[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] STE,—I do not know
whether any correspondence is permitted on the above, but in justice to the memory of Sir Hudson Lowe, who is described as " a martinet with an amazingly narrow mind," I should like to quote the following from " Sir Hudson Lowe and Napoleon," by R. C. Seaton :- " One French writer—Lamartine—has had the good sense and moral courage to run counter to the prepossessions of his fellow-
countrymen in the following remarkable words In reading with attention the correspondence Bad notes exchanged on every pretext between the attendants on Napoleon and Sir Hudson Lowe, one is confounded at the insults, the provocations, and the invectives with which the captive and his friends outraged the Governor at every turn. Napoleon at that time sought to excite by cries of pain the pity of the English Parliament, and to furnish a grievance to the speakers of the Opposition against the Ministry, in order to obtain a removal nearer to Europe. The desire of provoking insults by insult and of afterwards exhibiting these insults as crimes to the indignation of the Continent is plainly evident in all these letters.'
The above is also somewhat inconsistent with your reviewer's statement that " in the midst of falsehood and intrigue Napoleon preserved his dignity and his serenity." The little book I have named will repay perusal by any of your readers interested in the " man of heart and virtue," as it contains extracts from official documents and letters in which this "ruthless militarist, cynic, and Machiavellian" and his "jailer" appear in a different light from that in which they are pictured
by your reviewer.—I am, Sir, &c., T. E. H. CLAY.
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