The King of the French himself has always been _opposed_ to the idea of one of his sons going there; in France, however, that opinion still exists, and Thiers had it, strongly.
I confess that I regret that Queen Christina was encouraged to settle at Paris, as it gave the thing the appearance of something preconcerted.

I believe that a wish existed that Christina would retire peaceably and _par la force des circonstances_, but now this took a turn which I am sure the King does not like; it places him, besides, into _une position ingrate_; the Radicals hate him, the Moderates will cry out that he has left them in the lurch, and the Carlists are kept under key, and of course also not much pleased.

I meant to have remained in my wilds till yesterday, but my Ministers were so anxious for my return, there being a good many things on the _tapis_, that I came back on Tuesday, the 19th....
Here one is exactly shut up as if one was in a menagerie, walking round and round like a tame bear.

One breathes here also a mixture of all sorts of moist compounds, which one is told is fresh air, but which is not the least like it.

I suppose, however, that my neighbour in Holland, where they have not even got a hill as high as yours in Buckingham Gardens, would consider Laeken as an Alpine country.