I should have supposed that he was at least twenty-two. He has a
pale, tawny complexion, and, altogether, no attractive, amiable, or
intellectual expression; never looks straightforward and openly at
you, and his glance is savage and repulsive. I pitied, in my mind,
all those who were his subjects. I would rather be the wife of a
poor peasant than his favourite princess.
The prince put several questions to me, which Dr. Cassolani, who
stood a few paces from us, interpreted. They were nothing
remarkable, chiefly common-places about my journey. The prince can
read and write in his mother tongue, and has, as I was told, some
idea of geography and history. He receives a few European
newspapers and periodicals from which the interpreter has to make
extracts, and read to him. His opinion of the great revolutions of
the time was, that the European monarchs might have been very good,
but they were most remarkably stupid to allow themselves to be so
easily driven from the throne. He considered that the result would
have been very different if they had had plenty of people strangled.
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