Putting Deutz[295] and Judas on one side, I recognise in M. Thiers a supple, prompt, shrewd and malleable mind, perhaps the heir to the future, capable of comprehending everything, except the greatness that comes from moral order. Free from jealousy, pettiness and prejudice, he stands out against the tame and obscure background of the mediocrities of the time. His excessive pride is not yet odious, because it does not consist in despising others. M. Thiers possesses resources, variety, fortunate gifts; he troubles little about differences of opinion, bears no malice, is not afraid of compromising himself, does justice to a man, not for his probity or for what he thinks, but for what he is worth: which would not prevent him from having us all strangled, in case of need. M. Thiers is not what he is able to be: years will modify him, unless the elation of self-love should place obstacles in the way. If his brain stands firm and he is not carried away by some headstrong act, public life will reveal unheeded superior qualities in him. He must soon rise or fall; the chances are that M. Thiers will either become a great minister or remain a marplot. [Sidenote: Lost opportunities.] M. Thiers has already been wanting in resolution at a time when he held the fate of the world in his hands: if he had given the order to attack the English Fleet, with the superior force that we had in the Mediterranean, our success was assured; the Turkish and Egyptian Fleets, lying together in the harbour of Alexandria, would have come to swell our fleet; a success obtained over England would have electrified France. We should have at once found 150,000 men to enter Bavaria and fling themselves upon some point in Italy, where nothing was prepared in prevision of an attack. The whole world might once more have changed its aspect. Would our aggression have been a just one? That is another affair; but we could have asked Europe whether it had acted loyally towards us in the treaties, or whether, abusing their victory, Russia and Germany had enlarged their territory beyond measure, while France had been reduced to her old clipped frontiers. Be this as it may, M. Thiers did not dare play his last card; looking upon his life, he did not think himself sufficiently supported, and yet it was because he was staking nothing that he might have played for all. We have fallen under the feet of Europe; such an opportunity to recover ourselves will perhaps not occur for long. [Illustration: M. Thiers.] In the last result, M. Thiers, in order to save his system, has reduced France to a space of fifteen leagues which he has made to bristle with fortresses; we shall soon see if Europe is right in laughing at this piece of child's play on the part of the great thinker.