The Prince, afterwards the Emperor Napoleon
III., descended on Boulogne with fifty-three persons, and
a tame eagle which had been intended, with stage effect, to
alight on the Colonne de Napoleon. He was captured, tried
for high treason, and sentenced to perpetual imprisonment. He
effected his escape, which was undoubtedly connived at by the
authorities, in 1846.]

[Pageheading: THE CONVENTION OF 1828]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

WIESBADEN, _22nd September 1840._

MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--I was most happy in receiving this morning per
messenger your dear little letter of the 15th, though it is grown a
little elderly. The life one leads here is not favourable to writing,
which, besides, is prohibited, and easily gives me palpitation enough
to sing "_di tanti palpiti!_" I get up at half after six and begin to
drink this hot water; what with drinking and walking one comes to ten
o'clock or half after ten for breakfast. Then I read papers and such
like things. At one o'clock I have been generally bored with some
visit or other till two o'clock. I try to finish some writing, and
then I walk and ride out till dinner-time, generally at seven. In the
evening I have written sometimes, but it certainly does one harm. You
see that there remains but little time for writing.

I am most happy to find that you are well; the papers, which don't
know what to invent to lower the Funds, said that you had been unwell
on the 10th, which, God be praised! is not at all true.

I pity poor Princess Augusta[29] from all my heart. I am sure that if
she had in proper time taken care of herself she might have lived to
a great age. I have not time to-day to write at any length on the
politics of the day, but I am _far from thinking_ that the French
_acted wisely_ in the Oriental affair. I must say that I think
the King _meant well_, but I should not have _abstained_ from the
Conference as he did, though, in France, interference with Mehemet Ali
was certainly not popular. In England much of the _fond_ is logical,
but the form towards France was, and is still, harsh and insulting. I
don't think France, which these ten years behaved well, and the poor
King, who was nearly murdered I don't remember how often, deserved
to be treated so unkindly, and all that seemingly to please the great
Autocrat. We must not forget what were the fruits of the _first_
Convention of July 1828--I think the 16th or 26