then said, reverting to what had passed before about firing at marks, "You have a great advantage over France in your finances: I have long wished to introduce the use of powder and shot in exercise; but the expense was too great for the country to bear." He examined the sights on the guns, and approved of them highly; asked the weight of metal on the different decks, disapproving of the mixture of different calibres on the quarter-deck and forecastle. I told him the long nines were placed in the way of the rigging, that they might carry the fire from the explosion clear of it, which a carronade would not do: he answered, "That may be necessary, but it must be attended with inconvenience." His enquiries were generally much to the purpose, and showed that he had given naval matters a good deal of consideration. [Footnote 5: They were part of the officers and crew of the AEneas store-ship, mentioned as having been detained on the 18th of June, who were on board the Bellerophon about a week, and were landed at Isle d'Aix, in a chasse-maree, a few days before Buonaparte's arrival there.] [Footnote 6: I was afterwards told, that one of the frigates, at Isle d'Aix, had changed her eighteen pounders for twenty-fours.] On seeing the additional supply of wads for each deck made up along with the shot-boxes, in the form of sophas, with neat canvass covers, he observed, "The French ships of war have all the preparations for action that you have, but they have not the way of combining appearance with utility." We had breakfast about nine o'clock, in the English style, consisting of tea, coffee, cold meat, &c. He did not eat much, or seem to relish it; and when, on enquiry, I found he was accustomed to have a hot meal in the morning, I immediately ordered my steward to allow his Maitre d'Hotel to give directions, that he might invariably be served in the manner he had been used to; and after that we always lived in the French fashion, as far as I could effect that object. During breakfast he asked many questions about English customs, saying, "I must now learn to conform myself to them, as I shall probably pass the remainder of my life in England." The Superb, as I before observed, had been seen in the offing early in the morning, and was now approaching with a light breeze: he asked two or three times how soon she would anchor, seemed very anxious to know whether the Admiral would approve of my having received him; and when I went to wait on Sir Henry Hotham, requested I would say he was desirous of seeing him.