178 
On delivering Lord Hawkesbury's letters to 
Mr. Merry, that gentleman informed him that 
one of the French ministers had, the preceding 
evening, mentioned that Monsieur Otto had 
written in such terms respecting him, that he 
and his colleagues were resolved to pay him 
every mark of the most distinguishedattention. 
Mr. Merry, therefore, advised Mr. West to call 
on the several ministers himself with the letters, 
and leave them with his card. r As the object 
for which the Artist had procured these intro- 
luctions was only to obtain, with more facility, 
access to -the difl'erent' galleries, he was rather 
embarrassed by this information; and would 
have declined delivering the letters altogether ; 
but Mr. Merry said, that, as his arrival in Paris 
was already known to the government, he could 
not with any propriety avoid paying his respects 
to the ministers. 
After delivering his letters and card accord- 
ingly, the hotel Whe1'e he resided was, in the 
course of the week, visited by all the most 
distinguished of the French statesmen; and he 
had the honour of being invited to dine with