While at Grenada I occasionally breakfasted with Major Growtowski of the 9th Polonois, with whom I had formed an intimacy, as well as with some other officers of the same corps, who were in general persons of rank and property in Poland, and whose polite manners had procured them a favourable reception at Grenada. The conversation between the Major and myself often turned on politics, and whenever I expressed my surprise that a warlike nation, with a population of fifteen millions, a large army of hardy troops, and a compact territory, capable by its nature of an easy defence, should submit to a foreign dominion, his answer always was, “that of two evils the Poles chose the least; for that if they were not allies of France, they would probably become the slaves of Russia; that they were under obligations to the former, for having in some measure restored them their country; and finally that every Pole, abhorring the  unjust partition of their kingdom, naturally felt the most implacable hatred for the sharers in the spoils, and therefore thought any alternative better than  subjection to them.” These sentiments I could, however, easily perceive, proceeded from the temporary impression made on the Major by constantly hearing extolled the grandeur of the French empire, and the munificence of its sovereign. Indeed, nothing could be more tiresome than the eternal praises of the Emperor, which formed the chief topic of conversation at Sebastiani’s parties. With a solemnity of countenance and a measured tone, so conspicuous in French oratory, the General would every day at table treat us with a panegyric on the virtues and exploits of his master, of which the following was usually the burthen; “Messieurs, l’Empereur est un homme sans défaut, c’est le seul homme au monde avec taut de pouvoir à qui personne ne peut faire la moindre reproche.” Or, “Messieurs, l’Empereur est le plus grand homme, le plus grand  héros qui a jamais paru;” and then he would draw a comparison with Cesar or Alexander, both of whom, of course, were imbéciles to Napoleon. At length I got so disgusted with this nonsense, that finding no hero in Grecian or Roman history equal to Buonaparte, I sought to match him in more remote antiquity, and compared him to Nimrod, who was a mighty one on the earth, and a mighty hunter before the Lord. The ridicule which this comparison threw on the subject produced the effect I Wished, in preventing a repetition of such fulsome panegyrics, both in the General’s societies and in the other circles where his suite retailed his oratorical declamations respecting the French monarch.

Hitherto the whole of the prisoners were confined in the Alhambra, and the Germans and other foreigners being much more numerous than the English, frequent quarrels arose, which usually terminating in battles, induced me to apply for their separation, which was granted without difficulty.

The return of the spitting of blood and an oppression in my chest, obliging me to seek for medical assistance, I applied to Major Growtowski for his surgeon, a Pole, who accordingly visited me, and endeavoured to make himself understood in a mixed jargon of French, Spanish, Hungarian, and Polish. I soon discovered that little dependence was to be placed upon his skill. I, however, allowed him to bleed me, but prescribed for myself some cooling medicines and a low diet, which in a few days produced a considerable amendment in my health and spirits. When sufficiently recovered, Madame Milliones, my landlady, was obliging enough to give a grand ball on my account, a civility I could have gladly dispensed with; but as she would not listen to such a proposition, I was obliged to submit to suffer her kindness. There were several Polish officers at this ball, but not one Frenchman; and the former being all violin players, each took it in turn to act as fiddler, there being no regular musicians. Waltzes and English country dances chiefly prevailed; but the Spanish tunes are so different from ours, that it was scarcely possible to adapt any figure to them; besides, the ladies being at our gentlemen’s side of the dance, made it exceedingly awkward to me, for my landlady would not even excuse me from dancing, and as the figures were called English, the company naturally looked to me for instruction.

When the dances were over, I was in hopes I should be allowed to remain quiet but, on the contrary, blindman’s buff commenced, in which I was also obliged to join, to prevent myself being eternally importuned by the ladies. This diversion differs something from ours of the same name; the person blindfolded has a cane in his hand, with which he endeavours to touch one of the company who dance round him, and when he has succeeded, all stand still, and he guesses the name of the person touched; if right, this person takes his place. Another amusement of the evening was mewing like cats; aid between the acts of blindman’s buff, a solemn looking old gentleman several times pushed open the door from outside, made a short speech, with a variety of ridiculous grimaces, and ran out again, every time receiving the loudest applause from the company. This kind of childish nonsense, indeed, pervades all the domestic diversions of the Spaniards, and has often made me heartily tired of their parties. The entertainment was given in my apartments, and when the company were about to retire, at three o’clock in the morning, and I was in hopes of getting some repose, a violent thunder storm commenced, and detained them an hour longer.

The following day (October 24) I was introduced by the intendant Chevalier to Madame Quesada and her amiable daughter; this lady’s husband had been Governor of Minorca, when it was taken by Sir Charles Stewart. She asked me many questions respecting the island, and having been there some time, I was enabled to answer to her satisfaction. I often visited this interesting family afterwards, and the young lady obligingly undertook to improve me in the Spanish language. In my intercourse with Spanish families, I could not help remarking the listless indolence in which the females doze away their lives; never have I seen a book or a needle in their hands, and their sole occupation seems to be playing with pet animals, particularly cats and dogs. Besides a monkey, several parrots and some pigeons, my landlady had four little curs, whose barking and snarling made them complete nuisances; she had also a large and a small cat, for each of which a proportionate sized hole was cut in the bottom of every door, not recollecting, I suppose, that the small cat could pass through the large hole; however this might be, the current of air that these holes admitted counterbalanced the effects of the brasier, and made the apartments most uncomfortable.

During my stay at Grenada, I often rode about the environs with the General, who was always attended by a numerous suite and a strong guard, many straggling Frenchmen having been lately murdered close to the town. On these occasions the whole cavalcade always passed through the villages at full gallop, in order to strike the inhabitants with astonishment and awe. In one excursion we visited a convent of Chartreux about a mile from Grenada, of which the monks, twenty-five in number, had been either massacred or expelled. This edifice is beautifully situated, commanding an extensive view, and contains several spacious reception rooms, in one of which were now collected several statues of Saints, some valuable pictures, chiefly of Spagnioletto and Murilla, and a quantity of church plate, the plunder of other religious buildings. These objects as well as the edifice are in charge of Monsieur d’Aguillar, who resides in elegant apartments in the building, and to whose handsome wife the general was said to be partial.

The Sacristie of this convent is particularly worthy of notice, from its light and elegant appearance, and the good taste it exhibits. The tables which surround it are of the most valuable marbles, and of exquisite workmanship, and the whole are said to be the performance of one man. While viewing the valuable articles of church furniture collected here, Sebastiani declaimed on the oppressive taxes the Spaniards must have borne, to furnish religious ornaments alone, and the advantages that must result from the abolition of monastic institutions. Here I could not help reflecting, that if plundering the churches was for the good of the country, the French had certainly taken a most lively interest in its welfare. This idea I however kept to myself, as well as most others that did not coincide with those of the General, whose armour-propre would have made it very difficult to convince him he was mistaken, and more particularly so as his ipse dixit was always received as an immutable truth by every one around him.

One of my daily promenades was to the Carera, where, when the weather is fine, an immense concourse of people assemble at three o’clock in the afternoon. This walk is formed by a long street, which had lately been widened and ornamented, and at its extremity is a wood, intersected by pleasant alleys. However the present contest may terminate, it must be admitted that the Spaniards will be indebted to the French for many works both of utility and ornament, which under their old lethargic government would probably have never been thought of. Among other public works commenced by the French at Grenada, are a bridge of a single arch over the Xenil, and a theatre, on which a vast number of workmen were now employed, in order to finish it before the General’s birthday, on which, as I have before said, it is to be opened. The contrast between this edifice and the old theatre is striking, the latter being a heavy and gloomy building, without ornaments either external or internal, while the former is light and airy, with decorations approaching to the tawdry; one reminds us of the sober seriousness of the Spaniard, the other of the gay flippancy of the Frenchman. The orchestra in the French theatre is constructed on a new principle, apparently well calculated for the diffusion of sound. The boxes are gaudily painted, and on the fronts alternately is a gilt eagle and an N. which reminded me of the pun of a Frenchman, who, on visiting the Thuilleries, and observing this letter on every side, exclaimed, “Ma foi, il a des N. mis partout!” An Englishman is satisfied with the government while he can grumble out his constitutional discontent without control or restraint; a Frenchman, on the contrary, consoles himself in every stage of oppression with a pun or bon mot; and in this respect his language is peculiarly happy, but whether from its perfection or imperfection I will not pretend to determine.

In the evening of October 25, I accompanied my landlady and her daughter to a tertulia at Madame Caracaos, where we found a number of old ladies crowded round a brasier in an apartment just sufficiently lighted to make darkness visible. On our arrival a play was commenced resembling our Hunt the Slipper, to which succeeded a dance, and in both of which I was obliged to join, having the young lady of the house for my partner in the dance. There was not a Frenchman present, nor have I met one of them at any Spanish house, except the Duchess of Goa’s. The exercise of the evening brought on a return of my complaint, and obliged me to have recourse again to the Polish doctor’s lancet, which, together with the application of a strong blister and quiet living for a day or two, once more gave me relief.

October 30, being able to quit the house, I visited the cathedral, a fine building, with a superb dome supported by twelve large columns, the ceiling well painted and ornamented with several gilt figures. Over the colonnade are two rows of balconies richly gilt, and behind the grand altar a chapel, with several monuments, particularly those of Ferdinand and Isabella, and of Philip the First and his queen. The sacristie is very rich, the altar being of valuable marble, and the tables of scarce and curious dark coloured woods, inlaid with gold and ivory, which has a fine effect. Among the valuables collected in this apartment are the crowns of Ferdinand and Isabella, and a considerable quantity of rich church plate and ornaments, which however formed but a portion of what it formerly possessed, the French having considerably stripped it; and indeed it is probable that what remains has been only left not too far to outrage the feelings of the people, and that they will be carried off at some other opportunity.

The same morning I was invited to accompany General Sebastiani to breakfast with General Purmerent, who informed me that this repast should be entirely à la Provençale, and he kept his word so minutely that I never desire to partake of such another; every dish, whatever might be its other ingredients, contained such an abominable mixture of garlic and rancid oil, that those of the company who could command their stomachs so far as to get some of them down, were ill for several days after; indeed the General and his aide-de-camp seemed alone to relish the breakfast. This General had been Ambassador to the United States, where he picked up a few words of English; amongst which, “G–– d–– your eyes, how do you do?” was the most expressive, and his usual salutation to me.