our national spirit and the spirit of our constitution. He had
even done much towards convincing him that England was not inspired with
an insane hatred to France, and would willingly live at peace with her,
only asking that a peace should have guarantees for its duration, and
not be, as it but too often is, but the interval of preparation for war.
I say then again what a change might there have been to the destinies of
mankind, had this intercourse gone on uninterruptedly! How differently
might Bonaparte have learned to regard and consider Englishmen, and
what allowances might he not have come to make for peculiarities purely
national!

How naturally might a great intelligence like his have seen that the
alliance of two such nations is the guarantee of civilization throughout
the globe, and that all our smaller rivalries and national jealousies
sink to insignificance when viewed in presence of the great perils to
which disunion exposes us,--perils that, at the hour in which I write
these lines, are neither vague nor visionary, and against which an
honest and cordial alliance can alone prevail. Let it be taken as
the tremulous terror of an old man's mind if I add, that even banded
together, and with all their energies to the task, they will not be more
than enough for the work that is before them.

I have spoken of the friendly reception I met with from Mr. Fox. I dined
constantly with him and Colonel Canthorpe alone, and accompanied them
frequently on their evening visits amongst their acquaintances. I joined
in everything, even to the high play which they both were passionately
devoted to, and lost and won without any decisive results. Meanwhile
my resources ran lower and lower. The style of living I maintained was
costly; and at the end of some weeks I saw myself with barely sufficient
to carry me through another fortnight. To this very hour I cannot
explain to myself the calm indifference with which I contemplated my
approaching and inevitable ruin. I really know nothing of the flatteries
by which I may have beguiled my own heart, and am left to the conclusion
that the intoxicating pleasures of the time had rendered me insensible
to every thought for the future. I went further, too, than might be
supposed possible. I accepted invitations to shoot in Scotland, and pass
my Christmas at Canthorpe's seat in Cumberland, promising everything
with the ease of one free to dispose of himself as he fancied.

Meanwhile t