PARIS, _March 24, 1859_.
Were you free to-day? To my distress, I supposed I was engaged for the
whole day, which prevented me from writing and asking to see you. At the
last moment I found myself perfectly free, with all the chagrin that you
may imagine.
I am glad if my article on Prescott’s work has pleased you. I am not too
well satisfied with it myself, because I have not said half of what I
wished to say, in accordance with the aphorism of Philip II, that one
should speak only well of the dead. The work is really mediocre, and not
even interesting. It seems to me that if the author had been less of a
Yankee he might have done something better....