n with dignity and rule
the kingdom at a reasonable expense.

There is not the least danger of Napoleon threatening them if they
take an American sovereign; in fact, we have no doubt he would be
pleased to support such a candidature. We are unwilling to mention
names--though we have a man in our eye whom we wish they had in
theirs.--New York Tribune.

It would be but an ostentation of modesty to permit such a pointed
reference to myself to pass unnoticed. This is the second time that 'The
Tribune' (no doubt sincerely looking to the best interests of Spain and
the world at large) has done me the great and unusual honour to propose
me as a fit person to fill the Spanish throne. Why 'The Tribune' should
single me out in this way from the midst of a dozen Americans of higher
political prominence, is a problem which I cannot solve. Beyond a
somewhat intimate knowledge of Spanish history and a profound veneration
for its great names and illustrious deeds, I feel that I possess no
merit that should peculiarly recommend me to this royal distinction. I
cannot deny that Spanish history has always been mother's milk to me. I
am proud of every Spanish achievement, from Hernando Cortes's victory
at Thermopylae down to Vasco Nunez de Balboa's discovery of the Atlantic
ocean; and of every splendid Spanish name, from Don Quixote and the Duke
of Wellington down to Don Caesar de Bazan. However, these little
graces of erudition are of small consequence, being more showy than
serviceable.

In case the Spanish sceptre is pressed upon me--and the indications
unquestionably are that it will be--I shall feel it necessary to have
certain things set down and distinctly understood beforehand. For
instance: My salary must be paid quarterly in advance. In these
unsettled times it will not do to trust. If Isabella had adopted this
plan, she would be roosting on her ancestral throne to-day, for the
simple reason that her subjects never could have raised three months of
a royal salary in advance, and of course they could not have discharged
her until they had squared up with her. My salary must be paid in gold;
when greenbacks are fresh in a country, they are too fluctuating. My
salary has got to be put at the ruling market rate; I am not going to
cut under on the trade, and they are not going to trail me a long way
from home and then practise on my ignorance and play me for a royal
North Adams Chinaman, by any means.