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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b91e9b8 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #52991 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52991) diff --git a/old/52991-8.txt b/old/52991-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5d8ffe7..0000000 --- a/old/52991-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5667 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Waterloo Days, by Charlotte Annie Waldie Eaton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Waterloo Days - The narrative of an Englishwoman resident at Brussels in June 1815 - -Author: Charlotte Annie Waldie Eaton - -Release Date: September 5, 2016 [EBook #52991] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WATERLOO DAYS *** - - - - -Produced by MWS, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - WATERLOO DAYS; - - THE NARRATIVE OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN - RESIDENT AT BRUSSELS IN JUNE, 1815. - - BY - - CHARLOTTE A. EATON, - - AUTHOR OF "ROME IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY," - "AT HOME AND ABROAD," - ETC. - - _NEW EDITION._ - - WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND APPENDIX - BY EDWARD BELL, M.A. - - LONDON: GEORGE BELL & SONS, YORK STREET, - COVENT GARDEN. - 1888. - - - - - LONDON: - - PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, - STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. - - - - -INTRODUCTION.[1] - - -The following little book which was first published within two years -of the events which it describes, was republished in 1852, after some -revision by the author, under the title of "The Days of Battle." It has -now been out of print for a considerable time, but its merits as a very -graphic and interesting description of those few momentous days which -have left their mark on English literature no less than on the history -of Europe, are sufficient, it is believed, to justify its republication -in a popular series. - -Though it was first published anonymously as a "Narrative of a few -days' Residence in Belgium with some account of a visit to the field of -Waterloo, by an Englishwoman," it has so much personal interest that -the reader will, doubtless, be glad to know something of its author, -more especially as she is favourably known by other works, and with -other members of her family has claims upon the memory of a younger -generation. - -Miss Charlotte Anne Waldie, the lady in question, was born 28 -September, 1788, and was the second of three daughters of George -Waldie, Esq., of Hendersyde Park, near Kelso, Roxburghshire, and Forth -House, Newcastle-on-Tyne. There were also two sons, one of whom is -mentioned in the following pages, but they both died without issue. -The eldest daughter, Maria Jane, married in 1812 Mr. Richard Griffith, -the distinguished civil engineer, who was appointed by Government sole -commissioner for the general valuation of Ireland, and was the author -of the famous geological map of that country. After more than forty -years of arduous public service, during a large part of which he was -President of the Board of Works in Ireland, he was created a baronet; -and his son, Sir George R. Waldie-Griffith, inherited Mr. Waldie's -estates. - -The youngest of the three sisters, Jane, was an accomplished painter, -and her pictures are to be met with in many institutions in the north -of England. She also had considerable literary talent, and wrote a work -entitled "Sketches descriptive of Italy," which was published in four -volumes in 1820. She married Captain, afterwards Admiral, Watts, of -Langton Grange, near Staindrop, Darlington, but unfortunately died in -early life. - -Charlotte, the sister with whom we are chiefly concerned, accompanied -her brother and younger sister, as is hereafter related, on a visit to -Brussels, in June, 1815, when it had temporarily and hastily become the -headquarters of the army under Wellington. The allied forces, as every -one supposed, were to meet and crush Napoleon, who had just returned -from Elba, before he had time to take the offensive. But his movements -were more rapid than had been anticipated, and the Belgian capital, -crowded with non-combatants of both sexes, instead of being merely a -point of departure, suddenly found itself the central point of the seat -of war. The pen of Thackeray has well adapted this dramatic situation -to the purposes of fiction; but in the following pages we have the -circumstances brought before us with all the vividness which actual -experience only can give. A few weeks later the two sisters visited the -field of Waterloo, and a short narrative of the battle written by one, -and illustrated by the pencil of the other, was published anonymously -by Murray, and rapidly went through ten editions. - -In the course of the next year the two sisters rejoined their brother -in France, and went on with him to Italy, and it was then, as explained -in the author's preface, that the following account, which incorporated -the previous narrative, made its appearance. - -In 1817-18 Miss Charlotte Waldie was again in Italy, and in 1820 -published, still anonymously, her best known work, "Rome in the -Nineteenth Century."[2] This work gives the result of her own -experience and observation, and is written in the personal style which, -when it is combined, as in her case it is, with cultivated taste and -sensible criticism, is not to be equalled in interest by any formal -description. Notwithstanding the many changes which recent research -and excavation have wrought in the descriptive topography of Rome the -book is still useful to travellers, and is largely quoted by the latest -popular writer on the subject.[3] - -In the same year her sister published her "Sketches in Italy," -above referred to. Two years later Charlotte Waldie married Stephen -Eaton, Esq., banker, of Stamford, and of Ketton Hall, Rutland. A few -years afterwards she published a story in three volumes, entitled -"Continental Adventures." - -Mrs. Eaton's last work, "At Home and Abroad," was published in 1831. In -1851 she prepared a new edition, the fifth, of "Rome in the Nineteenth -Century," in two volumes, with illustrations, for Bohn's Illustrated -Library, and in 1852 she revised the present work for the same -publisher. She died on 28 April, 1859, in the seventy-first year of her -age. - -The following reprint differs only from the author's last edition in -respect to the title and the appended notes. It must be remembered -that the few details of the battle of Waterloo are based upon the -reports current at the time, and have since been supplemented or -corrected in various ways. In all that came under the writer's own -observation there is no room for doubt as to her correctness, and -her picture of Brussels during the days of battle is corroborated by -another account, also by a lady and an English writer, namely, the -well-known Fanny Burney, who was then the wife of General D'Arblay, a -French officer in the service of Louis XVIII. Madame D'Arblay, being -unsuccessful in an attempt to leave the city by canal-boat, spent some -weeks in Brussels, but pre-occupied as she was by the absence of her -husband she exercised less observation on what was going on around -her, and her account is far less graphic than that of her younger -fellow-countrywoman. Nor did she visit the field of battle, and realize -in an equal degree the terrible penalty which war exacts from victors -as well as vanquished.[4] Whilst military glories are held to be worthy -of commemoration, it is fitting that such details should not be left -untold. And in truth the campaign of Waterloo has memories which an -Englishman cannot afford to lose. If a righteous and unselfish cause -may hallow the horrors of those days, it is not well to ignore them -altogether. If a cool and confident intrepidity on the part of a -leader, if daring disregard of life in comparison with duty on the -part of his officers, if resolute and patient endurance for hours, of -rank and file, under repeated charge, or still more deadly storm of -lead--if, in short, courage and fortitude, well employed, are virtues -not yet out of date, the tale of Waterloo should still be told, and -this little book, genuine as it is, has still its testimony to add -thereto. - - E.B. - - - - -AUTHOR'S PREFACE. - - -This little Narrative is the simple and faithful account of one who was -a spectator of the scenes she describes, and a witness of the events -she relates, during those days of desperate conflict and unparalleled -victory which must be for ever memorable in British history, and -interesting to every British heart. It was written whilst the -impression of those eventful scenes was yet fresh upon the mind: and -the thoughts and feelings which such awful and affecting circumstances -were irresistibly calculated to inspire, were expressed without -restraint, in the full security of the sympathy and approbation of the -partial friends for whose perusal alone this Narrative was intended. - -During the absence of the Author in Italy in 1816, the members of her -family in England sent the manuscript to the late Mr. Murray, and it -was already in the press before she received any intimation of its -intended publication. - -The Author must be permitted most earnestly to disclaim all idea of -entering into competition with the writers whose talents and genius -have been so well employed in describing the battle and the field of -Waterloo. They were not, however, like the Author, on the spot at the -time; they were pilgrims who afterwards visited the memorable scenes -of these glorious events, and wrote from report: they related the -past--she described the present. - -Conscious of her inadequacy to a theme on which all that can be said -falls so far short of what must be felt; impossible as it is to do -justice to the achievements of that gallant army who have been the -champions, the conquerors, and the deliverers of the world, and -to whom, under Heaven, Europe owes her security, and England her -glory--the writer yet ventures to hope, that the generous indulgence -of a British public will be extended to this humble attempt to record -the proofs displayed on those glorious "days of battle," of their -heroic valour in combat, their noble magnanimity in victory, and -their unshaken fortitude in suffering--faintly and feebly as they are -described by - - AN ENGLISHWOMAN. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 1: I have to thank Mr. C.O. Eaton, J.P., of Tolethorpe Hall, -Stamford, for his assistance in preparing this account of his mother's -various writings; and Mr. George Hooper, author of "Waterloo, the -Downfall of the First Napoleon," for kindly revising the notes at the -end of the volume.] - -[Footnote 2: The first edition was published by Constable, Edinburgh; a -second edition was brought out by Murray in 1826.] - -[Footnote 3: See "Walks in Rome," by Augustus J.C. Hare.] - -[Footnote 4: There is another small book published shortly before this, -"A Visit to Flanders in July, 1815," by James Simpson (Edinburgh, -1815), which also gives an account of the field a few weeks after the -battle. Müffling's "Passages from my Life," and Kincaird's "Adventures -in the Rifle Brigade," also give some interesting details of Brussels -on the eve of Waterloo.] - - - - -THE DAYS OF BATTLE. - -JUNE 1815. - - -On Saturday, the 10th of June, 1815, my brother, my sister, and myself, -sailed from the pier of Ramsgate at three in the afternoon, in company -with Sir Neil Campbell, the celebrated Knight of Elba, Major Wylie, of -the Royal Fusiliers, extra aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, a -Mr. N., an English merchant; together with an incongruous assemblage -of horses, dogs, and barouches; Irish servants, French valets, and -steerage passengers, too multifarious to mention, all crowded together -into a wretched little packet. On Sunday evening, the 11th of June, -we found ourselves, after a passage of thirty-six hours, many miles -distant from Ostend, lying at anchor in a dead calm, and without a -hope of reaching it till the following morning. To escape remaining -another night amidst the discomforts of this packet, without food, -for we had eaten up all our provisions; and without sleep, for we -had experimentally proved that none was to be got, our three selves, -and our three companions in misfortune, the Knight, the Major, and -the Merchant, embarked in a crazy little boat, about nine o'clock -in a beautiful summer's evening, as the sun was sinking in golden -splendour, and trusted ourselves to the mercy of the waves. The tide -was running strong against the rowers, and night closed in long before -we approached the shore; but though the light of the heavens had -faded, the ocean was illuminated with that beautiful phosphoric fire -so well known in warmer latitudes. The most brilliant magic light -played upon the surface of the waters, and marked the path of our -little vessel through the deep, with the softest, purest radiance; -the oars seemed to be moving through liquid fire, and every drop, as -it dashed from them, sparkled like the blaze of a diamond: the little -rippling waves, as they curled their heads, were covered with the same -transparent ethereal fire, which would mock the powers of the poet's -fancy, "glancing from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven," to -embody or describe. It is more like the pale beam the glow-worm sheds -from his evening lamp than anything on earth, but ten thousand times -more bright and more beautiful. By such a light Oberon and his Queen, -attended by their band of tiny sprites, might have held their midnight -revels, amidst the bowers and halls of fairyland; and by such a light, -enchanted spirits in happier worlds might be supposed to slumber. This -soft, transparent, _unearthly_ light gleaming around us, and kindling -at every touch in living brightness over the waters; the calm and -glassy stillness of the wide extended ocean; the softened glow that -lingered in the western sky; and the mild breath of evening, made our -passage to the shore, slow as it was, most delightful. It was a night -calculated to soothe every unquiet passion into rest, and in which the -imagination loved to indulge in dreams of delight and beauty. The -heart must have been cold that did not feel the harmony of nature, and -the spirit turbulent that did not partake of its repose: everything -seemed to have been touched by the hand of enchantment. But the magic -spell was dissolved, and the visions of fancy faded away in a moment; -for we suddenly struck upon the sands, when we seemed still far from -the shore; waves of apparent fire dashed into the boat; and the sturdy -sailors, abandoning their oars, seized upon us without the smallest -ceremony, and carried us literally through fire and water to the beach. - -Thus were we thrown, late at night, and in the dark, upon a foreign -coast, uncertain which way to direct our steps through the deep, -deserted, trackless sands that surrounded us; forewarned of the rapid -approach of the tides upon this coast, and wholly at a loss in what -direction lay the town, or how to get admittance through the sentry -posts, at such an hour, if we did reach it. Yet under these appalling -circumstances, I cannot say that we felt the smallest alarm, or even a -momentary uncomfortable situation: we had no fear of being drowned, nor -the remotest idea that any more serious mischief could befal us than -spending the night upon the sands, of which, however, there seemed to -be much probability. Luckily for us, this Mr. N. proved a most able -pilot; he had frequently been at Ostend before, and led the way with -great sagacity, in spite of the darkness in which we were involved. -We were all loaded with travelling bags, or parcels of some sort, for -it was with difficulty the little nutshell of a boat contained our -six selves, and all the servants were left in the vessel. We were -each, therefore, obliged to carry all that we wanted of our travelling -equipments; and thus burdened, and sinking every step ankle deep -in the heavy sands, we reached at last, with considerable toil, the -fortifications, and were immediately hailed by the soldier on guard. We -declared ourselves to be "friends," but in vain; friends or foes were -all the same to the sentry; we might have lain all night in the ditch, -for anything he cared; for his orders were positive, to admit no person -into the garrison, without the express order of the commandant after -dark. But the cocked hat, aide-de-camp's uniform, and authoritative -tone of Major Wylie carried us all through. He declared "that he and -his party were going to join the army with speed;" and, although some -of us must have struck the sentry as not being likely to prove a very -valuable reinforcement to the troops, he did not venture to make any -further opposition, and we all entered Ostend. Although we came "in -such a questionable shape," we obtained admittance into "La Cour -Impériale," where we got an excellent supper, which was particularly -acceptable to some of us, who had eaten nothing all day, excepting -a bit of bread. We then went to bed, where we enjoyed the sweets of -undisturbed repose, with a zest which none but those who have spent a -suffocating, sick, and sleepless night in a wretched little berth on -board a packet, can understand. - -Next day, after viewing the fortifications, which, although they had -been recently repaired by the English, could no longer stand the -long sieges which have made Ostend famous in history, we proceeded -to Bruges, walked about in the rain till late at night, to visit the -beautiful Hôtel de Ville, and other public buildings of that fine -old city; and rose early the next morning to see the churches of San -Sauveur and Notre Dame, and the magnificent tombs of Charles the -Bold and his daughter. Already the churches were crowded with pious -Catholics, whose attention was sadly distracted from their devotion by -our appearance: sometimes they whispered an Ave Maria with the utmost -fervency of prayer; and sometimes an half-uttered exclamation of wonder -burst from their lips; sometimes they resolutely resumed counting their -beads, and sometimes their eyes involuntarily rested on our foreign -figures with the broad stare of curiosity. - -We left Bruges in the same bark which had once conveyed Napoleon -Buonaparte to that city, and which is now used as a côche d'eau. It -contained 150 people of every sort and description, from the courtiers -of Louis XVIII. down to Flemish peasants; all of whom, however, were -obliging, talkative, attentive, flattering, and amusing. After dining -on board, and spending a most entertaining day, we arrived in the -evening at Ghent. - -The whole of Wednesday we spent in this ancient city, and though its -extent is so great as to have been the subject of a well-known imperial -quibble,[5] I believe we left but little of it unexplored. We visited -its magnificent cathedral, whose walls, pillars, roofs, columns, and -pulpits are formed of the richest polished marble of every varying -hue, and carved with exquisite skill; and whose sculptured ornaments, -the work of ages when the statuary's art was in high perfection, -seemed almost to start to life before our eyes. We explored the deep -sepulchral gloom of its subterranean church; visited the costly shrines -of all the saints; contemplated the ancient and decaying monasteries, -which were formerly its pride; made a most indefatigable research -after cabinets of paintings; and wandered with the utmost perseverance -through its abominable streets. We saw the balcony in which the monster -Vandamme, in the bloody times of the Revolution, used to stand, day -after day, to see victims led out, at his bidding, to the guillotine. -In its altered scenes, we now beheld loyal Bourbon beaux in gold -epaulettes, and smart Flemish belles, in French fashions, laughing and -flirting. We, like them, paraded in its gay promenade, and rambled -through the perfumed walks and exotic bowers of its beautiful Botanic -Garden. The City of Ghent seemed to be restored to some traces of its -ancient grandeur by the temporary residence of the Bourbon princes, -and the little expatriated court of Louis XVIII. I had never been able -to feel any extravagant degree of attachment to this unfortunate royal -family: their restoration had not given me any enthusiastic joy, nor -their fall much sorrow; and even the honour of paying my devoirs to -Louis le Désiré, and exchanging some profound and reverential bows and -courtesies with his most Catholic Majesty, failed to inspire me with -much interest or admiration for this persecuted, princely race. These -bows, by the way, cost the good old king considerable time and labour, -for he is extremely unwieldy and corpulent, and gouty; and he looks -very lethargic and snuffy; and it is really a thousand pities that an -exiled and dethroned monarch should be so remarkably uninteresting a -personage. - -Early in the morning of Thursday, the 15th of June, we left the City of -Ghent, passed its ancient walls, and crossed the "lazy Scheldt," which -is here but a small stream, and belies the epithet Goldsmith applies -to its more advanced course; for it runs with considerable rapidity. -We proceeded along the straight, undeviating line of the broad, flat -chaussée, or paved road, that leads to Brussels. It is bordered on each -side with rows of tall trees, which form one long interminable avenue, -as far as the eye can reach. We remembered that it was down this very -road that Napoleon Buonaparte had made his triumphant progress through -the Netherlands, and we most devoutly hoped, that neither by this, nor -any other road, he would ever have it in his power to enter them again. - -The country is thickly covered with neat cottages, scattered hamlets, -and small farm-houses: the fields were waving with tall, luxuriant -crops of corn, and far from wearing the appearance of the theatre -of war, it seemed to be the abode of peace and plenty; and hope, -contentment, and hilarity shone in the countenances of the people. The -peasants almost all wore sabots; but the cottage children, bare-footed -and bare-headed, frequently pursued the carriage for miles, keeping -pace with the horses, tumbling as they went along, singing Flemish -patriotic songs, the burden of which was invariably, "Success to the -English, and destruction to the French;" and crying with unwearied -perseverance, "Viv_é_[6] les Anglaises!" "Dat for Napoleon!" expressing -at the same time, by an emphatic gesture, cutting off his head. They -threw bouquets of flowers into the carriage, twisted their little -sun-burnt faces into the most extraordinary grimaces, and kept whirling -round on their hands and feet, in imitation of the rotatory motion of -a wheel. Dr. Clarke, in his Travels, mentions that the children of the -Arabs in Egypt performed the same exploit, and for the same purpose, -that of extorting from the passengers a few sous; nay, even one they -seemed to think a sufficient reward for a laborious chase of more than -a league, and the exhibition of all these fatiguing antics. - -At the little town of Alost, half way to Brussels, we stopped to -dine. It was the head-quarters of the Duc de Berri, and the streets, -the promenades, and the caffés looked gay. There is a pleasant walk, -shaded by trees, round the ramparts; for, this little town, like -every other in the Netherlands, was formerly fortified; although its -dismantled walls no longer afford any means of defence. A violent -shower of rain obliged us to take refuge, in rather an unceremonious -manner, in a small house, the mistress of which, who was preparing -to take her afternoon's coffee (though it was only one o'clock), -received us with the utmost courtesy and kindness. Short as our stay -was beneath her roof, it was long enough for her to express with great -energy her detestation of Napoleon and of the French; which she said -was universal throughout Belgium. We had a good deal of conversation -with her upon this subject, and upon the past and present state of -Belgium.--"Ah, madame! before they came among us," she said, "this was -a very different country. Then we were rich, and good, and happy." -She lamented over the trade, the manufactories, the commerce they had -destroyed; the contributions they had exacted; the fine young men they -had seized as conscripts; the convents they had ruined; the priests -and "les bonnes religieuses" they had turned to the door. Wherever we -had gone before, and wherever we afterwards went, we heard the same -sentiments from every tongue, and we saw the most unequivocal signs -of the inveterate hatred of the Belgic people towards their former -rulers. It bursts out spontaneously, as if they could not suppress it; -their whole countenances change; their eyes sparkle with indignation; -their very gestures are eloquent, and they seem at a loss for words -strong enough to express the bitterness of their detestation. This -surprised us not a little, as in England we had been taught to believe -that the French were popular in this country; but we were at length -convinced of our mistake. It is the _English_, not the French, who are -popular in Belgium; and it was far more gratifying than any individual -distinction could have been, to find that we were everywhere received -with marked attention and respect for the sake of our country, and that -the name of England is everywhere beloved and honoured. - -At the village of Ashe, half way between Alost and Brussels, while I -was buying in a little shop a basket of "gateaux sucrés," for which the -place is famous, two Belgic ladies, who happened to be there, entered -into conversation with me, with all the ease of foreign manners, -and uttered the same energetic invective against their late French -Government, and animated praise of the English, which we heard from -every tongue during our stay in Belgium. These people evidently speak -from their hearts: and yet in manners, in customs, in ancient ties, -in modern predilections, and even in language, they are French. Their -deep-rooted hatred, therefore, of the people to whom they were so -firmly attached, must have sprung from very flagrant wrongs, and very -galling oppression. - -Alost is situated on the little river Dender, and from the road we -caught a glimpse of the spire of Dendermond, so famous for its siege -by the Allies in the last century. We were now in a country which had -repeatedly been, in every age, the seat of war, and in which England -had already gained immortal glory. In retracing the proud history of -her past triumphs, and her recent and not less brilliant conquests, -we felt the firm assurance that in those scenes where the British -under the Duke of Marlborough had, in the eighteenth century, won the -glorious victories of Oudenarde, Ramillies, and Malplaquet, the British -under the Duke of Wellington, in the nineteenth century, would gain -fresh laurels and immortal renown, and raise still higher the glory of -their country's arms. - -After leaving Alost, the country became more rich and undulating. -Instead of a dull, dead flat, which we had before traversed, sloping -grounds, and distant hills, and sheltered valleys diversified the -prospect. The woods rose in prouder beauty, and the fields were -dressed in brighter verdure and richer luxuriance; and as we passed -through those smiling scenes, and saw the husbandman pursuing his -peaceful labours, the cottage wife busy with her household cares, -and the merry groups of haymakers spread over the fragrant meadows, -we rejoiced in the hope that the hand of the spoiler would never lay -waste these fruitful fields, nor burn these peaceful hamlets, and -that these contented peasants would never again be torn from their -homes to fight in the cause of unprincipled ambition, and become in -turn the instruments of that oppression of which they had been the -victims. It was with a feeling of pride for our country we indulged -the thought that it was to England they owed their security; that it -was her protecting arm which interposed the impenetrable shield of -her armies between them and the tyranny and usurpation of France. We -could not but rejoice that since the awful struggle must be made, its -horrors--if inevitable--would, at least, be distant;--that since the -awful thunderbolt of war must fall, it would descend, in all human -probability, upon that country which had raised the storm; and that -France herself would at length be visited by some part of the dreadful -calamities which she had so long and so mercilessly inflicted upon -other nations.[7] - -Short sighted mortals! while we fondly indulged these hopes, and -exulted in the blessings of security and peace, how little did we -suspect that the most aggravated horrors of war were ready to burst -over our heads; how little did we foresee the rapid changes and -alarming events which even this very day was destined to produce; and -while we watched the sun sinking in glory in the western sky, how -little did we dream of the scenes that were to pass before the dawn of -morning! In all the bliss of ignorance, however, we journeyed along, -admiring from afar the lofty towers and spires of Brussels, and its -crowded roofs clustering round the steep sides of a hill, in the midst -of a rich and cheerful country, and thinking with joyful and impatient -anticipation of the well-known faces of the beloved friends whom we -were to meet within its walls. - -Near Brussels we passed a body of Brunswick troops (called Black -Brunswickers). They were dressed in black, and mounted upon black -horses, and their helmets were surmounted with tall nodding plumes of -black horsehair, which gave them a most sombre and funereal appearance. -As they slowly moved along the road before us in a long regular -procession, they looked exactly like an immense moving hearse. I -laughed, and observed to my sister, "that one might take this for a -bad omen, and that it reminded me of the mourning wedding-ring in the -Simple Story." Some of these black, ominous looking men kept before us, -and entered Brussels along with us. At first we passed through some -mean, dirty streets, but the appearance of the town soon improved. The -houses are large, ancient, and highly ornamented. There is an air of -grandeur and of architectural design in the towns of Flanders, which -is peculiarly striking, on first coming from the plain, diminutive, -shopkeeper-looking, red brick rows of houses in England. The streets of -Brussels are narrow, but they have that air of bustle, opulence, and -animation, which characterises a metropolis. To us everything was new -and amusing: the people, the dresses, the houses, the shops, the very -signs diverted us. Every notice was stuck up in the French language, -and quite in the French style: the poorest and most paltry shop called -itself a Magazine. Here were Magasins de Modes, Magasins de Souliers, -Magasins de----everything, in short: it was amusing to see the names -of people and trades, that we had only been accustomed to meet with in -French books and plays, stuck up in gilt letters above every shop-door. - -Everything wore a military aspect; and the number of troops of -different nations, descriptions, and dresses, which filled the town, -made it look very gay. Soldiers' faces, or at least their white belts -and red coats, were to be seen at every window; and in our slow -progress through the streets we were delighted to see the British -soldiers, and particularly the Highlanders, laughing and joking, with -much apparent glee, with the inhabitants. On our right we caught a -glimpse of the magnificent spire of the Hôtel de Ville, far exceeding, -in architectural beauty, anything I remember to have seen. We slowly -continued to ascend the windings of the long and steep hill, which -leads from the low to the high town of Brussels, and the upper part of -which is called La Montagne du Parc. Passing on our left the venerable -towers of the Cathedral, we reached at last the summit of this huge -"Montagne;" and the Parc of Brussels, of which we had heard, read, and -talked so much, unexpectedly opened upon us. What a transition from -the dark, narrow, gloomy streets of the low town to the lightness, -gaiety, and beauty of the Parc, crowded with officers in every variety -of military uniform, with elegant women, and with lively parties and -gay groups of British and Belgic people, loitering, walking, talking, -and sitting under the trees! There could not be a more animated, a more -holiday scene; everything looked gay and festive, and everything spoke -of hope, confidence, and busy expectation. - -The Parc of Brussels does not bear the smallest resemblance to what -in England we denominate a park. It is more like a garden enclosed -with iron rails, the interior of which is laid out with gravel-walks, -grass-plots, and parterres, shaded with trees, and ornamented with -fountains[8] and statues. It is quite a promenade, and is exclusively -devoted to pedestrians. The walks are formal, but kept with great -exactness, and the tout ensemble looks gay, inviting, and pleasant. -It is surrounded by a wide street, enclosed by a square of magnificent -houses, in which are the palace of the Prince of Orange, and many -beautiful public buildings. Compared to this grand square, the finest -squares of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, are small and paltry. -Adjoining the Parc is the Place Royale, and so strikingly grand and -imposing is its architecture, that we all uttered an involuntary -exclamation of surprise and admiration as we drove into it. The doors -and windows of the Hôtel Bellevue, and of the Hôtel de Flandre, -adjoining to it, were crowded with British officers. We took possession -of two pleasant rooms in the latter, which had been secured for us by -the kind attention of Sir Neil Campbell. They were in the troisième -étage, and we had a hundred steps to ascend; but we were fortunate in -procuring such good accommodation, as Brussels was extremely crowded. -We had not entered the hotel many minutes, and had not once sat down, -when we recognised our pleasant compagnon de voyage, Major Wylie, -standing in the Place Royale below, encompassed with officers. He saw -us, took off his hat, and, breaking from the people that surrounded -him, darted in at the door of the hotel, and was with us in a minute. -Breathless with haste, he could scarcely articulate that hostilities -had commenced! Our amazement may be conceived: at first we could -scarcely believe him to be in earnest. "Upon my honour," exclaimed -Major Wylie, still panting, and scarcely able to speak, from the haste -with which he had flown up the hundred steps, "it is quite true; and -the troops are ordered to be in readiness to march at a moment's -notice; and we shall probably leave Brussels to-morrow morning." In -answer to our eager inquiries, he then told us that this unexpected -intelligence had only just arrived; that he had that moment left the -Duke of Wellington's table, where he had been dining with a party of -officers; and that, just as the dessert had been set upon the table, -a courier had arrived, bringing dispatches from Marshal Blucher, -announcing that he had been attacked by the French: but although the -fighting was hot, it seemed to be Blucher's opinion that it would most -probably be nothing more than a mere skirmish. While the Duke was -reading the dispatches, the Prince of Orange, General Mufflin, and -some other foreign officers had come in. After a short debate, the -Duke, expecting that the blow would be followed up, and believing that -it was the enemy's plan to crush the English army, and take Brussels, -immediately ordered the troops to be in readiness to take the field -at a moment's notice. "And when did all this happen?--when was this -attack made?" we anxiously inquired. "It took place this afternoon." -"This afternoon!" I exclaimed, in astonishment, and, I suppose, with -looks of consternation, which drew a good-natured smile from Major -Wylie, for we had not been used to hear of battles so near, or fought -the same afternoon. "Yes, it happened this very afternoon," said -Mayor Wylie; "and when the express came away, they were fighting as -hard as ever: but after all, it may prove a mere trifling affair of -outposts--nothing at all." "But are the French in great force? Where -are they? Where are the Prussians? How far off do you suppose all this -fighting is?" were some of the many questions we asked. The fighting -was in the neighbourhood of Charleroi, about half a day's march from -Brussels: nothing certainly was known of the force of the French. In -fact, nothing at all was known, except that the French had this very -day attacked the Prussians, when they were totally unprepared, at a -short distance from us. "However, after all, this may end in nothing," -said Major Wylie, after a pause; "we _may_ have to march to-morrow -morning, or we may not march these three weeks: but the Duke expects -another dispatch from Blucher, and that will settle the business:" and -so saying, Major Wylie went away to dress for a ball. Yes, a ball! for -the Duke of Wellington, and his aides-de-camp, and half of the British -officers, though they expected to go to a battle to-morrow, were going -to a ball to-night, at the Duchess of Richmond's; and to the ball they -did accordingly go. They seemed to say, or to feel, with the Scottish -Chief in Douglas: - - "This night once more - Within these walls we rest: our tents we pitch - To-morrow in the field. Prepare the feast!-- - Free is his heart who for his country fights: - He on the eve of battle may resign - Himself to social pleasure: sweetest then, - When danger to a soldier's soul endears - The human joy that never may return." - -Late as it was, my brother and sister went to call upon Mrs. H., whom -they were impatient to see. They had not been gone many minutes, when -Sir Neil Campbell sent up to ask if I would admit him. I made no -objection: so in he came, looking magnificent, in a full dress uniform, -covered with crosses, clasps, orders, and medals. Behold me, then, -tête-à-tête with this splendid beau, in my own room, between ten and -eleven o'clock at night! In England it would have been extraordinary -enough, to be sure; but in Brussels it was nothing. It was impossible -to receive him, or anybody else, in any other place than a bed-room, -for the Hôtel de Flandre was entirely composed of bed-rooms, all of -which were occupied. Without discomposing myself about the matter, -therefore, I gave Sir Neil Campbell some tea, and we had a long chat -together. He, too, had been dining with the Duke of Wellington, and -had been present when these important dispatches arrived, and from him -I heard a repetition of all that Major Wylie had told us, with the -alarming addition, that the French were said to be upwards of 100,000 -strong, and that Napoleon himself was at the head of the army. It was -generally thought that this attack upon the Prussians was a stratagem -to conceal more effectually his real designs, of surprising Brussels, -and destroying, if possible, at one blow, the English army. It was well -known that the Russians had crossed the Rhine; and Sir Neil Campbell -said _he_ had no doubt that Buonaparte would push forward at all -hazards, and give battle before they could arrive. As Sir Neil Campbell -had certainly reason to know _something_ of Buonaparte, and as these -rapid, unexpected movements were in perfect uniformity with his general -policy, this conjecture seemed but too probable; but we concluded that -the numbers of the French must be prodigiously exaggerated. It seemed -quite incredible that so large an army could have formed, advanced, -and even attacked Marshal Blucher, without his having any knowledge of -their movements; and even if their force was very superior to ours, I -felt confident that they would meet with a very different reception -from that which they expected; and that Napoleon, with every advantage -on his side, would not find the defeat of an English army quite so easy -a thing in practice, as he had always seemed to consider it in theory. -Having settled this point much to our mutual satisfaction, Sir Neil -Campbell went away. My brother and sister returned, and we went to bed. - -But we were not destined long to enjoy the sweets of repose. Scarcely -had I laid my weary head on the pillow, when the bugle's loud and -commanding call sounded from the Place Royale. "Is that the call to -arms?" I exclaimed, starting up in the bed. My sister laughed at the -idea; but it was repeated, and we listened with eager and anxious -suspense. For a few moments a pause of doubt ensued. Hark! again! -it sounded through the silence of the night, and from every quarter -of the town it was now repeated, at short and regular intervals. -"It is the call to arms!" I exclaimed. Instantly the drums beat; -the Highland pibroch sounded----It was the call to arms! Oh! never -shall I forget the feelings of that moment! Immediately the utmost -tumult and confusion succeeded to the silence in which the city had -previously been buried. At half-past two we were roused by a loud -knocking at our room door, and my brother's voice calling to us to -get up instantly, not to lose a moment--that the troops were under -arms--were marching out against the French--and that Major Llewellyn -was waiting to see us before he left Brussels. Inexpressibly relieved -to find that this nocturnal alarm was occasioned by the departure of -Major Llewellyn, not by the arrival of the French, which, in the first -startling confusion of my thoughts, and trepidation of my mind, had -actually entered my head; and much better pleased to meet an old and -kind friend, than to run away from a furious enemy, we got up with the -greatest alacrity, and hastily throwing some clothes about us, flew -to see Llewellyn, who was waiting on the stairs. Short and agitated -indeed was our meeting under such circumstances. By the light of a -candle in my brother's room, we sat down for a few minutes on some -boxes, scarcely able to believe our senses, that all this was real, -and almost inclined to doubt whether it was not a dream: but the din -of war which resounded in our ears too painfully convinced us that it -was no illusion of phantasy:--we could scarcely even "snatch a fearful -joy," for not for a single moment could we banish from our minds the -impression, that in a few moments we must part, perhaps for ever, and -that this hurried interview might prove our last. We could only gaze -intently upon each other, as if to retain a lasting remembrance of the -well-known countenance, should we indeed be destined to meet no more: -we could only utter incoherent words or disjointed speeches. While he -still lingered, we heard his charger, which his servant held in the -court-yard below, neighing and pawing the ground, as if impatient of -his master's delay, and eager to bear him to the field. Our greetings -and adieus were equally hurried. We bade him farewell, and saw him go -to battle. - -It was nearly two years since we had met; and little did we think, when -we parted in the peaceful valleys of Roxburghshire, that our next, -and perhaps our last, meeting would be in Brussels, in the dead of -the night, and on the very eve of battle. He was the same to us as a -brother. He left us then, as now, to fight the battles of his country; -and we trusted that victory and glory would still follow the British -arms, and that he would once more return in honour and safety. - -Just as he left us, the dawn appeared, and, by the faint twilight -of morning, we saw the Place Royale filled with armed men, and with -all the tumult and confusion of martial preparation. All was "hurry -skurry for the field." Officers were looking in vain for their -servants--servants running in pursuit of their masters--baggage -waggons were loading--bât horses preparing--trains of artillery -harnessing.--And amidst the clanking of horses' hoofs, the rolling of -heavy carriages, the clang of arms, the sounding of bugles, and the -neighing of chargers, we distinctly heard, from time to time, the loud, -deep-toned word of command, while the incessant din of hammers nailing -"gave dreadful note of preparation." - -A second express had arrived from Blucher, bringing intelligence that -the French were in much more formidable force than he had imagined; -that the attack was become serious; they had taken Charleroi, and -driven back the Prussians. It was, therefore, necessary for the British -to march immediately to support them. The Duke had received the -dispatches containing this important news in the ball-room. We were -afterwards told, that upon perusing them he seemed for a few minutes to -be absolutely absorbed in a profound reverie, and completely abstracted -from every surrounding object; and that he was even heard to utter -indistinctly a few words to himself. After a pause, he folded up the -dispatches, called one of his staff officers to him, gave the necessary -orders with the utmost coolness and promptitude; and having directed -the army to be put in motion immediately, he himself stayed at the ball -till past two in the morning. The cavalry officers, whose regiments, -for the most part, were quartered in villages about the frontier, ten, -fifteen, and even twenty miles off, flew from the ball-room in dismay, -in search of their horses, and galloped off in the dark, without -baggage or attendants, in the utmost perplexity which way to go, or -where to join their regiments, which might have marched before they -could arrive. Numbers of the officers had been out when the first -order to be in readiness to march was issued, and remained in perfect -ignorance of the commencement of hostilities, until the alarm sounded, -and called them from scenes of festivity and mirth to scenes of war -and bloodshed. As the dawn broke, the soldiers were seen assembling -from all parts of the town, in marching order, with their knapsacks -on their backs, loaded with three days' provision. Unconcerned in -the midst of the din of war, many a soldier laid himself down on a -truss of straw, and soundly slept, with his hands still grasping his -firelock; others were sitting contentedly on the pavement, waiting the -arrival of their comrades. Numbers were taking leave of their wives and -children, perhaps for the last time, and many a veteran's rough cheek -was wet with the tears of sorrow. One poor fellow, immediately under -our windows, turned back again and again, to bid his wife farewell, and -take his baby once more in his arms; and I saw him hastily brush away a -tear with the sleeve of his coat, as he gave her back the child for the -last time, wrung her hand, and ran off to join his company, which was -drawn up on the other side of the Place Royale. - -Many of the soldiers' wives marched out with their husbands to the -field, and I saw one young English lady mounted on horseback, slowly -riding out of town along with an officer, who, no doubt, was her -husband. But even at this interesting moment, when thousands were -parting with those nearest and dearest to their hearts, my gravity was -suddenly overset, and my sorrow turned into mirth, by the unexpected -appearance of a long train of market carts, loaded with cabbages, -green peas, cauliflowers, early potatoes, old women, and strawberries, -peaceably jogging along, one after another, to market. These good -people, who had never heard of battles, and who were perfectly at a -loss to comprehend what could be the meaning of all this uproar, stared -with astonishment at the spectacle before them, and actually gaped with -wonder, as they slowly made their way in their long carts through the -crowds of soldiers which filled the Place Royale. There was something -so inexpressibly ludicrous in the contrast which the grotesque figures -and rustic dresses of these old women presented to this martial hurry -and confusion, that really "_not_ to laugh surpassed all powers of -face," and that I did laugh I must acknowledge, though it was perhaps -very ill-timed levity. Soon afterwards the 42nd and 92nd Highland -regiments marched through the Place Royale and the Parc, with their -bagpipes playing before them, while the bright beams of the rising sun -shone full on their polished muskets, and on the dark waving plumes of -their tartan bonnets. We admired their fine athletic forms, their firm -erect military demeanour and undaunted mien. We felt proud that they -were our countrymen: in their gallant bearing we recognised the true -hardy sons of Caledon, men who would conquer or die; and we could not -restrain a tear at the reflection, how few of that warlike band who now -marched out so proudly to battle might ever live to return. Alas! we -little thought that even before the fall of night these brave men, whom -we now gazed at with so much interest and admiration, would be laid low! - -During the whole night, or rather morning, we stood at the open window, -unable to leave these sights and sounds of war, or to desist for a -moment from contemplating a scene so new, so affecting, and so deeply -interesting to us. Regiment after regiment formed and marched out of -Brussels; we heard the last word of command--March! the heavy measured -uniform tread of the soldiers' feet upon the pavement, and the last -expiring note of the bugles, as they sounded from afar. - -We saw our gallant army leave Brussels with emotions which may be -better imagined than described. They went again to meet that enemy whom -they had so often encountered, and as invariably vanquished; to follow -that general, who, in a long course of years of command devoted to -the service and glory of his country, had never experienced a single -defeat; who had so lately led them from victory to victory, crossed, -in his triumphant march, the plains of Spain, fought his way over the -frozen heights of the Pyrenees, carried conquest and dismay in the very -heart of France, and whose rapid and unparalleled career of conquest -had only been checked by the angel of peace. As we saw the last of our -brave troops march out of Brussels, the recollection of their past -glory, the proud hopes of their present triumph, the greatness of the -contest, upon the issue of which the fate of Europe and the security -of the world depended; the dread of their encounter with the numerous -and formidable hosts of _that man_, whom no treaties could bind, no -adversity could amend, no considerations of justice or humanity could -soften, no laws, divine or human, could restrain, swelled our hearts -with feelings which language is too feeble to express: and our brave -countrymen were followed by our tears, our warmest wishes, and our most -fervent prayers for their safety and success. - -Before seven in the morning, the streets, which had been so lately -thronged with armed men and with busy crowds, were empty and silent. -The great square of the Place Royale no longer resounded with the -tumult and preparations for war. The army were gone, and Brussels -seemed a perfect desert. The mourners they had left behind were shut up -in their solitary chambers, and the faces of the few who were slowly -wandering about the streets were marked with the deepest anxiety and -melancholy. The heavy military waggons, ranged in order, and ready to -move as occasion might require, were standing under the silent guard of -a few sentinels. The Flemish drivers were sleeping in the long tilted -carts destined to convey the wounded; and the horses, ready to harness -at a moment's notice, were quietly feeding on fresh-cut grass by their -side: the whole livelong day and night did these Flemish men and horses -pass in the Place Royale. A few officers were still to be seen, slowly -riding out of town to join the army. The Duke of Wellington set off -about eight o'clock, in great spirits, declaring he expected to be -back by dinner-time; and dinner was accordingly prepared for him. Sir -Thomas Picton, who, like ourselves, had only arrived in Brussels the -day before, rode through the streets in true soldier-like style, with -his reconnoitring glass slung across his shoulders, reining in his -charger as he passed, to exchange salutations with his friends, and -left Brussels--never to return. - -We had a most agreeable surprise at our breakfast-table in the sight -of Major Llewellyn. He had ridden a few miles out of Brussels with -the regiment, and then galloped back with Sir Philip Belson, who also -wished to return. We spent a few hours together, and, embittered as -they were with the prospect of so near and dreadful a separation, there -was much consolation in thus meeting. No expectation was entertained -of any engagement taking place to-day. Sir Philip Belson and Major -Llewellyn, therefore, felt quite at their ease; "being certain," they -said, "of overtaking the regiment _at a place called Waterloo_, where -the men were to stop to cook." Little did any of us then suspect how -memorable to future ages "that place called Waterloo" was destined to -become! We denied ourselves to several idlers, but Sir Neil Campbell, -and Mr. and Mrs. H., succeeded in gaining admittance. - -At last the moment of parting arrived; Sir Philip Belson called for -Major Llewellyn, and, after sitting a few moments, they got up to go -away, and we bade farewell to one who from childhood had been our -friend and companion, and whom we loved as another brother. We could -not but feel how probable it was that we might never see him more; and, -under this impression, some minutes after he had left us, which he had -spent in bidding farewell to my brother below, we ran to the window, -saw Sir Philip Belson and him mount their horses and ride away, and -caught the last glimpse of them as they passed under the gateway of the -Place Royale. Two hours afterwards they were in the thickest of the -battle! - -Although we had not the smallest suspicion that any engagement -could take place to-day, our anxiety for news, both of the French -and Prussians, was extreme; but we could hear nothing but vague, -unauthenticated reports, upon which no reliance could be placed. - -We dined, or rather sat down to dinner, at the table d'hôte, and -afterwards wandered restlessly about the streets, our minds too much -absorbed in the approaching contest, to see, hear, understand, think, -or talk about anything but what related to public events. - -Our consternation may be imagined when we were told that a dreadful -cannonade had been heard from the Parc, in the very direction which our -army had taken, and that it was supposed they must have been attacked -by the French within a few miles of Brussels. At first I was utterly -incredulous; I could not, would not believe it; but, hurrying to the -Parc, we were too soon, too incontestably convinced of the dreadful -truth, by ourselves hearing the awful and almost incessant thunder of -the guns apparently very near to us. For many hours this tremendous -cannonade continued, while, unable to gain any intelligence of what was -passing, ignorant of everything, except of the fact, proclaimed by the -loud and repeated voice of war, that there was a battle, we listened in -a state of terrible uncertainty and suspense, and thought with horror, -in the roar of every cannon, that our brave countrymen were every -moment falling in agony and death. - -Unable to rest, we wandered about, and lingered till a late hour in the -Parc. The Parc! what a different scene did its green alleys present -this evening from that which they exhibited at the same hour last -night! Then it was crowded with the young and the gay, and the gallant -of the British army, with the very men who were now engaged in deadly -strife, and perhaps bleeding on the ground. Then it was filled with -female faces sparkling with mirth and gaiety; now terror, and anxiety, -and grief were marked upon every countenance we met. - -In addition to the general alarm and anxiety, which surpassed -anything it is in my power to describe, we had a particular subject -of solicitude. We had but too much reason to fear that it would be -impossible for Sir Philip Belson and Major Llewellyn to join their -regiment in time for the action. The idea, the very doubt was dreadful. -If _we_ listened to the cannonade with such heart-sinking apprehensions -for them, what must have been _their_ feelings, if, at a distance -from the army, absent without leave, they heard its sounds! After -years of service in various climates and countries, after six long and -glorious campaigns in the Peninsula, would they forfeit, by one act of -imprudence, all the distinction they had obtained by a life devoted -to their country, and be found absent from their post in the hour -of danger! Dear to us as was the life of our friend, his honour was -still dearer; and while every one else was anxiously dreading lest the -battle should be near, and trembling at the reports that prevailed of -its vicinity, I was secretly praying that it might not be distant, and -would have felt inexpressibly relieved to have been assured that it was -within a few miles of Brussels. - -But it was in vain we attempted to discover where it really was. Some -people said it was only six, some that it was ten, and some that it was -twenty miles off. Numbers of people in carriages and on horseback had -gone out several miles on the road which the army had taken, and all -of them had come back in perfect ignorance of the real circumstances -of the case, and with some ridiculous report, which, for a time, was -circulated as the truth. No authentic intelligence could be gained; and -every minute we were assailed with the most absurd and contradictory -stories. One moment we heard that the allied army had obtained a -complete victory; that the French had been completely repulsed, and -had left _twenty thousand dead_ upon the field of battle. Gladly -would I have believed the first part of this story, but the _twenty -thousand dead_ I could not swallow. Then again we were told that the -French, 180,000 strong, had attacked the British, that the Belgians -had abandoned their arms and fled, that our troops were literally -cut to pieces, and that the French were advancing to Brussels. Then -an English gentleman stopped his carriage to tell us, that _he_ had -been out farther than anybody, and that he had actually _seen_ the -engagement, which was between the French and the Prussians, and that -old Blucher had given the rascals a complete beating. We had not gone -ten paces farther, before another man, in a great hurry, advised us to -set off instantly if we wished to make our escape; that he was on the -point of going, for that certain intelligence had been received "that -the French had won the battle, and that our army was retreating in the -utmost confusion." I never remember to have felt so angry in my life; -and I indignantly exclaimed, that such a report deserved only to be -treated with contempt, and that it must be false, for that the English -would never retreat _in confusion_. The man seemed a little ashamed of -himself, and Mr. H. advised him "by all means to take care of himself, -and set off directly." We hastened on. Presently we met another of -Mr. H.'s wise friends, who assured us, with a face of the greatest -solemnity, "that the day was going against us; that the battle was as -good as lost; that our troops had been driven back from one position -after another; and that the artillery and baggage had commenced the -retreat; that all the horses would be seized for the service of the -army; and that in two hours it would be impossible to get away." All -this time we could hear nothing of what was really passing; or these -idle tales and unfounded rumours were unworthy of a moment's attention, -and did not give us a moment's alarm; but the poor Belgians, not -knowing what to make of all this, and nearly frightened out of their -senses, firmly expected the French in Brussels before the morning; -for their terror of them was so great and so deeply rooted, that they -believed nothing on earth could stop their advance. - -This dreadful uncertainty and ignorance of the truth made us truly -wretched. Nobody knew anything of the actual state of affairs. Nobody -could tell where our army was engaged, nor under what circumstances, -nor against what force, nor whether separately or conjointly with the -Prussians, nor which side was gaining the advantage. We knew nothing, -except that there was a battle, and that at no great distance from -us; for that the unceasing cannonade too certainly proved. Anxiously -and vainly we looked for news from the army--none arrived. The -consternation of the people was not to be described. "The cannonade is -approaching nearer!" they exclaimed. "Hark! how loud was that peal! -There, again! Our army must be retreating. Good heavens! what will -become of us!" On every side, in the tones of terror and despondency, -we heard these exclamations repeated. Heard through the density and -stillness of the evening air, the cannonade did, in fact, seem to -approach nearer, and become more tremendous. During the whole evening -we wandered about the Parc, or stood in silence on the ramparts, -listening to the dreadful thunder of the battle. At length it became -less frequent. How often did we hope it had ceased, and vainly flatter -ourselves that each peal was the last! when, again, after an awful -pause, a louder, a longer roar burst on our ears, and it raged more -tremendously than ever. To our great relief, about half-past nine, it -became fainter and fainter, and at last entirely died away. - -After we had returned to the hotel, Sir Neil Campbell, who, in our -absence, had been twice at our rooms and in the Parc in search of us, -good-naturedly came again, to tell us that he had met Sir G. Scovell, -who had left the field with orders from Brussels about half-past -five, and that so far "all was well." The French army had encountered -our troops on their march, upon the high road, about fifteen miles -from Brussels. The 92nd and 42nd Highland regiments were the first -in order of march. These brave men immediately made a stand, formed -into squares, received the furious onset of the French with undaunted -intrepidity, and alone sustained the fight, until the Royal Scots, -the 28th, and some other regiments, came up to support them. Every -regiment, as it arrived, instantly formed and fought; and though -the English had been taken by surprise, unprepared, unconcentrated; -without cavalry, and with scarcely any artillery; and, though the enemy -outnumbered them far beyond all computation, they had not yielded an -inch of ground, and they were still fighting in the fullest confidence -of success. "There can be no doubt of their repulsing the French," -said Colonel Scovell, "but nothing of any importance can be done till -the cavalry come up, which it is expected they will do this evening. -To-morrow the engagement will most probably be renewed, and I hope it -will prove decisive." The Duke, he said, who was in excellent spirits, -was to sleep to-night at Genappe. - -Certainly no other troops but the English, without any cavalry, and -with very little artillery, would have thought themselves sure of -repulsing an enemy with both, and with an almost countless superiority -of numbers: and most certainly none but the English could have achieved -it. It is a perversion of words to call the troops engaged in the -battle of Quatre Bras the English army. During the greater part of the -day a few regiments only, a mere handful of men, were opposed to the -immense masses the French continually poured down against them; but -they formed impenetrable squares, which were in vain attacked by the -French cavalry, "steel-clad cuirassiers," and infantry; and against -which tremendous showers of shot and shell descended in vain. - -The 92nd, 42nd, 79th, the 28th, the 95th, and the Royal Scots, were -the first, and most hotly, engaged.[9] For several hours these brave -troops alone maintained the tremendous onset, and the shock of the -whole French army, and to their determined valour Belgium owes her -independence, and England her glory. I do not, however, mean to give -them exclusive praise. I do not doubt that had the post of honour -fallen upon other British regiments, they would have acquitted -themselves equally well: but let honour be paid where it is so justly -due. Let England be sensible of the vast debt of gratitude she owes -them; and let the names of those who perished there be enrolled in the -long list of her noblest heroes! The 92nd, 42nd, and 79th Highland -regiments had suffered most severely. They had received the furious -and combined attack of the French cavalry and infantry, from first to -last, with undaunted firmness, till, after supporting this unequal -contest the whole day, after making immense havoc among their columns, -and repeatedly charging and driving them back in confusion, they had -themselves fallen, overpowered by numbers, and among heaps of the -slaughtered enemy, on the very spot where they first stood to arms; -and we were told that they were, almost to a man, cut to pieces. With -grief and horror, not to be described, we thought of these gallant -soldiers whom, in the morning, we had seen march out so proudly to -battle, and who were now lying insensible in death on the plains of -Quatre Bras. They had fought, and they had fallen, as became the -same noble spirits who had wrested from the same vaunting foe the -standard of the Invincibles on the sands of Egypt. They were gallantly -supported by the 28th, who, on the same soil, as well as in the long -campaigns of Spain, had gained immortal honour, and who particularly -distinguished themselves in this day's battle by their complete repulse -of the French cuirassiers, who, though clad in mail, and "armed at -all points precisely cap-à-pie," were driven back with immense loss -from every attack, and uniformly gave way before the dreaded British -charge with the bayonet. One regiment of raw Belgic troops had turned -and fled where they had the finest opportunity of charging. I confess -I was not sorry to hear that these recreant Belgians had, almost to a -man, been cut to pieces by the very French troops they had not courage -to face. The fate of cowards is unpitied. The consequences of their -misconduct had, however, been retrieved by part of Sir Thomas Picton's -division,[10] which regained the post they had lost, though with -considerable slaughter. - -After hearing this account our spirits completely revived, I scarcely -knew why; for, except in the new proof we had just had of invincible -British valour and firmness, there was nothing to inspire satisfaction -or confidence. We had just learned, beyond all doubt, the truth of -the alarming report, that the Prussians were separately engaged with -another division of the enemy, which completely outnumbered them. Thus -the allied armies seemed to be effectually cut off, and prevented from -assisting each other, or acting in concert. The French then, whose -combined numbers report magnified to 180,000, were on two sides of -us, at the distance of only three hours' march from Brussels. Their -army was collected, combined, concentrated, and well-appointed. The -Prussians and the English were surprised, separated, dispersed, and -unprepared; the latter were destitute of cavalry, ill-supported by -artillery, and with an appalling inferiority even of infantry; and -these too partly composed of Belgians, who seemed to make a practice -of running away. Yet, in spite of all these disadvantages, they _had_ -bravely stood the first brunt of the battle, and we felt the firm -assurance that they would eventually triumph. - -Colonel Scovell had left the army at half-past five; the battle, or at -least the cannonading, had lasted till about ten; and our anxiety to -know its results, our impatience for further news from the army, may be -imagined; but no later intelligence arrived; we could hear nothing but -vague reports of defeat, disaster, and dismay, to which, as they were -founded upon no authority, we paid no attention. Sir Neil Campbell was -going to join the army, like many others who had no business there:--he -was to set off at one in the morning, so that we should see him no -more, and what was infinitely worse, receive no more, through him, -immediate and authentic intelligence of all that was known. In this -respect he was a great loss to us; for he was indefatigable in bringing -us news, and took unwearied pains to be of use to us in every possible -way. - -Late as it was we went to see Mrs. H., whom we knew to be in great -alarm. We found her sitting surrounded by plate, which she was vainly -trying to acquire sufficient composure to pack up, with a face pale -with consternation, and quite overcome with agitation and distress. -We did all we could to assist, and said all we could to console and -reassure her. Mr. H. had gone out towards the army, and, late as it -was, had not yet returned. We stayed with her some time, and had the -satisfaction of leaving her in much better spirits than we found her. - -My brother had engaged, and made an agreement to pay for, horses, upon -the condition of their being in readiness to convey us to Antwerp at a -moment's warning, by day or night, if required. We had not, however, -the smallest intention of leaving Brussels for some days to come, -unless some sudden and unexpected change in public events should -render it absolutely necessary. Thinking it, however, prudent to be -prepared, we had sent our valet de place to la blanchisseuse to desire -her to send home everything belonging to us early in the morning. La -blanchisseuse sent back a message literally to this effect,--"Madame," -said the valet, addressing himself to me in French, "the blanchisseuse -says, that if the English should beat the French, she will iron and -plait your clothes, and finish them for you; but if, au contraire, -these vile French should get the better, then she will assuredly send -them all back quite wet--tout mouillé--early to-morrow morning." At -this speech, which the valet delivered with immoveable gravity, we -all, with one accord, burst out a laughing, irresistibly amused to find -that amongst the important consequences of Buonaparte's gaining the -victory, would be our clothes remaining unplaited and unironed; and -that the British were, in a manner, fighting, in order that the getting -up of our fine linen might be properly performed. The valet, as soon -as he could obtain a hearing, went on to say, that he sincerely hoped -we should get our clothes dried and finished, and that the English -would beat "ces diables de Français;" but this seemed quite a secondary -consideration with the valet, compared with ironing our clothes, and -we were again seized with an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Even the -valet's long face of dismay relaxed into something like a smile, and, -as he left the room, he said to himself, "Mais ces demoiselles sont -bien enjouées." - -It was half-past twelve; and hopeless now of hearing any further news -from the army, we were preparing to retire to rest--but rest was a -blessing we were not destined to enjoy in Brussels. We were suddenly -startled by the sound of the rapid rolling of heavy military carriages -passing at full speed through the Place Royale:--a great tumult -instantly took place among the people below; the baggage waggons, -which we knew were not to set off, except in a case of emergency, were -harnessed in an instant, and the noise and tumult became every instant -more alarming. For some minutes we listened in silence: faster and -faster, and louder and louder, the long train of artillery continued to -roll through the town:--the cries of the affrighted people increased. -I hastily flew out to inquire the cause of this violent commotion. The -first person I encountered was a poor, scared fille de chambre, nearly -frightened out of her wits. "Ah, madame!" she exclaimed, "les François -sont tout près; dans une petite demi-heure ils seront ici.--Ah, grand -Dieu! Ah, Jésus! Jésus! que ferons-nous! que ferons-nous!" In vain -I eagerly asked how she knew, or why she believed, or from whence -this news came, that the French were near? She could only reiterate, -again and again, "Les François sont tout près--les François sont -tout près!" my questions were unanswered and unheard; but suddenly -recollecting herself, she earnestly besought us to set off instantly, -exclaiming, "Mais, mesdames, vous êtes Anglaises--il faut partir tout -de suite--_tout de suite_," she repeated, with great emphasis and -gesticulation, and then resumed her exclamations and lamentations. - -As I flew down stairs the house seemed deserted. The doors of the rooms -(which in foreign hotels are not only shut, but locked) were all wide -open; the candles were burning upon the tables, and the solitude and -silence which reigned in the house formed a fearful contrast to the -increasing tumult without. At the bottom of the staircase a group of -affrighted Belgians were assembled, all crowding and talking together -with Belgic volubility. They cried out that news had arrived of the -battle having terminated in the defeat of the British; that all the -artillery and baggage of the army were retreating; and that a party -of Belgians had just entered the town, bringing intelligence that a -large body of French had been seen advancing through the woods to -take Brussels, and that they were only two leagues off. In answer to -my doubts and my questions, they all exclaimed, "Ah! c'est trop vrai; -c'est trop vrai. Ne restez pas ici, mademoiselle, ne restez pas ici; -partez, éloignez vous vîte: c'est affreux!" - -"Mais demain matin----" I began. - -"Ah! demain matin," eagerly interrupted a little good-humoured Belgic -woman belonging to the hotel--"demain matin il n'y aura pas plus le -tems--une autre heure peut-être, et il ne sera pas plus possible de -partir." "Ecoutez, mademoiselle, écoutez!" they cried, turning paler -and paler as the thundering noise of the artillery increased. At this -moment several people, among whom were some English gentlemen and -servants, rushed past us to the stables, calling for their carriages -to be got ready instantly. "Apprêtes les chevaux, tout de suite--Vite! -vite! il n'a pas un moment!" was loudly repeated in all the hurry of -fear. These people confirmed the alarm. I sent for our côcher, and most -reluctantly we began to think that we must set off; when we found, to -our inexpressible joy, that the long trains of artillery, which still -continued to roll past with the noise of thunder, were not flying from -the army, but advancing to join it. It is impossible to conceive the -blessed relief this intelligence gave us. From that moment we felt -assured that the army was safe, and our fears for ourselves were at -an end. My brother, who had been roused from his sleep, and who, like -many other people, had been running about half-dressed, and was still -standing in his nightcap, in much perplexity what to do, now went to -bed again with great joy, declaring he was resolved to disturb himself -no more about these foolish alarms. - -We were now perfectly incredulous as to the whole story of the French -having been seen advancing through the woods to take Brussels; but the -Belgians still remained convinced of it; and though they differed about -how it would be done, they all agreed that Brussels would be taken. -Some of them said that the British, and some that the Prussians, had -been defeated, and some that both of them had been defeated, and -that the French, having broken through their lines, were advancing -to take Brussels; others believed that Buonaparte, while he kept the -allies employed, had sent round a detachment, under cover of night, -by a circuitous route, to surprise the town; but it seemed to be the -general opinion, that before morning the French would be here. The -town was wholly undefended, either by troops or fortifications; it -was well known to be Napoleon's great object to get possession of it, -and that he would leave no means untried to effect it. The battle had -been fought against the most fearful disparity of numbers, and under -the most disadvantageous circumstances to the British. Its event -still remained unknown; above all, no intelligence from our army had -arrived. Under such circumstances it was not surprising that the -general despondency should be so great; while continual rumours of -defeat, disaster, and dismay, and incessant alarms, only served to -confirm their worst fears. As the French, however, had not yet come, -this panic in some degree subsided, and comparative quietness seemed -to be restored. Great alarm, however, continued to prevail through -the whole night, and the baggage waggons stood ready harnessed to -set off at a moment's notice. Several persons took their departure, -but we quietly went to bed. My sister, however, only lay down in her -clothes, observing, half in jest, and half in earnest, that we might, -perhaps, be awakened by the entrance of the French; and overcome with -fatigue, we both fell fast asleep. Her prediction seemed to be actually -verified, for at six o'clock we were roused by a violent knocking at -the room-door, accompanied by the cries of "Les François sont ici! les -François sont ici!" Starting out of bed, the first sight we beheld from -the window was a troop of Belgic cavalry galloping from the army at the -most furious rate, through the Place Royale, as if the French were at -their heels; and instantly the whole train of baggage waggons and empty -carts, which had stood before our eyes so long, set off, full speed, -by the Montagne de la Cour, and through every street by which it was -possible to effect their escape. In an instant the whole great square -of the Place Royale, which had been crowded with men, horses, carts, -and carriages, was completely cleared, as if by magic, and entirely -deserted. The terrified people fled in every direction, as if for -their lives. While my sister, who had never undressed, flew to rouse -my brother, and I threw on my clothes I scarcely knew how; I heard -again the dreadful cries of "Les François sont ici! Ils s'emparent de -la porte de la ville!" My toilet, I am quite certain, did not occupy -one minute; and as I flew down stairs, in the hope that it might yet -be possible to effect our escape, I met numbers of bewildered-looking -people running about half-dressed in every direction, in all the -distraction of fear. The men with their nightcaps on, and half their -clothes under their arms; the women with their dishevelled hair -hanging about their shoulders, and all of them pale as death, and -trembling in every limb. Some were flying down stairs loaded with all -sorts of packages; others running up to the garrets sinking under -the accumulated weight of the most heterogeneous articles. The poor -fille de chambre, nearly frightened out of her senses, was standing -half-way down the stairs, wringing her hands, and unable to articulate -anything but "Les François! les François!" A little lower, another -woman was crying bitterly, and exclaimed, as I passed her, "Nous -sommes tous perdus!" But no language can do justice to the scene of -confusion which the court below exhibited: masters and servants, ladies -and stable-boys, valets and soldiers, lords and beggars; Dutchmen, -Belgians, and Britons; bewildered garçons and scared filles de chambre; -enraged gentlemen and clamorous coachmen; all crowded together, -jostling, crying, scolding, squabbling, lamenting, exclaiming, -imploring, swearing, and vociferating, in French, English, and Flemish, -all at the same time. Nor was it only a war of words; the disputants -had speedily recourse to blows, and those who could not get horses by -fair means endeavoured to obtain them by foul. The unresisting animals -were dragged away half-harnessed. The carriages were seized by force, -and jammed against each other. Amidst the crash of wheels, the volleys -of oaths, and the confusion of tongues, the mistress of the hotel, with -a countenance dressed in woe, was carrying off her most valuable plate -in order to secure it, ejaculating, as she went, the name of Jesus -incessantly, and, I believe, unconsciously; while the master, with a -red nightcap on his head, and the eternal pipe sticking mechanically -out of one corner of his mouth, was standing with his hands in his -pockets, a silent statue of despair. - -Amidst this uproar I soon found out our côcher, but, to my utter -consternation, he vehemently swore, "that he would neither go himself, -nor let his horses go; no, not to save the King of Holland himself; for -that the French were just at hand, and that they would take his horses, -and murder him:" and neither entreaties, nor bribes, nor arguments, -nor persuasions, had the smallest effect upon him; he remained -inexorable, and so did numbers of the fraternity. While my brother, -who had now come down stairs, was vainly and angrily expostulating -with him, I inquired on all sides, and of all people, if there was no -possibility of procuring other horses. The good-natured garçon of the -house exclaimed, "That if there were horses to be had in Brussels, I -should have them;" and away he ran in quest of them, while I continued -my fruitless inquiries. In a little while he returned disappointed and -unsuccessful, exclaiming, with a face of horror that I shall never -forget, "Il n'y a pas un seul cheval, et les François sont tout près -de la ville." At this moment in rushed Mr. H., in an agony of terror, -panting, breathless, and exhausted, crying to us "that his carriage -was ready, that they could carry one of us, and that we must come away -instantly." It was to no purpose both he and I implored my sister to -accompany them, but she was inflexible. Nothing could induce her to -go without us, and, finding she was immoveable, Mr. H. ran off with -the good-natured intention of taking Lady W., since we refused to go -singly. With incredible expedition, one English carriage after another -drove off at full speed, and we were left to our fate. Of the rapid -approach of the enemy we could not entertain the smallest doubt. To -say I was frightened is nothing: I honestly confess I never knew what -terror was before. Never shall I forget the horror of those moments. -Our own immediate danger, and all the dreadful list of uncertain, -undefined evils to which we might be exposed, in the power of those -merciless savages; the anxiety, the distress, and despair of our -friends at home, joined to the dreadful idea that the English army had -been overwhelmed by numbers, defeated, perhaps cut to pieces, agonised -my mind with feelings which it is impossible to describe. Escape -seemed, however, impossible: like Richard, I would have gladly given my -kingdom (if I had had one) for a horse, or at least for a pair; but no -horses were to be had, neither for love, money, nor kingdoms. - -In the midst of this state of terror and suspense, I suddenly beheld -Major Wylie. If an angel had descended from heaven I could not have -welcomed him with more transport. Hope revived: and, springing -forward to meet him, I exclaimed: "Oh! Major Wylie, is it true?" His -countenance inspired little comfort; he looked pale, and struck with -horror and consternation. "God forbid!" he exclaimed: "I hope not. I -do not believe it; but I am going to inquire, and I will come back -to you immediately." He wrung my hand, and hurried away. In the mean -time I flew up-stairs to collect all our things, and bundle them -together, to be ready for instant departure, if we should be able to -procure horses. Never was packing more expeditiously performed: I am -certain it did not occupy anything like three minutes. With the help -of the valet de place, I crammed them all together, wet and dry, into -the travelling-bags, trunks, and portmanteaus, without the smallest -ceremony. - -Every minute seemed to be an age, till at last Major Wylie returned -with the blessed assurance that it was a false alarm; "that for the -present, at least, we were in no danger." It is quite impossible to -give the smallest idea of the transport we felt when we found that -the enemy were not at hand, that our army was not defeated, and that -we ourselves were not in the power of the French. I never can forget -the ecstasy of that moment--the bliss of that deliverance, and the -inexpressible comfort of those feelings of safety which we now enjoyed. -No fabled spirit, emerging from the dark and dismal regions of Pluto -to the brightness and beauty of the Elysian Fields, could feel more -transporting joy than we did when "the spectre forms of terror" fled, -and we felt secure from every danger. From two English gentlemen, and -lastly from Lord C., we received a confirmation of these happy tidings. -The alarm had been raised by those dastardly Belgians whom we had seen -scampering through the town, and who had most probably been terrified -by the same foraging party of the enemy which, as we were afterwards -told, had come up even to the gates of the city, insolently summoning -it to surrender. They were supposed to have come from the side of the -Prussians; and, knowing the defenceless state of Brussels, amused -themselves with this bravado. Their appearance had confirmed the alarm -beyond all doubt, and given rise to the dreadful cry that the French -were seizing on the gates of the town. The panic had indeed been -dreadful, but it was now happily over. - -Major Wylie again attempted to go to the Place Royale, but he was -instantly surrounded by a clamorous multitude, who, knowing him by his -dress to be an aide-de-camp of the Duke, angrily exclaimed, "What is -the reason that nothing is done for our security? Are we to be left -here abandoned to the enemy? Are we to be given up to the French in -this way? Why is not the City Guard ordered out to defend the town?" -(The City Guard to defend the town from the French!) We could not -help laughing at the idea of the excellent defence the City Guard of -Brussels would make against the French army. But the frightened and -enraged Belgians could not be pacified, and they beset poor Major -Wylie so unmercifully that he was fain to retreat again within the -Hôtel de Flandre. - -He told us that the battle of yesterday had been severe, and most -obstinately contested. The French, whose superiority of force was so -great as to surpass all computation, had borne down with dreadful -impetuosity upon our little army. "During all his campaigns, and all -the bloody battles of the Peninsula," Major Wylie said, "he had never -seen so terrible an onset, nor so desperate an engagement. The British, -formed into impenetrable squares, received the French cavalry with -their bayonets; drove them back again and again; stood firm beneath -the fire of their tremendous artillery; and, after many hours' hard -fighting, completely repulsed the enemy, and remained masters of the -field of battle." Our cavalry had come up in the evening, but too late -to take any part in the action. A French general and colonel had come -over to the British during the battle, crying "Vive le Roi!" Their -names I heard, but they have since escaped my memory:[11] indeed, the -names of men who were base enough treacherously to desert the cause -even of a rebel and a tyrant in the hour of danger, which they had -openly espoused, ought only to be stamped with everlasting infamy. -These men must have been doubly traitors, first to Louis XVIII., and -then to Napoleon Buonaparte. - -The French were commanded by Marshal Ney,[12] who, with three -divisions of infantry, a strong corps of cavalry (under the command of -General Kellerman), and a powerful artillery, could make no impression -on one division of British infantry, without any cavalry, and with -very little artillery. It was but too true that the greatest part of -the brave Highlanders, both men and officers, were amongst the killed -and wounded. They fought like heroes, and like heroes they fell--an -honour to their country: and on many a Highland hill, and through many -a Lowland valley, long will the deeds of these brave men be fondly -remembered, and their fate deeply deplored! The 28th had particularly -distinguished themselves, and gallantly repulsed the French in every -attack. Our friend Major Llewellyn was safe; and I scarcely knew -whether the assurance of his safety, or that he and Sir Philip Belson -had been in time for the battle, gave me the most heartfelt pleasure. -Our loss had been severe, but that of the enemy much greater; but -though our loss was less in actual numbers, it was much more important -to us than that which the enemy had sustained was to them. From their -great superiority of force, the killed and wounded fell proportionably -heavier on our small army, while theirs was scarcely felt among their -tremendous hosts. - -When Major Wylie came away, about half-past four in the morning, the -Duke had made every disposition for battle, in the full expectation -that a general engagement would take place this day.[13] "The Prussians -had fought like lions," Major Wylie said; not, however, like British -lions, for it was but too true that they had been defeated and -repulsed, though we could scarcely at the time give entire credit -to this disagreeable news. Waggon-loads of Prussians now began to -arrive. Belgic soldiers, covered with dust and blood, and faint with -fatigue and pain, came on foot into the town. The moment in which I -first saw some of these unfortunate people was, I think, one of the -most painful I ever experienced, and soon, very soon, they arrived in -numbers. At every jolt of the slow waggons upon the rough pavement we -seemed to feel the excruciating pain which they must suffer. Sick to -the very heart with horror, I re-entered the hotel, and, in answer -to something Major Wylie said to me, I could only exclaim that the -wounded were coming in. "Good God! how pale you look! For God's sake -do not be alarmed," said the good-natured Major Wylie, compassionately -laying his hand upon my arm; "I do assure you there is nothing to fear. -The wounded must come here at any rate--it has nothing to do with a -defeat." Long familiarised himself to such scenes, they now made no -impression upon him, and it never occurred to him to imagine that we -could be shocked by seeing anything so common as waggons filled with -wounded soldiers. He thought it was the victory or the approach of the -French that I feared. - -Again, however, he strongly recommended us to set off immediately. -If the army should have to retreat, and fall back upon Brussels, -which, considering the immense force of the enemy, he said, was not -improbable, the confusion in Brussels would be dreadful, and escape -impossible. The French might even take the town, and then our situation -would be horrible indeed. Of the prudence and wisdom of this advice -there could be no doubt. We had experienced the utter impracticability -of getting away in the moment of danger; we knew not how soon that -moment might return. Had we ourselves possessed the means of escape, -like Mr. and Mrs. H. and others, who had horses of their own, nothing -could have induced us to have left Brussels to the last; but to remain -exposed to incessant alarm and to imminent danger, in an open town, -which before night might be in possession of a merciless enemy, whose -formidable armies were threatening it in two separate divisions, at -the distance of a very few leagues, seemed certainly little less than -madness. With extreme reluctance we at last determined to set out for -Antwerp. The Wilsons, though they had carriage-horses, were on the -point of setting off; the carriages of Lady F.S. and Lady C. were also -at their doors, the trunks and imperiales were tying on with the utmost -dispatch, though they had at all times the means of escape within their -power. - -Our faithless côcher now declared he was willing to go with us, as the -French, he said, were not _yet_ come--and to Antwerp accordingly we -consented to repair. We had had no breakfast all this time, nor would -it ever have occurred to us to procure any, had not the sight of Major -Wylie's breakfast-tray reminded us of our own famishing state. We -swallowed some coffee and bread, sitting on one of the window-seats of -the staircase of the Hôtel de Flandre, and then with great regret set -off, casting "many a longing, lingering look behind," with feelings of -anxiety so deep and overwhelming for the fate and success of our army, -that it engrossed all our faculties. Upon the event of the impending -battle, which we fully believed this very day was to decide, depended -not only the present as well as the future peace and security of -Belgium and of Europe; but, what I confess was to us even yet more -dear, the safety and the glory of our gallant army. Absorbed in these -reflections, as we slowly made our way out of the town, we witnessed -many a melancholy sight; crowds of afflicted people were assembled -round their poor wounded countrymen who had been brought in from the -field. One soldier was dying at the door of his own house: the sobs -and lamentations of some of the crowd who were collected round him, -and the grief marked on their countenances, proclaimed them to be near -relations of the unfortunate sufferer. Quite in the suburbs, some -poor people were hanging over the insensible corpses of two soldiers -who had died of their wounds. The streets were crowded so as to be -scarcely passable: carriages were driving past each other as fast as -the horses could go. All Brussels seemed to be running away; and the -only competition appeared to be who should run the fastest. The road -was thronged with people on horseback and on foot flying from the -battle, while scattered parties of troops, British, Belgic, Hanoverian, -Nassau, and Prussian, were hurrying to the scene of action. A great -number of Prussian Lancers, with their black mustachios, high caps, -long pikes, and little horses, were pushing forwards to the field. Long -trains of commissariat waggons were rolling along with a deafening -clatter; overturned carts, and the remains of broken wheels, were -lying in the ditches. By the wayside, and beneath the shade of some -tall trees, there was a large rude sort of encampment, consisting of -men and women, horses and waggons, amongst which universal uproar -seemed to prevail. I could have fancied them a Tartar settlement in -the act of suddenly decamping at the approach of some horde of savage -enemies. Farther on, parks of artillery were drawn up in the peaceful -verdant meadows. Droves of oxen were going up to be slaughtered for -the army, and the poor beasts, amazed at the horrid objects and noises -which they encountered, took fright, and ran about in every direction -except the right one, entirely blocking up the road, where confusion -reigned unbounded: while the barking of the dogs, the blows and halloos -of the drivers, the curses of the soldiers, and the vexation of the -passengers, only served to increase the turbulence of the unruly -cattle. The canal, by the side of which the road is carried, was -covered with boats, and trackschuyts, and côches d'eau, and vessels -of every description, and presented a scene of tumult and confusion -scarcely inferior to that upon land. - -About three miles from Brussels, situated upon an eminence above the -road, we passed the magnificent palace of Lacken. I shuddered as I -looked up to its lofty dome, and recollected that Napoleon had made the -boast that this very night he would sleep beneath its roof. Uncertain, -as we then were, how the day that had risen might terminate, believing -as we did that the eventful battle was even now begun which was to -decide the fate of Europe, my heart swelled with the proud confidence, -that unprepared, unconcentrated, outnumbered as they were; leagued -with foreigners who could not be depended upon, and with allies who -had been defeated, yet that under every disadvantage British valour -would still be triumphant, as it had ever been in every contest, and at -every period. Great numbers of wounded stragglers from the field were -slowly and painfully wandering along the road, pale and faint from loss -of blood, and with their heads, arms, and legs bound up with bloody -bandages. We spoke to several of them, but they were all either Belgic -or Prussian, and did not understand a word of French. Two of the most -severely wounded we took upon our carriage and carried into Malines, -where they told the côcher their friends lived. From him we learnt -that they had been wounded in the battle yesterday morning. I saw--I -am sorry to say--one young English gentleman, who was travelling quite -alone in his own carriage, sternly order down two of these unfortunate -wounded men from his carriage. - -The wounded, however, whom we saw, were able to move. In time they -would reach a place of safety and shelter; but, if even their -sufferings were so great that the very sight of them was painful, -what must be the state of those who were left bleeding on the field -of the lost battle, deserted by the retreating Prussians, passed by, -unpitied and unaided, by the advancing French, and abandoned to perish -in sufferings from the bare idea of which humanity recoils![14] The -day was unusually sultry; but if we felt the rays of the sun beneath -which we journeyed to be so oppressive, what must be the situation of -the poor unsheltered wounded, exposed to its fervid blaze in the open -field, without even a drop of water to cool their thirst? What must be -the sufferings of our own unfortunate men, above all, of those who -were not only wounded but prisoners, and at the mercy of the merciless -French? Never--never till this moment, had I any conception of the -horrors of war! and they have left an impression on my mind which no -time can efface. Dreadful, indeed, is the sight of pain and misery -we have no power to relieve, but far more dreadful are the horrors -imagination pictures of the scene of carnage; the agonies of the -wounded and the dying on the field of battle, where even the dead who -had fallen by the sword, in the prime of youth and health, are to be -envied!--the thought was agony, and yet I could not banish it from my -mind. - -At a little inn, half-way to Malines, we got out of the carriage while -the horses were eating their rye-bread, and the poor people of the -village crowded around us with faces of the greatest consternation and -distress, to inquire what had happened. They had heard such varying -and contradictory reports that they knew not what to believe, but -terror was the predominant feeling; and their horror of the approach -of the French, which they were convinced would happen sooner or later, -surpassed everything I could have imagined. In spite of all we could -say to inspire confidence, and to convince them that the English had -been, and would still be, victorious, and that the French would never -again be masters of Belgium, their apprehensions completely overpowered -their hopes; and their alarm and consternation were truly pitiable. I -asked them why they feared the French so much? With one accord they -immediately burst out into exclamations, that they would plunder and -destroy everything, and rob and murder them;--that they were monsters, -who had no pity, and would show no mercy:--"Oh! what will become -of us! what will become of us!" was the universal cry of these poor -affrighted peasants. They were anxious about the Duke of Brunswick, -and when they heard that he had really fallen (which we had learnt -from Major Wylie), their lamentations were great, and the certainty -of his fate seemed to increase their despondency. He must have been a -good prince whose fate could at such a moment be deplored. He had a -country seat in the neighbourhood of Lacken, and he was consequently -well known and much beloved in this part of the country. An officer -in a dark military great coat, whom I took for a German, hearing me -talk to some poor affrighted women with babies in their arms, whom I -was endeavouring to reassure, asked me in French if I had come from -Brussels, and what was the issue of yesterday's battle? I told him -all the particulars I knew, and after some minutes' conversation, -he said at last, with the air of a person paying a compliment, that -he understood _some_ of my countrymen had behaved most gallantly: -"comme braves hommes," was his expression. "Some of my countrymen!" -I indignantly exclaimed, feeling myself turn as red as fire at this -foreigner's degrading and partial praise of the British army--"they all -behaved most gallantly, they fought like heroes; how else should the -French have been repulsed: and when did the English behave otherwise?" -"The English! but you are not English surely, madame?" said the -officer. "Oui, monsieur," said I, proudly, "je suis Anglaise." "Et -moi aussi," said he, half laughing; and during the short time our -conversation lasted, we condescended to make use of our mother-tongue. -He proved to be an English officer going from Antwerp to join the army, -and I took him for a German, chiefly I think because he accosted me -in French, and because he did not look much like an Englishman. Why -he took me for a Belgian, heaven only knows: it was not likely that a -Belgic lady should be speaking in French to the Belgic people, rather -than in the common language of the country. - -A party of Nassau troops, on their way to the army, were sitting -drinking in some long Flemish waggons at the door of the inn. A -Prussian hussar, whom we had passed on the road, arrived while we were -there. The moment he dismounted from his horse he was assailed by the -Nassau soldiers for news of the battle. While he was telling them his -story, anxiety for intelligence made me draw as near as I durst. The -loud voices of the soldiers, however, drowned the greater part of his -recital, and their language was so barbarous that I could only make -out that they were making a joke of Louis XVIII., and laughing at the -idea of the fright he would be in, and saying, that he was so fat and -unwieldy he would never be able to run away before Napoleon's long -legs overtook him. The hussar, seeing me, I suppose, gazing at him -very wistfully, respectfully took off his cap, which encouraged me to -ask him if I had not misunderstood him, that I thought I had heard him -say the French had beaten the Prussians. "No, madame," said he, with -an air of great concern, "it is really so; the French have beaten the -Prussians." "The French beat the Prussians!" I exclaimed: "Did you say, -sir, that the French had beaten the Prussians? are you sure of it?" -"Too sure, madame, for I was in the battle." I now perceived for the -first time that he was slightly wounded; his long blue cloak, which -nearly descended to his feet, had concealed it. He told us that, after -a desperate engagement, the Prussians had been repulsed and compelled -to retreat, and that the French were advancing in great force. We had -repeatedly heard this at Brussels; but, unwilling to believe bad news, -we had hoped it would prove false, and even yet we would gladly have -taken refuge in incredulity. - -The garçon of this inn, a fine youth, with a most engaging countenance, -was in great anxiety and alarm at the approach of the French, and he -implored us to tell him the whole truth; for if they should come, it -would cost him his life, and he would fly to the end of the world to -avoid them. We assured him that the French had been repulsed yesterday -by the British, when our force was not half collected, and that, now -that the cavalry and all the troops had joined the army, there could -be no doubt that the English would be victorious. "Ah! je l'espère!" -said the garçon; "mais ils sont terribles, ces François." We assured -him that terrible as they were, they would never conquer the British -and Belgic army, nor regain possession of Belgium. The garçon fervently -prayed they never might:--"Mais, je ne sais quoi faire, moi," said this -poor youth in his Belgic French, with a face of extreme perplexity, as -we drove off. - -Of the town of Malines I do not retain the smallest remembrance; but -the consternation of the people with whom it was crowded, and their -faces of terror and distress, I shall never forget. They were struck -with universal dismay, and so thoroughly convinced that Napoleon -would be victorious, that we might as well have talked to the winds -as have told them that he would be defeated. They only shook their -heads, and despondingly said: "Ah! he has so many soldiers, and he is -so desperate--and he cares not how many thousands he sacrifices; he -cares for nothing but his ambition:--Oh! he will be here, that is -too certain." The garçon of this inn had been a conscript, and served -two years in the French army. At the expiration of that period he had -procured a substitute for one thousand florins, which money, I suspect, -he had amassed by plunder. He was, however, a most intelligent man, -and his hatred of the French, and of Napoleon in particular, was so -strong, that he could not refrain from pouring out a most eloquent -torrent of invective against him: "And throughout the whole of Belgium -he is equally dreaded and detested in every place--except at Antwerp," -added he, correcting himself; "there he has some adherents, for many -people grew rich by the public works, and by making the docks, and -building the ships, and supplying the arsenal; and many grew rich upon -the distresses of the people--and therefore they wish for him back -again." My brother observed that he had certainly done a great deal for -Antwerp, and made great improvements, and he particularly mentioned the -docks and the quays. - -"Yes! he did a great many fine things, to be sure, at Antwerp, and -he took care to make us pay for them. Au reste," continued he, "the -people of Antwerp, that is, the merchants and the manufacturers, and -all the decent, industrious people, hate him with their whole hearts." -"And why do the Belgians hate him so much?" I asked. "Why! because he -stopped our trade; he ruined our manufactures and commerce; he took -our men to fight his battles, and our money to fill his pockets; and -he took from us the means to get money: here, in this very town, the -lace manufacturers were starved; the work-women had no employment; -our streets were filled with beggars; our priests were insulted: he -destroyed, he consumed everything." "Il a mangé tout," was the phrase -he frequently repeated, with an expression of hatred in his voice -and gesture so strong that I can give no idea of it. "But he cannot -live without war, nor can the French; it is their trade; they live -by it; they make their fortunes by it; they place all their hopes in -it; they are wolves that prey upon other nations; they live by blood -and plunder: they are true banditti (vrais brigands), and they are so -cruel, so wicked--ils sont si méchans." It is impossible to give the -force of this expression in a literal translation. When we asked him if -the Belgians did not dislike the Dutch, and if the government of the -House of Orange was not unpopular, he said, "Je vous dirai, monsieur: -Les Hollandais et les Belges never liked each other, and one great -reason is the difference of our religion. They think us Papists and -bigots, and we think them Puritans and Calvinists; besides, we were -always rivals, and always jealous of each other, and we think (c'est à -dire les Belges) that their king becoming our king, is, as if we had -fallen under their dominion. If we may not be an independent nation, -we would, perhaps, rather belong to the English, or to the Austrians; -but we would rather belong to anything--to the devil himself--than to -Napoleon Buonaparte." - -The poor lace-makers whom we saw were in nervous trepidation at the -expected approach of the dreaded French, whom they reviled with all -the bitterness and volubility of female eloquence. The same sentiments -were written upon every countenance, and uttered by every tongue. In -every village and every hamlet through which we passed, the utmost -consternation seemed to reign. We met officers on horseback, and -detachments of troops marching to join the army. It was with difficulty -I refrained from beseeching them to hasten forwards: it seemed to me -that every man was of importance. At another time I might have been -interested with seeing the country; but now--I could not look at it--I -could not think of it; and as my eye rested with a vacant gaze upon -the waving fields of luxuriant corn through which we passed, I could -only feel the heart-sickening dread, that the harvests of Belgium, -though they had been sown in peace, would be reaped in blood. We had -every reason to think that the mortal struggle had been renewed; -Lord Wellington himself, the whole army expected it. How then was it -possible, believing, as we did, that, within a few leagues of us, the -battle was at that time raging that was to decide the fate of Europe, -and give or take from our gallant countrymen the palm of victory and of -glory--that we could for a single instant feel the smallest interest -about anything else? - -At a distance, we saw the lofty spire of the cathedral of Antwerp, -without _then_ admiring its beauty, or even being conscious that it -was beautiful. We looked, we felt, indeed, like moving automatons. Our -persons were there, but our minds were absent. Every step we took only -seemed to increase our solicitude for all we left behind. Our thoughts -still to the battle - - "turned with ceaseless pain, - And dragged at each remove a lengthening chain." - -A tremendous storm of thunder and lightning and rain burst over our -heads. It was peculiarly awful. But what are the thunder and lightnings -of heaven to the thunder and lightnings of war, which, perhaps, at -this very moment, were sweeping away thousands! The thunderbolts of -God are merciful and harmless; those of men deadly and destructive. We -thought of this storm, as of everything else, only with reference to -our army--to those who were fighting, and those who were bleeding on -the field of battle, and who were exposed unsheltered to its rage. - -We gazed with admiration at the threatening walls and ancient -battlements of Antwerp, which are encircled with a wooden palisade. -This seemed a complete work of supererogation, and struck me as -being something like putting a strong box of iron into a band-box of -pasteboard for further security.[15] Three walls of immense strength -and thickness, surrounded by three broad deep ditches or moats, lay -one behind another. To an ignorant, unpractised eye like mine, its -fortifications seemed to be impregnable; and as we passed under its -gloomy gates, and slowly crossed its sounding draw-bridges, I heartily -wished that the whole British army were safe within its walls.--This -was certainly more "a woman's than a warrior's wish." Antwerp was -already crowded with fugitives from Brussels; and with considerable -difficulty we got the accommodation of two very small rooms in the -hotel of Le Grand Laboureur, in the Place de Maire. - -No later authentic intelligence than that which we had heard previously -to leaving Brussels had been received here; reports of all kinds -assailed us, as quick and varying as the tints of the evening clouds, -but we could learn nothing; the commandant knew nothing; we could not -even ascertain whether another engagement had taken place to-day, and -in miserable suspense we passed the remainder of the evening. - -One of the apartments in our hotel was occupied by the corpse of the -Duke of Brunswick, which had arrived about two o'clock. It had been -already embalmed, and was now placed in its first coffin. My brother -went to see it: but the room was so crowded with guards and soldiers, -British and foreign military, and with people of every description, -that neither my sister nor I chose to go. My brother described the -countenance as remarkably placid and noble; serene even in death. It -was past midnight: my brother and sister had gone to rest, and I was -sitting alone, listening to the incessant torrents of rain which drove -furiously against the windows, and thinking of our army, who were lying -on the cold, wet ground, overcome with toil, and exposed to all "the -pelting of the pitiless storm." Everything was silent,--when I heard, -all at once, the dismal sounds of nailing down the coffin of the Duke -of Brunswick. It was a solemn and affecting sound; it was the last -knell of the departed princely warrior: when at length it ceased, and -all again was silent, I went down with the young woman of the house, to -look at the last narrow mansion of this brave and unfortunate prince. -Tapers were burning at the head and foot of the coffin. The room was -now cleared of all, excepting two Brunswick officers who were watching -over it, and whose pale, mournful countenances, sable uniforms, and -black nodding plumes, well accorded with this gloomy chamber of death. -It was but yesterday that this prince, in the flower of life and -fortune, went out to the field full of military ardour, and gloriously -fell in battle, leading on his soldiers to the charge. He was the first -of the noble warriors who fell on the memorable field of Quatre Bras. -But he has lived long enough who has lived to acquire glory: he dies -a noble death who dies for his country. The Duke of Brunswick lived -and died like a hero, and he has left his monument in the hearts of -his people, by whom his fate will be long and deeply lamented; and by -future times his memory will be honoured. - -It seemed to be my invariable lot at the dead hour of the night to -be disturbed with some new and terrible alarm. I had not returned -many minutes to my room, after this visit to the remains of departed -greatness, and I was just preparing to go to bed, when I suddenly -heard the well-known hateful sounds of the rolling of heavy military -carriages, passing rapidly through the streets, which were instantly -succeeded by the trampling of horses' feet, the clamour of voices, -and all the hurry of alarm. The streets seemed thronged with people. -Concluding that some news must have arrived, I hastily went out to the -little apartment which the young woman of the house occupied, and where -she told me at any hour she was to be found--but she was gone, and the -noise below was so great, and the men's voices so loud, that I durst -not venture down stairs. I wandered along the passages, and hung over -the balustrades of the staircase, listening to this increasing noise in -a state of the most painful suspense. At last the girl returned with a -countenance of consternation, and pale as death. I eagerly inquired if -there was any news. She said that there was; the very worst;--that all -was lost; that our army had been compelled to retreat, and were falling -back upon Brussels: the French pursuing them. All the English had left -Brussels. People in carriages, on horseback, and on foot, were flying -into Antwerp in the greatest dismay. Baggage waggons, ammunition, -and artillery, were pouring into the town on all sides: and "enfin, -madame," said she, "tout est perdu!" - -For a few minutes, consternation overpowered all my faculties. -The English retreating, pursued by the French, overwhelmed by a -tremendous superiority of numbers--our gallant countrymen vainly -sacrificed--the flower of our army laid low--Buonaparte and the French -triumphant!--the thought was not to be borne: till this moment I never -knew the bitterness, the intensity of my detestation of them. It never -occurred to me to doubt that there had been a battle, and it seemed -too probable that its result had been unfavourable to the British. I -hoped, however, that they were only retreating in consequence of their -extreme inferiority of force to the enemy, to wait until they were -joined either by the fresh reinforcements of our own troops which were -expected, or by the Russians. Some experienced officers had thought -this might probably happen, even when the troops first marched out of -Brussels. I recollected Lord Wellington entrenching himself in the -lines of Torres Vedras. I recalled with proud confidence the multiplied -triumphs of my countrymen in arms, and I firmly believed that, whatever -might be the temporary reverses, or appearance of reverse, they would -eventually prove victorious. - -But in vain I endeavoured to reassure this poor terrified girl, or -inspire her with the conviction I felt myself, that though the English -might retreat before an overpowering force, against which it would be -madness to keep the field, they only retreated to advance with more -strength; and that when joined by fresh reinforcements they would give -battle, and beat the French; and that with such a general and such an -army, they never had been, and they never could be, defeated. - -I succeeded much better in inspiring myself with hope and confidence -than this poor young woman; but all that I myself endured during this -long night of misery is not to be imagined or described. The uncertain -fate of our army, their critical situation, and the dread that some -serious reverse had befallen them, filled my mind with the most -dreadful apprehensions. Worn out as I had been with two successive -nights of sleepless alarm, this news had effectually murdered sleep; -and even when fatigue for a few minutes overpowered my senses, I -started up again with a sense of horror to listen to the beating of -the heavy torrents of rain, and the dismal sounds of alarm which -filled the streets; the rattle of carriages continually driving to the -door, crowded with fugitives who vainly solicited to be taken in, and -drove away utterly at a loss where to find a place of shelter; and -the deafening noise of the rolling of heavy military waggons which, -during the whole night, never ceased a single moment. So deep was the -impression these sounds made upon my senses, so associated had they now -become with feelings of dismay and alarm, that long after every terror -was ended in the glorious certainty of victory, I never could hear -the rattling of these carriages, and the thundering of their wheels, -without a sensation of horror that went to my very heart. - -The morning--the eventful morning of Sunday, the 18th of June--rose, -darkened by clouds and mists, and driving rain. Amongst the rest of the -fugitives, our friends, the Hon. Mr. and Mrs. H., arrived about seven -o'clock, and, after considerable difficulty and delay, succeeded in -obtaining a wretched little hole in a private house, with a miserable -pallet bed, and destitute of all other furniture; but they were too -glad to find shelter, and too thankful to get into a place of safety, -to complain of these inconveniences; and overcome with fatigue, they -went immediately to bed. It was not without considerable difficulty -and danger that their carriage had got out of the choked-up streets -of Brussels, and made its way to Malines, where they had been, for a -time, refused shelter. At length, the golden arguments Mr. H. used -obtained for them admittance into a room filled with people of all -sexes, ages, countries, and ranks--French Princes and foreign Counts, -and English Barons, and Right Honourable ladies and gentlemen, together -with a considerable mixture of less dignified beings, were all lying -together, outstretched upon the tables, the chairs, and the floor; some -groaning, and some complaining, and many snoring, and almost all of -them completely drenched with rain. The water streamed from Mr. H.'s -clothes, who had driven his own carriage. In this situation, they, too, -lay down and slept, while their horses rested; and then, at break of -day, pursued their flight. A hundred Napoleons had been vainly offered -for a pair of horses but a few hours after we left Brussels, and the -scene of panic and confusion which it presented on Saturday evening -surpassed all conception. The certainty of the defeat of the Prussians; -of their retreat; and of the retreat of the British army, prepared the -people to expect the worst. Aggravated reports of disaster and dismay -continually succeeded to each other: the despair and lamentations of -the Belgians, the anxiety of the English to learn the fate of their -friends who had been in the battle the preceding day; the dreadful -spectacle of the waggon loads of wounded coming in, and the terrified -fugitives flying out in momentary expectation of the arrival of -the French:--the streets, the roads, the canals covered with boats, -carriages, waggons, horses, and crowds of unfortunate people, flying -from this scene of horror and danger, formed altogether a combination -of tumult, terror, and misery which cannot be described. Numbers, even -of ladies, unable to procure any means of conveyance, set off on foot, -and walked in the dark, beneath the pelting storm, to Malines; and the -distress of the crowds who now filled Antwerp, it is utterly impossible -to conceive. We were, however, soon inexpressibly relieved, by hearing -that there had been no engagement of any consequence the preceding day; -that the British army had fallen back seven miles in order to take up -a position more favourable for the cavalry, and for communication with -the Prussians; that they were now about nine miles from Brussels; and -that a general and, most probably, decisive action would inevitably -take place to-day. - -Although it continued to rain, we set out, for to sit still in the -house was impossible, and after passing through several streets, we -went into the cathedral, where high mass was performing, and - - "Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault - The pealing anthem swell'd the note of praise." - -For a while its solemn harmony seemed to calm the fever of my mind; it -elevated my thoughts to that God, in whose unerring wisdom and divine -mercy I could alone at this awful moment put my trust, and to Him -"who is the only giver of victory," and at whose command empires rise -and fall, flourish and decay; to Him who alone has power to save and -to destroy, I breathed a silent prayer to bless the British arms, to -shield my brave and heroic countrymen in the hour of danger, and give -to them the success and glory of the battle. Intelligence arrived that -the action had commenced. We were told that the French had attacked the -British this morning at daybreak: the contending armies were actually -engaged, and the last, the dreadful battle was at this very moment -deciding. - -It is impossible for any but those who have actually experienced it to -conceive the dreadful, the overwhelming anxiety of being so near such -eventful scenes, without being actually engaged in them; to know that -within a few leagues the dreadful storm of war is raging in all its -horrors, and the mortal conflict going forward which is to decide the -glory of your country, and the security of the world:--to think that -while you are sitting in passive inactivity, or engaged in the most -trifling occupations, your brave countrymen are fighting and falling in -the uncertain battle, and your friends, and those whose fate you may -deplore through life, perhaps at that very moment breathing their last; -to be surrounded by misery that you cannot console, and sufferings that -you cannot relieve; to wait, to look, to long in vain for intelligence; -to be distracted with a thousand confused and contradictory accounts -without being able to ascertain the truth; to be at one moment -elevated with hope, and the next depressed with fear; to endure the -long-protracted suspense--the deep-wrought feelings of expectation--the -incessant alarms, the ever-varying reports--the dreadful rumours of -evil--Oh! it was a state of misery almost too great, too agonising for -human endurance! Never--never shall I forget the torturing suspense, -the intense anxiety of mind, and agitation of spirit, in which this -day was passed. In the midst of all that could interest the mind and -charm the fancy, and surrounded by all that, at any other time, would -have afforded me the highest gratification, I could neither see, hear, -observe, admire, nor understand anything; I could think of nothing -but the battle. In vain I tried to distract my thoughts, or to force -my attention even for a moment to other things: the situation of our -army, their danger, their success, their sufferings, and their glory, -were for ever present to me. Unable to rest, we wandered mechanically -about the town, regardless of the frequent heavy showers of rain, and -of the deep and dirty streets, anxiously awaiting the arrival of news -from the army--though well aware that for many hours nothing could -be known of the event of the battle. With a view to dissipate our -fruitless anxiety, and as a shelter from the rain, we visited several -cabinets of paintings: but I beheld the noblest works of art, and the -finest monuments of departed genius, with indifference. Not even the -sublime touches, the affecting images, and the unrivalled productions -of Guido, and Raphael, and Rubens; not all the force, the pathos, and -the expression of their powerful genius, could at this moment charm or -even interest me; for I had no power to feel their beauties. - -Every faculty of our minds was absorbed in one feeling, one thought, -one interest;--we seemed like bodies without souls. Our persons and our -outward senses were indeed present in Antwerp, but our whole hearts and -souls were with the army. - -In the course of our wanderings we met many people whom we knew, and -had much conversation with many whom we did not know. At this momentous -crisis, one feeling actuated every heart--one thought engaged every -tongue--one common interest bound together every human being. All -ranks were confounded; all distinctions levelled; all common forms -neglected. Gentlemen and servants; lords and common soldiers; British -and foreigners, were all upon an equality--elbowing each other without -ceremony, and addressing each other without apology. Ladies accosted -men they had never before seen with eager questions without hesitation; -strangers conversed together like friends, and English reserve seemed -no longer to exist. From morning till night the great Place de Maire -was completely filled with people, standing under umbrellas, and -eagerly watching for news of the battle; so closely packed was this -anxious crowd, that, when viewed from the hotel windows, nothing -could be seen but one compact mass of umbrellas. As the day advanced, -the consternation became greater. The number of terrified fugitives -from Brussels, upon whose faces were marked the deepest anxiety and -distress, and who thronged into the town on horseback and on foot, -increased the general dismay, while long rows of carriages lined the -streets, filled with people who could find no place of shelter. - -Troops from the Hanseatic towns marched in to strengthen the garrison -of the city in case of a siege. Long trains of artillery, ammunition, -military stores, and supplies of all sorts incessantly poured in, and -there seemed to be no end of the heavy waggons that rolled through the -streets. Reports more and more gloomy reached our ears; every hour only -served to add to the general despondency. On every side we heard that -the battle was fought under circumstances so disadvantageous to the -British, and against a preponderance of force so overpowering, that -it was impossible it could be won. Long did we resist the depressing -impression these alarming accounts were calculated to make upon our -minds; long did we believe, in spite of every unfavourable appearance, -that the British would be victorious. Towards evening a wounded officer -arrived, bringing intelligence that the onset had been most terrible, -and so immense were the numbers of the enemy, that he "did not -believe it was in the power of man to save the battle." To record the -innumerable false reports we heard spread by the terrified fugitives, -who continually poured into the town from Brussels, would be endless. -At length, after an interval of the most torturing suspense, a wounded -British officer of hussars, scarcely able to sit his horse, and faint -from loss of blood, rode up to the door of the hotel, and told us the -disastrous tidings, that the battle was lost, and that Brussels, by -this time, was in the possession of the enemy. He said, that in all the -battles he had ever been engaged in, he had never witnessed anything at -all equal to the horrors of this. The French had fought with the most -desperate valour, but, when he left the field, they had been repulsed -by the British at every point with immense slaughter: the news of -the defeat had, however, overtaken him on the road; all the baggage -belonging to the army was taken or destroyed, and the confusion among -the French at Vittoria, he said, was nothing to this. He had himself -been passed by panic-struck fugitives from the field, flying for their -lives, and he had been obliged to hurry forward, notwithstanding his -wounds, in order to effect his escape. Two gentlemen from Brussels -corroborated this dreadful account: in an agitation that almost -deprived them of the power of utterance, they declared that when they -came away, Brussels presented the most dreadful scene of tumult, -horror, and confusion; that intelligence had been received of the -complete defeat of the British, and that the French were every moment -expected. The carnage had been most tremendous. The Duke of Wellington, -they said, was severely wounded; Sir Dennis Pack killed; and all our -bravest officers killed, wounded, or prisoners. In vain we inquired, -where, if the battle was lost, where was now, and what had become of -the British army?--"God alone knows," was the answer. The next moment -we heard from a gentleman who had just arrived, that before he left -Brussels, the French had actually entered it; that he had himself seen -a party of them; and another gentleman (apparently an officer) declared -he had been pursued by them more than half way to Malines! - -Dreadful was the panic and dismay that now seized the unfortunate -Belgians, and in the most piercing tones of horror and despair they -cried out, that the French would be at the gates before morning. Some -English people, thinking Antwerp no longer safe, set off for Breda, -late as it was. Later still, accounts were brought (as we were told) -by three British officers, confirming the dreadful tidings of defeat; -it was even said that the French were already at Malines. We believed, -we trusted that these reports of evil were greatly exaggerated; we did -not credit their dreadful extent, but that some terrible reverse had -befallen the British army it was no longer possible to doubt. During -the whole of this dreadful night, the consternation, the alarm, the -tumult, the combination of horrid noises that filled the streets, I -shall never forget. The rapid rolling of the carriages, the rattle of -artillery, and the slow, heavy motion of the large waggons filled with -wounded soldiers, which incessantly entered the town, were the most -dismal of all. - -Of the bitter agony, the deep-seated affliction that now overwhelmed -us, it would be in vain to speak. There are feelings in the human -heart that can find no utterance in words, and which "lie too deep for -tears:" and the conviction that the British army had been defeated--the -dreadful uncertainty of its fate--and the heart-piercing sight of -my brave, my unfortunate wounded countrymen returning from the lost -battle in which their valour had been exerted, and their blood been -shed in vain, awakened sensations which no visible emotion, no power -of language could express; but which have left an impression on my -mind that no lapse of time can efface. No private calamity, however -great, that had befallen myself individually, could have afflicted me -with such bitter anguish as I now suffered. The image of the British -troops retreating before a conquering, an insulting, a merciless -enemy--defeated, perhaps cut to pieces: the idea of their misfortunes -and their sufferings--of the wounded abandoned to perish on the fatal -field; the misery of thousands; the distress in which it would plunge -my country; the years of war and bloodshed, and all the dreadful -consequences it would bring upon the world, incessantly haunted my mind -during this long night of misery. Overpowered by three days and nights -of extreme fatigue, anxiety, and agitation, I fell at times into a sort -of unquiet slumber; but my busy fancy still presented the horrid images -of terror and distress, and repeatedly I started up from uneasy sleep -to the dreadful consciousness of waking misery. Oh! it was a night of -unspeakable horror-- - - "Nor when morning came - Did the realities of light and day - Bring aught of comfort: wheresoe'er we went - The tidings of defeat had gone before; - And leaving their defenceless homes, to seek - What shelter walls and battlements might yield, - - Old men with feeble feet, and tottering babes, - And widows with their infants in their arms - Hurried along: nor royal festival, - Nor sacred pageant--with like multitude - E'er fill'd the public way:--all whom the sword - Had spared--fled here!"--_Southey's Roderick._ - -With a heavy heart, I rose and dressed myself, and went out before -eight o'clock, attended only by our old valet de place, who with a -sorrowful countenance awaited me at the foot of the stairs. From him, -and from the master of the hotel, who were both on the watch for news, -I learned that no official intelligence had been received, no courier -had arrived: but no doubt was entertained of the truth of the dreadful -reports of the night, and the events of every hour seemed to give full -confirmation of the worst. I traversed the gloomy streets, anxiously -gazing at every melancholy careworn countenance I met, as if there I -could read the truth. I was struck to the heart with horror by the -sight of the heavy loaded waggons of wounded soldiers which incessantly -passed by me; while litters borne silently along on men's shoulders -gave dreadful indications of sufferings more severe, or nearer their -final termination; nor were they less painful to the thoughts from -being unseen. Imagination perhaps conjured up sufferings more dreadful -than the reality--sufferings at which my blood ran cold. - -Wholly forgetful of some business I had to transact, which I had -undertaken for a friend before leaving England, I hurried through the -streets with the vague hope of hearing some decisive intelligence; -certain that anything, even the knowledge of the worst, would be -preferable to this state of wretchedness and torturing suspense. At -last, without intending it, I found myself near the Malines gate. -Conducted by the old valet, I turned into a narrow street on my -right, where, to my inexpressible astonishment, I saw five wounded -Highland soldiers who, in spite of the bandages which enveloped their -heads, arms, and legs, were shouting and huzzaing with the vociferous -demonstrations of joy. In answer to my eager questions, they told -me that a courier had that moment entered the town from the Duke of -Wellington, bringing an account that the English had gained a complete -victory, that the remains of the French army were in full retreat, and -the English in pursuit of them. - -To the last hour of my life, never shall I forget the sensations of -that moment. Scarcely daring to credit the extent of this wonderful, -this transporting news, I did, however, believe that the English had -gained the victory; believed it with feelings to which no language -can do justice, and which found relief in tears of joy that I could -not repress. For some minutes I was unable to speak. The overpowering -emotions which filled my heart were far too powerful for expression; -but the boon of life to the wretch whose head is laid upon the block -could scarcely be received with more transport and gratitude. The -sudden transition from the depth of despair to joy unutterable, was -almost too great to be borne. - -In the mean time the Highlanders, regardless of their wounds, their -fatigues, their dangers, and their sufferings, kept throwing up their -Highland bonnets into the air, and continually vociferating,--"Boney's -beat! Boney's beat! hurrah! hurrah! Boney's beat!" Their tumultuous joy -attracted round them a number of old Flemish women, who were extremely -curious to know the cause of this uproar, and kept gabbling to the -soldiers in their own tongue. One of them, more eager than the rest, -seized one of the men by his coat, pulling at it, and making the most -ludicrous gestures imaginable to induce him to attend to her; while -the Highlander, quite forgetting in his transport that the old woman -did not understand Scotch, kept vociferating that "Boney was beat, and -rinning away till his ain country as fast as he could gang." At any -other time, the old Flemish woman, holding the soldier fast, shrugging -up her shoulders, and making these absurd grimaces, and the Highlander -roaring to her in broad Scotch would have presented a most laughable -scene--"Hout, ye auld gowk," cried the good-humoured soldier, "dinna -ye ken that Boney's beat--what, are ye deef?--dare say the wife--I say -Boney's beat, woman!" When the news was explained to the old women -they were in an ecstasy almost as great as that of the Highlanders -themselves, and the joy of the old valet was quite unbounded. These -poor men were on their way to the hospital, but they did not know which -way to go; they were ignorant of the language, and could not inquire. -I thought of sending the valet de place with them, who was extremely -willing to conduct "ces bons Ecossois," as he called them, but then I -could not easily have found my own way home; so the valet de place, -the soldiers, and I, all went to the hospital together. Our progress -was slow, for one of them was very lame, another had lost three of the -fingers of his right hand, and had a ball lodged in his shoulder. Some -of them were from the Highlands, and some from the Lowlands, and when -they found that I came from Scotland, and lived upon the Tweed, they -were quite delighted. One of them was from the Tweed as well as myself, -he said, "he cam' oot o' Peeblesshire." - -After parting with them close to the hospital, I returned homewards, -and by the time I reached the Place de Maire it was thronged with -multitudes of people, who seemed at a loss how to give vent to their -transport. One loud universal buzz of voices filled the streets; one -feeling pervaded every heart; one expression beamed on every face: in -short, the people were quite wild with joy, and some of them really -seemed by no means in possession of their senses. At the door of our -hotel the first sight I beheld among the crowds that encircled it, was -an English lady, who had apparently attained the full meridian of life, -with a night-cap stuck on the top of her head, discovering her hair -in papillotes beneath, attired in a long white flannel dressing-gown, -loosely tied about her waist, with the sleeves tucked up above the -elbows. She was flying about in a distracted manner, with a paper -in her hand, loudly proclaiming the glorious tidings, continually -repeating the same thing, and rejoicing, lamenting, wondering, pitying, -and exclaiming, all in the same breath. From an English gentleman -whom I had met, I had already learned all the particulars that were -known; but this lady seized upon me, repeated them all again and again, -interrupting herself with mourning over the misfortunes of poor Lady de -Lancey, pitying Lady F. Somerset, rejoicing in the victory, wondering -at the Duke's escape, lamenting for Sir Thomas Picton, and declaring, -which was incontestably true, that she herself was quite distracted. - -In vain did her maid pursue her about with a great shawl, which -occasionally she succeeded in putting upon her shoulders, but which -invariably fell off again the next moment. - -In vain did another lady, whose dress and mind were rather more -composed, endeavour to entice her away--she could not be brought to -pay them the smallest attention, and I left her still talking as -fast as ever, and standing in this curious déshabille among gentlemen -and footmen, and officers and soldiers, and valets de place, and in -full view of the multitudes who thronged the great Place de Maire. An -express had arrived, soon after eight o'clock, bringing the Duke of -Wellington's bulletin, dated Waterloo, containing a brief account of -the glorious battle. But from private letters and accounts we learnt -that the triumph of the British arms had indeed been complete. After -a most dreadful and sanguinary battle, which lasted from ten in the -morning till nine at night, the French at length gave way, and fled -in confusion from the field, leaving behind them their artillery, -their baggage, their wounded, and their prisoners. The certainty of -this great, this glorious victory, won by the heroic valour of our -countrymen in circumstances so disadvantageous; the fall of the enemy -of Britain and of mankind; the deliverance of Europe; the peace of the -world, and, above all, the glory of England, rushed into my mind; and -every individual interest, every personal consideration, every other -thought and feeling, were swallowed up and forgotten. - -The contest had been dreadful--the carnage unexampled in the bloodiest -annals of history. The French army had been nearly annihilated, and -our loss was tremendous. The greatest part of our gallant army, the -best, the bravest of our officers, were among the killed and wounded. -Sir Colin Halket, Generals Cooke and Alten, Sir Dennis Pack, the -Prince of Orange, Lord Uxbridge,[16] and Lord Fitzroy Somerset, -were severely wounded. Sir Thomas Picton, Sir William Ponsonby, Sir -Alexander Gordon were killed. Sir William de Lancey had also been -killed by a cannon-ball while in absolute contact with the Duke, whose -escapes seemed to have been almost miraculous. Unmindful, perhaps -even unconscious, of the showers of shot and shell, he had stood -undaunted from morning till night in the thickest of the battle, -coolly reconnoitring with his glass the motions of the enemy, issuing -his orders with the utmost precision, and everywhere present by his -promptitude, coolness, and presence of mind. Almost all his staff -officers were either killed or wounded.[17] Lady M. showed us the -official bulletin; it contained a most brief and modest account of -the victory, announcing scarcely any particulars, and mentioning the -names only of a very few of the principal officers who were among the -sufferers. - -In a few hours the town was crowded with the wounded. The regular -hospitals were soon filled, and barracks, churches, and convents were -converted into temporary hospitals with all possible expedition. Tents -were pitched in a large piece of open ground near the citadel, and -numbers of these unfortunate sufferers were carried there: but nothing -could contain the multitude of wounded who continually entered the -town. Numbers were lying on the hard pavement of the streets, and on -the steps of the houses; and numbers were wandering about in search of -a place of shelter. Nothing affected me more than the quiet fortitude -and uncomplaining patience with which these poor men bore their -sufferings. Not a word, not a murmur, not a groan escaped their lips. -They lay extended on their backs in the long waggons, their clothes -stained with blood, blinded by the intolerable rays of the sun, in -silent suffering; while every jolt of the waggons seemed to go to one's -very heart. Numbers on foot, almost sinking with fatigue and loss of -blood, were slowly and painfully making their way along the streets. -Officers supported on their horses, and almost insensible, with faces -pale as death, and marked with agony, and those dreadful litters, whose -very appearance bespoke torture and death, were passing through every -street. - -Never shall I forget the impression that the sight of my poor wounded -countrymen made upon my mind. When I saw their sufferings, and thought -of their deeds in arms, of their dauntless intrepidity in the field, -and of the immortal glory they had won, tears of pity, admiration, and -gratitude burst from my heart, and I looked at the meanest soldier -returning, covered with wounds, from fighting the battles of his -country, with a respect and admiration which not all the kings and -princes of the earth could have extorted from me. - -If such were the horrors of the scene here, what must they be on the -field of battle, covered with thousands of the dead, the wounded, and -the dying! The idea was almost too dreadful for human endurance; and -yet there were those of my own country, and even of my own sex, whom I -heard express a longing wish to visit this very morning the fatal field -of Waterloo! If, by visiting that dreadful scene of glory and of death, -I could have saved the life, or assuaged the pangs, of one individual -who had fallen for his country, gladly would I have braved its horrors; -but for the gratification of an idle, a barbarous curiosity, to gaze -upon the mangled corpses of thousands; to hear the deep groans of -agony, and witness the last struggles of the departing spirit--No! -worlds should not have bribed me to have encountered the sight: the -consolation of being useful, alone could have armed one with courage to -have witnessed it. Nothing could exceed the humanity and kindness of -the Belgic people to those poor sufferers who now crowded the streets. -Unsolicited they took them into their own houses; sent bedding to the -hospitals; resigned their own rooms to their use; provided them with -every comfort, and administered to their wants as if they had been -their own sons. One old lady alone, who was the sole inhabitant of a -large house, refused to take in two wounded officers; the Commandant, -on hearing of this, immediately billetted six private soldiers upon -her. But, notwithstanding the praiseworthy activity and exertion which -were used to accommodate them, it was long, long indeed, before they -could all be taken care of. We grieved that we had no house to shelter -them, and no power to give them any essential relief. Money was to them -as useless as the lump of gold to Robinson Crusoe in his desert island: -we could not act by them the part of the good Samaritan, nor could we, -like the heroines of the days of chivalry, bind up and dress their -wounds, for in our ignorance we should only have injured them, and the -most stupid hospital mate could perform that office a thousand times -better than the finest lady. - -Numbers of poor wounded Highlanders were patiently sitting in the -streets, shaded from the powerful rays of the sun. We had a good -deal of conversation with several of the privates of the 42nd and -92nd regiments, and their account of the battle was most simple and -interesting. They seemed not to have the smallest pride in what they -had done; but to consider it quite as a matter of course; they uttered -not the smallest complaint, but rather made light of their sufferings, -and there was nothing in their words or manner that looked as if they -were sensible of having done anything in the least extraordinary; -nothing that laid claim to pity, admiration, or glory. The carnage -among the French, both on the 16th and 18th, in their encounter with -the Highland regiments, was described to us as most dreadful. The -cuirassiers, men and officers, horses and riders, were rolled in -death, one upon another, after the British charge with the bayonet. -In vain the French returned to the attack with furious valour and -reinforced numbers. Their utmost efforts could make no impression on -the impenetrable squares of the infantry, and the spiked wall of the -British embattled bayonets; and when they retired from the ineffectual -attack, the brave Highlanders, with loud cries of "Scotland for ever!" -rushed among them, bore down all resistance, and scattered their -legions like withered leaves before the blast of autumn. - -It is but justice to these gallant men to say, that it was not from -themselves we heard this relation of their own deeds. _They_ could -not be induced to speak of what they had done, but it was repeated on -every side; it was the theme of every tongue. The love and admiration -of the whole Belgic people for the Highlanders are most remarkable. -Whenever they heard them mentioned, they exclaimed, "Ah! ces braves -hommes! ces bons Ecossais! ils sont si doux--et si aimables--et dans -la guerre!--ah! mon Dieu! comme ils sont terribles!" They never speak -of them without some epithet of affection or admiration. Their merits -are the darling topic of their private circles, and their figures the -favourite signs of their public-houses; in short, they are the best of -soldiers and of men, according to the Belgians--nothing was ever like -them, and the idea they have of their valour is quite prodigious.[18] - -The sufferings of the wounded, however, did not form the only affecting -sight that Antwerp presented. The deep, the distracting grief of the -unfortunate people whose friends had perished, and the heart-rending -anxiety of those who vainly sought for intelligence of the fate of -those most dear to them, were amongst the most distressing parts of -the many mournful scenes we witnessed. Of those friends for whose -safety we were deeply solicitous, we could gain no information, and the -suspense, dreadful as it was, we, as well as thousands, were obliged to -endure. But our anxiety, our sorrows, seemed light indeed in comparison -with those of others: there were few who had not some near friend or -relative to deplore, and Antwerp was filled with heart-broken mourners, -whom the victory of yesterday had bereft of all that made life dear to -them. In the same hotel with us was poor Lady de Lancey, a young and -widowed bride, upon whom, in all the hopes of happiness--in the very -flower of youth--unacquainted with sorrow, and far from every friend, -the heaviest stroke of affliction had fallen unprepared. But three -little days ago, she seemed to be at the summit of felicity, and now -she was bereaved of every earthly hope. She bore the intelligence of -her irreparable loss with astonishing firmness. I did not wonder that -she refused to see every human being, for no earthly power could speak -consolation to misery such as hers. In vain I tried to forget her--I -could not banish her from my remembrance; and often, during our long -wanderings in the distant regions of Holland, when I was far from her, -and far from all that might have recalled her to my remembrance, among -other sights and other scenes, her early misfortunes wrung my heart -with the deepest sorrow. - -But whatever might be the grief and anxiety of individuals, the -universal joy was unbounded. It is impossible to describe the effects -of this victory upon all ranks of people. Every human heart seemed to -beat in sympathy; every countenance beamed with joy; every tongue spoke -the language of exultation. As the terror and despair of the Belgians -had been excessive, their transport was now vehement and overflowing, -and their volubility not to be imagined. We went into several shops, -and the people, unable to restrain themselves, poured out upon us -the fulness of their joy, their astonishment, their gratitude, their -admiration, and their praise. Totally forgetful of their interests, -they thought not of selling their goods; they thought of nothing--they -could do nothing but talk of the battle and the British, and it was -with difficulty we could get them to show us what we wanted: nay, more -than once we were actually obliged to go away without doing anything, -from the impossibility of making them attend to the business of selling -and buying. - -But sometimes the expression of their feelings was so simple, so -natural, and so touching, and there was so much of truth and naïveté, -both in their manner and their words, that it was impossible to hear -them without emotion. The French they loaded with execrations; and -their hatred, their indignation, and their bitter feelings of their -wrongs, said more than volumes of eloquence, or even facts could have -done, in condemnation of the conduct of their late masters. All the -English merchandise, and all colonial produce, imported even before -it was decreed to be a crime, were seized, carried from their shops -and warehouses, and burnt before their eyes in the Place Verte. No -remuneration, no indemnity whatever was given them; and by this single -act of wanton tyranny, hundreds of industrious families were reduced -to beggary. Heavy exactions and continual contributions were levied, -and the weight of these fell upon the most industrious and respectable -orders of the people. "All that we had they took," was said again and -again to us, "and if we had had thousands more, it would have all -gone." They ruined the commerce, the manufactures, the trade of the -country, and then they drained the poor inhabitants of their property. -They shut up the sources of wealth, and then called on them for money. -They blocked up the fountain, and then asked for its waters. Like -Egyptian task-masters, they took from them the materials, and then -demanded their work. They expected them to make "bricks without straw." -The French soldiers lived at free-quarters upon the people, and the -Belgic youths were marched away to fight in foreign wars. The oppressed -people were subject to the unrestrained rapine and brutal insolence of -the French soldiery, of which they durst not complain. It was unsafe -even to murmur. Not only the liberty of the press, but the liberty of -speech was denied them. Any unfortunate person convicted of holding -intercourse with England was imprisoned, and some of them (we were -told), by way of example, were shot. - -We happened to go into a little stationer's shop, kept by a widow and -her three daughters, who received us almost with adoration because we -were English. They all began to talk at once, and relieved their minds -by pouring out a torrent of invectives against those detested tyrants, -"Ces fléaux du genre humain," as they called them. All their goods had -been seized; their shop (which was not then a stationer's) completely -stripped of its contents, under the pretence of its being filled with -British and colonial produce, which they said was not the case; and a -considerable quantity of continental manufactures had also been carried -away. "But _that_ was nothing," the poor mother said, as she wiped -the tears from her eyes, "_that_ she could have borne, for though it -seemed heavy at the time, she thought less of it now;--but her five -sons (fine handsome young men, they were, as ever a mother bore), her -five sons were all taken for soldiers, and perished in the French wars; -some in the retreat from Russia, and some in the subsequent campaign -in Germany." The tears streamed down the cheeks of one of these young -women, as she spoke to me of her "poor brothers." I can give no idea of -the bitterness, the rancour, the hatred, and above all, the volubility -of the abuse which these poor women poured out against the French. - -We got away from them with difficulty; and though the deep sense of -their own wrongs rankled in their minds, and aggravated the resentment -and detestation which they must naturally feel towards the authors of -so much misery, yet we found the same sentiments, in greater or in -less degree, among all the Belgians with whom we conversed, or whom we -heard conversing. I had always understood that the French (and Napoleon -in particular) were highly popular in Antwerp, but from some most -respectable old-established merchants, both British and Belgic, we -learned that the inhabitants were decidedly hostile to the French, and -that they were both feared and hated by all, excepting the very dregs -of society, and those individuals who had made fortunes under their -administration. - -In the course of our rambles we had many conversations with various -people whom we never saw before, and I suppose shall never see again. -We met a wounded officer who had been taken prisoner by the French. He -said, that after repeatedly threatening to kill him, and loading him -with abuse, they actually knocked him on the head with the butt-end -of a musket, and left him for dead upon the field: he came, however, -to himself, and effected his escape. His face was most frightfully -swelled, and so bruised, that it was every shade of black, and blue, -and green; his head was entirely tied up with white handkerchiefs and -bloody bandages, and in my life I never saw a more battered object. He -had his arm in a sling; but he was by much too rejoiced at his escape -to care about his wounds or bruises. He told us, what _then_ I could -scarcely believe, that the French had killed many of our officers whom -they had taken prisoners, and that they had _piked_ numbers of the -wounded. The truth of these brutal murders, disgraceful to humanity, -and even more dishonourable and more barbarous than the worst cruelty -of savages, were unhappily, afterwards, too indisputably proved. - -In our progress through the streets we could not resist stopping to -speak to such of the poor wounded soldiers as seemed able to talk, -and who looked as if they would thank us even for a word of kindness, -much to the amazement of Mr. D., an Antwerp merchant, who was walking -about with us, to "show us the lions," as he said. However, he waited -most patiently, while Mrs. H., my sister, and I talked to ensigns, -sergeants, corporals, and common soldiers, who were all, more or less, -wounded or disabled. - -"We have got six of those wounded soldiers billeted upon us," said -Mr. D., as we walked on, "but I must get them boarded out somewhere, -for they would be very troublesome in the house." "Troublesome!" I -exclaimed. "Yes! you know they would be very troublesome in a house, -though I suppose the surgeons will look after their _wounds_, and all -_that_; they will cost me" (I forget how many guelders he said) "a -week, but I would rather _pay_ it" (with a strong and proud emphasis -upon the word pay) "than have them in the house, it would be so very -disagreeable." - -I was silent, for I durst not trust myself to speak. Yet this was a -very well-meaning man. I make no doubt he subscribed _handsomely_ to -the Waterloo fund, and that he would have given money to those very -wounded soldiers to whom he refused shelter--if he had thought they -wanted it. But beyond giving money his ideas of charity did not extend. -To his mercantile mind, money was the chief and only good; the sole -source of pride and of happiness; the only object in life worth seeking -after--the one thing needful. He was a very good kind of man in his -way, but he was entirely occupied with his "snug box" at Clapham, his -brother's grand potteries in Staffordshire, and his own cargoes of -rice, and hogsheads of rum and sugar; he could not feel the vast debt -of gratitude their country owed to "the men of Waterloo;" to those -gallant soldiers who had fought and bled for her safety and glory. -He did not mean to be unkind or ungenerous; he would have started at -the reproach of wanting humanity, or being deficient in gratitude, -but--but--but--in short, he was altogether an Antwerp merchant. - -The day was extremely hot, and on the outside of the Cafés, beneath -the shade of awnings, and seated beside little tables in the open -street, the Belgic gentlemen were eating ices and fruit, and drinking -coffee, and reading "L'Oracle de Bruxelles," and playing at domino -and backgammon with the utmost composure, utterly regardless of the -crowds of passengers, and apparently as much at their ease as if they -were in their own houses,--or indeed more so; for the Belgians, like -the French, are more at home at le Café, or in the public streets, or -anywhere, than in their own home, which is the last place in which -they think of looking for enjoyment. They have no notion of domestic -comfort, domestic pleasure, or domestic happiness; and consequently -they cannot have much knowledge of domestic virtues. I cannot, -therefore, help considering the French as a gay, rather than a happy -nation. French habits and manners, and, I am afraid, French morals, -are universally prevalent throughout Belgium. Groups of ladies of the -most respectable character may everywhere be seen, sitting on chairs -or benches, in the public streets or promenades, working, talking, -laughing, and amusing themselves with all the ease and gaiety and -sangfroid in the world. Sometimes only a knot of ladies, but more -frequently ladies coquetting with their obsequious beaux. - -We visited the unfinished Quay, begun by Napoleon, which was to have -extended above a mile along the broad and deep Scheldt, and would have -been one of the finest quays in Europe. We saw the flying bridge ("Le -Pont Volant"), a most ingenious contrivance, on which carriages, -horses, and waggons pass with great rapidity and security from one -side of the river to the other, without interrupting its navigation, -even for vessels of the largest burden. Such a plan, I should think, -might be adopted with great success upon the Thames between London and -Gravesend, or in any river where the arches of a stone bridge would -obstruct the passage of the ships, and where the breadth is too great -for the single span of an iron bridge. The mechanism seemed to be very -simple. The largest ships of war can come up close to the quay; but the -navigation of the Scheldt is difficult, and even dangerous, from the -number of sand banks which choke it up. Antwerp is upwards of fifty -miles from the mouth of the river. - -We saw the docks, the offspring of Napoleon's hatred against our -country; one of them was made sufficiently large and deep to be capable -of containing the greatest part of the British navy, and at one time he -exulted in the expectation of seeing the "wooden walls" of Old England -safely moored in _his_ docks at Antwerp. Little did he anticipate the -day when the little army of England, which he despised and ridiculed, -should be the unmolested possessors of _his_ capital of Paris! - -The Arsenal (la Maison de Marine) is now emptied of its stores, and -deserted by its workmen. We saw a long building erected by Napoleon for -the manufacture of ropes for ships--now equally useless. Its length is -precisely the same as that of the cable of a first-rate British ship -of war. The manner in which they repair ships in these docks is unlike -anything I ever saw before. Instead of lifting the ship entirely out -of water, and placing it upon the stocks (in effecting which, or in -relaunching it, a vessel is said often to sustain injury), a rope is -attached to the masts, and the ship is hauled down until its keel is -exposed; after repairing that side they haul it down on the other in -the same manner, and the workmen stand upon a raft that is fastened to -its side. - -We went to see the Citadel, a noble and complete fortification -overlooking the Scheldt. The walls are of such an immense height and -thickness, that I should imagine them to be quite invulnerable. The -fortress is capable of containing 10,000 men; by means of the river -fresh reinforcements might be constantly thrown in; and with a strong -garrison, and an adequate supply of provisions and ammunition, I should -suppose, that like another Troy, it might stand a ten years' siege; -only that modern patience would never hold out such a length of time. - -The commandant was confined to his bed by indisposition; but every -part of the fortification was explained to us by a very good-humoured, -intelligent Irish officer, whose name I have forgotten, but who seemed -to be excessively amused by the (I fear) almost childish delight which -my sister and I betrayed in seeing all the wonders of this wonderful -place. Everything to us was new and interesting. It was the first -citadel we had ever seen: and to see with our own eyes a real, actual -citadel--nay, more, to be in one, was so very delightful, that we both -agreed, if we had seen nothing else, we should have thought ourselves -amply repaid for our journey to Antwerp. - -This good-natured officer contentedly toiled along with us, under the -burning rays of a most sultry sun, round the whole fortifications, and -pointed out to us where and how attacks might be made with success, -and in what manner they could be resisted. The sight of the moat, -the draw-bridges, the ramparts, the bastions, and the dungeons; the -sally-ports and gates, which communicate with the citadel from the moat -by long subterranean passages, so forcibly recalled to my recollection -all that I had heard and read of battles and sieges in history and in -tales of chivalry, that I could have fancied myself transported back -into ages long since past--into the iron times of arms; and all that -had before existed only in imagination was at once realised. - -After visiting all the lions of Antwerp, docks and fortresses; and -ships and statues; and pictures and prisons; and quays and cathedrals; -and battle-beaten walls and flying bridges; and decayed monasteries, -and modern arsenals; which, as they have all been often so much better -described than I can describe them, I shall forbear to describe at -all--we returned to the hotel, excessively heated and tired, and very -glad to sit down to rest. To-day, for the first time since our arrival, -we began to have serious thoughts of getting some dinner. We might have -eaten something during those days of alarm and agitation, and I suppose -we did; but, excepting the breakfast we had got upon the stairs at -Brussels on Saturday, I have not the most distant recollection of ever -having eaten at all. - -Upon the necessity and expediency of now dining, however, we were all -unanimously agreed: the difficulty was how to achieve it. Mr. and Mrs. -H. had a pigeon-hole for their only habitation, in which it would -have been perfectly impossible to have introduced a table; a single -chair was all it was capable of containing. In our rooms we had some -difficulty in turning round when more than one person at a time was -in them; but by dint of sitting _out_ of the window, and against the -door, and upon all the boxes, we had, I was assured--for I actually did -not remember it--ingeniously succeeded in getting some breakfast--but -to dine was perfectly impracticable. There happened, however, to be in -this very hotel, a Captain F., an idle, not a fighting, captain; one -who made his campaigns, not at Waterloo, but in Bond-street; and this -Captain F., who had been in Antwerp long before the commencement of -hostilities, had, luckily for us, got possession of a room in which -it was possible to move. He was a Newmarket friend of Mr. H.'s, who -introduced him to us, with the recommendation that he was a young man -of fashion and fortune, well known about town; and in Captain F.'s room -and company, Mr. and Mrs. H., my sister, my brother, and I accordingly -dined; we were also favoured with the company of a particular friend -of his, a Mr. C. Many foolish young men it has been my lot to see, but -never did I meet with any whose folly was at all comparable to that of -Captain F. - -Captain F. was a young man who prided himself upon his knowledge of -horse-flesh, and who had, by his own account, been jockeyed out of -"many a cool thousand" by his ignorance of it; he was a young man who -delighted in building more _new invented_ carriages in one year than -he could pay for in twenty; he was a young man who prided himself upon -borrowing money from Jews at fifteen per cent. while his guardians were -saving it for him at five; and in squandering it at Newmarket while -they thought him poring over Greek and mathematics at Cambridge; he -was a young man whose highest pride consisted in driving four-in-hand -"knowingly;" whose greatest ambition was to resemble a stage-coachman -exactly, and whose distinguishing characteristic was that of being a -most egregious fool. - -In consequence, I suppose, of a perseverance in this laudable career, -Captain F. now found it more convenient to play the fool upon the -continent than in England. After recounting to us various and manifold -deeds of folly committed in London and Newmarket, amongst Jews and Whip -Clubs, he at length gravely asserted, "that it was impossible for any -man to dress under seven hundred a year." - -This piece of information was received by some of the party with equal -amazement and incredulity: but Captain F. assured us, "'Pon his soul -it was true; that he knew as well as any man what it was to dress, and -that it could not be done for less than seven hundred a year--nay, that -it often costs nine." - -"And pray, Captain F.," said I, involuntarily glancing at his coat, -which happened not to be by any means a new one, "do _you_ spend nine -hundred a year upon dress?" - -"Oh! not _now_," he exclaimed; "I don't dress _now_; I never dressed -but eighteen months in my life." He then explained at large to me, -who, in my ignorance, had not understood what to dress meant, "that -'to dress' signified to be the first in fashion, to make it the study -of one's life to appear in a new mode before anybody else; 'to sport' -something new every day; and during the time he dressed," he said, -"his tailor sent him down three boxes of clothes every week from town, -wherever he might happen to be." Having thus satisfactorily proved, -that, at a considerable expense to his pocket, he had turned himself -into a sort of block for the tailors to attire in their new invented -coats and waistcoats, like the wooden dolls the milliners dress up -to set off their new fashions, he next poured out such a quantity -of nonsense about the battle and the wounded, that he reminded me of -Hotspur's account of his interview with a coxcomb of the same species: - - "When the fight was done,----" - -But why do I waste a word upon him. - -A Scotch acquaintance, Mr. E., of M., arrived this evening from the -field, where he had been ineffectually engaged in the soul-harrowing -employment of searching among the dead, the wounded, and the dying, -for his youngest brother, who was nowhere to be found. He was a -gallant-spirited youth of eighteen, and this was his first campaign. -His horse had returned without its rider--among the multitude of -wounded he could not be found. Some hopes, some faint hopes, yet -remained that he might have been taken prisoner, and that he might yet -appear; but there was too much reason to fear that he had perished, -though where or how was unknown. Alas! every passing day made the hopes -of his friends more and more improbable. No tidings were ever heard of -him, and "on earth he was seen no more." The uncertainty in which the -fate of this lamented young man was involved was even more dreadful -than the knowledge of the worst could have been. Mrs. H.'s anxiety -respecting her brother was relieved by Mr. E.'s assurance of his being -in perfect safety. He could tell us nothing of the fate of those for -whom we were so deeply anxious. "Do not ask me," he exclaimed, "who -_is_ wounded--I cannot tell you. It would be easy to say who are -_not_." Intelligence from another quarter, however, relieved our fears, -and although it subsequently proved false, for the present it led us -to believe that our friends were in safety. - -We now learnt that the battle had been even more desperate, and the -victory more glorious and decisive, than Lord Wellington's concise and -modest bulletin had led us to imagine. The French had not "retreated," -they had been completely routed, and put to flight; they had not -merely "been defeated," they were no longer an army. They had fled in -every direction from the field, pursued by the victorious British and -by the Prussians, who had not come up till just at the close of the -battle.[19] The whole of their artillery, ammunition, and baggage, -their caissons, all the matériel of their army had been taken. Of -130,000 Frenchmen who had marched yesterday morning to battle, -flushed with all the hopes and confidence of victory, no trace, no -vestige now remained; they were all swept away; they were scattered -by the whirlwind of war over the face of the earth. Yesterday their -proud hosts had spread terror and dismay through nations, and struck -consternation into every heart, except those of the brave band of -warriors who opposed them. To-day the greater part of them slept -in death, the rest were fugitives or captives. It was an awful and -tremendous lesson. They were gone with all their imperfections on their -heads,--their hopes, their purposes, their plans, their passions, and -their crimes, were at rest for ever! And their leader, who had sported -away the lives of thousands, with feelings untouched by remorse; who -had impiously presumed to defy the powers of God and man; and whose -insatiate ambition the world itself seemed too small to contain--where -was he now?--an outcast and a wanderer, hunted, pursued, beset on all -sides, and at a loss where to lay his head! - -It was with a heart pierced with anguish that I wept for the brave who -had fallen; that I felt in the bitterness of sorrow, that not even the -proud triumph of my country's glory could console me for the gallant -hearts that were lost to her for ever! - - "How many mothers shall lament their sons; - How many widows weep their husbands slain!-- - Ye dames of Albion! ev'n for you I mourn: - Who sadly sitting on the sea-beat shore, - Long look for lords who never shall return!" - -It was twelve o'clock before our friends left us, and then, worn out -with fatigue of body and mind, for the first time during four nights, -I enjoyed the blessing of some hours of undisturbed repose, in spite -of the bonfires, the acclamations, the noisy rejoicings, and the -songs, more patriotic than melodious, which resounded in my ears. Last -night the streets were filled with the cries of horror and alarm, -to-night they resounded with the shouts of exultation and joy; and -it was with feelings of deep and fervent thanksgiving to Heaven that -I laid my wearied head upon the pillow, and sank to sleep with the -blessed consciousness that we should not this night be disturbed by the -dreadful alarms of war. - -Nothing on retrospection seemed to me so extraordinary as the shortness -of time in which these wonderful events had happened. I could scarcely -convince myself that they had actually been comprised in the short -space of three days--so long did it seem to be! Yet in that brief space -how many gallant spirits had death arrested in their glorious career of -honour and immortality--how many hearts had grief rendered desolate! In -these eventful days the fates of empires and of kings had been decided, -and the trembling nations of Europe freed from the vengeance and the -yoke of the tyranny which menaced them with subjugation. - -If the passage of time were to be computed by the succession of events, -rather than by moments, we should indeed have lived a lifetime! an age! -for it was "eternity of thought." Every thing that had happened, even -immediately before these events, seemed like the faintly-remembered -traces of a dream, or the fading and distant images of long past years. -It seemed as if at once - - "From the tablet of my memory - Were wiped away all trivial fond records, - All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, - That youth and observation copied there; - And this remembrance all alone remain'd, - Within the book and volume of my brain, - Unmixed with baser matter." - -Yes! the days, the months, the years of my future life may pass away -and be forgotten, and all the changes that mark them fade like a -morning dream; but the minutest circumstance of these eventful days -must be remembered "while Memory holds her seat;" for such moments and -such feelings in life can never return more. - -A fortnight elapsed, which we passed in making the tour of Holland; in -gliding along its slow canals, visiting its populous cities, gazing at -its splendid palaces, yawning over its green ditches, wondering at its -great dykes, its prodigious sluices, and its innumerable windmills; -admiring its clean houses, laughing at the humours of its fairs, and -falling fast asleep in its churches. - -We found the Dutch a plain, plodding, pains-taking, well-meaning, -money-getting, matter-of-fact people; very dull and drowsy, and slow -and stupid; little addicted to talking, but very much given to smoking; -but withal pious and charitable, and just and equitable; with no wit, -but some humour; with little fancy, genius, or invention--but much -patience, perseverance, and punctuality. They make excellent merchants, -but very bad companions. What Buonaparte once in his ignorance said -of the English, is truly applicable to the Dutch,--"They are a nation -of shopkeepers;" and they used to remind me very much of a whole -people of Quakers. In dress, in manners, in appearance, and in habits -of life, they precisely resemble that worthy sect; and like them, in -all these points they are perfectly stationary. It is singular enough -that in all matters of taste and fashion, in which other nations are -continually varying, the Dutch have stood stock still for at least -two centuries; and in political opinions and institutions, which it -requires years, and even ages, to alter in other countries, the Dutch -have veered about without ceasing. They have literally changed their -form of government much oftener than the cut of their coats. They have -had Stadtholders, and Revolutions, and Republics, and Despotisms, and -Tyrants, and limited Monarchies; and new Dynasties and old; and the -"New Code Napoleon,"--and the newer Code of King William: and they have -changed from the side of England to that of France, and from France -to that of England,--and from the House of Orange to Buonaparte, and -from Buonaparte to the House of Orange, with a rapidity and versatility -which even their volatile neighbours, the French, could not equal. - -But while their government, their laws, their sovereigns, and their -institutions, have undergone every possible transformation--the -fashion of their caps and bonnets, their hats and shoebuckles, remains -unchanged; and they have adhered, with the most scrupulous exactitude, -to the same forms of politeness, the same hours, dresses, manners, and -habits of life that were the fashion among the venerable Burgomasters -in the days of good King William. Certainly if Solomon had ever lived -in Holland he never would have said that "the fashion of this world -passeth away," for there it lasts from generation to generation. - -I should think that the Dutch are now very like what the English were -in the times of the Puritans. They have a great deal of rigidity and -vulgarity in their appearance, and of coarseness and _grossièreté_ in -their manners; and they are wholly destitute of vivacity, refinement, -and "the grace that charms." I speak of the people at large; not of the -Court nor of the courtly, who in every country are much the same, or at -least fashioned upon one model; but, excepting the Court, there is no -polite circle, no general good society. It is the rarest thing in the -world to meet with a gentleman in Holland. The Dutch are equally devoid -of that acquired good breeding which distinguishes the well educated -English, and that native politeness and winning courtesy which is so -irresistibly engaging among the French, and even the Belgic people. - -I did not think anything could have roused the phlegmatic Dutch to such -energy and vehement animation as they showed in their ardent attachment -to the present government, and their detestation of their former -tyrants. They are absolutely enthusiastic in their loyalty to the House -of Orange; and their implacable and virulent hatred to the French -surpasses all conception. They cannot be silent upon this subject; they -cannot forget their past sufferings, and the tyranny and cruelty which -they endured so long. They never utter their names without bitter -execrations, and the very language is become unpopular. But the British -they look upon with the highest respect and admiration, and treat -them with a blunt, coarse, complimentary sort of kindness, which is -flattering to our national pride. - -The Dutch, however, allowed that Louis Buonaparte was a very -well-intentioned, good-hearted man; but he was only a tool in the hands -of the "Great Napoleon;" and, though he did not like to crush them, he -had no power to mitigate the tyranny which bowed them to the earth. -For Napoleon himself--his ministers, his soldiers, his edicts, and -the system of plunder, oppression, and slavery which constituted his -government--no words are strong enough to speak their abhorrence. They -are now most completely an unanimous people. From the lowest beggar in -the street to the king upon his throne, one common political feeling -animates and inspires them. - -The only people who grew rich during the reign of the French were -the smugglers, and some of these men made astonishing fortunes by -the sale of colonial produce,--chiefly coffee and tobacco; and -English manufactures, which they introduced into the kingdom in great -quantities, notwithstanding all the spies, soldiers, plans, penalties, -and prohibitions of Buonaparte. - -In the failure of taxes and contributions to satisfy his rapacity, -he sequestrated a large portion of the funds destined for the annual -repair of the dykes and sluices, which in consequence were fast falling -to decay; so that had the French Government lasted much longer, Holland -might have been no longer a country; it might _physically_, as well as -_politically_, have ceased to exist, and a tide, even more destructive -than the armies of France, have rolled over it and restored it again to -the ocean. - -Sometimes the faint reports of distant war roused us during our -slumbering progress through this soporific country; and Dutch men and -Dutch bonnets, and towns and palaces, and universities and museums, -and tulips and hyacinths, and even "Orange Boven" itself, were -entirely forgotten in the animating and overpowering interest of the -triumphant progress of the British arms,--the final fall of the Usurper -of France,--and the entrance of the Allied Army, led by the Duke of -Wellington, into the gates of Paris. - -A sight more affecting than any other that Holland contained we -frequently witnessed:--long _treckschuyts_ filled with the wounded -Dutch soldiers of Waterloo, mutilated, disabled, sick and suffering, -passed us upon the canals, slowly returning to their homes. In many -of the towns and villages of Holland, the hospitals were filled with -these poor soldiers, to whom the inhabitants showed the most humane -and praiseworthy kindness and attention. It is but justice to the -Dutch to state, that though their charity began at home it did not end -there. Every town and village made contributions for the wounded Belgic -and British, as well as for the Dutch, both of money and provisions, -including plenty of butter and cheese, together with an enormous supply -of ankers of real Hollands, which amused me extremely. I am sure they -sent it out of pure love and kindness, anxious, I suppose, that the -poor wounded should have plenty of what they liked best themselves; or -perhaps they thought that gin, like spermaceti, was "sovereign for an -inward bruise." - -If Ireland be "the country that owes the most to Nature and the least -to Man," Holland is unquestionably the country which owes the most to -Man and the least to Nature. I bade it farewell without one feeling of -regret: with as little emotion as Voltaire, I could have said--"Adieu! -Canaux, Canards, Canaille!"--and after crossing many a tedious and -toilsome ferry, and slowly traversing the trackless and sandy desert -which separates Bergen-op-Zoom from Antwerp, we left Holland,--I hope, -for ever! - -Nothing can be imagined more dreary than this journey. One wide -extended desert of barren sand surrounded us as far as the eye could -reach, in which no trace of man, nor beast, nor human habitation, -could be seen. Some bents, thinly scattered upon the hillocks of sand, -and occasional groups of stunted fir, through which the wind sighed -mournfully, were the only signs of vegetation. Slowly and heavily the -horses dragged our cabriolet through these deep sands, choosing their -own path as their own sagacity, or that of their driver, directed. -Quitting at last this solitary waste, we entered the sheltering copse -woods of oak which surround the city of Antwerp, drove swiftly by neat -cottages and smiling gardens, descried with delight its lofty walls, -its frowning fortifications, and the spire of the Cathedral, whose -beauty we could _now_ admire; and with feelings which may be better -conceived than described, we once more entered its gates.--But what -a change had one fortnight produced! It did not seem to be the same -place or the same people; and when I thought of all the quick varying -scenes of horror, consternation, and triumph which we had witnessed -here, and remembered that within these walls we had trembled for the -safety, and mourned the imaginary defeat of that army who were now -victorious in the capital of France; when I recalled all that the -heroes of my country had done and dared and suffered for her honour -and security and peace--and that to them, under Heaven, Europe owed its -salvation--it was difficult, it was nearly impossible to restrain the -strong tide of mingled emotions which at this moment swelled my heart. -Not for worlds, not to have been the first and greatest in another -land, would I have resigned the distinction of calling England my -country; and I blessed Heaven that I was born an Englishwoman, and born -in this, the proudest era of British glory. - -As these reflections rapidly passed through my mind, a Highland soldier -obstructed our passage with his musket, signifying to the driver -that he was to go at a foot-pace past a large building, which we now -discovered to be an hospital, and before which the street was thickly -laid with straw. We were affected with this proof of the attention -and care paid to the wounded, still more so when we learnt that this -hospital was full of wounded French. The Highland soldier who now stood -on guard to prevent the smallest noise from disturbing the repose of -his enemies, had himself been wounded--wounded in the action with them. -It was a noble, a divine instance of generosity: it was returning good -for evil. It was worthy of England. The French soldiers had inhumanly -murdered their wounded prisoners. The British not only dressed the -wounds and attended to all the wants of theirs, but they protected and -watched over them, that even their very slumbers might not be disturbed. - -At the hotel of Le Grand Laboureur they knew and welcomed us again, -and testified great joy at the success of the Allies since we had seen -them, and a great dread lest Napoleon should make his escape. In the -streets we met numbers of poor wounded British officers, weak, pale, -faint, and emaciated, slowly and painfully moving a few yards to taste -the freshness of the summer and the blessed beams of heaven. - -Many fine young men had lost their limbs, many were on crutches, many -were supported by their wives or by their servants. At the open windows -of the houses, propped up by pillows, some poor unfortunate sufferers -were lying, whose looks would have moved a heart of stone to pity. We -passed several hospitals, and looked into some of them. The cleanliness -and neatness of appearance which they exhibited were truly gratifying. - -Antwerp was filled with wounded. In every corner we met numbers of -convalescent soldiers and officers, some of whom looked well; but the -sufferings we saw, and heard of, were far too dreadful to relate, and -in many cases death would have been a blessed relief from a state of -hopeless torture. Several vessels had already sailed, filled with -convalescent wounded, for England. - -Most of the wounded French, the wretched survivors of Buonaparte's -imperial army, were here. But what consolation had they to support them -on the bed of pain and sickness? What glory awaited them when they -returned to their native country? What was their recompense for their -valour, their sufferings, their services, and their dangers?--Broken -health, and blighted hopes, and ruined fortunes, and blasted fame, -were all they had to look to. They had not fought and bled for their -country, but for a leader who had basely deserted them. Surrounded by -these bleeding victims of a tyrant's ungovernable ambition, I felt the -truth that inspired the poet's lines-- - - "Unblest is the blood that for tyrants is squandered, - And Fame has no wreath for the brow of the slave." - -And what British heart would not exclaim with him-- - - "But hail to thee, Albion, who meet'st the commotion - Of Europe, as firm as thy cliffs meet the foam, - With no bond but the law, and no slave but the ocean-- - Hail, Temple of Liberty! thou art my home!" - -The night soon closed in upon us, and we could see the wounded no more. -We went to rest, and enjoyed a night of more calm repose than it had -ever yet been our lot to experience in Antwerp. - -With what different feelings, and under what different circumstances, -did I open my eyes on this Sunday morning, to those which we suffered -on the dreadful morning of Sunday, the 18th of June, which we had -spent here before! Then horror and despair filled the minds of the -people--then they were lamenting the imaginary destruction of that -army for whose success they were now offering up thanks--for this was -the _Kennesgevin_, or day of thanksgiving, for the glorious victory -of Waterloo. We attended high mass at the Cathedral, as we had done -before--but with sensations how different! and if at that awful moment -my prayers had ascended to heaven, to crown with victory and glory the -arms of my country, the deep and fervent emotions of gratitude which -filled my heart were now offered up in thanksgiving to the throne of -divine mercy. The anxiety, the misery that I had endured when I was -before within these aisles, was too poignant to be easily forgotten; -but that remembrance made me feel more deeply the blessings which -Heaven had bestowed upon us. - -Mass being over, we ascended by 640 steps to the top of the tower, or -rather of the staircase, of the Cathedral, for its utmost pinnacle is -accessible only to the winged inhabitants of air: but as we were not -furnished with wings, we were obliged to content ourselves, instead -of soaring higher, with gazing upon the magnificent prospect that lay -below us. The men and women flocking out of the churches through the -streets, looked exactly like a colony of ants swarming on the gravel -walks of a garden in a sunny day: the streets and houses looked like -the miniature model of a town in pasteboard; and the majestic Scheldt -like a long ribbon streaming through a measureless tract of country. - -However, the view was both various and beautiful. Far as the eye -could reach, the rich fields and woods of Flanders, with its populous -villages, its lofty spires, and noble canals lay extended around us, -presenting a striking contrast to the cold, bare, triste, watery flats -of Holland, which were fresh in our remembrance; and Flanders, no -doubt, looked doubly beautiful from the recent comparison. - -We distinctly saw the fortifications of Bergen-op-Zoom on one side, and -the steeple of Vilvorde on the other. We traced the Scheldt winding its -course through a rich country down towards the ocean. Upon its broad -bosom lay the vessels waving with the flag of Britain, and destined -to carry home the troops who had so bravely fought and bled in her -service, and for her glory. - -When I thought of the dreadful waste of human life and sufferings -which the battle of Waterloo had cost the world, it almost seemed as -if it had been dearly purchased: yet in frequent indecisive battles, -and in long-protracted campaigns, more blood might--must have been -shed, without the same glorious or important results. In one great -day, years of bloodshed and of toil had been saved. In one tremendous -burst of thunder the war had ended, and the lightnings of Heaven in -that vengeful hour had descended upon the head of the guilty. The dark -cloud which menaced Europe had passed away, and the prospect was now -calm, bright, and unclouded. The blood of Britons had indeed flowed, -but it had flowed in a noble cause, and it had not flowed in vain. It -had secured present peace and security to the world, and it had left to -future ages the proudest monument of British fame. - -But I forget that I am all this time upon the top of Antwerp Cathedral; -and it is high time to descend from my altitude. When we once more -reached the earth, we went to see a sort of religious puppet-show, -called Mount Calvary. It had been "got up" with great care and cost, -and must have required a world of labour; for there were artificial -rocks and caverns, and heaven and hell into the bargain; and it was -altogether a most edifying spectacle. There were the Crucifixion, and -the Virgin Mary, and St. Paul, and St. Peter,--and I dare say all the -rest of the Apostles, and at least fifty more holy persons, who were -most likely saints, all as large as life, and made of white stone. -There were also red-hot flaming furnaces of purgatory, filled with -figures of the same materials; with this difference, that they were -making horrible grimaces. There were also the Sepulchre and the Angel; -and our friend Mr. D. (the Antwerp merchant), who took us to see this -show, was in an ecstasy with it, and declared that all the paintings -in the world were not to be compared to it--nay, that he did actually -think that it was almost as well worth seeing as St. Paul's or the -Monument;--but this he asserted more cautiously. - -We visited the house and the tomb of Rubens with more veneration than -we had paid to the shrines of all the saints. The people of Antwerp -almost adore the memory of this great artist. He was descended from -one of the most ancient families in Flanders; of noble birth and of -splendid fortune. Antwerp was the place of his birth and of his death, -and his spirit still seems to hover over it; for never did I witness -a passion for paintings, and a knowledge of the art, so universally -diffused among all classes as in this town. All the merchants, and even -the petty shopkeepers and tradespeople, have good paintings, both of -the Flemish and Italian school. In every house they may be seen; and -in every street even the lowest of the people may be heard to canvass -their merits. They still lament over the loss of the fine paintings -which were carried from the churches by the French; and they seemed -particularly to grieve for their celebrated Altar-piece, the pride of -their city, which was taken from them. They petitioned and implored -Buonaparte with so much importunity and perseverance to restore to -them this idol of their affections, that he at last promised it should -be sent back. In process of time, and in conformity with his imperial -word, there arrived the celebrated altar-piece of "The Descent from -the Cross,"--correctly copied from the original by a modern French -artist! The immortal touches of Rubens were not there. The fraud was -instantly discovered, and the people were indignant at this mockery of -restitution. They told us they intended immediately to send deputies -to Paris to claim this and the other treasures of which they had been -despoiled, and which now adorn the Louvre. - -There are some very fine private cabinets of pictures in Antwerp, which -are opened to strangers with all that alacrity and politeness which in -England, in such cases, we are so lamentably and notoriously deficient -in. In one of these we saw the celebrated "Chapeau Pâle" of Rubens. I -was disappointed in it; probably from having had my expectations too -highly raised by hearing its beauties extravagantly extolled. In fact, -the subject does not call forth any great powers either of genius or -execution. It is simply the portrait of a handsome woman with a very -attractive countenance, and dressed in a very becoming grey beaver -hat and feather; and both the lady and her hat are most beautifully -painted. We saw some landscapes by Rubens, some of which were very -fine. There is no branch of painting which the versatile genius of this -wonderful man did not lead him to attempt, and none in which he did -not succeed. His Scriptural and historical paintings, upon which rests -his fame; his allegories, portraits, and landscapes, are well known: -but I have seen a miniature picture of his performance, beautifully -finished--a piece of fruit and flowers, very well executed, though in -an uncommon style--and lastly, _an interior_, not a servile copy of -Teniers, Ostade, or Gerard Douw, but marked with his own characteristic -originality of manner and expression. This last piece is in the -possession of a Flemish gentleman at Ghent. - -At Antwerp we saw some beautiful landscapes by Asselins and -Dietrichsen; a very fine Holy Family by Murillo; and the Death of -Abel by Guido. The whole figure of Abel prostrate on the earth, but -especially the touching, the more than human expression of his face -as he looks up at his brother and his murderer, is one of the finest -things I ever beheld in painting. It is in that upward look of pathetic -supplication and unutterable feeling that Guido is unrivalled--it is -his characteristic excellence. We saw some very fine paintings both -by Italian and Flemish artists, but the fascination of the former, in -spite of myself, riveted my eyes upon their never-satiating beauties. -It is impossible not to feel the decided superiority of the Italian -over the Flemish school of painting, in force, delicacy, and dignity -of expression; in the power of transposing _soul_ into painting, if -I may so express myself, and in all that constitutes the greatness -and the sublimity of the art. But the Flemish artists laboured under -great natural disadvantages. They did not live beneath the brilliant -sky that sheds its tints of beauty over the happier climates of Italy -and Provence; they did not dwell in the enchanting vales and sunny -mountains, or gaze upon the caverned rocks and romantic solitudes -which formed and perfected the genius of a Claude Lorraine, Vernet, -Salvator Rosa, and Poussin. Fate threw Berghem and Both, and Cuyp, -under unkinder skies, and amidst less picturesque scenes; but in genius -they are perhaps equal, if not superior, to the French and Italian -masters. Nor were Rubens, Rembrandt, Teniers, and many of the Flemish -artists, inferior to any in conception and execution, in originality, -in invention, in truth of expression, and all the natural and acquired -powers which constitute the perfection of the painter's art. And if -the Italian artists--if Guido, Raphael, Buonarotti, Carlo Dolce, and -Correggio, possess a pathos and sublimity, a force, a grace, and an -undefinable charm of expression, which makes their works unequalled -on earth--let it be remembered that the Flemish artists did not, -like them, wake to life amidst the beauty and the harmony of nature; -they were not surrounded by faces and forms of speaking, moving -expression--of heavenly sublimity and soul-subduing tenderness. The -"human face divine" was not moulded of the finer elements of beauty -and of grace.--Painting is an imitative art. The world which Nature -had spread before them they copied, but they could not create a -new one. They were driven to seek in the habitations of men for the -sources of that interest which the scenes of Nature denied them; and -their powerful and original genius, seizing upon the materials which -surrounded them, formed for itself a new and distinct school. They were -most faithful copies of Nature. It is impossible to travel through -Belgium and Holland and not notice at every step the landscapes of -Hobbima, the _Interiors_ of Ostade and Gerard Douw; the faces, figures, -and humorous scenes which Teniers has exhibited so often to our view; -and to recognise at every turn the fat and fair, and well-fed and -well-clad beauties of F. Mieres. But the paintings and the painters -of Italy and Flanders have led me far from my travels. To return to -Antwerp. - -After the bright-painted, well-scoured, baby-house looking towns of -Holland, the streets of Antwerp appeared very grand and magnificent, -but extremely dirty. Remarking this to an English, or rather an -Irish officer, he laughed, and said they were beautifully clean in -comparison of the state in which the British troops found them when -they first came to the garrison. Their complaints of the filthiness -and unwholesomeness of the town produced no effect; and to their -representations of the necessity of cleaning it, the magistrates -answered, with offended dignity, that "the city of Antwerp _was_ -clean." The British commandant then ordered our soldiers to sweep -the streets, and to pile up all the dirt against the houses of those -magistrates who with so much pertinacity maintained that the city of -Antwerp was clean! The mountains of dirt collected by the soldiers in -one morning blocked up the windows, and it was with difficulty that the -magistrates could get out of their doors. When they did, however, they -immediately bestirred themselves, convinced by more senses than one -that the city of Antwerp was _not_ clean; and they have taken due care -ever since that the streets shall be regularly swept. - -The churches in Antwerp were once extremely rich in silver shrines, -images, ornaments, gold plate, and precious stones; but these -treasures, the Belgians said, had been carried off by Buonaparte: upon -more strict inquiry, we found that these alleged robberies of Napoléon -le Grand had been committed eighteen years ago, most probably by the -sacrilegious hands of the Jacobin Revolutionists, who would leave -little or nothing for imperial plunder. On my remarking this to one -of the Belgians, he said, with a shrug of the shoulder, "Ah! c'est -égal--ces gens-là étoient tous les mêmes--les coquins!"--but whatever -mischief has been done, they always lay it upon Buonaparte, whom they -hate with a bitterness surpassing all conception. - -The journey betwixt Antwerp and Brussels was quite new to us. The -anxiety and agitation of mind which we had suffered on the day we left -Brussels for Antwerp, had so completely engrossed every faculty, that -the scenery on the way had not made the smallest impression on us. The -objects of living interest, with which the road was then crowded, had -alone fixed our attention. I could scarcely believe that I had ever -travelled this road before, or ever seen the towns and villages through -which we had so lately passed. - -I beheld the same harvest, which I then feared would be reaped in -blood, ripening, to crown the hopes of the husbandman, beneath the -blessing of Heaven. My eye now rested with delight upon the corn -fields, waving in rich luxuriance, the deep verdure of the meadows, -and the lofty woods which diversified the prospect:--the peaceful and -prosperous appearance of the country, and the contented, gladsome faces -of the people, as they stood at their cottage-doors, "gay in their -Sunday 'tire," presented a happy contrast to the terrors and sufferings -we had witnessed, and the still more dreadful and multiplied horrors -which then seemed ready to burst upon this devoted country. - -We entered Malines; but I did not retain the smallest recollection -of it until we again reached the inn. From the inn-window I well -remembered sorrowfully gazing into the market-place below, and -contemplating the train of baggage-waggons, the confusion of English -carriages, the parties of troops advancing, the wounded soldiers -returning, and the affrighted countenances of the poor Belgic -peasantry, crowding together in dismay, with which it was then filled. -Now I beheld a very different scene:--a crowd of Belgians, indeed, -filled the market-place, but it was a joyous, not a trembling crowd. -The people were all amusing themselves after their own fashion. Some -flocking to the Church; others gazing at a wonderful puppet-show, -which was stationed at the very door; others listening to a Belgic -ballad-singer, who was roaring out, in no very harmonious strains, -the downfal of Napoleon, and the warlike prowess of the Belgians; and -others were talking and laughing with most noisy glee. The sounds of -innocent mirth and pious gratitude were indeed a blessed contrast to -the terrors and anxiety we had before witnessed here. - -The _Kennesgevin_, or thanksgiving, for the victory, and for the -deliverance of the country, had been celebrated, and one priest -mounting the pulpit after another, continued to preach a succession of -homilies to the people, who might listen to as many or as few of them, -as their piety or their taste dictated. We saw a young priest mount the -pulpit, and some of the congregation, who had been assembled during the -sermon of his predecessor, remained to hear him. He preached in the -Belgic language, therefore we could not understand him; his discourse -was apparently extempore, and accompanied with much ungraceful -gesticulation. In distant parts of the Church, before the shrine of -many a saint, numbers of pious votaries of both sexes were kneeling in -silence; engaged in their private earnest devotions, without attending -at all to the lectures of the priest, or being disturbed by those who, -like us, were wandering up and down the long-drawn aisles and decorated -chapels of this ancient Cathedral. - -There is a perpetual going in and out, and moving backwards and -forwards, during the whole service of the Roman Catholic Church abroad. -The people, as soon as they have finished their own prayers, walk off -without ceremony, and are succeeded by others; which in a Protestant -church we should think a most scandalous proceeding; and indeed the -service of the Roman Catholic Church itself, both in England and in -Ireland, is conducted in a very different manner. It is a common -practice here, as well as in France and Italy, for strangers to walk -about and examine the churches, paintings, &c., when the Mass is -performing; nor does it seem to annoy the congregation in the least. - -The Roman Catholic is the exclusive religion of Belgium no other form -of worship or religious persuasion seems to have any proselytes; -indeed, it is only in consequence of a law enacted since the present -King ascended the throne, that other religions have been tolerated. -The Belgians are very pious, and even bigoted; but they are not -gloomy, they are lively bigots; apparently without a doubt to disturb -the fulness of their faith; strict in their observances, gay in their -lives, happy in the consolation their religion gives them here, and in -its promises hereafter. Comparing their character with that of their -unbelieving neighbours, the French, I have no hesitation in preferring -bigotry to infidelity. Even the extreme of superstition is better than -the horrors of irreligion and atheism. - -The Church of Malines is a fine old structure: the towers (for there -are two) seem to have been built at an earlier period than the body. We -were astonished at the magnificence of the interior. Its magnitude, its -antiquity, its lofty arches, its massive pillars, its rich altars, its -sculptured figures, and its carved confessionals, have a very imposing -effect; and the large, though not fine paintings which adorn its walls, -and the decorations which piety has profusely spread over every part of -this vast edifice, gave it an air of great splendour. Foreign churches -possess a decided advantage, to the eye of the mere spectator, over -those of England, from being wholly unincumbered with pews, which -certainly take from the grandeur and unity of the whole. - -The pulpit of carved wood in this Church is most beautifully executed. -It was done only a few years ago by a Flemish artist. There are a few -pieces of sculpture of ancient date carved in wood in basso relievo, -and painted white, which I admired extremely. The expression given to -some of the figures and faces is quite astonishing. - -We passed through Vilvorde, half-way to Brussels, where there is -a strong _Maison de force_ for the imprisonment and employment of -criminals. At the little inn where we had before baited our horses, -we stopped once more for the same purpose. The garçon remembered us -immediately, and with a countenance of great glee expressed his delight -to see us again, and described most vividly the distress they had -experienced, and all the rapid and dreadful alarms that had succeeded -to each other. He then reminded us of our parting prophecy, that the -Allies would be victorious, and that the French would never more -penetrate into Flanders, and he said, he had often thought of it since; -and that it had proved true, for they had indeed seen no French, except -"les François blessés." - -We proceeded on our journey through a country still improving in -beauty. Sloping grounds, and woods and lawns, and country seats and -pleasure-grounds, and meadows covered with the richest verdure, greeted -our eyes as we advanced to Brussels. We met and passed several of the -Diligences; tremendous machines in size, and in slowness, not unlike -the vehicles which in England are used for the conveyance of wild -beasts from one town to another. They were filled with an innumerable -motley multitude, some of which were playing upon the fiddle, others -singing, and all merry-making, as they jogged along. The road was much -cut up with the passage of commissariat-waggons, long trains of which -we frequently met upon the way. - -We drew near to Brussels, and traversed the margin of that calm and -quiet canal, which, when we left it, had presented a scene of such -horrid confusion; and as we approached Lacken we looked up at it once -more, but with very different feelings to those with which we had gazed -at it when we had passed it before, and recollected the boast Napoleon -had made the preceding day--"To-morrow I shall sleep at Lacken." It -was from hence that his premature pompous declarations to the Belgic -people were dated, announcing victory; which were even found ready -printed in his carriage at Charleroi, after his defeat and flight on -the 18th of June. - -We entered a sort of wood. On each side of us, upon the grass and -beneath the shade of the trees, there was a large encampment of tents, -men, horses, waggons, huts, and arms; with all the accompaniments and -confusion attendant upon such an establishment. It formed, however, a -picturesque and animated scene; fires were burning, suppers cooking, -men sleeping, children playing, women scolding, horses grazing, and -waggons loading; while long carts and tumbrils were drawn up beneath -the trees; parties of Flemish drivers sitting on the ground round the -fires, drinking and smoking; and people moving to and fro in every -direction. This encampment belonged to the Commissariat department. - -We passed the Allée Verte, usually the fashionable promenade for -carriages on Sunday evening; but though this was Sunday evening, it was -entirely deserted. The inhabitants of Brussels had not yet, perhaps, -resumed their habits of gaiety, and in fact the Allée Verte was nearly -impassable, owing to the heavy rains and the immense passage of -military carriages upon it. - -We entered Brussels about the same hour that we had entered it for the -first time. Then, the British military were crowding every street; -standing at every corner; leaning out of every window, in the full -vigour of youth and hope and expectation: then, they were gaily talking -and laughing, unconscious that to many it was the last night of their -lives. Now, Brussels was filled with the wounded. It is impossible -to describe with what emotions we read the words "Militaires blessés" -marked upon every door; "un, deux, trois, quatre," even "huit Officiers -blessés," were written upon the houses in white chalk. As we slowly -passed along, at every open window we saw the wounded, "languid and -pale, the ghosts of what they were." In the Parc, which had presented -so gay a scene on the night of our arrival, crowded with military -men, and with fashionable women, a few officers, lame, disabled, or -supported on crutches, with their arms in slings, or their heads bound -up, were now only to be seen, slowly loitering in its deserted walks, -or languidly reclining on its benches. The Place Royale, which we had -left a dreadful scene of tumult and confusion, was now quite quiet, and -nearly empty. It was in all respects a melancholy contrast, and it was -with saddened hearts that we alighted at the Hôtel de Flandre, where -they gladly received us again, and talked much of the eventful scenes -that had followed our departure. - -Colonel M., of the Inniskillen Dragoons, was in this hotel. He had -been severely wounded in five different places; he passed the night -after the battle on the road between Waterloo and Brussels, which was -completely blocked up from the excessive confusion occasioned by the -abandoned baggage and waggons. Although his life had been despaired of, -he was now recovering, and supposed to be out of danger. Some English -newspapers, which we borrowed, were indescribably interesting to us; -every particular relative to the battle we read, or rather devoured, -with insatiable avidity; but the list of the killed and wounded we -could not get a sight of till the next morning. Secure that none of -our own friends were contained in it, we restrained our impatience and -went to rest. Little did we know the shock that awaited us! the misery -of the following morning, when we saw the name of Major L. among the -list of severely wounded; and found him at last in a state of extreme -suffering and danger! The days of deep anxiety and individual grief -that followed I pass over in silence. Nor can I bear to dwell upon the -miseries it was our lot to witness; the still more excruciating and -hopeless sufferings which we daily heard related, and the scenes of -death and distracting affliction which surrounded us. How often was -the anxious inquiry made with trembling eagerness for a wounded friend -or relation--"Where is he to be found?" How often, after a few minutes -of torturing suspense, was the dreadful answer returned--"Dead of his -wounds!" Numbers of the young and the brave, after languishing for -weeks in hopeless agony, expired during our stay in Brussels; and it -happened more than once within our own knowledge, that the parents, -whose earthly hopes and happiness were centred in an only son, arrived -from England to see their wounded boy the very day of his decease--in -time to gaze upon his insensible and altered corpse, and to follow -the mortal remains of all they loved to the grave. The heart-broken -countenance, and the silent, motionless grief of one old man, whom I -saw under this dreadful affliction, made an impression on my mind too -strong to be easily forgotten. Despair seemed to have settled upon his -soul, but he neither shed a tear, nor uttered a complaint. I could not -even go from the hotel where we stayed to the house where Major L. -lodged, without passing crowded hospitals, filled with many hundreds -of poor wounded soldiers; and although every attention that skill -and humanity could suggest to contribute to their recovery was paid -to them, both by the British Government and the Belgic people, their -sufferings were dreadful. Many of the British officers died in the -common hospitals: they had been originally conveyed to them, and it was -afterwards found impossible to remove them. - -At every corner the most pitiable objects struck one's eye. I could not -pass through a single street without meeting some unfortunate being, -the very sight of whose sufferings wrung my heart with anguish. Numbers -of young officers, in the very flower of life and vigour, pale, feeble, -and emaciated, were slowly dragging along their mutilated forms. Upon -couches, supported by pillows, near the open windows, numbers lay to -enjoy the fresh summer air, and divert the sense of pain by looking at -what passed in the streets. But we knew too well, that the sufferings -we saw were nothing to those we did not see. Every house was filled -with wounded British officers; and how many, like our old friend Major -L., were silently enduring lingering and excruciating torture, unable -to raise themselves from the couch of pain! - -Often, as I gazed at the soldier's frequent funeral as it passed along, -I could not help thinking that, though no eye here was moistened -with a tear, yet in some remote cottage or humble dwelling of my -native country, the heart of the wife or the mother would be wrung -with despair for the loss of him who was now borne unnoticed to a -foreign grave. But let me not dwell upon these scenes of misery; their -remembrance is still too painful--though it can never be erased from my -mind. - -When at last we had the consolation of seeing our good old friend out -of immediate danger, we dedicated one day to a visit to Waterloo.[20] - -On the morning of Saturday the 15th of July, we set off to visit the -field of the ever-memorable and glorious battle of Waterloo. After -passing the ramparts, we descended to the pretty little village of -Ixelles, embosomed in woods and situated close to the margin of a -still, glassy piece of water. From thence we ascended a steep hill, and -immediately entered the deep shades of the forest of Soignies, which -extends about nine miles from Brussels. The morning was bright and -beautiful; the summer sun sported through the branches which met above -our heads, and gleamed upon the silver trunks of the lofty beech trees. -On either side woodland roads continually struck in various directions -through the forest; so seldom trodden, that they were covered with -the brightest verdure. At intervals, neat white-washed cottages, -and little villages by the road-side, enlivened the forest scenery. -We passed through "Vividolles," "La Petite Espinette," "La Grande -Espinette," "Longueville," and several other hamlets whose names I have -forgotten.[21] - -Upon the doors of many of the cottages we passed, were written, in -white chalk, the names of the officers who had used them for temporary -quarters on their way to the battle; or who had been carried there for -shelter in returning, when wounded and unable to proceed further. Many -we knew had died in these miserable abodes; but all the survivors, -excepting one or two of the most severely wounded, had now been removed -to Brussels. It was impossible to retrace, without emotion, the very -road by which our brave troops had marched out to battle, three weeks -before, and by which thousands had been brought back, covered with -wounds, in pain and torture. They alone of all that gallant army had -returned; thousands had met a glorious death upon the field of battle, -and the victorious survivors had pursued their onward march to the -capital of France. - -I could not help asking myself, as we proceeded along, what would have -been the consequences if the French and British armies had happened to -encounter each other in the midst of this forest, instead of meeting, -as they did, a few miles beyond it? Had our troops been a little later -in leaving Brussels on the morning of the 16th of June, this must -inevitably have been the case; for it was impossible that the advanced -guard of Belgic troops, which was stationed at the outpost of Quatre -Bras, could have sustained the attack of the French, or have delayed -their progress for any length of time. But if the hostile armies had -encountered each other here, it would have been impossible that a -general action could have taken place; the thick entangled underwood -makes all entrance into the forest impracticable; and if they had -attempted to fight, the road would soon have been choked up with dead. -Yet the English, I imagine, would not have retreated, since, if they -had, they must either have abandoned Brussels to the enemy, or fought -under its very walls; and whether the French would have retreated -till they came to open ground, or how they would have manoeuvred in -such a situation, it was impossible for an unmilitary head like mine -even to form a conjecture. During the battle, all the cottages and -villages by the wayside had been deserted by their inhabitants, who -fled in consternation into the woods, in expectation of the victory -and immediate advance of the French, from whom they looked for no -mercy. The road had been so dreadfully cut up with the heavy rains and -the incessant travelling upon it, that notwithstanding three weeks of -summer weather had now elapsed since the battle, the chaussée in the -centre was worn into ruts upon the hard pavement, and in many places -it was still so deep, that the horses could scarcely drag us through; -the unpaved way on each side of the chaussée was perfectly impassable. -Along the whole way, shattered wheels and broken remains of waggons -still lay, buried among the mud. Their demolition was one of the many -consequences that resulted from the violent panic with which the men -who were left in charge of the baggage were seized towards the close -of the battle. It was originally caused, I understood, by the Belgic -cavalry, great numbers of whom fled in the heat of the desperate -attack made by the French upon our army in front of Mont St. Jean -before the Prussians came up. They were rallied and brought back by -some British officers; but, unable to stand the dreadful onset of the -French, they turned about again and fled in irretrievable confusion, -trampling upon the wounded and the dying in their speed, and spreading -the alarm that the battle was lost. With troops less steady, with any -other troops, in short, than the British, the example of flight, joined -to such an alarm, at this critical moment, might have occasioned the -loss of the battle in reality. The men stationed in the rear in charge -of the baggage, who knew nothing of what was going forward, believed at -once the report, and, without stopping a moment to ascertain its truth, -they set off at full speed. If the battle was lost, it was clearly -their business to run away, and they could not be accused of neglecting -this part of their duty. Following the example of the Belgians, they -all set off full gallop in the utmost confusion, pell-mell, along the -road to Brussels. Nothing is so infectious, nothing so rapid in its -progress as fear: the panic increased every moment; the terrified -fugitives overtook the carts filled with wounded, and encountered -waggons and troops, and military supplies coming up to the field. It -was impossible to pass: the road, confined on each side by the thickly -woven and impenetrable underwood, was speedily choked up; those who -were proceeding to the army insisted upon going one way, and those who -were running away from it, persisted in going the other. The confusion -surpassed all description; till at last, amidst the crash of waggons, -the imprecations of the drivers, and the cries of the soldiers, a -battle took place, and many were the broken heads and bruises, and -various were the wounds and contusions received in this inglorious -fray. It is even said, and I fear with truth, that some lives were -lost. The baggage was abandoned, and scattered along the road; the -waggons were thrown one upon another into the woods, and over the banks -by the road-side; the horses, half-killed, were left to perish; and the -wounded were deserted. Over every obstacle these panic-struck people, -frantic with fear, forced their way, and, pursued by nothing but their -own terrified imaginations, they arrived at Brussels, proclaiming the -dreadful news that the battle was lost, and the French advancing! The -fearful tidings extended from thence even into Holland; and thus, in -consequence of the cowardice of some Belgians and baggage-men, the -last and most dreadful alarm of Sunday night was spread over the whole -country. - -The road, the whole way through the forest of Soignies, was marked with -vestiges of the dreadful scenes which had recently taken place upon it. -Bones of unburied horses, and pieces of broken carts and harness were -scattered about. At every step we met with the remains of some tattered -clothes, which had once been a soldier's. Shoes, belts, and scabbards, -infantry caps battered to pieces, broken feathers and Highland bonnets -covered with mud, were strewn along the road-side, or thrown among -the trees. These mournful relics had belonged to the wounded who had -attempted to crawl from the fatal field, and who, unable to proceed -farther, had laid down and died upon the ground now marked by their -graves--if holes dug by the way-side and hardly covered with earth -deserved that name. The bodies of the wounded who died in the waggons -on the way to Brussels had also been thrown out, and hastily interred. - -Thus the road between Waterloo and Brussels was one long uninterrupted -charnel-house: the smell, the whole way through the forest, was -extremely offensive, and in some places scarcely bearable. Deep -stagnant pools of red putrid water, mingled with mortal remains, -betrayed the spot where the bodies of men and horses had mingled -together in death. We passed a large cross on the left side of the -road, which had been erected in ancient times to mark the place where -_one_ human being had been murdered. How many had now sunk around it in -agony, and breathed, unnoticed and unpitied, their dying groans! It was -surrounded by many a fresh-made, melancholy mound, which had served for -the soldier's humble grave; but no monument points out to future times -the bloody spot where they expired; no cross stands to implore from the -passenger the tribute of a tear, or call forth a pious prayer for the -repose of the departed spirits who here perished for their country! - -The melancholy vestiges of death and destruction became more frequent, -the pools of putrid water more deep, and the smell more offensive, as -we approached Waterloo, which is situated at the distance of about -three leagues, or scarcely nine miles, from Brussels. Before we left -the forest, the Church of Waterloo appeared in view, at the end of -the avenue of trees. It is a singular building, much in the form of a -Chinese temple, and built of red brick. On leaving the wood, we passed -the trampled and deep-marked bivouac, where the heavy baggage-waggons, -tilted carts, and tumbrils had been stationed during the battle, and -from which they had taken flight with such precipitation. - -Even here cannon-balls had lodged in the trees, but had passed over -the roofs of the cottages. We entered the village which has given -its name to the most glorious battle ever recorded in the annals of -history. It was the Headquarters of the British army on the nights -preceding and following the battle. It was here the dispositions for -the action were made on Saturday afternoon. It was here on Monday -morning the dispatches were written, which perhaps contain the most -brief and unassuming account a conqueror ever penned, of the most -glorious victory that a conqueror ever won.[22] Waterloo consists of a -sort of long, irregular street of whitewashed cottages, through which -the road runs. Some of them are detached, and some built in rows. A -small house, with a neat, little, square flower-garden before it, on -the right hand, was pointed out to us as the quarters of Lord Uxbridge, -and the place where he remained after the amputation of his leg, until -well enough to bear removal. His name, and those of "His Grace the Duke -of Wellington," "His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange," and other -pompous titles, were written on the doors of these little thatched -cottages. We also read the lamented names of Sir Thomas Picton, Sir -Alexander Gordon, Sir William de Lancey, and Sir William Ponsonby, who -had slept there the night before the battle, and many others who now -sleep in the bed of honour. Volumes of sermons and homilies upon the -instability of human life could not have spoken such affecting and -convincing eloquence to our hearts as the sight of these names, thus -traced in chalk, which had been more durable than the lives of these -gallant men. - -After leaving Waterloo, the ground rises: the wood, which had opened, -again surrounded us, though in a more straggling and irregular -manner--and it was not till we arrived at the little village of Mont -St. Jean, more than a mile beyond Waterloo, that we finally quitted the -shade of the forest, and entered upon the open field where the battle -had been fought. During the whole of the action the rear of the left -wing of our army rested upon this little village, from which the French -named the battle. We gazed with particular interest at a farm-house, at -the farthest extremity of the village nearest the field, on the left -side of the road,--with its walls and gates and roofs still bearing the -vestiges of the cannon-balls that had pierced them. Every part of this -house and offices was filled with wounded British officers; and here -our friend Major L. was conveyed in excruciating agony, upon an old -blanket, supported by the bayonets of four of his soldiers. - -On the right we saw at some distance the church of Braine la Leude, -which was in the rear of the extremity of the right wing of our army. -From the top of the steeple of this church the battle might have -been seen more distinctly than from any other place, if any one had -possessed coolness and hardihood sufficient to have stood the calm -spectator of such a scene; and if some cannon-ball had not stopped his -observations by carrying off his head. - -Alighting from the carriage, which we sent back to the barrière of Mont -St. Jean, we walked past the place where the beaten down corn, and the -whole appearance of the ground, would alone have been sufficient to -have indicated that it had been the bivouac of the British army on the -tempestuous night before the battle, when, after marching and fighting -all day beneath a burning sun, they lay all night in this swampy piece -of ground, under torrents of rain. We rapidly hurried on, until our -progress was arrested by a long line of immense fresh-made graves. We -suddenly stopped--we stood rooted to the spot--we gazed around us in -silence; for the emotions that at this moment swelled our hearts were -too deep for utterance--we felt that we stood on the field of battle! - -"And these, then, are the graves of the brave!" at length mournfully -exclaimed one of the party, after a silence of some minutes, hastily -wiping away some "natural tears." "Look how they extend all along in -front of this broken, beaten-down hedge--what tremendous slaughter!" -"This is, or rather was," said an officer who was our conductor, -"the hedge of La Haye Sainte;[23] the ground in front of it, and -the narrow lane that runs behind it, were occupied by Sir Thomas -Picton's division, which formed the left wing of the army; and it -was in leading forward his men to a glorious and successful charge -against a furious attack made by an immense force of the enemy, that -this gallant and lamented officer fell. He was shot through the head, -and died instantly, without uttering a word or a groan!" We gazed at -the opposite height, or rather bank, upon which the French army was -posted. We thought of the feelings with which our gallant soldiers -must have viewed it, before the action commenced, when it was covered -with the innumerable legions of France, ranged in arms against them. -The solemn and portentous stillness which precedes the bursting of the -tempest, is nothing to the awful sublimity of a moment such as this. -The threatening columns of that immense army, which their valour had -destroyed and scattered, were then ready to pour down upon them. The -cannon taken in the action, which now stood in the field before us -under the guard of a single British soldier, were then turned against -them. - -The field-pieces taken by the Prussians in the pursuit were not here. -But 130 pieces of cannon belonging to the British, and taken by them on -the field of battle, still remained here. We went to examine them; they -were beautiful pieces of ordnance, inscribed with very whimsical names, -and some of them with the revolutionary words of Liberté, Egalité, -Fraternité! Our own artillery, which was admirably served, had been -principally placed in two lines upon the ridge of the gentle slope -on which our army was stationed. About four o'clock in the afternoon -the first line of guns advanced, and the second took the place which -the first had before occupied; it was also placed upon every little -eminence over the field, and it did great execution amongst the enemy's -ranks.[24] - -The ground occupied by Sir Thomas Picton's division, on the left of -the road from Brussels, is lower than any other part of the British -position. It is divided from the more elevated ridge where the French -were posted by a very gentle declivity. To the right the ground rises, -and the hollow irregularly increases, until at Château Hougoumont it -becomes a sort of small dell or ravine, and the banks are both high and -steep. But the ground occupied by the French is uniformly higher, and -decidedly a stronger position than ours. - -Nothing struck me with more surprise than the confined space in which -this tremendous battle had been fought; and this, perhaps, in some -measure contributed to its sanguinary result. The space which divided -the two armies from the farm-house of La Haye Sainte, which was -occupied by our troops, to La Belle Alliance, which was occupied by -theirs, would, I think, scarcely measure three furlongs. Not more than -half a mile could have intervened between the main body of the French -and English armies; and from the extremity of the right to that of the -left wing of our army, I should suppose to be little more than a mile. - -The hedge along which Sir Thomas Picton's division was stationed, and -through which the Scots Greys, with the Royals and the Inniskillens, -headed by Lord Uxbridge, made their glorious and decisive charge at the -close of the action, is almost the only one in the field of battle. -The ground is occasionally divided by some shallow ditches, and in one -place there is a sort of low mud dyke, which was very much broken and -beaten down. This was not on the ground our troops occupied, but rather -below the French position; and excepting this, the whole field of -battle is unenclosed. The ground is, however, very uneven and broken, -and the soil a strong clay. It belongs to different farmers, and bore -crops of different kinds of corn; but it is entirely arable land, and, -excepting a very small piece on the French side, none of it was in -grass. - -Against the left wing of our army the attacks of the French were -furious and incessant. Buonaparte had stationed opposite to it the -chief body of his Corps de Réserve, and fresh columns of troops -continually poured down, without being able to make the smallest -impression upon the firm and impenetrable squares which the British -regiments formed to receive them. It was Buonaparte's object to turn -the left wing of our army, and cut it off from the Prussians, with whom -a communication was maintained through Ohain, and who were known (at -least by the commanders of the British army) to be advancing.[25] The -Duke expected them to have joined before one o'clock, but it was seven -before they made their appearance. - -On the top of the ridge in front of the British position, on the left -of the road, we traced a long line of tremendous graves, or rather -pits, into which hundreds of dead had been thrown as they had fallen -in their ranks, without yielding an inch of ground. The effluvia which -arose from them, even beneath the open canopy of heaven, was horrible; -and the pure west wind of summer, as it passed us, seemed pestiferous, -so deadly was the smell that in many places pervaded the field. The -fresh-turned clay which covered those pits betrayed how recent had -been their formation. From one of them the scanty clods of earth which -had covered it had in one place fallen, and the skeleton of a human -face was visible. I turned from the spot in indescribable horror, and -with a sensation of deadly faintness which I could scarcely overcome. - -On the opposite side of the road we scrambled up a perpendicular -bank, through which the road had evidently been cut. It was upon this -eminence that the Duke of Wellington stood, beneath the memorable tree, -from the commencement of the action, surrounded by his staff. It was -here, we were told, that in the most critical part of it he rallied the -different regiments, and led them on again in person to renew the shock -of battle. Here we stood some time to survey the field. - -Immediately before us, nearly in the hollow, was the farm-house of -La Haye Sainte, surrounded by a quadrangular wall, full of holes for -musketry. At the commencement of the action it was occupied by the -British, and it formed the most advanced post of the left centre of -our army. It was gallantly and successfully defended by a detachment -of the light battalion of the German Legion, until nearly the close -of the day, when their ammunition was exhausted; it was impossible to -send them a supply, as all communication with them was cut off by the -enemy, who at length succeeded in carrying it, after a most obstinate -resistance; but its brave defenders only resigned its possession with -their lives. - -On the opposite side of the road, a little behind La Haye Sainte, -and immediately below the ground occupied by Sir Thomas Picton's -division, is a quarry which was surrounded by British artillery at -the commencement of the battle. Towards the close of the action it -was filled with the wounded, who had taken refuge in it as a shelter -from the shot and shells, and from the charge of the cavalry--when, -horrible to relate! a body of French Cuirassiers were completely -overthrown into this quarry by a furious charge of the British, -and horses and riders were rolled in death upon these unfortunate -sufferers. The ghastly spectacle which it exhibited next morning was -described to me by an eye-witness of this scene of horror. On the -left, in the hollow between the two armies, we saw the hamlet of Ter -la Haye, which was occupied by British troops;--its possession was -never disputed by the enemy, although it was close advanced upon their -position. Beyond it, still farther to the left, were the woods of -Frischermont, and the road to Wavre, from which the Prussians issued -through a narrow defile, and advanced to attack the right flank of the -French. - -These woods bounded the prospect on that side. On the right stood the -ruins of Château Hougoumont (or Château Goumont, as the country-people -called it), concealed from view by a small wood which crowns the hill. -It formed the most advanced post of the right centre of our army, -and it was defended to the last with efforts of successful valour, -almost more than human, against the overpowering numbers and furious -attacks of the enemy. The battle commenced here about eleven o'clock. -The French, suddenly uncovering a masked battery, opened a tremendous -fire upon this part of our position, and advanced to the attack with -astonishing impetuosity, led on, it is said, by Jerome Buonaparte in -person, while Napoleon viewed it from his station near the Observatory -on the opposite height. They were completely repulsed by the bravery of -General Byng's brigade of Guards, but they succeeded in carrying the -wood, which was occupied by the Belgic troops. The French, however, -after a dreadful struggle, were driven out of the wood again by the -Coldstreams and the third regiment of Guards, and never afterwards -were able to regain possession of it. The Black Brunswickers behaved -most gallantly. In retrieving the consequences of the misconduct of -the Belgic troops, and in defending the Château and the garden, the -British Guards performed prodigies of valour, though they suffered -most severely. Lieutenant General Cooke, Major-General Byng, Lord -Saltoun, the lamented Colonel Miller, who died as he had lived--a brave -and honourable soldier; Captain Adair, Captains Evelyn and Ellis; -Colonels Askew, Dashwood, and D'Oyley, with many others, particularly -distinguished themselves by their steady gallantry and personal valour. -The house was consumed by fire, and numbers of the wounded perished in -the flames; yet the British maintained possession of it to the last, -in spite of the incessant and desperate attacks of the enemy, who -directed against it a furious fire of shot and shells, under cover of -which large bodies of troops advanced continually to the assault, and -were driven back again and again with tremendous slaughter. Without the -possession of this important post the right flank of our army could not -be attacked; it formed what is called the key of the position; from its -elevation it commanded the whole of the ground occupied by our army, -and had it been lost, the victory to the French would scarcely have -been doubtful. - -Opposite, but divided from it by a deep hollow, were the heights -occupied by the French, upon which, at some distance, and secure from -the storm of war, stands the Observatory, where Buonaparte stationed -himself at the beginning of the action, and whence he issued his -orders, and commanded column after column to advance to the charge, -and rush upon destruction. His "invincible" legions, his invulnerable -Cuirassiers, in vain assaulted the position of the British with the -most furious and undaunted resolution. In vain the vast tide of battle -rolled on--like the rocks of their native land, they repelled its -rage.--Squares of infantry received the onset of the French columns; -directed against them a steady and uninterrupted fire of musketry, and -stood firm and unshaken beneath the most tremendous showers of shot -and shell. Every vacancy caused by death was instantly filled up: the -enemy vainly sought for an opening through which they might penetrate -the impenetrable phalanx; and when at last they receded from the -ineffectual attack, the British cavalry rushed forward to the charge, -and, notwithstanding their superiority of numbers, drove them back -with immense slaughter. But I am relating the history of the battle, -forgetful that I am only describing the field. - -From the spot where we now stood I cast my eyes on every side, and saw -nothing but the dreadful and recent traces of death and devastation. -The rich harvests of standing corn,[26] which had covered the scene -of action we were contemplating, had been beaten into the earth, and -the withered and broken stalks dried in the sun, now presented the -appearance of stubble, though blacker and far more bare than any -stubble land. - -In many places the excavations made by the shells had thrown up the -earth all around them; the marks of horses' hoofs, that had plunged -ankle deep in clay, were hardened in the sun; and the feet of men, -deeply stamped into the ground, left traces where many a deadly -struggle had been. The ground was ploughed up in several places with -the charge of the cavalry, and the whole field was literally covered -with soldiers' caps, shoes, gloves, belts, and scabbards; broken -feathers battered into the mud, remnants of tattered scarlet or blue -cloth, bits of fur and leather, black stocks and havresacs, belonging -to the French soldiers, buckles, packs of cards, books, and innumerable -papers of every description. I picked up a volume of Candide; a few -sheets of sentimental love-letters, evidently belonging to some French -novel; and many other pages of the same publication were flying -over the field in much too muddy a state to be touched. One German -Testament, not quite so dirty as many that were lying about, I carried -with me nearly the whole day; printed French military returns, muster -rolls, love-letters, and washing bills; illegible songs, scattered -sheets of military music, epistles without number in praise of -"l'Empereur, le Grand Napoléon," and filled with the most confident -anticipations of victory under his command, were strewed over the field -which had been the scene of his defeat. The quantities of letters -and of blank sheets of dirty writing paper were so great that they -literally whitened the surface of the earth. - -The road to Genappe, descending from the front of the British position, -where we were now standing, passes the farm-house of La Haye Sainte, -and ascends the opposite height, on the summit of which stands La -Belle Alliance, which was occupied by the French. We walked down the -hill to La Haye Sainte--its walls and slated roofs were shattered and -pierced through in every direction with cannon shot. We could not get -admittance into it, for it was completely deserted by its inhabitants. -Three wounded officers of the 42nd and 92nd Regiments were standing -here to survey the scene: they had all of them been wounded in the -battle of the 16th. One of them had lost an arm, another was on -crutches, and the third seemed to be very ill. Their carriage waited -for them, as they were unable to walk. After some conversation with -them, we proceeded up the hill to the hamlet of La Belle Alliance. -The principal house on the left side of the road was pierced through -and through with cannon balls, and the offices behind it were a heap -of dust from the fire of the British artillery. Notwithstanding the -ruinous state of the house, it was filled with inhabitants. Its broken -walls, "its looped and windowed wretchedness," might indeed defend them -sufficiently "well from seasons such as these," when the soft breezes -and the bright beams of summer played around it--but against "the -pelting of the storm," it would afford them but a sorry shelter. It was -immediately to be repaired; but I rejoiced that it yet remained in its -dilapidated state. - -The house was filled with vestiges of the battle. Cuirasses, helmets, -swords, bayonets, feathers, brass eagles, and crosses of the Legion -of Honour, were to be purchased here. The house consisted of three -rooms, two in front, and a very small one behind. On the opposite side -of the road is a little cottage, forming part of the hamlet of La -Belle Alliance; and at a short distance, by the way side, is another -low-roofed cottage, which was pointed out to us as the place where -Buonaparte breakfasted on the morning of the battle. Farther along this -road, but not in sight, was the village of Planchenoit, which was the -head-quarters of the French on the night of the 17th.[27] - -We crossed the field from this place to Château Hougoumont, descending -to the bottom of the hill, and again ascending the opposite side. Part -of our way lay through clover; but I observed that the corn on the -French position was not nearly so much beaten down as on the English, -which might naturally be expected, as they attacked us incessantly, -and we acted on the defensive, until that last, general, and decisive -charge of our whole army was made, before which theirs fled in -confusion. In some places patches of corn nearly as high as myself -was standing. Among them I discovered many a forgotten grave, strewed -round with melancholy remnants of military attire. While I loitered -behind the rest of the party, searching among the corn for some relics -worthy of preservation, I beheld a human hand, almost reduced to a -skeleton, outstretched above the ground, as if it had raised itself -from the grave. My blood ran cold with horror, and for some moments I -stood rooted to the spot, unable to take my eyes from this dreadful -object, or to move away: as soon as I recovered myself, I hastened -after my companions, who were far before me, and overtook them just as -they entered the wood of Hougoumont. Never shall I forget the dreadful -scene of death and destruction which it presented. The broken branches -were strewed around, the green beech leaves fallen before their time, -and stripped by the storm of war, not by the storm of Nature, were -scattered over the surface of the ground, emblematical of the fate of -the thousands who had fallen on the same spot in the summer of their -days. The return of spring will dress the wood of Hougoumont once more -in vernal beauty, and succeeding years will see it flourish: - - "But when shall spring visit the mouldering urn, - Oh! when shall it dawn on the night of the grave!" - -The trunks of the trees had been pierced in every direction with -cannon-balls. In some of them I counted the holes, where upwards of -thirty had lodged:[28] yet they still lived, they still bore their -verdant foliage, and the birds still sang amidst their boughs. Beneath -their shade the hare-bell and violet were waving their slender -heads; and the wild raspberry at their roots was ripening its fruit. -I gathered some of it with the bitter reflection, that amidst the -destruction of human life these worthless weeds and flowers had escaped -uninjured. - -Melancholy were the vestiges of death that continually met our eyes. -The carnage here had indeed been dreadful. Amongst the long grass lay -remains of broken arms, shreds of gold lace, torn epaulets, and pieces -of cartridge boxes; and upon the tangled branches of the brambles -fluttered many a tattered remnant of a soldier's coat. At the outskirts -of the wood, and around the ruined walls of the Château, huge piles -of human ashes were heaped up, some of which were still smoking. The -countrymen told us, that so great were the numbers of the slain, that -it was impossible entirely to consume them. Pits had been dug, into -which they had been thrown, but they were obliged to be raised far -above the surface of the ground. These dreadful heaps were covered with -piles of wood, which were set on fire, so that underneath the ashes lay -numbers of human bodies unconsumed. - -The Château itself, the beautiful seat of a Belgic gentleman, had been -set on fire by the explosion of shells during the action, which had -completed the destruction occasioned by a most furious cannonade. Its -broken walls and falling roof presented a most melancholy spectacle: -not melancholy merely from its being a pile of ruins, but from the -vestiges it presented of that tremendous and recent warfare by which -those ruins had been caused. Its huge blackened beams had fallen in -every direction upon the crumbling heaps of stone and plaster, which -were intermixed with broken pieces of the marble flags, the carved -cornices, and the gilded mirrors, that once ornamented it. - -We went into the garden, which had sustained comparatively little -injury, while every thing around it was laid waste. Its gay parterres -and summer flowers made it look like an island in the desert. A -berçeau, or covered walk, ran round it, shaded with creeping plants, -amongst which honey-suckles and jessamines were intermixed, en -treillage. The trees were loaded with fruit; the myrtles and fig-trees -were flourishing in luxuriance, and the scarlet geraniums, July -flowers, and orange-trees, were in full blow. My native country can -boast of no such beauty as bloomed at Château Hougoumont: its rugged -clime produces no fruitful fig-trees, no flowers rich in the fragrance -of orange blossom:--but it is the land of heroes! - - "Man is the nobler growth our realms supply, - And souls are ripened in our northern sky." - -I saw the pure and polished leaves of the laurel shining in the sun, -and I could not restrain my tears at the thought that the laurels, the -everlasting laurels which England had won upon this spot, were steeped -in the heart-blood of thousands of her brave, her lamented sons. But -if not immortal in their lives, they will be so in their fame: their -laurels will never wither; and no British heart, henceforward, will -ever visit this hallowed spot without paying a tribute of veneration -and regret to those gallant spirits who here fought and fell for their -country. - -At the garden gate I found the holster of a British officer, entire, -but deluged with blood. In the inside was the maker's name--Beazley -and Hetse, No. 4, Parliament-street. All around were strewed torn -epaulets, broken scabbards, and sabretashes stained and stiffened -with blood--proofs how dreadfully the battle had raged. The garden -and courts were lined during the engagement with Nassau troops, as -sharpshooters, who did great execution. - -A poor countryman, with his wife and children, inhabited a miserable -shed amongst these deserted ruins. This unfortunate family had only -fled from the spot on the morning of the battle. Their little dwelling -had been burnt, and all their property had perished in the flames. They -had scarcely clothes to cover them, and were destitute of everything. -Yet the poor woman, as she told me the story of their distresses, and -wept over the baby that she clasped to her breast, blessed heaven that -she had preserved her children. She seemed most grateful for a little -assistance, took me into her miserable habitation, and gave me the -broken sword of a British officer of infantry (most probably of the -Guards), which was the only thing she had left; and which, with some -other relics before collected, I preserved as carefully as if they had -been the most valuable treasures. - -It is a remarkable circumstance that amidst this scene of destruction, -and surrounded on all sides by the shattered walls and smoking piles -of "this ruined and roofless abode," the little chapel belonging to -the Château stood uninjured. Its preservation appeared to these simple -peasants an unquestionable miracle; and we felt more inclined to -respect than to wonder at the superstitious veneration with which they -regarded it. No shot nor shell had penetrated its consecrated walls; -no sacrilegious hand had dared to violate its humble altar, which was -still adorned with its ancient ornaments and its customary care. A type -of that blessed religion to which it was consecrated, it stood alone, -unchanged, amidst the wreck of earthly greatness--as if to speak to our -hearts, amidst the horrors of the tomb, the promises of immortality; -and to recal our thoughts from the crimes and sorrows of earth to the -hopes and happiness of heaven. The voice of the Divinity himself within -his holy temple seemed to tell us, that those whom we lamented here, -and who, in the discharge of their last and noblest duty to their -country, had met on the field of honour "the death that best becomes -the brave,"--should receive in another and a better world their great -reward! Blackened piles of human ashes surrounded us; but I felt that -though "the dust returns to the earth, the spirit returns unto Him that -gave it." - -The countryman led me to one of these piles within the gates of the -court belonging to the Château, where, he said, the bodies of three -hundred of the British Guardsmen who had so gallantly defended it, had -been burnt as they had been found, heaped in death.[29] I took some of -the ashes and wrapped them up in one of the many sheets of paper that -were strewed around me; perhaps those heaps that then blackened the -surface of this scene of desolation are already scattered by the winds -of winter, and mingled unnoticed with the dust of the field; perhaps -the few sacred ashes which I then gathered at Château Hougoumont are -all that is now to be found upon earth of the thousands who fell upon -this fatal field! - -It was not without regret that we left this ever-memorable spot, -surrounded as it was by horrors that shocked the mind, and vestiges -that were revolting to the senses. Still we lingered around it, till -at length, after gazing for the last time at its ruined archways and -desolated courts, we struck into the wood, and lost sight for ever of -the Château Hougoumont. The road to Nivelles, which strikes off to the -right from the highroad to Genappe at the village of Mont St. Jean, -passes the Château on the other side. The right wing of the British -army crossed this road, and in the deep ditches on each side of it we -were told that human remains still lay uninterred. Some of the party -returned to Mont St. Jean by this road, which is considerably nearer; -but my brother, my sister, and myself, once more crossed the field in -order to pay another visit to La Belle Alliance. - -I could not be persuaded to go to see the skeleton of a calf which had -been burnt in one of the outhouses of Hougoumont, and over which one -of the ladies of our party uttered the most pathetic lamentations. -It seemed to fill her mind with more concern than anything else. -At another time I might have been sorry for the calf; but when I -remembered how many poor wounded men had been burnt alive in these -ruins, it was impossible to bestow a single thought upon its fate. -Finding that her sensibility obtained no sympathy from me, the lady -turned to my sister, and began to bewail the calf anew, till at last, -wearied out with such folly, "out of her grief and her impatience," -she exclaimed, "that she did not care if all the calves in the world -had been burnt, compared to one of the brave men who had perished here." - -As we passed again through the wood of Hougoumont, I gathered some -seeds of the wild broom, with the intention of planting them at -H. Park, and with the hope that I should one day see the broom of -Hougoumont blooming on the banks of the Tweed. In leaving the wood I -was struck with the sight of the scarlet poppy flaunting in full bloom -upon some new-made graves, as if in mockery of the dead. In many parts -of the field these flowers were growing in profusion: they had probably -been protected from injury by the tall and thick corn amongst which -they grew, and their slender roots had adhered to the clods of clay -which had been carelessly thrown upon the graves. From one of these -graves I gathered the little wild blue flower known by the sentimental -name of "Forget me not!" which to a romantic imagination might have -furnished a fruitful subject for poetic reverie or pensive reflection. - -While my sister was taking a view of the field of battle, and my -brother was overlooking and guarding her, I entered the cottage of "La -Belle Alliance," and began to talk to Baptiste la Coste, Buonaparte's -guide, whom I found there. He is a sturdy, honest-looking countryman, -and gave an interesting account of Buonaparte's behaviour during the -battle. He said that he issued his orders with great vehemence, and -even impatience: he took snuff incessantly, but in a hurried manner, -and apparently from habit, and without being conscious that he was -doing so: he talked a great deal, and very rapidly--his manner of -speaking was abrupt, quick, and hurried: he was extremely nervous and -agitated at times, though his anticipations of victory were most -confident. He frequently expressed his astonishment, rather angrily, -that the British held out so long--at the same time he could not -repress his admiration of their gallantry, and often broke out into -exclamations of amazement and approbation of their courage and conduct. -He particularly admired the Scotch Greys--"Voilà ces chevaux gris--ah! -ce sont beaux cavaliers--très beaux;" and then he said they would all -be cut to pieces. He said--"These English certainly fight well, but -they must soon give way;" and he asked Soult, who was near him, "if -he did not think so?" Soult replied, "He was afraid not." "And why?" -said Napoleon, turning round to him quickly. "Because," said Soult, -"I believe they will first be cut to pieces." Soult's opinion of the -British army, which was founded on experience, coincided with that of -the Duke of Wellington. "It will take a great many hours to cut them -in pieces," said the Duke, in answer to something that was said to him -during the action; "and I know they will never give way." - -Buonaparte, however, who knew less of them, and whose head always ran -upon the idea of the English flying to their ships, had never dreamt -that with a force so inferior they would think of giving him battle, -but imagined that they would continue their retreat during the night, -and that he should have to pursue them. It is said that he expressed -great satisfaction when the morning broke and he saw them still there; -and that he exclaimed, "Ah! pour le coup--je les tiens donc--ces -Anglais!" - -Before the engagement began he harangued the army, promising them the -plunder of Brussels and Ghent. Once, towards the close of the battle, -he addressed himself to the Imperial Guard, leading them on to the -brink of the hill, and telling them "that was the road to Brussels." -Regardless of the waste of human life, he incessantly ordered his -battalions to advance--to bear down upon the enemy--to carry every -thing before them. He inflamed their ardour by the remembrance of past, -as well as the prospect of present victory, and the promise of future -reward: but he never led them on to battle himself--he never once -braved the shock of British arms. It is not true as has been reported, -that he was ever near Lord Uxbridge, or in any danger of being taken -prisoner by the English. Indeed, he exposed himself to very little -personal risk--a proof of which is, that not one of those who attended -him the whole day was wounded. - -La Coste said, that at first, when he was told that the Prussians were -advancing, he obstinately and angrily refused to believe it, declaring -it was the French corps under Marshal Grouchy.[30] He then commanded -this news to be spread amongst the army, and ordered Marshal Ney, at -the head of two columns, each composed of four battalions of the old -Imperial Guard, and seconded by all the available force of the French -army, both cavalry and infantry, to charge, and to penetrate to the -centre of the British position. He stood to witness the desperate -struggle which ensued, and the final and complete overthrow of the -_élite_ of his gallant army, of immensely preponderating force, by -a handful of determined British troops; but when he perceived his -"invincible legions" give way, and retreat in confusion before the -grand simultaneous charge of the British army, which immediately -ensued, led by the Duke of Wellington in person, who was amongst the -foremost in the onset, he turned pale, his perturbation became extreme, -and exclaiming, "All is lost--let us save ourselves" (Tout est perdu; -or, Sauve qui peut!), or words to that effect; he put spurs to his -horse, and galloped from the field. La Coste expressly said, that he -was among the first of the officers to set the example of flight.[31] -His own old Imperial Guard still remained--disputed every foot of -ground--fought desperately to the last, and at length, overpowered by -numbers, fell gloriously--as their leader should have fallen. - -But he!--not even despair could prompt him to one noble thought, or -rouse him to one deed of desperate valour. He fled--as at Egypt, at -Moscow, and at Leipsic he had fled--while his faithful veterans were -still fighting with enthusiastic gallantry, and shedding the last drop -of their blood in his cause! - -Was this the conduct of a hero? Was this the conduct of a general? Was -this the conduct of a great mind? No! He had set his "life upon a cast, -and he should have stood the hazard of the die." And for what did he -abandon his army, and basely fly in the hour of danger? That he might -be humiliated, pursued, and taken--that he might become a suppliant to -that hated enemy whose ruin he had pursued with implacable hostility, -and be indebted to their faith and generosity for life and safety--that -he might live to hear his name execrated, and linger out a few years -of miserable existence in exile, obscurity, and degradation. - -It has been said by his advocates and admirers, that he was not only a -great man, but the greatest man who ever lived--and that his only fault -was ambition. Yes! Napoleon Buonaparte had, indeed, ambition; but it -was selfish ambition; it was for power, not for glory; for unbounded -empire and unlimited dominion, not for the welfare of his subjects and -the prosperity of his country. He used the talents, the opportunities, -and the power, with which he was gifted, and such as perhaps no mortal -ever before enjoyed, not to save, but to destroy, not to bless, but to -desolate, the world. - -The conduct of the leaders of the contending armies was as opposite as -the cause for which they fought. While Napoleon kept aloof from the -action, Lord Wellington exposed himself to the hottest fire, threw -himself into the thickest of the fight, and braved every danger of the -battle. He issued every order, he directed every movement, he seemed -to be everywhere present, he encouraged his troops, he rallied his -regiments, he led them on against the tremendous forces of the enemy, -charged at their head, and defeated their most formidable attacks. No -private soldier in his army was exposed to half the personal danger -that he encountered.[32] All who surrounded him fell by his side, -wounded and dying. All his personal staff, with scarcely an exception, -were either killed or wounded. In the battle's most terrible moment, -and most hopeless crisis, when our gallant army, weakened by immense -losses, and by more than seven hours of unequal combat, were scarcely -able to stand against the overwhelming number of fresh troops which -the enemy poured down against them; when the recreant Belgians fled, -when every British soldier was in action, when reinforcements were -asked for in vain; when no reserve remained, and no prospect of succour -from our allies appeared, Lord Wellington, exposed to the hottest -fire, calmly rode along the lines of his diminished army, animating -and encouraging the men; directed fresh arrangements of his remaining -forces; rallied in the fight, the wavering Brunswickers, cheered on, -and headed the brave British Brigades,[33] and finally, having repulsed -the last tremendous attack of the enemy,--with the memorable words, "Up -guards! and at them!" led on the remnant of his gallant army to the -most glorious victory a general ever won.[34] - -Nor was the conduct of the two generals on this day more opposite -than that of the armies which they commanded, and the motives by -which they were actuated. The French fought to obtain plunder and -aggrandisement--the British to fulfil their duty to their country. -Well did their generals know this essential difference! Buonaparte -held out to his troops the spoils of Belgium and Holland. When he -wished to animate them to the greatest exertions, he led them forward -and told them, "That was the road to Brussels!" Lord Wellington, in -the most critical moment of the battle, held another language. "We -must not be beaten," he said to his soldiers; "What will they say of -us in England!" After the battle their conduct was equally different. -The French had murdered numbers of their prisoners, and those whose -lives they spared, they robbed, insulted, and treated with the utmost -cruelty, shutting them up without food, without dressing their wounds, -and subjecting them to every hardship and privation. The British, on -the contrary, though irritated by the knowledge of these barbarities, -protected the wounded French from the rage of the Prussians, who would -have gladly revenged the cruelties with which they had been treated by -them. Our wounded soldiers, who were able to move, employed themselves -in assisting their suffering enemies, binding up their wounds, and -giving them food and water--but the brave are always merciful. - -A countryman, who belonged either to La Belle Alliance, or to some of -the neighbouring cottages, told me, that when he came here early on the -morning after the battle, the house was surrounded with the wounded and -dying of the French army, many of whom implored him, for God's sake, to -put an end to their sufferings. - -But the agonising scenes which had so recently taken place here, and -the images of horror which every object in and around La Belle Alliance -was irresistibly calculated to suggest to the mind, were almost too -dreadful for reflection. More pleasing was the remembrance, that it was -here Napoleon Buonaparte stood when he prematurely dispatched a courier -to Paris with the false news that he had won the day; and that it was -here the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blucher accidently met, a few -hours after, in the very moment of victory, when Buonaparte was flying -before their triumphant armies, himself the bearer of the news of his -own defeat. [_See_ Appendix, E.] - -The interview between the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blucher was -short, but it will be for ever memorable in the annals of history. -They did not enter the house, but remained together a few minutes in -earnest conversation. It is well known that Blucher and the Prussians -continued the pursuit during the night. The remains of the British army -rested from their toils on the ground, surrounded by the bleeding and -dying French, on the very spot which they had occupied the preceding -night--and Lord Wellington returned to Waterloo. - -"As he crossed again the fatal field, on which the silence of death -had now succeeded to the storm of battle, the moon, breaking from -dark clouds, shed an uncertain light upon this wide scene of carnage, -covered with mangled thousands of that gallant army whose heroic valour -had won for him the brightest wreath of victory, and left to future -times an imperishable monument of their country's fame. He saw himself -surrounded by the bloody corpses of his veteran soldiers, who had -followed him through distant lands, of his friends, his associates in -arms, his companions through many an eventful year of danger and of -glory: in that awful pause, which follows the mortal conflict of man -with man, emotions, unknown or stifled in the heat of battle, forced -their way--the feelings of the man triumphed over those of the general, -and in the very hour of victory Lord Wellington burst into tears."[35] - -The state of the wounded during this dreadful night may be conceived. -Not even a drop of water was to be had on the field to relieve their -thirst, and none was to be procured nearer than Waterloo. Late as it -was, and exhausted as our officers must have been with the fatigue of -such unremitting exertions, many of them mounted their horses, slung -over their shoulders as many canteens as they could carry, galloped to -Waterloo, a distance of more than two miles from almost every part of -the field, filled them with water, and returned with it for the relief -of the wounded men. - -I did not leave a corner of La Belle Alliance unrummaged, but I cannot -say that I saw anything particularly worthy of notice: I ate a bit of -intolerably bad rye-cake, as sour as vinegar, and as black as the bread -of Sparta, which nothing but the consideration of its having been in La -Belle Alliance during the battle (which the woman assured me was the -case) could have induced me to swallow:--but I need not stop to relate -my own follies. - -I bought from the people of the house the feather of a French officer, -and a cuirass which had belonged to a French Cuirassier, who, they -said, had died here the day after the battle. Loaded with my spoils, I -traversed the whole extent of the field, thinking, as I toiled along -beneath the burning sun, under the weight of the heavy cuirass, that -the poor man to whom it had belonged, when he brought it into the -field, in all the pride of martial ardour, and all the confidence of -victory, little dreamed who would carry it off. If he had known that -it was to be an English lady, he would have been more surprised than -pleased. - -I did not stop till I got to the old tree now known by the name of Lord -Wellington's tree,[36] near which he stood for a length of time during -the battle, and beneath which I now sat myself down to rest. Its massy -trunk and broken branches were pierced with a number of cannon-balls, -but its foliage still afforded me a grateful shade from the rays of the -sun. - -It was between this part of the field and Hougoumont that the lamented -Sir William Ponsonby gloriously fell in the prime of life and honour, -after repeatedly leading the most gallant and successful charges -against the enemy, in which he took upwards of 2000 prisoners and two -French eagles. The particulars of his death are well known. In the -heat of the action he was unfortunately separated from his brigade, -his horse stuck fast in the deep wet clay of some newly-ploughed -land, and he saw a large body of Polish Lancers bearing down against -him. In this dreadful situation he awaited the inevitable fate that -approached him with the composure of a hero: he calmly turned to his -aide-de-camp, who was still by his side, and it is said that he was in -the act of giving him a picture and a last message to his wife, when -he was pierced at once with the pikes of seven of the Polish Lancers, -and fell covered with wounds. England never lost a better soldier, nor -society a brighter ornament. He was deservedly beloved by his friends -and companions, adored by his family, and lamented and honoured by his -country. - -Numbers of country-people were employed in what might be called the -gleanings of the harvest of spoil. The muskets, the swords, the -helmets, the cuirasses--all the large and unbroken arms had been -immediately carried off; and now the eagles that had emblazoned the -caps of the French infantry, the fragments of broken swords, &c., were -rarely to be found, though there was great abundance upon sale. But -there was still plenty of rubbish to be picked up upon the field, for -those who had a taste for it like me--though the greatest part of it -was in a most horrible state. - -It was astonishing with what dreadful haste the bodies of the dead -had been pillaged. The work of plunder was carried on even during -the battle; and those hardened and abandoned wretches who follow the -camp, like vultures, to prey upon the corpses of the dead, had the -temerity to press forward beneath a heavy fire to rifle the pockets of -the officers who fell of their watches and money. The most daring and -atrocious of these marauders were women.[37] - -The description I heard of the field the morning after the battle -from those who had visited it, I cannot yet recal without horror. -Horses were galloping about in every direction without their riders: -some of them, bleeding with their wounds and frantic with pain, were -tearing up the ground, and plunging over the bodies of the dead and -the dying--and many of them were lying on the ground in the agonies of -death. - -Over the whole field the bodies of the innumerable dead, already -stripped of every covering, were lying in heaps upon each other; the -wounded in many instances beneath them. Some, faint and bleeding, were -slowly attempting to make their way towards Brussels; others were -crawling upon their hands and knees from this scene of misery; and -many, unable to move, lay on the ground in agony. - -For four days and nights some of these unfortunate men were exposed -to the beams of the sun by day, and to the dews by night; for -notwithstanding the most praiseworthy and indefatigable exertions, the -last of the wounded were not removed from the field until the Thursday -after the battle; and if we consider that there were at least 8000 -British, besides the Belgic, Brunswick, and Prussian wounded soldiers, -and an incalculable number of wounded French--we shall find cause for -surprise and admiration, that they could be removed in so short a time. -Their conveyance, too, was rendered extremely difficult, as well as -inconceivably painful to the poor sufferers, by the dreadful and almost -impassable state of the roads. - -The Belgic peasantry showed the most active and attentive humanity to -these poor wounded men. They brought them the best food they could -procure; they gave them water to drink--they ministered to all their -wants--complied with all their wishes--and treated them as if they had -been their own children. - -An officer, with whom we are well acquainted, went over the field on -the morning of the battle, and examined the ghastly heaps of dead in -search of the body of a near relation; and after all the corpses were -buried or burnt--in the same melancholy and fruitless search, many an -Englishwoman, whom this day of glory had bereft of husband or son, -wandered over this fatal field, wildly calling upon the names of those -who were now no more. The very day before we visited it, the widow -and the sister of a brave and lamented British officer had been here, -harrowing up the souls of the beholders with their wild lamentations, -vainly demanding where the remains of him they loved reposed, and -accusing Heaven for denying them the consolation of weeping over -his grave. I was myself, afterwards, a sorrowful witness of the -dreadful effects of the unrestrained indulgence of this passionate and -heart-breaking grief. In the instance to which I allude, sorrow had -nearly driven reason from her seat, and melancholy verged upon madness. - -I have forced myself to dwell upon these scenes of horror, with -whatever pain to my own feelings, because in this favoured country, -which the mercy of Heaven has hitherto preserved from being the theatre -of war, and from experiencing the calamities which have visited other -nations, I have sometimes thought that the blessings of that exemption -are but imperfectly felt, and that the sufferings and the dangers of -those whose valour and whose blood have been its security and glory, -are but faintly understood, and coldly commiserated. I wished that -those who had suffered in the cause of their country should be repaid -by her gratitude, and that she should learn more justly to estimate -"the price of victory." But it is impossible for me to describe, or for -imagination to conceive, the horrors of Waterloo! - -How gladly would I dwell upon the individual merits of those who -fell upon this glorious field, had I but the power to snatch from -oblivion one of the many names which ought to be enrolled in the -proud list of their country's heroes! In the heat of such a battle, -probably thousands have fallen, whose untold deeds surpass all that -from childhood our hearts have worshipped. But that heroic valour and -devoted patriotism, which in other days were confined to individuals -and signalised their conduct--at Waterloo pervaded every breast. -Every private soldier acted like a hero, and thus individual merit -was lost in the general excellence, as the beams of the stars are -undistinguished in the universal blaze of day. - -But it is not only the unrivalled glory of my countrymen in arms, of -which I am proud, it is the noble use which they have made of their -triumph. It is not only their irresistible valour in battle, but their -unexampled mercy and moderation in victory which exalts them above all -other nations. It has been justly said by those whom they conquered, -that no other army than the British could have won the battles of -Quatre Bras and Waterloo: and no other army but the British, after such -a battle and such a victory, after a long course of incessant warfare, -after recent insults and wanton cruelties, and after ages of inveterate -hostility and national animosity,--no other army but the British, -in such circumstances, would have marched through the heart of that -enemy's country, and entered that enemy's capital, as the British army -marched through France and entered Paris. - -We have only to remember what has invariably been the conduct of the -French armies in their march through the countries they have conquered. -We have only to picture to ourselves what _would_ have been their -conduct, if they had triumphantly marched through England, and we shall -then be able to appreciate the meritorious moderation of the British -army. No plundered towns, no burning villages, no ruined houses marked -their course; no outrage, no cruelty nor violence disgraced their -triumphant progress. The French people received from their enemies that -mercy which was denied them by their own soldiers. There is not a spot -on the earth, from the burning sands of Egypt to the frozen deserts -of Russia--from the Black Sea to the Pillars of Hercules--from the -coasts of the Baltic to the shores of the Mediterranean, where the name -of Frenchman and of Napoleon Buonaparte is not dreaded and detested. -Whereever the power of Buonaparte has been known, or his dominion felt, -his name is uttered with execrations. Wherever he has gone, his path, -like that of the pestiferous serpent, has been traced by misery and -desolation. But it is a proud reflection to every British heart, that -there is not a country of the civilised world where England is not -mentioned with respect and gratitude, and the very name of Englishman -coupled with blessings. - -I am too sensible of my own incompetency, and too conscious of my want -of knowledge, to attempt to give any account of the battle itself. -The deeds of my countrymen I can only admire--I am not qualified to -record them. Abler pens than mine must do justice to the events of -this day of glory, which I cannot recal to memory without tears: but -it was impossible to stand on the field where thousands of my gallant -countrymen had fought and conquered, and bled and died--and where -their heroic valour had won for England her latest, proudest wreath -of glory--without mingled feelings of triumph, pity, enthusiasm, and -admiration, which language is utterly unable to express. - -I stood alone upon the spot so lately bathed in human blood--where -more than two hundred thousand human beings had mingled together in -mortal strife: I cast my eyes upon the ruined hovels immortalised by -the glorious achievements of my gallant countrymen. I recalled to mind -their invincible constancy--their undaunted intrepidity--their heroic -self-devotion in the hour of trial--their magnanimity and mercy in the -moment of victory: I cast my eyes upon the tremendous graves at my -feet, filled with the mortal remains of heroes.--Silence and desolation -now reigned on this wide field of carnage: the scattered relics of -recent slaughter and devastation covered the sun-burnt ground; the -gales of heaven, as they passed me, were tainted with the effluvia -of death. I shuddered at the thought that, beneath the clay on which -I stood, the best and bravest of human hearts reposed in death. Oh! -surely in such a moment and on such a spot, "some human tears might -fall and be forgiven!" - -Alas! those for whom I mourned sleep in death--and in vain for -them are the tears, the praise, or the gratitude of their country: -but though their bodies may moulder in the tomb, and their ashes, -mingled with the dust, be scattered unnoticed by the winds of winter, -their names and their deeds shall never perish--they shall live -for ever in the remembrance of their country, and the tears which -pity--gratitude--admiration--wring from every British heart, shall -hallow their bloody and honourable grave. On earth they shall receive -the noblest meed of praise; and oh! may we not, without impiety or -presumption, indulge the hope, that in heaven the crown of glory and -immortality awaits those who fell in the field of honour, and who -in the discharge of their last and noblest duty to their country, -"resigned their spirit unto Him that gave it?" - -It was with difficulty I could tear myself from the spot--but after -casting one long and lingering look upon the wood-crowned hill of -Hougoumont, the shattered walls of La Haye Sainte, the hamlet of La -Belle Alliance, the woods of Frischermont, the broken hedge in front -of which Sir Thomas Picton's division had been stationed, and which was -doubly interesting from the remembrance that it was there that gallant -and lamented general had fought and fallen; and after giving one last -glance at the ever memorable tree beneath which I stood, I joined my -brother and sister, who had been taking sketches at a little distance, -and set off with them to Mont St. Jean--lightened of the load of my -cuirass, which a little girl, who before the battle had been one of the -inhabitants of La Haye Sainte, joyfully carried to the village for half -a franc. - -On our return we entered the farm-house where Major L. had been -conveyed when wounded. The farm-house and offices enclose a court into -which the windows of the house look. It is only one story high, and -consists of three rooms, one through another. Not only these rooms, -but the barns, out-houses, and byres were filled with wounded British -officers, many of whom died here before morning. - -In that last tremendous attack which took place towards the close of -the day, before the arrival of the Prussians (but which, thanks to -British valour, was wholly unsuccessful), the battle extended even -here. The French suddenly turned the fire of nearly the whole of their -artillery against this part of our position, in front of Mont St. Jean, -and a general charge of their infantry and cavalry advanced, under -cover of this tremendous cannonade, to the attack. Weakened as our -army had been in this quarter with the immense loss it had sustained, -they expected it to give way instantly, and that they should be able -to force their way to Brussels. The Belgians fled at this tremendous -onset. The British stood firm and undaunted, contesting every inch -of ground. Every little rise was taken and retaken. The French and -English, intermingled with each other, fought man to man, and sword -to sword, around these walls, and in this court, while cannon-shot -thundered against the walls of the house, and shells broke in at the -windows of the rooms crowded with wounded. Such of the officers as it -was possible to remove were carried out beneath a shower of musketry. -But our troops maintained their ground in spite of the immense numbers -of the enemy, and of a most tremendous and incessant fire; and after -a long and desperate contest, the French were completely repulsed and -driven back. They never for a moment gained possession even of this -farm-house, much less of the village of Mont St. Jean, to which indeed -the battle never extended. Some cannon-balls indeed were lodged in the -walls of the cottages, but the action took place entirely in front of -the village, and its possession was never therefore disputed. - -The farmer's wife had actually remained in this farm-house during the -whole of this tremendous battle, quite alone, shut up in her own room, -or rather garret. There she sat the whole day, listening to the roar -of the cannon, in solitude and silence, unable to see anything, or to -hear any account of what was passing. It seemed to me that the utmost -ingenuity of man could not have devised a more terrible punishment than -this woman voluntarily inflicted upon herself. When I asked her what -could have been her motives for remaining in such a dreadful situation, -she said that she stayed to take care of her property--that all she had -in the world consisted in cows and calves, in poultry and pigs--and she -thought if she went away and left them, she should lose them all--and -perhaps have her house and furniture burnt. She seemed to applaud -herself not a little for her foresight. If the French, however, had -been victorious instead of the English, the woman, as well as her hens -and chickens, would have been in rather an awkward predicament. - -Her husband first told me this story, which I could scarcely credit -till she herself confirmed it. But he, honest man! had wisely run away -before the battle had begun, leaving his wife, his pigs, and poultry -to take care of themselves. She said she stayed in her room all that -night, and never came down till the following morning, when all the -surviving wounded officers had been removed, but the bodies of those -who had expired during the night still remained, and the floors of -all the rooms were stained with blood. She seemed very callous to -their fate, and to the sufferings of the wounded; and very indifferent -about everything except her hens and chickens. She led me to a little -miserable dark cow-house, where General Cooke (or Cock, as she called -him) had remained a considerable time when wounded, and it seemed to be -a sort of gratification to her, that a British general had been in her -cow-house. - -Leaving this farm-house, we walked through the village of Mont St. -Jean, and stopped at the little inn, where we found the rest of the -party busily employed upon every kind of eatable the house afforded, -which consisted of brown bread, and butter and cheese--small beer, -and still smaller wine. Although I had rejected with abhorrence at -Château Hougoumont a proposal of eating, which some one had ventured -unadvisedly to make; and though it did seem to me upon the field of -battle that I should never think of eating again, yet no sooner did I -cast my eyes upon these viands than I pounced upon them, as a falcon -does upon its prey, and devoured them with nearly as much voracity. -They seemed to me to be delicious; and the brown bread and butter, -especially, were incomparable. - -The woman of the house and her two daughters, who were industriously -employed in plain needlework, related to us with great naïveté all the -terrors they had suffered, and all the horrors they had seen. Like all -the other inhabitants of the village, they had fled the day before the -battle--not into the woods, but to a place, the name of which I do not -remember, but which they said was very far off ("bien loin"). - -Several cannon-balls had lodged in the walls about this house, although -it was at the extremity of the village, farthest from the field. -Having finished our frugal repast, for which these kind and simple -people asked a most trifling recompense, we left Mont St. Jean, passed -through the village of Waterloo for the last time, and returned to -Brussels with an impression on our minds, from our visit to the field -of Waterloo, which no time can efface. - -It was on Wednesday, the 19th of July, that we learnt the astonishing -news that Napoleon Buonaparte had surrendered himself to the -British, and was actually a prisoner on board the Bellerophon. An -aide-de-camp of the King of France, going express to the King of -Holland at the Hague, was the bearer of this important intelligence. -It was communicated to us by General Murray, who came in with a -countenance radiant with joy, and scarcely could my sister and I, in -our transports, refrain from embracing the good old general. He had -himself seen the aide-de-camp of Louis XVIII.; yet this news was so -unexpected, so wonderful--and above all so good; that scarcely could -it be credited. Could it indeed be possible that Napoleon--the dreaded -Napoleon--was really a prisoner to the English! All ranks of people -were breathless with expectation, and with trembling eagerness and -anxious inquiries awaited further intelligence. In a few hours it was -confirmed beyond a possibility of doubt.--"Buonaparte est pris!--il -est pris!--c'est vrai--c'est bien vrai!" cried M. Weerid, the Belgic -gentleman in whose house Major L. was an inmate, bursting into his room -with a turbulence of joy ill-suited to the suffering state of our poor -wounded friend. The loud acclamations of the populace--the ejaculations -of thanksgiving and tears of joy which burst from the women--and -the curses which were freely bestowed on him by the men--proved the -strength of their terror, and the bitterness of their detestation. - -It was our fate to be the bearers of this intelligence almost the -whole way through Belgium. So slowly does news travel in this country, -that although it had arrived in Brussels at five o'clock in the -afternoon, and we did not set off till eight the following morning, -no rumours of it had been received in any of the towns or villages -through which we passed; and we even found the good people of Ghent in -profound ignorance of it. But the Belgians were slow of belief, and the -transport and the vociferous joy with which it was uniformly received -at first, were generally followed by doubts and fears, and fervent -wishes for its truth. - -At the inn at Alost we found a party comfortably sitting down to dinner -at twelve o'clock, at the well-spread Table d'Hôte. No sooner had I -mentioned this news than knives and forks were thrown down, plates and -dishes abandoned. An old fat Belgic gentleman, overturning his soup -plate, literally jumped for joy; another, more nimble, began to caper -up and down the room. A corpulent lady, in attempting to articulate her -transport, was nearly choked, like little Hunchback, with a fish-bone; -and the demonstrations of joy shown by the rest of the party were not -less extravagant. One old man, however, shook his head in sign of -incredulity, and said with fervour, when I assured him that Buonaparte -was really a prisoner to the English, "that he should have lived long -enough if he ever lived to see that day." Nothing amused me more, -however, than the squall set up by an old country-woman, who shook my -hand till she nearly wrung it off, and then, shocked at what she had -done, burst forth into apologies to me, exclamations of joy, and abuse -of Buonaparte, all in a breath. - -To my cost, however, the official account of this important news did -arrive at Ghent, just after I had gone to bed. It had been more than -twenty-four hours on its way, travelling at the rate of about a mile an -hour; and much did I wish that it had been longer, for neither peace -nor repose was now to be had. Bonfires were lighted, guns fired, squibs -and crackers let off in the streets, rockets sent up to the clouds, -and both heaven and earth disturbed by the uproar. Not satisfied with -this, they took it into their heads to keep up a firing with muskets -under my windows; and the inhabitants and the English soldiers, royally -drunk and loyally noisy, vied with each other in singing or rather -roaring out the most discordant strains; and "God save the King," in -English, and a variety of Belgic songs in low Dutch, were sung all at -once, with the most patriotic perseverance, in the streets. By the time -these outrageously loyal people found their way to bed, it was nearly -time for me to get up, which I did at five o'clock, in order to see a -very fine cabinet of paintings. The old Flemish gentleman to whom they -belonged, not satisfied with giving me permission to see them, had the -politeness to rise at that unseasonable hour, in order that he might -be ready to receive me, and to show them to me himself. What English -gentleman would have got out of his bed before six o'clock in order -to show his collection of paintings to a foreigner, a person of no -distinction, of whom he knew nothing, who had no introduction to him, -whom he had never seen before, and would most probably never see again? - -Next day at nine o'clock we embarked from Ostend for England in a -large packet crowded with passengers. We set sail with a favouring -gale, but the winds and the waves maintained their usual capricious -and inconstant character, and after a succession of calms, contrary -winds, and opposing tides, we found ourselves, late on the evening of -the second day, at anchor within sight of the harbour of Margate, but -without a hope of reaching it till the following morning. In order to -escape spending another night on board, we embraced the expedient of -committing ourselves to a little boat, in which it seemed invariably to -be our fate to end all our voyages. - -We were rowed ashore, and landed in the dark, at past eleven o'clock -at night, upon the slippery and weed-covered rocks of Margate, exactly -six weeks after we had landed in the same manner, at the same hour, and -the same day of the week, on the deep and deserted sands of Ostend. -In that six weeks what a change had taken place! When I left England, -Buonaparte was the terror of the world--Europe was arming against -him, and his threatening hosts were ready to overwhelm it again with -ruin. When I returned, these tremendous armies were defeated and -scattered--the victorious troops of England were in the capital of -France; and Buonaparte himself, fallen from the highest imperial throne -of the universe to the lowest abyss of fortune, was a prisoner on board -a British ship of war, and a suppliant to the mercy of my country! - -Events so extraordinary and improbable, and changes so sudden and so -wonderful, seemed to outrun the rapidity of imagination itself, and -to exceed the limits of possibility. The past seemed like a dream. -Scarcely, on retrospection, could we believe it to be real, or be -convinced that the scenes we had witnessed, since our departure from -England, had not been the illusions of fancy, or the "baseless fabric -of a vision." They bore more resemblance to the shifting and imaginary -scenes represented on the stage, than to events which had actually -happened on the great theatre of the world. It had indeed been a great -and a bloody tragedy, and it had been our lot to witness it from the -first to the last scene. It began at our entrance, it finished at our -departure from Brussels. The news of Buonaparte having attacked the -Prussians reached Brussels at the very moment of our arrival--the news -of his surrender to the British was received the night before we left -it. - -In that six weeks the work of an age had been accomplished; an usurper -had been dethroned; a monarch had been restored; a kingdom had been -lost and won; a war had begun and ended; peace had revisited the world; -and justice--strict, impartial justice--had descended upon the head of -the guilty. And all this was the work of England! - -Yet it has been asked--and I have often heard the question slightingly -repeated by my own countrymen--"And what, after all, has England gained -for years of war and bloodshed but glory?" I might answer that she has -gained security, peace, and prosperity for the world, and for herself, -besides, the highest place among nations: but granting that she had -only gained glory--what, I ask in return, could she gain that is -equivalent to it? What is there on earth to be compared to it? - - "Is aught on earth so precious and so dear - As Fame or Honour? or is aught so bright - And beautiful as Glory's beams appear, - Whose goodly light than Phoebus' lamp doth shine more clear?" - - _Faerie Queen._ - -Glory is the highest, the most lasting good. Without it, extent of -empire, political greatness, and national prosperity, are but a name; -without it, they can have no security, and can command no respect; -without it all other possessions are worthless and despicable--unstable -and transitory. Fortune may change; arts may perish; commerce may -decay; and wealth and power, and dominion and greatness may pass -away--but glory is immortal and indestructible, and will last when -empires and dynasties are no more. - -What gives nations honour and renown in future times but the glory -they have acquired? What exalted Greece and Rome to their proud -pre-eminence among the nations, and transmitted the lustre of their -name to the remotest time? Why does the traveller still traverse -distant countries, to explore with hallowed respect their mouldering -temples, and linger with silent awe amidst the ruins of the Parthenon, -or on the site of the Capitol? Why does generation after generation -contemplate with veneration the plains of Marathon, and the heights of -Leuctra? Why do they still retrace with enthusiasm the deeds of their -departed heroes, and the long catalogue of their ancient glories?--It -is to these ancient glories that they owe their present interest and -importance. The nations of the East were possessed of unbounded wealth, -magnificence, and power--and were long the seats of commerce, of the -arts of life, and of learning, when the western world was immersed in -ignorance and barbarism.--Yet their antiquities are unexplored--their -history neglected--their very existence almost forgotten; for they have -left no proud remembrance, no ray of glory, to immortalise their name. - -If it had been extent of empire, or superiority of wealth, that gave -nations lasting greatness, Persia would have enjoyed that veneration -which is now paid to Athens. If it had been conferred by antiquity, or -by being the birth-place of the arts and sciences, Egypt would have -stood upon that pedestal of fame which Rome now fills. - -Yes! England has nobly fought, triumphantly conquered and well has she -been rewarded! She has gained that unalienable, imperishable prize, -which neither time nor fortune, nor fate--nor any earthly power can -ever wrest from her. She has won the immortal meed! Generations yet -unborn shall pride themselves on being the descendants of those who -fought and conquered in the righteous cause of Justice, Honour, and -Independence, on the plains of Spain, and on the glorious field of -Waterloo; and feel the throb of generous enthusiasm and of virtuous -patriotism, when they retrace the bright history of their country's -achievements. - -With these sentiments deeply impressed upon my mind; with the proud -consciousness, that highly as the fame of England had stood in all -ages, she had now attained an unparalleled height of greatness and -glory; that the ancient triumphs of Cressy, Poictiers, and Agincourt, -in one age, of Ramillies, Malplaquet, and Blenheim, in another, had -been surpassed in those of Salamanca, Vittoria, and Waterloo, in our -own; that her name would descend to the latest times as unrivalled -in arms, invincible by land and by sea, and pre-eminent, not only in -valour, but in faith and honour--in justice, mercy, and magnanimity, -and in public virtue--I returned to my country after all the varying -and eventful scenes through which it had been my lot to pass, more -proud than when I left it of the name of - - AN ENGLISHWOMAN. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 5: The Emperor Charles V., in disparagement of the capital -City of his rival, used to delight in saying, "Je peux mettre tout -Paris dans _mon Gand_." Ghent, on the Continent, is always spelt and -pronounced Gand, the same as _gant_, glove.] - -[Footnote 6: I write it not grammatically, but as they pronounced it, -with a strong emphasis on the last letter.] - -[Footnote 7: It was not expected at that time that Belgium would be the -theatre of war, but that the Allies would advance into France.] - -[Footnote 8: Afterwards, on our return to Brussels, I observed an -inscription on one of these fountains, purporting, that the Czar, Peter -the Great, having drunk too freely of wine, fell into its waters. The -day and year are mentioned. It was, I think, about a century ago.] - -[Footnote 9: [The 32nd and 44th should be added.--ED.]] - -[Footnote 10: Consisting of the 28th, 32nd, 79th, 95th, a battalion of -the 1st, or Royal Scots, the 42nd, 92nd, and the 2nd battalion of the -44th, and a battalion of Hanoverians. It was the first division which -arrived, and, during the principal part of the day, it was the only -part of the British army engaged.] - -[Footnote 11: Since writing the above, I have found that the names of -these officers were Lieutenant-General Bourmont and Colonel Clouet. -[_See_ Appendix, A.]] - -[Footnote 12: Ney, in his own account of this battle, says, "in spite -of my exertions, in spite of the intrepidity and devotion of my troops, -my utmost exertions could only maintain me in my position till the -close of the day." He then complains grievously of having had _only_ -three divisions to fight against the British, and boasts of what he -_would have done_ if he had had five.--_Vide Marshal Ney's Letter._] - -[Footnote 13: Subsequently, the news of the defeat and retreat of the -Prussians obliged the Duke of Wellington also to retreat, to keep open -the communications with Blucher.] - -[Footnote 14: Not even imagination could form an idea of the dreadful -sufferings that the unfortunate soldiers of the French and Prussian -armies, who were wounded in the battles of the 15th and 16th of June, -were condemned to endure. It was not until nearly a week afterwards -that surgical aid, or assistance of any kind, was given to them. During -all this time they remained exposed to the burning heat of the noonday -sun, the heavy rains, and the chilling dews of midnight, without any -sustenance except what their importunity extorted from the country -people, and without any protection even from the flies that tormented -them. Numbers had expired; the most trifling wounds had festered, and -amputation in almost every instance had become necessary. This, and -every other necessary operation, was hastily and negligently performed -by the Prussian surgeons. The description I heard of this scene of -horror, from some respectable Belgic gentlemen who were spectators of -it on the Wednesday following, is too dreadful to repeat.] - -[Footnote 15: This was, I find, only a proof of my ignorance; I -afterwards learnt that wooden palisades add greatly to the strength of -fortifications.] - -[Footnote 16: Afterwards Marquis of Anglesey] - -[Footnote 17: At one time, as we afterwards learned, the Duke had -scarcely a single aide-de-camp left to dispatch with orders. All around -him fell dead, or wounded. His preservation was miraculous. As he -himself reverentially declared after the battle, "The finger of God was -upon me."] - -[Footnote 18: No doubt the gallantry of every British regiment was -equally praiseworthy, but few had such opportunities of displaying it. -And we naturally enough heard of the exploits of the brave Highland -regiments which had nearly been cut to pieces, and the remains of -which, all wounded, had reached Antwerp.] - -[Footnote 19: [_See_ Appendix, B.]] - -[Footnote 20: The road from Brussels to the field of battle was not -for some time considered safe, on account of the number of deserters -who had taken shelter in the woods, and issued forth, sometimes alone, -and sometimes in a gang, to rob passengers and plunder the defenceless -cottages and farm-houses of the surrounding country. Neither property -nor life certainly could be considered safe at the mercy of these armed -desperadoes; but I never heard of any well-authenticated murder that -they committed: and from all the inquiries I made, I believe that most -of the horrible stories we heard of their enormities were entirely -devoid of truth; and that the mischief, even in the way of plunder, -they did, was very much exaggerated. Even at the time we went to the -field, great apprehensions were entertained by many people of these -lawless deserters. Large parties of these were brought in two or three -times a week, during our stay in Brussels. They consisted of Belgic, -Nassau, and Brunswick soldiers. There was some difficulty in procuring -proper places of confinement for them. They were generally sent to -the neighbouring Maisons de Force; what eventually was to be their -punishment, or what has been their fate, I have never been able to -learn.] - -[Footnote 21: It is remarkable that every village in this part of the -country has a French name, except Waterloo, which is pronounced by the -natives--according to the fashion of the London Cockneys--_Vaterloo_; -the letter W being the exclusive property of the British people--with -the exception of the aforesaid Cockneys, who resign all claim to it.] - -[Footnote 22: Cæsar's celebrated _bulletin_, "Veni, vidi, vici," was -more concise, but not quite so unassuming.] - -[Footnote 23: La Haye Sainte (the holy hedge). It gives its name to the -farm-house of La Haye Sainte. I could not hear from any of the country -people why it was distinguished by the epithet "Sainte." They did not -seem to have any tradition respecting it.] - -[Footnote 24: An order had been issued not to fire at the enemy's -field-pieces, but at the troops. However, during the latter part of -the action, a young officer of artillery, out of patience with the -destruction caused among his men, and particularly with the loss of -Captain Bolton, his friend and brother officer, from the fire of some -guns opposite, levelled his cannon at them, and had the satisfaction -to see the French artillerymen, and officers who commanded them, fall -in their turn. At that moment he was accosted suddenly by the Duke -of Wellington, whom he had no idea was near--"What are you firing at -there?" The artillery officer confessed what he was about. "Keep a -good look out to your left," said the Duke, "you will see a large body -of the enemy advancing just now--fire at them." They soon perceived -a tremendous number of the Imperial Guards, the _élite_ of the army, -advancing with great order and steadiness to attack the British. The -moment they appeared in view, the officer to whom the Duke had spoken, -directed against them such a tremendous and effective fire, that they -were mowed down by ranks. This gallant young officer had volunteered -his services, and was one of the brigade attached to the second -division of our army.] - -[Footnote 25: It is, however, a remarkable fact, and does additional -honour to the resolute, invincible constancy of British soldiers, that -nearly all the officers, and the whole of the privates of the British -army, were ignorant that there was any expectation of the arrival of -the Prussians. Indeed, many of them never knew till after the battle -was over that they had joined.] - -[Footnote 26: In this part of Belgium, the wheat had this year grown to -full five feet in height, and rye upwards of six feet: great quantities -of the latter are grown, for it answers to the liberal definition of -oats by Dr. Johnson, and is the food of men in England, and of horses -in Flanders; nay, it is actually baked into bread for their use, and -regularly given them at the inns where they stop to bait. Several -soldiers of the Highland regiments who had got into a field of this -gigantic rye on the 16th, were shot without even being able to see -their enemy.] - -[Footnote 27: Buonaparte slept at the farm of Caillon, near -Planchenoit.] - -[Footnote 28: These memorable beech-trees, pierced through and through -with balls, have been since all cut down by the owner of Château -Hougoumont!!!] - -[Footnote 29: In other pits the corpses of the French had also been -burned. About eight thousand of the French army fell in the attack of -Hougoumont.] - -[Footnote 30: That Buonaparte pretended to believe those troops to be -French, although he must have known the contrary, is unquestionably -true. Marshal Ney, in his account of the battle, states that he -received a message from the emperor, brought by General Labedoyère, to -inform him "that the French corps under Marshal Grouchy had arrived -in the field, and attacked the left wing of the British and Prussians -united. General Labedoyère rode along the lines, spreading this -intelligence through the whole army."--Vide _Marshal Ney's Letter_. -[_See_ Appendix, C.]] - -[Footnote 31: This statement too is confirmed by Marshal Ney, who -said, "that Buonaparte had entirely disappeared before the end of the -battle." Let it be remembered that Ney's letter was written exactly a -week after the battle, while Napoleon was still emperor, and still in -Paris, and, if his statement was not true, a thousand witnesses could -have contradicted it.] - -[Footnote 32: The Duke himself reverentially said afterwards, "The -finger of God was upon me."] - -[Footnote 33: It was near seven o'clock when this circumstance -happened. The Prussians had not appeared. The regiments which he led to -the charge were the 71st, the 52nd, and the 95th. He also repeatedly -rallied the Belgic regiments, and sometimes vainly exerted himself to -make them face the enemy.] - -[Footnote 34: [_See_ Appendix, D.]] - -[Footnote 35: It was with a heart saddened by feelings which did him -honour, that the Duke of Wellington returned from the battle. The -letters which he wrote to the relations of the distinguished officers -who had fallen, prove how truly he felt what he sorrowfully said, that -"there is nothing more melancholy than a victory--except a defeat." I -cannot resist inserting the following simple and affecting extract from -one of his letters, written on the morning after the battle. "I cannot -express to you," he writes, "the regret and sorrow with which I look -around me, and contemplate the losses which I have sustained. They have -quite broken me down. The glory resulting from such actions, so dearly -bought, is no consolation to me." - -The extract in the text is taken "From Circumstantial Details Relative -to the Battle of Waterloo," which was written by the author to explain -"A Panoramic Sketch of the Field of Battle," by her sister, both of -which were published by J. Booth, London, in August, 1815, for the -benefit of the Waterloo Fund.] - -[Footnote 36: It is on the left of the road in going towards Waterloo, -behind the farm-house of La Haye Sainte. But this tree, which ought to -have been for ever sacred, has been CUT DOWN!!!] - -[Footnote 37: Some soldiers' wives were, however, actuated by better -motives, and, like the matrons of Hensberg, in times of old, seemed -to think their best treasures were their husbands. Many of them -rushed forward and carried their wounded husbands off the field at -the hazard of their own lives. The wife of a sergeant in the 28th was -severely wounded in two places by a shell, which struck her as she -was carrying off her wounded husband. This anecdote was related to me -by an eye-witness of the circumstance. The woman (respecting whom I -inquired since my return to England) has, I understand, been allowed -a pension from Chelsea Hospital. I heard of several similar instances -of heroic conjugal affection; and I myself saw one poor woman, the -wife of a private in the 27th, whose leg was dreadfully fractured by -a musket-ball in rescuing her husband. When struck by the ball she -fell to the ground with her husband, who was supposed to be mortally -wounded, but she still refused to leave him, and they were removed -together to the rear, and afterwards sent to Antwerp. The poor man -survived the amputation of both his arms, and is still alive. The -woman, who was then in a state of pregnancy, has, since her return to -this country, given birth to a child, to which the Duke of York stood -godfather.] - - - - -A TRIBUTE - -TO THE - -MEMORY OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. - -WRITTEN THE DAY AFTER HIS FUNERAL. - - 19th November, 1852. - - -The great Arthur, Duke of Wellington, whose latest achievements in -war form the subject of the preceding pages, is no more. Long, long -will the nation mourn the greatest, the most irreparable loss it ever -sustained. The last sad and solemn scene has passed away. That great -and wondrous man, who was its stay, its pride and glory, has been borne -to his honoured tomb, amidst those splendid obsequies and funeral pomps -with which his grateful country vainly sought to evince her unbounded -admiration, her devoted love, and her profound veneration, for him who -was her deliverer and preserver; to whom she owed her unprecedented -triumphs in war--her prolonged blessings in peace. - -"His funeral pall has been borne by nations--not by the nations he -enslaved, but the nations he liberated;--the truncheons of eight -armies have dropped from his grasp, and they were borne in the funeral -procession by the companions and allies of his arms and victories."[38] -But, nobler far, he was followed to the grave by the blessings and the -tears of millions; and he, alone, amidst all the great generals and -conquerors of the earth, merits the proud eulogium, that he was at once -a true patriot and a benefactor to his species. - -Eloquence has vainly exhausted itself in enumerating his merits and -services; but words are powerless to speak his praises. They are -felt in the hearts of the people of England. Never did a chieftain, -a conqueror, a hero, descend to the tomb so universally honoured and -lamented. All ranks, all ages, all parties, unite in one unanimous -sense of sorrow and bereavement. Every man seems to feel that he, -personally, has lost a benefactor, a protector--almost a parent. And as -the light of the sun is not missed until it is withdrawn, so even his -value was not perhaps fully felt until he was lost. - -But he is gone! "Quenched is that light which was the leading star to -guide every Briton on the path of duty and honour."[39] His name is -surrounded by a pure halo of glory--not that ordinary vulgar glory -which is the meed of the mere conqueror. No! the "hero of a hundred -fights," who never knew defeat, sought not, valued not such glory; -nay, more, he despised it; he never even named "its very name."[40] -His watchword was Duty, and the path of duty, honour, and patriotism, -he trod. What a striking contrast did his career present to that of -Napoleon, who sought that vain, false glory, through fields of fire -and carnage, crushing the nations beneath his iron yoke, to aggrandise -his selfish ambition, and reign the despot of a devastated world! How -striking is the fact, that at the very time when, by the mysterious -decree of Providence, a Buonaparte was sent to desolate and enslave -the world, a Wellesley was given to save and deliver it!--the one, the -Destroyer; the other, the Preserver. They seemed like the Incarnate -Principles of Evil and of Good; but the Good triumphed: the conqueror -and deliverer of distracted and bleeding Europe became its Pacificator; -and through long years of peace and prosperity the nations which he -saved from tyranny and ruin, have had reason to bless the name of -Wellington. - -Will it yet be permitted to one British heart--simply "An -Englishwoman," who witnessed the most eventful scenes of his glorious -campaigns, and proudly watched from first to last his high unblemished -career--to offer, with the deepest veneration, a humble tribute of high -and holy admiration upon the tomb of that hero whom, through life, her -heart has worshipped. - -The ONE TRUE HERO! unequalled in the annals of history--unsurpassed -even in the creations of Romance; He, who never headed the battalions -of his countrymen except in a just and righteous cause, and never once -failed to lead them on to victory and honour; He, who was not only the -"Victor of Victors," the greatest of Conquerors, but also the greatest -Pacificator the world ever saw--for he used the triumphs of War only -to obtain the blessings of Peace;--He, whose first thought in victory -was mercy, whose first care was to ensure, not the spoils, but the -protection of the vanquished;--He, who, when he sheathed his conquering -sword, consecrated the powers of his mighty genius, his mind, and life, -to the welfare of his country; who worked her weal through evil report -and good report, unmoved by the cabals of Faction, the intrigues of -Power, and the slanders of Malignity;--He, whose Spirit, whilst he -lived, was our Shield and Buckler, our Stay and Support; his counsels -our best resource; his name our tower of strength; and his very -existence our surest defence. - -Alas, for England! Woe! woe to our country! The grave has closed over -him; but his sacred ashes shall still guard our land. Around his -honoured tomb every British heart will rally to rout and vanquish -the hostile foe who dares to set foot on British ground. Every heart -will be roused, every arm raised to repel the insult. His name shall -be our everlasting panoply of defence; his life, his example, his -memory, shall live in our hearts, and to the latest posterity England's -proudest boast shall be the name of Wellington. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[Footnote 38: _Times_, November 18th, 1852.] - -[Footnote 39: Lord Lovaine's speech, November 12th.] - -[Footnote 40: It is well known that the word "Glory" does not once -occur in the multifarious dispatches of the Duke of Wellington.] - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -A. (p. 44). - -The desertion of General Bourmont did not take place during the Battle -of Quatre Bras, but on the day before. He and his Staff joined the -Prussian General Ziethen as the French were advancing on Charleroi, on -June 15. The mistake, however, is hardly the writer's fault, as Sir F. -Head, the English authority for the statement, misprints the date. (See -Hooper's _Waterloo_, p. 68.) - - -B. (p. 93). - -The decisive part which the Prussian army played in the Battle of -Waterloo is often overlooked, as it is here. Readers must bear in mind -that the junction of the two armies of the Allies was preconcerted by -Wellington and Blücher, and that the battle would not have been fought -under other circumstances. It is true that the Prussian advance from -Wavre, whence it had retreated after the Battle of Ligny on the 16th, -was delayed, whereby an undue strain was placed upon and nobly borne -by the English infantry, but the first Prussian corps under Bülow was -known to be approaching by three o'clock. Their advance on the village -of Planchenoit, on the right of the French position, caused Napoleon to -detach to his right 16,000 French troops, out of the 72,000 with which -he began the battle, and at last engaged his attention so far as that -he left Ney to conduct the attack upon Wellington's army. Though it -may be true, as Mrs. Eaton states, that the Prussians did not "make -their appearance" (_i.e._ to the British troops) till seven o'clock (p. -130), they were nevertheless in conflict with the French for some hours -before, and considerably modified their attack on Wellington's position. - - -C. (p. 145). - -The allegations of cowardice brought against Napoleon at the time, -and frequently repeated, do not meet with the slightest support from -accurate historians. It is almost certain that when Wellington, on the -17th, withdrew his army from Quatre Bras to the position in which he -accepted battle on the following day, Napoleon was with the head of -the French column which followed up the retreat, and was within cannon -shot of the British artillery and of Lord Uxbridge, who commanded the -cavalry. - -At the close of the Battle of Waterloo he showed no lack of courage. -"During the attack of the Imperial Guard he had ridden as far as the -orchard of La Haye Sainte; when the Guard recoiled he had rallied them; -when the 52nd and other regiments of the brigade pursued so promptly he -had gradually fallen back with the steadier masses of the fugitives, -surrounded by the truly _dévourés_ of those days, the veterans of the -Guard."--_Hooper_, p. 238. - -It was only when the Prussians, almost fresh upon the field, undertook -the pursuit, that he diverged from the press and rapidly made his way -to Charleroi, where he obtained a carriage. - - -D. (p. 148). - -The celebrated order of Wellington to the Guards is perhaps, in its -popular form, not quite authentic. When towards the close of the battle -Ney, unhorsed, was leading the column of the Old Guard up the slope of -the British position, behind the crest of which the British infantry -was lying, Wellington said, "Up, Guards, and make ready!" they "sprang -to their feet within fifty yards of the astonished French, and poured -in a volley which struck the column like a bolt of iron ... and when -the Duke cried, 'Charge!' and the British Guards dashed forward with a -cheer, Ney's veterans broke and fled."--_Hooper_, p. 231. The approach -of cavalry caused the British to retreat to their position on the hill, -but in the meantime the second column of the French Guard had been -routed by a bold and skilful charge of the 52nd Regiment, followed up -by cavalry, whilst the Prussians were successfully pushing back the -right wing of the French. Then the English leader saw that his time, -at last, was come. To quote again Mr. Hooper's stirring description: -"On the ridge near the Guards, his figure standing out amidst the smoke -against the bright north-western sky, Wellington was seen to raise his -hat with a noble gesture, the signal for the wasted line of heroes to -sweep like a dark wave from their coveted position, and roll out their -lines and columns over the plain. With a pealing cheer, the whole line -advanced just as the sun was sinking, and the Duke, sternly glad, but -self-possessed, rode off into the thick of the fight, attended by only -one officer, almost the last of the splendid squadron which careered -around him in the morning."--P. 234. - - -E. (p. 149). - -Though the meeting of Wellington and Blücher at La Belle Alliance has -been made the subject of a well-known picture, it is not founded on -fact. The actual meeting took place nearer Rossomme, some distance -further south on the Charleroi road, along which the routed army was -struggling. From this point the pursuit was left to Blücher's troops. - - - - - LONDON: - PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, - STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Waterloo Days, by Charlotte Annie Waldie Eaton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WATERLOO DAYS *** - -***** This file should be named 52991-8.txt or 52991-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/9/9/52991/ - -Produced by MWS, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Waterloo Days - The narrative of an Englishwoman resident at Brussels in June 1815 - -Author: Charlotte Annie Waldie Eaton - -Release Date: September 5, 2016 [EBook #52991] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WATERLOO DAYS *** - - - - -Produced by MWS, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="hidehand"> -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /> -</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h1> -<span class="large">WATERLOO DAYS;</span><br /> - -<span class="medium">THE NARRATIVE OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN<br /> -RESIDENT AT BRUSSELS IN JUNE, 1815.</span></h1> - -<p class="ph5">BY</p> - -<p class="ph4">CHARLOTTE A. EATON,</p> - -<p class="ph5">AUTHOR OF "ROME IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY,"<br /> -"AT HOME AND ABROAD,"<br /> -ETC.</p> - -<p class="ph4" style="margin-top: 5em;"><i>NEW EDITION.</i><br /> - -WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND APPENDIX<br /> -<span class="smcap">By</span> EDWARD BELL, M.A.</p> - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 10em;"> -LONDON: GEORGE BELL & SONS, YORK STREET,<br /> -COVENT GARDEN.<br /> -1888. -</p> - - - - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 5em;"><small> -LONDON:<br /> - -PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,<br /> -STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.</small></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - - -<h2>INTRODUCTION.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></h2> - - -<p>The following little book which was first published within two years -of the events which it describes, was republished in 1852, after some -revision by the author, under the title of "The Days of Battle." It has -now been out of print for a considerable time, but its merits as a very -graphic and interesting description of those few momentous days which -have left their mark on English literature no less than on the history -of Europe, are sufficient, it is believed, to justify its republication -in a popular series.</p> - -<p>Though it was first published anonymously as a "Narrative of a few -days' Residence in Belgium with some account of a visit to the field of -Waterloo, by an Englishwoman," it has so much personal interest that -the reader will, doubtless, be glad to know something of its author, -more especially as she is favourably known by other works, and with -other members of her family has claims upon the memory of a younger -generation.</p> - -<p>Miss Charlotte Anne Waldie, the lady in question, was born 28 -September, 1788, and was the second of three daughters<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span> of George -Waldie, Esq., of Hendersyde Park, near Kelso, Roxburghshire, and Forth -House, Newcastle-on-Tyne. There were also two sons, one of whom is -mentioned in the following pages, but they both died without issue. -The eldest daughter, Maria Jane, married in 1812 Mr. Richard Griffith, -the distinguished civil engineer, who was appointed by Government sole -commissioner for the general valuation of Ireland, and was the author -of the famous geological map of that country. After more than forty -years of arduous public service, during a large part of which he was -President of the Board of Works in Ireland, he was created a baronet; -and his son, Sir George R. Waldie-Griffith, inherited Mr. Waldie's -estates.</p> - -<p>The youngest of the three sisters, Jane, was an accomplished painter, -and her pictures are to be met with in many institutions in the north -of England. She also had considerable literary talent, and wrote a work -entitled "Sketches descriptive of Italy," which was published in four -volumes in 1820. She married Captain, afterwards Admiral, Watts, of -Langton Grange, near Staindrop, Darlington, but unfortunately died in -early life.</p> - -<p>Charlotte, the sister with whom we are chiefly concerned, accompanied -her brother and younger sister, as is hereafter related, on a visit to -Brussels, in June, 1815, when it had temporarily and hastily become the -headquarters of the army under Wellington. The allied forces, as every -one supposed, were to meet and crush Napoleon, who had just returned -from Elba, before he had time to take the offensive. But his movements -were more rapid than had been anticipated, and the Belgian capital, -crowded with non-combatants of both sexes, instead of being merely a -point of departure, suddenly found itself the central point of the seat -of war. The pen of Thackeray has well adapted this dramatic situation -to the purposes of fiction; but in the following pages we have the -circumstances brought before us with all the vividness which actual -experience only can give. A few weeks later the two sisters visited the -field of Waterloo, and a short narrative of the battle written by one, -and illustrated by the pencil of the other, was published anonymously -by Murray, and rapidly went through ten editions.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>In the course of the next year the two sisters rejoined their brother -in France, and went on with him to Italy, and it was then, as explained -in the author's preface, that the following account, which incorporated -the previous narrative, made its appearance.</p> - -<p>In 1817-18 Miss Charlotte Waldie was again in Italy, and in 1820 -published, still anonymously, her best known work, "Rome in the -Nineteenth Century."<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> This work gives the result of her own -experience and observation, and is written in the personal style which, -when it is combined, as in her case it is, with cultivated taste and -sensible criticism, is not to be equalled in interest by any formal -description. Notwithstanding the many changes which recent research -and excavation have wrought in the descriptive topography of Rome the -book is still useful to travellers, and is largely quoted by the latest -popular writer on the subject.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p> - -<p>In the same year her sister published her "Sketches in Italy," -above referred to. Two years later Charlotte Waldie married Stephen -Eaton, Esq., banker, of Stamford, and of Ketton Hall, Rutland. A few -years afterwards she published a story in three volumes, entitled -"Continental Adventures."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Eaton's last work, "At Home and Abroad," was published in 1831. In -1851 she prepared a new edition, the fifth, of "Rome in the Nineteenth -Century," in two volumes, with illustrations, for Bohn's Illustrated -Library, and in 1852 she revised the present work for the same -publisher. She died on 28 April, 1859, in the seventy-first year of her -age.</p> - -<p>The following reprint differs only from the author's last edition in -respect to the title and the appended notes. It must be remembered -that the few details of the battle of Waterloo are based upon the -reports current at the time, and have since been supplemented or -corrected in various ways. In all that came under the writer's own -observation there is no room for doubt as to her correctness, and -her picture of Brussels during the days of battle is corroborated by -another account, also by a lady and an English writer, namely, the -well-known<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[Pg viii]</a></span> Fanny Burney, who was then the wife of General D'Arblay, a -French officer in the service of Louis XVIII. Madame D'Arblay, being -unsuccessful in an attempt to leave the city by canal-boat, spent some -weeks in Brussels, but pre-occupied as she was by the absence of her -husband she exercised less observation on what was going on around -her, and her account is far less graphic than that of her younger -fellow-countrywoman. Nor did she visit the field of battle, and realize -in an equal degree the terrible penalty which war exacts from victors -as well as vanquished.<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> Whilst military glories are held to be worthy -of commemoration, it is fitting that such details should not be left -untold. And in truth the campaign of Waterloo has memories which an -Englishman cannot afford to lose. If a righteous and unselfish cause -may hallow the horrors of those days, it is not well to ignore them -altogether. If a cool and confident intrepidity on the part of a -leader, if daring disregard of life in comparison with duty on the -part of his officers, if resolute and patient endurance for hours, of -rank and file, under repeated charge, or still more deadly storm of -lead—if, in short, courage and fortitude, well employed, are virtues -not yet out of date, the tale of Waterloo should still be told, and -this little book, genuine as it is, has still its testimony to add -thereto.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 60%;">E.B.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - -<h2>AUTHOR'S PREFACE.</h2> - - -<p>This little Narrative is the simple and faithful account of one who was -a spectator of the scenes she describes, and a witness of the events -she relates, during those days of desperate conflict and unparalleled -victory which must be for ever memorable in British history, and -interesting to every British heart. It was written whilst the -impression of those eventful scenes was yet fresh upon the mind: and -the thoughts and feelings which such awful and affecting circumstances -were irresistibly calculated to inspire, were expressed without -restraint, in the full security of the sympathy and approbation of the -partial friends for whose perusal alone this Narrative was intended.</p> - -<p>During the absence of the Author in Italy in 1816, the members of her -family in England sent the manuscript to the late Mr. Murray, and it -was already in the press before she received any intimation of its -intended publication.</p> - -<p>The Author must be permitted most earnestly to disclaim all idea of -entering into competition with the writers whose talents and genius -have been so well employed in describing the battle and the field of -Waterloo. They were not, however, like the Author, on the spot at the -time; they were pilgrims who afterwards visited the memorable scenes -of these glorious events, and wrote from report: they related the -past—she described the present.</p> - -<p>Conscious of her inadequacy to a theme on which all that can be said -falls so far short of what must be felt; impossible as it is to do -justice to the achievements of that gallant army who have been the -champions, the conquerors, and the deliverers of the world, and -to whom, under Heaven, Europe owes her security, and England her -glory—the writer yet ventures to hope, that the generous indulgence -of a British public will be extended to this humble attempt to record -the proofs displayed on those glorious "days of battle," of their -heroic valour in combat, their noble magnanimity in victory, and -their unshaken fortitude in suffering—faintly and feebly as they are -described by</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 60%;"><span class="smcap">An Englishwoman</span>.</span><br /> -</p> - - - - - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> I have to thank Mr. C.O. Eaton, J.P., of Tolethorpe Hall, -Stamford, for his assistance in preparing this account of his mother's -various writings; and Mr. George Hooper, author of "Waterloo, the -Downfall of the First Napoleon," for kindly revising the notes at the -end of the volume.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> The first edition was published by Constable, Edinburgh; a -second edition was brought out by Murray in 1826.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> See "Walks in Rome," by Augustus J.C. Hare.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> There is another small book published shortly before this, -"A Visit to Flanders in July, 1815," by James Simpson (Edinburgh, -1815), which also gives an account of the field a few weeks after the -battle. Müffling's "Passages from my Life," and Kincaird's "Adventures -in the Rifle Brigade," also give some interesting details of Brussels -on the eve of Waterloo.</p></div></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2>THE DAYS OF BATTLE.</h2> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">June 1815.</span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - - -<p>On Saturday, the 10th of June, 1815, my brother, my sister, and myself, -sailed from the pier of Ramsgate at three in the afternoon, in company -with Sir Neil Campbell, the celebrated Knight of Elba, Major Wylie, of -the Royal Fusiliers, extra aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, a -Mr. N., an English merchant; together with an incongruous assemblage -of horses, dogs, and barouches; Irish servants, French valets, and -steerage passengers, too multifarious to mention, all crowded together -into a wretched little packet. On Sunday evening, the 11th of June, -we found ourselves, after a passage of thirty-six hours, many miles -distant from Ostend, lying at anchor in a dead calm, and without a -hope of reaching it till the following morning. To escape remaining -another night amidst the discomforts of this packet, without food, -for we had eaten up all our provisions; and without sleep, for we -had experimentally proved that none was to be got, our three selves, -and our three companions in misfortune, the Knight, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> Major, and -the Merchant, embarked in a crazy little boat, about nine o'clock -in a beautiful summer's evening, as the sun was sinking in golden -splendour, and trusted ourselves to the mercy of the waves. The tide -was running strong against the rowers, and night closed in long before -we approached the shore; but though the light of the heavens had -faded, the ocean was illuminated with that beautiful phosphoric fire -so well known in warmer latitudes. The most brilliant magic light -played upon the surface of the waters, and marked the path of our -little vessel through the deep, with the softest, purest radiance; -the oars seemed to be moving through liquid fire, and every drop, as -it dashed from them, sparkled like the blaze of a diamond: the little -rippling waves, as they curled their heads, were covered with the same -transparent ethereal fire, which would mock the powers of the poet's -fancy, "glancing from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven," to -embody or describe. It is more like the pale beam the glow-worm sheds -from his evening lamp than anything on earth, but ten thousand times -more bright and more beautiful. By such a light Oberon and his Queen, -attended by their band of tiny sprites, might have held their midnight -revels, amidst the bowers and halls of fairyland; and by such a light, -enchanted spirits in happier worlds might be supposed to slumber. This -soft, transparent, <i>unearthly</i> light gleaming around us, and kindling -at every touch in living brightness over the waters; the calm and -glassy stillness of the wide extended ocean; the softened glow that -lingered in the western sky; and the mild breath of evening, made our -passage to the shore, slow as it was, most delightful. It was a night -calculated to soothe every unquiet passion into rest, and in which the -imagination loved<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> to indulge in dreams of delight and beauty. The -heart must have been cold that did not feel the harmony of nature, and -the spirit turbulent that did not partake of its repose: everything -seemed to have been touched by the hand of enchantment. But the magic -spell was dissolved, and the visions of fancy faded away in a moment; -for we suddenly struck upon the sands, when we seemed still far from -the shore; waves of apparent fire dashed into the boat; and the sturdy -sailors, abandoning their oars, seized upon us without the smallest -ceremony, and carried us literally through fire and water to the beach.</p> - -<p>Thus were we thrown, late at night, and in the dark, upon a foreign -coast, uncertain which way to direct our steps through the deep, -deserted, trackless sands that surrounded us; forewarned of the rapid -approach of the tides upon this coast, and wholly at a loss in what -direction lay the town, or how to get admittance through the sentry -posts, at such an hour, if we did reach it. Yet under these appalling -circumstances, I cannot say that we felt the smallest alarm, or even a -momentary uncomfortable situation: we had no fear of being drowned, nor -the remotest idea that any more serious mischief could befal us than -spending the night upon the sands, of which, however, there seemed to -be much probability. Luckily for us, this Mr. N. proved a most able -pilot; he had frequently been at Ostend before, and led the way with -great sagacity, in spite of the darkness in which we were involved. -We were all loaded with travelling bags, or parcels of some sort, for -it was with difficulty the little nutshell of a boat contained our -six selves, and all the servants were left in the vessel. We were -each, therefore, obliged to carry all that we wanted of our travelling -equipments;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> and thus burdened, and sinking every step ankle deep -in the heavy sands, we reached at last, with considerable toil, the -fortifications, and were immediately hailed by the soldier on guard. We -declared ourselves to be "friends," but in vain; friends or foes were -all the same to the sentry; we might have lain all night in the ditch, -for anything he cared; for his orders were positive, to admit no person -into the garrison, without the express order of the commandant after -dark. But the cocked hat, aide-de-camp's uniform, and authoritative -tone of Major Wylie carried us all through. He declared "that he and -his party were going to join the army with speed;" and, although some -of us must have struck the sentry as not being likely to prove a very -valuable reinforcement to the troops, he did not venture to make any -further opposition, and we all entered Ostend. Although we came "in -such a questionable shape," we obtained admittance into "La Cour -Impériale," where we got an excellent supper, which was particularly -acceptable to some of us, who had eaten nothing all day, excepting -a bit of bread. We then went to bed, where we enjoyed the sweets of -undisturbed repose, with a zest which none but those who have spent a -suffocating, sick, and sleepless night in a wretched little berth on -board a packet, can understand.</p> - -<p>Next day, after viewing the fortifications, which, although they had -been recently repaired by the English, could no longer stand the -long sieges which have made Ostend famous in history, we proceeded -to Bruges, walked about in the rain till late at night, to visit the -beautiful Hôtel de Ville, and other public buildings of that fine -old city; and rose early the next morning to see the churches of San -Sauveur<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> and Notre Dame, and the magnificent tombs of Charles the -Bold and his daughter. Already the churches were crowded with pious -Catholics, whose attention was sadly distracted from their devotion by -our appearance: sometimes they whispered an Ave Maria with the utmost -fervency of prayer; and sometimes an half-uttered exclamation of wonder -burst from their lips; sometimes they resolutely resumed counting their -beads, and sometimes their eyes involuntarily rested on our foreign -figures with the broad stare of curiosity.</p> - -<p>We left Bruges in the same bark which had once conveyed Napoleon -Buonaparte to that city, and which is now used as a côche d'eau. It -contained 150 people of every sort and description, from the courtiers -of Louis XVIII. down to Flemish peasants; all of whom, however, were -obliging, talkative, attentive, flattering, and amusing. After dining -on board, and spending a most entertaining day, we arrived in the -evening at Ghent.</p> - -<p>The whole of Wednesday we spent in this ancient city, and though its -extent is so great as to have been the subject of a well-known imperial -quibble,<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> I believe we left but little of it unexplored. We visited -its magnificent cathedral, whose walls, pillars, roofs, columns, and -pulpits are formed of the richest polished marble of every varying -hue, and carved with exquisite skill; and whose sculptured ornaments, -the work of ages when the statuary's art was in high perfection, -seemed almost to start to life before our eyes. We explored the deep -sepulchral gloom of its subterranean church; visited the costly shrines -of all the saints; contemplated the ancient and decaying monasteries, -which were formerly its pride; made a most indefatigable research<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> -after cabinets of paintings; and wandered with the utmost perseverance -through its abominable streets. We saw the balcony in which the monster -Vandamme, in the bloody times of the Revolution, used to stand, day -after day, to see victims led out, at his bidding, to the guillotine. -In its altered scenes, we now beheld loyal Bourbon beaux in gold -epaulettes, and smart Flemish belles, in French fashions, laughing and -flirting. We, like them, paraded in its gay promenade, and rambled -through the perfumed walks and exotic bowers of its beautiful Botanic -Garden. The City of Ghent seemed to be restored to some traces of its -ancient grandeur by the temporary residence of the Bourbon princes, -and the little expatriated court of Louis XVIII. I had never been able -to feel any extravagant degree of attachment to this unfortunate royal -family: their restoration had not given me any enthusiastic joy, nor -their fall much sorrow; and even the honour of paying my devoirs to -Louis le Désiré, and exchanging some profound and reverential bows and -courtesies with his most Catholic Majesty, failed to inspire me with -much interest or admiration for this persecuted, princely race. These -bows, by the way, cost the good old king considerable time and labour, -for he is extremely unwieldy and corpulent, and gouty; and he looks -very lethargic and snuffy; and it is really a thousand pities that an -exiled and dethroned monarch should be so remarkably uninteresting a -personage.</p> - -<p>Early in the morning of Thursday, the 15th of June, we left the City of -Ghent, passed its ancient walls, and crossed the "lazy Scheldt," which -is here but a small stream, and belies the epithet Goldsmith applies -to its more advanced<span class="pagenum"> <a name="Page_7" id="Page_7"> [Pg 7]</a></span> course; for it runs with considerable rapidity. -We proceeded along the straight, undeviating line of the broad, flat -chaussée, or paved road, that leads to Brussels. It is bordered on each -side with rows of tall trees, which form one long interminable avenue, -as far as the eye can reach. We remembered that it was down this very -road that Napoleon Buonaparte had made his triumphant progress through -the Netherlands, and we most devoutly hoped, that neither by this, nor -any other road, he would ever have it in his power to enter them again.</p> - -<p>The country is thickly covered with neat cottages, scattered hamlets, -and small farm-houses: the fields were waving with tall, luxuriant -crops of corn, and far from wearing the appearance of the theatre -of war, it seemed to be the abode of peace and plenty; and hope, -contentment, and hilarity shone in the countenances of the people. The -peasants almost all wore sabots; but the cottage children, bare-footed -and bare-headed, frequently pursued the carriage for miles, keeping -pace with the horses, tumbling as they went along, singing Flemish -patriotic songs, the burden of which was invariably, "Success to the -English, and destruction to the French;" and crying with unwearied -perseverance, "Viv<i>é</i><a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> les Anglaises!" "Dat for Napoleon!" expressing -at the same time, by an emphatic gesture, cutting off his head. They -threw bouquets of flowers into the carriage, twisted their little -sun-burnt faces into the most extraordinary grimaces, and kept whirling -round on their hands and feet, in imitation of the rotatory motion of -a wheel. Dr. Clarke, in his Travels, mentions that the children of the -Arabs in Egypt performed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> the same exploit, and for the same purpose, -that of extorting from the passengers a few sous; nay, even one they -seemed to think a sufficient reward for a laborious chase of more than -a league, and the exhibition of all these fatiguing antics.</p> - -<p>At the little town of Alost, half way to Brussels, we stopped to -dine. It was the head-quarters of the Duc de Berri, and the streets, -the promenades, and the caffés looked gay. There is a pleasant walk, -shaded by trees, round the ramparts; for, this little town, like -every other in the Netherlands, was formerly fortified; although its -dismantled walls no longer afford any means of defence. A violent -shower of rain obliged us to take refuge, in rather an unceremonious -manner, in a small house, the mistress of which, who was preparing -to take her afternoon's coffee (though it was only one o'clock), -received us with the utmost courtesy and kindness. Short as our stay -was beneath her roof, it was long enough for her to express with great -energy her detestation of Napoleon and of the French; which she said -was universal throughout Belgium. We had a good deal of conversation -with her upon this subject, and upon the past and present state of -Belgium.—"Ah, madame! before they came among us," she said, "this was -a very different country. Then we were rich, and good, and happy." -She lamented over the trade, the manufactories, the commerce they had -destroyed; the contributions they had exacted; the fine young men they -had seized as conscripts; the convents they had ruined; the priests -and "les bonnes religieuses" they had turned to the door. Wherever we -had gone before, and wherever we afterwards went, we heard the same -sentiments from every tongue, and we saw the most unequivocal signs -of the inveterate hatred of the Belgic<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> people towards their former -rulers. It bursts out spontaneously, as if they could not suppress it; -their whole countenances change; their eyes sparkle with indignation; -their very gestures are eloquent, and they seem at a loss for words -strong enough to express the bitterness of their detestation. This -surprised us not a little, as in England we had been taught to believe -that the French were popular in this country; but we were at length -convinced of our mistake. It is the <i>English</i>, not the French, who are -popular in Belgium; and it was far more gratifying than any individual -distinction could have been, to find that we were everywhere received -with marked attention and respect for the sake of our country, and that -the name of England is everywhere beloved and honoured.</p> - -<p>At the village of Ashe, half way between Alost and Brussels, while I -was buying in a little shop a basket of "gateaux sucrés," for which the -place is famous, two Belgic ladies, who happened to be there, entered -into conversation with me, with all the ease of foreign manners, -and uttered the same energetic invective against their late French -Government, and animated praise of the English, which we heard from -every tongue during our stay in Belgium. These people evidently speak -from their hearts: and yet in manners, in customs, in ancient ties, -in modern predilections, and even in language, they are French. Their -deep-rooted hatred, therefore, of the people to whom they were so -firmly attached, must have sprung from very flagrant wrongs, and very -galling oppression.</p> - -<p>Alost is situated on the little river Dender, and from the road we -caught a glimpse of the spire of Dendermond, so famous for its siege -by the Allies in the last century. We<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> were now in a country which had -repeatedly been, in every age, the seat of war, and in which England -had already gained immortal glory. In retracing the proud history of -her past triumphs, and her recent and not less brilliant conquests, -we felt the firm assurance that in those scenes where the British -under the Duke of Marlborough had, in the eighteenth century, won the -glorious victories of Oudenarde, Ramillies, and Malplaquet, the British -under the Duke of Wellington, in the nineteenth century, would gain -fresh laurels and immortal renown, and raise still higher the glory of -their country's arms.</p> - -<p>After leaving Alost, the country became more rich and undulating. -Instead of a dull, dead flat, which we had before traversed, sloping -grounds, and distant hills, and sheltered valleys diversified the -prospect. The woods rose in prouder beauty, and the fields were -dressed in brighter verdure and richer luxuriance; and as we passed -through those smiling scenes, and saw the husbandman pursuing his -peaceful labours, the cottage wife busy with her household cares, -and the merry groups of haymakers spread over the fragrant meadows, -we rejoiced in the hope that the hand of the spoiler would never lay -waste these fruitful fields, nor burn these peaceful hamlets, and -that these contented peasants would never again be torn from their -homes to fight in the cause of unprincipled ambition, and become in -turn the instruments of that oppression of which they had been the -victims. It was with a feeling of pride for our country we indulged -the thought that it was to England they owed their security; that it -was her protecting arm which interposed the impenetrable shield of -her armies between them and the tyranny and usurpation of France. We -could not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> but rejoice that since the awful struggle must be made, its -horrors—if inevitable—would, at least, be distant;—that since the -awful thunderbolt of war must fall, it would descend, in all human -probability, upon that country which had raised the storm; and that -France herself would at length be visited by some part of the dreadful -calamities which she had so long and so mercilessly inflicted upon -other nations.<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> - -<p>Short sighted mortals! while we fondly indulged these hopes, and -exulted in the blessings of security and peace, how little did we -suspect that the most aggravated horrors of war were ready to burst -over our heads; how little did we foresee the rapid changes and -alarming events which even this very day was destined to produce; and -while we watched the sun sinking in glory in the western sky, how -little did we dream of the scenes that were to pass before the dawn of -morning! In all the bliss of ignorance, however, we journeyed along, -admiring from afar the lofty towers and spires of Brussels, and its -crowded roofs clustering round the steep sides of a hill, in the midst -of a rich and cheerful country, and thinking with joyful and impatient -anticipation of the well-known faces of the beloved friends whom we -were to meet within its walls.</p> - -<p>Near Brussels we passed a body of Brunswick troops (called Black -Brunswickers). They were dressed in black, and mounted upon black -horses, and their helmets were surmounted with tall nodding plumes of -black horsehair, which gave them a most sombre and funereal appearance. -As they slowly moved along the road before us in a long<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> regular -procession, they looked exactly like an immense moving hearse. I -laughed, and observed to my sister, "that one might take this for a -bad omen, and that it reminded me of the mourning wedding-ring in the -Simple Story." Some of these black, ominous looking men kept before us, -and entered Brussels along with us. At first we passed through some -mean, dirty streets, but the appearance of the town soon improved. The -houses are large, ancient, and highly ornamented. There is an air of -grandeur and of architectural design in the towns of Flanders, which -is peculiarly striking, on first coming from the plain, diminutive, -shopkeeper-looking, red brick rows of houses in England. The streets of -Brussels are narrow, but they have that air of bustle, opulence, and -animation, which characterises a metropolis. To us everything was new -and amusing: the people, the dresses, the houses, the shops, the very -signs diverted us. Every notice was stuck up in the French language, -and quite in the French style: the poorest and most paltry shop called -itself a Magazine. Here were Magasins de Modes, Magasins de Souliers, -Magasins de——everything, in short: it was amusing to see the names -of people and trades, that we had only been accustomed to meet with in -French books and plays, stuck up in gilt letters above every shop-door.</p> - -<p>Everything wore a military aspect; and the number of troops of -different nations, descriptions, and dresses, which filled the town, -made it look very gay. Soldiers' faces, or at least their white belts -and red coats, were to be seen at every window; and in our slow -progress through the streets we were delighted to see the British -soldiers, and particularly the Highlanders, laughing and joking, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> -much apparent glee, with the inhabitants. On our right we caught a -glimpse of the magnificent spire of the Hôtel de Ville, far exceeding, -in architectural beauty, anything I remember to have seen. We slowly -continued to ascend the windings of the long and steep hill, which -leads from the low to the high town of Brussels, and the upper part of -which is called La Montagne du Parc. Passing on our left the venerable -towers of the Cathedral, we reached at last the summit of this huge -"Montagne;" and the Parc of Brussels, of which we had heard, read, and -talked so much, unexpectedly opened upon us. What a transition from -the dark, narrow, gloomy streets of the low town to the lightness, -gaiety, and beauty of the Parc, crowded with officers in every variety -of military uniform, with elegant women, and with lively parties and -gay groups of British and Belgic people, loitering, walking, talking, -and sitting under the trees! There could not be a more animated, a more -holiday scene; everything looked gay and festive, and everything spoke -of hope, confidence, and busy expectation.</p> - -<p>The Parc of Brussels does not bear the smallest resemblance to what -in England we denominate a park. It is more like a garden enclosed -with iron rails, the interior of which is laid out with gravel-walks, -grass-plots, and parterres, shaded with trees, and ornamented with -fountains<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> and statues. It is quite a promenade, and is exclusively -devoted to pedestrians. The walks are formal, but kept with great -exactness, and the tout ensemble looks gay, inviting,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> and pleasant. -It is surrounded by a wide street, enclosed by a square of magnificent -houses, in which are the palace of the Prince of Orange, and many -beautiful public buildings. Compared to this grand square, the finest -squares of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, are small and paltry. -Adjoining the Parc is the Place Royale, and so strikingly grand and -imposing is its architecture, that we all uttered an involuntary -exclamation of surprise and admiration as we drove into it. The doors -and windows of the Hôtel Bellevue, and of the Hôtel de Flandre, -adjoining to it, were crowded with British officers. We took possession -of two pleasant rooms in the latter, which had been secured for us by -the kind attention of Sir Neil Campbell. They were in the troisième -étage, and we had a hundred steps to ascend; but we were fortunate in -procuring such good accommodation, as Brussels was extremely crowded. -We had not entered the hotel many minutes, and had not once sat down, -when we recognised our pleasant compagnon de voyage, Major Wylie, -standing in the Place Royale below, encompassed with officers. He saw -us, took off his hat, and, breaking from the people that surrounded -him, darted in at the door of the hotel, and was with us in a minute. -Breathless with haste, he could scarcely articulate that hostilities -had commenced! Our amazement may be conceived: at first we could -scarcely believe him to be in earnest. "Upon my honour," exclaimed -Major Wylie, still panting, and scarcely able to speak, from the haste -with which he had flown up the hundred steps, "it is quite true; and -the troops are ordered to be in readiness to march at a moment's -notice; and we shall probably leave Brussels to-morrow morning." In -answer to our eager inquiries, he then told us that this unexpected -in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>telligence had only just arrived; that he had that moment left the -Duke of Wellington's table, where he had been dining with a party of -officers; and that, just as the dessert had been set upon the table, -a courier had arrived, bringing dispatches from Marshal Blucher, -announcing that he had been attacked by the French: but although the -fighting was hot, it seemed to be Blucher's opinion that it would most -probably be nothing more than a mere skirmish. While the Duke was -reading the dispatches, the Prince of Orange, General Mufflin, and -some other foreign officers had come in. After a short debate, the -Duke, expecting that the blow would be followed up, and believing that -it was the enemy's plan to crush the English army, and take Brussels, -immediately ordered the troops to be in readiness to take the field -at a moment's notice. "And when did all this happen?—when was this -attack made?" we anxiously inquired. "It took place this afternoon." -"This afternoon!" I exclaimed, in astonishment, and, I suppose, with -looks of consternation, which drew a good-natured smile from Major -Wylie, for we had not been used to hear of battles so near, or fought -the same afternoon. "Yes, it happened this very afternoon," said -Mayor Wylie; "and when the express came away, they were fighting as -hard as ever: but after all, it may prove a mere trifling affair of -outposts—nothing at all." "But are the French in great force? Where -are they? Where are the Prussians? How far off do you suppose all this -fighting is?" were some of the many questions we asked. The fighting -was in the neighbourhood of Charleroi, about half a day's march from -Brussels: nothing certainly was known of the force of the French. In -fact, nothing at all was known, except that the French had this very -day attacked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> the Prussians, when they were totally unprepared, at a -short distance from us. "However, after all, this may end in nothing," -said Major Wylie, after a pause; "we <i>may</i> have to march to-morrow -morning, or we may not march these three weeks: but the Duke expects -another dispatch from Blucher, and that will settle the business:" and -so saying, Major Wylie went away to dress for a ball. Yes, a ball! for -the Duke of Wellington, and his aides-de-camp, and half of the British -officers, though they expected to go to a battle to-morrow, were going -to a ball to-night, at the Duchess of Richmond's; and to the ball they -did accordingly go. They seemed to say, or to feel, with the Scottish -Chief in Douglas:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 9em;">"This night once more</span><br /> -Within these walls we rest: our tents we pitch<br /> -To-morrow in the field. Prepare the feast!—<br /> -Free is his heart who for his country fights:<br /> -He on the eve of battle may resign<br /> -Himself to social pleasure: sweetest then,<br /> -When danger to a soldier's soul endears<br /> -The human joy that never may return." -</p> - -<p>Late as it was, my brother and sister went to call upon Mrs. H., whom -they were impatient to see. They had not been gone many minutes, when -Sir Neil Campbell sent up to ask if I would admit him. I made no -objection: so in he came, looking magnificent, in a full dress uniform, -covered with crosses, clasps, orders, and medals. Behold me, then, -tête-à-tête with this splendid beau, in my own room, between ten and -eleven o'clock at night! In England it would have been extraordinary -enough, to be sure; but in Brussels it was nothing. It was impossible -to receive him, or anybody else, in any other place than a bed-room, -for the Hôtel de Flandre was entirely composed of bed-rooms, all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> of -which were occupied. Without discomposing myself about the matter, -therefore, I gave Sir Neil Campbell some tea, and we had a long chat -together. He, too, had been dining with the Duke of Wellington, and -had been present when these important dispatches arrived, and from him -I heard a repetition of all that Major Wylie had told us, with the -alarming addition, that the French were said to be upwards of 100,000 -strong, and that Napoleon himself was at the head of the army. It was -generally thought that this attack upon the Prussians was a stratagem -to conceal more effectually his real designs, of surprising Brussels, -and destroying, if possible, at one blow, the English army. It was well -known that the Russians had crossed the Rhine; and Sir Neil Campbell -said <i>he</i> had no doubt that Buonaparte would push forward at all -hazards, and give battle before they could arrive. As Sir Neil Campbell -had certainly reason to know <i>something</i> of Buonaparte, and as these -rapid, unexpected movements were in perfect uniformity with his general -policy, this conjecture seemed but too probable; but we concluded that -the numbers of the French must be prodigiously exaggerated. It seemed -quite incredible that so large an army could have formed, advanced, -and even attacked Marshal Blucher, without his having any knowledge of -their movements; and even if their force was very superior to ours, I -felt confident that they would meet with a very different reception -from that which they expected; and that Napoleon, with every advantage -on his side, would not find the defeat of an English army quite so easy -a thing in practice, as he had always seemed to consider it in theory. -Having settled this point much to our mutual satisfaction, Sir Neil -Campbell went away. My brother and sister returned, and we went to bed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>But we were not destined long to enjoy the sweets of repose. Scarcely -had I laid my weary head on the pillow, when the bugle's loud and -commanding call sounded from the Place Royale. "Is that the call to -arms?" I exclaimed, starting up in the bed. My sister laughed at the -idea; but it was repeated, and we listened with eager and anxious -suspense. For a few moments a pause of doubt ensued. Hark! again! -it sounded through the silence of the night, and from every quarter -of the town it was now repeated, at short and regular intervals. -"It is the call to arms!" I exclaimed. Instantly the drums beat; -the Highland pibroch sounded——It was the call to arms! Oh! never -shall I forget the feelings of that moment! Immediately the utmost -tumult and confusion succeeded to the silence in which the city had -previously been buried. At half-past two we were roused by a loud -knocking at our room door, and my brother's voice calling to us to -get up instantly, not to lose a moment—that the troops were under -arms—were marching out against the French—and that Major Llewellyn -was waiting to see us before he left Brussels. Inexpressibly relieved -to find that this nocturnal alarm was occasioned by the departure of -Major Llewellyn, not by the arrival of the French, which, in the first -startling confusion of my thoughts, and trepidation of my mind, had -actually entered my head; and much better pleased to meet an old and -kind friend, than to run away from a furious enemy, we got up with the -greatest alacrity, and hastily throwing some clothes about us, flew -to see Llewellyn, who was waiting on the stairs. Short and agitated -indeed was our meeting under such circumstances. By the light of a -candle in my brother's room, we sat down for a few minutes on some -boxes, scarcely able to believe our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> senses, that all this was real, -and almost inclined to doubt whether it was not a dream: but the din -of war which resounded in our ears too painfully convinced us that it -was no illusion of phantasy:—we could scarcely even "snatch a fearful -joy," for not for a single moment could we banish from our minds the -impression, that in a few moments we must part, perhaps for ever, and -that this hurried interview might prove our last. We could only gaze -intently upon each other, as if to retain a lasting remembrance of the -well-known countenance, should we indeed be destined to meet no more: -we could only utter incoherent words or disjointed speeches. While he -still lingered, we heard his charger, which his servant held in the -court-yard below, neighing and pawing the ground, as if impatient of -his master's delay, and eager to bear him to the field. Our greetings -and adieus were equally hurried. We bade him farewell, and saw him go -to battle.</p> - -<p>It was nearly two years since we had met; and little did we think, when -we parted in the peaceful valleys of Roxburghshire, that our next, -and perhaps our last, meeting would be in Brussels, in the dead of -the night, and on the very eve of battle. He was the same to us as a -brother. He left us then, as now, to fight the battles of his country; -and we trusted that victory and glory would still follow the British -arms, and that he would once more return in honour and safety.</p> - -<p>Just as he left us, the dawn appeared, and, by the faint twilight -of morning, we saw the Place Royale filled with armed men, and -with all the tumult and confusion of martial preparation. All was -"hurry skurry for the field." Officers were looking in vain for their -servants—servants<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> running in pursuit of their masters—baggage -waggons were loading—bât horses preparing—trains of artillery -harnessing.—And amidst the clanking of horses' hoofs, the rolling of -heavy carriages, the clang of arms, the sounding of bugles, and the -neighing of chargers, we distinctly heard, from time to time, the loud, -deep-toned word of command, while the incessant din of hammers nailing -"gave dreadful note of preparation."</p> - -<p>A second express had arrived from Blucher, bringing intelligence that -the French were in much more formidable force than he had imagined; -that the attack was become serious; they had taken Charleroi, and -driven back the Prussians. It was, therefore, necessary for the British -to march immediately to support them. The Duke had received the -dispatches containing this important news in the ball-room. We were -afterwards told, that upon perusing them he seemed for a few minutes to -be absolutely absorbed in a profound reverie, and completely abstracted -from every surrounding object; and that he was even heard to utter -indistinctly a few words to himself. After a pause, he folded up the -dispatches, called one of his staff officers to him, gave the necessary -orders with the utmost coolness and promptitude; and having directed -the army to be put in motion immediately, he himself stayed at the ball -till past two in the morning. The cavalry officers, whose regiments, -for the most part, were quartered in villages about the frontier, ten, -fifteen, and even twenty miles off, flew from the ball-room in dismay, -in search of their horses, and galloped off in the dark, without -baggage or attendants, in the utmost perplexity which way to go, or -where to join their regiments, which might have marched before they -could arrive.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> Numbers of the officers had been out when the first -order to be in readiness to march was issued, and remained in perfect -ignorance of the commencement of hostilities, until the alarm sounded, -and called them from scenes of festivity and mirth to scenes of war -and bloodshed. As the dawn broke, the soldiers were seen assembling -from all parts of the town, in marching order, with their knapsacks -on their backs, loaded with three days' provision. Unconcerned in -the midst of the din of war, many a soldier laid himself down on a -truss of straw, and soundly slept, with his hands still grasping his -firelock; others were sitting contentedly on the pavement, waiting the -arrival of their comrades. Numbers were taking leave of their wives and -children, perhaps for the last time, and many a veteran's rough cheek -was wet with the tears of sorrow. One poor fellow, immediately under -our windows, turned back again and again, to bid his wife farewell, and -take his baby once more in his arms; and I saw him hastily brush away a -tear with the sleeve of his coat, as he gave her back the child for the -last time, wrung her hand, and ran off to join his company, which was -drawn up on the other side of the Place Royale.</p> - -<p>Many of the soldiers' wives marched out with their husbands to the -field, and I saw one young English lady mounted on horseback, slowly -riding out of town along with an officer, who, no doubt, was her -husband. But even at this interesting moment, when thousands were -parting with those nearest and dearest to their hearts, my gravity was -suddenly overset, and my sorrow turned into mirth, by the unexpected -appearance of a long train of market carts, loaded with cabbages, -green peas, cauliflowers, early potatoes, old women, and strawberries, -peaceably jog<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>ging along, one after another, to market. These good -people, who had never heard of battles, and who were perfectly at a -loss to comprehend what could be the meaning of all this uproar, stared -with astonishment at the spectacle before them, and actually gaped with -wonder, as they slowly made their way in their long carts through the -crowds of soldiers which filled the Place Royale. There was something -so inexpressibly ludicrous in the contrast which the grotesque figures -and rustic dresses of these old women presented to this martial hurry -and confusion, that really "<i>not</i> to laugh surpassed all powers of -face," and that I did laugh I must acknowledge, though it was perhaps -very ill-timed levity. Soon afterwards the 42nd and 92nd Highland -regiments marched through the Place Royale and the Parc, with their -bagpipes playing before them, while the bright beams of the rising sun -shone full on their polished muskets, and on the dark waving plumes of -their tartan bonnets. We admired their fine athletic forms, their firm -erect military demeanour and undaunted mien. We felt proud that they -were our countrymen: in their gallant bearing we recognised the true -hardy sons of Caledon, men who would conquer or die; and we could not -restrain a tear at the reflection, how few of that warlike band who now -marched out so proudly to battle might ever live to return. Alas! we -little thought that even before the fall of night these brave men, whom -we now gazed at with so much interest and admiration, would be laid low!</p> - -<p>During the whole night, or rather morning, we stood at the open window, -unable to leave these sights and sounds of war, or to desist for a -moment from contemplating a scene so new, so affecting, and so deeply -interesting to us. Regi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>ment after regiment formed and marched out of -Brussels; we heard the last word of command—March! the heavy measured -uniform tread of the soldiers' feet upon the pavement, and the last -expiring note of the bugles, as they sounded from afar.</p> - -<p>We saw our gallant army leave Brussels with emotions which may be -better imagined than described. They went again to meet that enemy whom -they had so often encountered, and as invariably vanquished; to follow -that general, who, in a long course of years of command devoted to -the service and glory of his country, had never experienced a single -defeat; who had so lately led them from victory to victory, crossed, -in his triumphant march, the plains of Spain, fought his way over the -frozen heights of the Pyrenees, carried conquest and dismay in the very -heart of France, and whose rapid and unparalleled career of conquest -had only been checked by the angel of peace. As we saw the last of our -brave troops march out of Brussels, the recollection of their past -glory, the proud hopes of their present triumph, the greatness of the -contest, upon the issue of which the fate of Europe and the security -of the world depended; the dread of their encounter with the numerous -and formidable hosts of <i>that man</i>, whom no treaties could bind, no -adversity could amend, no considerations of justice or humanity could -soften, no laws, divine or human, could restrain, swelled our hearts -with feelings which language is too feeble to express: and our brave -countrymen were followed by our tears, our warmest wishes, and our most -fervent prayers for their safety and success.</p> - -<p>Before seven in the morning, the streets, which had been so lately -thronged with armed men and with busy crowds, were empty and silent. -The great square of the Place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> Royale no longer resounded with the -tumult and preparations for war. The army were gone, and Brussels -seemed a perfect desert. The mourners they had left behind were shut up -in their solitary chambers, and the faces of the few who were slowly -wandering about the streets were marked with the deepest anxiety and -melancholy. The heavy military waggons, ranged in order, and ready to -move as occasion might require, were standing under the silent guard of -a few sentinels. The Flemish drivers were sleeping in the long tilted -carts destined to convey the wounded; and the horses, ready to harness -at a moment's notice, were quietly feeding on fresh-cut grass by their -side: the whole livelong day and night did these Flemish men and horses -pass in the Place Royale. A few officers were still to be seen, slowly -riding out of town to join the army. The Duke of Wellington set off -about eight o'clock, in great spirits, declaring he expected to be -back by dinner-time; and dinner was accordingly prepared for him. Sir -Thomas Picton, who, like ourselves, had only arrived in Brussels the -day before, rode through the streets in true soldier-like style, with -his reconnoitring glass slung across his shoulders, reining in his -charger as he passed, to exchange salutations with his friends, and -left Brussels—never to return.</p> - -<p>We had a most agreeable surprise at our breakfast-table in the sight -of Major Llewellyn. He had ridden a few miles out of Brussels with -the regiment, and then galloped back with Sir Philip Belson, who also -wished to return. We spent a few hours together, and, embittered as -they were with the prospect of so near and dreadful a separation, there -was much consolation in thus meeting. No expectation was entertained -of any engagement taking place to-day. Sir<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> Philip Belson and Major -Llewellyn, therefore, felt quite at their ease; "being certain," they -said, "of overtaking the regiment <i>at a place called Waterloo</i>, where -the men were to stop to cook." Little did any of us then suspect how -memorable to future ages "that place called Waterloo" was destined to -become! We denied ourselves to several idlers, but Sir Neil Campbell, -and Mr. and Mrs. H., succeeded in gaining admittance.</p> - -<p>At last the moment of parting arrived; Sir Philip Belson called for -Major Llewellyn, and, after sitting a few moments, they got up to go -away, and we bade farewell to one who from childhood had been our -friend and companion, and whom we loved as another brother. We could -not but feel how probable it was that we might never see him more; and, -under this impression, some minutes after he had left us, which he had -spent in bidding farewell to my brother below, we ran to the window, -saw Sir Philip Belson and him mount their horses and ride away, and -caught the last glimpse of them as they passed under the gateway of the -Place Royale. Two hours afterwards they were in the thickest of the -battle!</p> - -<p>Although we had not the smallest suspicion that any engagement -could take place to-day, our anxiety for news, both of the French -and Prussians, was extreme; but we could hear nothing but vague, -unauthenticated reports, upon which no reliance could be placed.</p> - -<p>We dined, or rather sat down to dinner, at the table d'hôte, and -afterwards wandered restlessly about the streets, our minds too much -absorbed in the approaching contest, to see, hear, understand, think, -or talk about anything but what related to public events.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>Our consternation may be imagined when we were told that a dreadful -cannonade had been heard from the Parc, in the very direction which our -army had taken, and that it was supposed they must have been attacked -by the French within a few miles of Brussels. At first I was utterly -incredulous; I could not, would not believe it; but, hurrying to the -Parc, we were too soon, too incontestably convinced of the dreadful -truth, by ourselves hearing the awful and almost incessant thunder of -the guns apparently very near to us. For many hours this tremendous -cannonade continued, while, unable to gain any intelligence of what was -passing, ignorant of everything, except of the fact, proclaimed by the -loud and repeated voice of war, that there was a battle, we listened in -a state of terrible uncertainty and suspense, and thought with horror, -in the roar of every cannon, that our brave countrymen were every -moment falling in agony and death.</p> - -<p>Unable to rest, we wandered about, and lingered till a late hour in the -Parc. The Parc! what a different scene did its green alleys present -this evening from that which they exhibited at the same hour last -night! Then it was crowded with the young and the gay, and the gallant -of the British army, with the very men who were now engaged in deadly -strife, and perhaps bleeding on the ground. Then it was filled with -female faces sparkling with mirth and gaiety; now terror, and anxiety, -and grief were marked upon every countenance we met.</p> - -<p>In addition to the general alarm and anxiety, which surpassed -anything it is in my power to describe, we had a particular subject -of solicitude. We had but too much reason to fear that it would be -impossible for Sir Philip Belson and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> Major Llewellyn to join their -regiment in time for the action. The idea, the very doubt was dreadful. -If <i>we</i> listened to the cannonade with such heart-sinking apprehensions -for them, what must have been <i>their</i> feelings, if, at a distance -from the army, absent without leave, they heard its sounds! After -years of service in various climates and countries, after six long and -glorious campaigns in the Peninsula, would they forfeit, by one act of -imprudence, all the distinction they had obtained by a life devoted -to their country, and be found absent from their post in the hour -of danger! Dear to us as was the life of our friend, his honour was -still dearer; and while every one else was anxiously dreading lest the -battle should be near, and trembling at the reports that prevailed of -its vicinity, I was secretly praying that it might not be distant, and -would have felt inexpressibly relieved to have been assured that it was -within a few miles of Brussels.</p> - -<p>But it was in vain we attempted to discover where it really was. Some -people said it was only six, some that it was ten, and some that it was -twenty miles off. Numbers of people in carriages and on horseback had -gone out several miles on the road which the army had taken, and all -of them had come back in perfect ignorance of the real circumstances -of the case, and with some ridiculous report, which, for a time, was -circulated as the truth. No authentic intelligence could be gained; and -every minute we were assailed with the most absurd and contradictory -stories. One moment we heard that the allied army had obtained a -complete victory; that the French had been completely repulsed, and -had left <i>twenty thousand dead</i> upon the field of battle. Gladly -would I have believed the first part of this story, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> the <i>twenty -thousand dead</i> I could not swallow. Then again we were told that the -French, 180,000 strong, had attacked the British, that the Belgians -had abandoned their arms and fled, that our troops were literally -cut to pieces, and that the French were advancing to Brussels. Then -an English gentleman stopped his carriage to tell us, that <i>he</i> had -been out farther than anybody, and that he had actually <i>seen</i> the -engagement, which was between the French and the Prussians, and that -old Blucher had given the rascals a complete beating. We had not gone -ten paces farther, before another man, in a great hurry, advised us to -set off instantly if we wished to make our escape; that he was on the -point of going, for that certain intelligence had been received "that -the French had won the battle, and that our army was retreating in the -utmost confusion." I never remember to have felt so angry in my life; -and I indignantly exclaimed, that such a report deserved only to be -treated with contempt, and that it must be false, for that the English -would never retreat <i>in confusion</i>. The man seemed a little ashamed of -himself, and Mr. H. advised him "by all means to take care of himself, -and set off directly." We hastened on. Presently we met another of -Mr. H.'s wise friends, who assured us, with a face of the greatest -solemnity, "that the day was going against us; that the battle was as -good as lost; that our troops had been driven back from one position -after another; and that the artillery and baggage had commenced the -retreat; that all the horses would be seized for the service of the -army; and that in two hours it would be impossible to get away." All -this time we could hear nothing of what was really passing; or these -idle tales and unfounded rumours were unworthy of a moment's attention, -and did not give us a moment's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> alarm; but the poor Belgians, not -knowing what to make of all this, and nearly frightened out of their -senses, firmly expected the French in Brussels before the morning; -for their terror of them was so great and so deeply rooted, that they -believed nothing on earth could stop their advance.</p> - -<p>This dreadful uncertainty and ignorance of the truth made us truly -wretched. Nobody knew anything of the actual state of affairs. Nobody -could tell where our army was engaged, nor under what circumstances, -nor against what force, nor whether separately or conjointly with the -Prussians, nor which side was gaining the advantage. We knew nothing, -except that there was a battle, and that at no great distance from -us; for that the unceasing cannonade too certainly proved. Anxiously -and vainly we looked for news from the army—none arrived. The -consternation of the people was not to be described. "The cannonade is -approaching nearer!" they exclaimed. "Hark! how loud was that peal! -There, again! Our army must be retreating. Good heavens! what will -become of us!" On every side, in the tones of terror and despondency, -we heard these exclamations repeated. Heard through the density and -stillness of the evening air, the cannonade did, in fact, seem to -approach nearer, and become more tremendous. During the whole evening -we wandered about the Parc, or stood in silence on the ramparts, -listening to the dreadful thunder of the battle. At length it became -less frequent. How often did we hope it had ceased, and vainly flatter -ourselves that each peal was the last! when, again, after an awful -pause, a louder, a longer roar burst on our ears, and it raged more -tremendously than ever. To our great relief, about half-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>past nine, it -became fainter and fainter, and at last entirely died away.</p> - -<p>After we had returned to the hotel, Sir Neil Campbell, who, in our -absence, had been twice at our rooms and in the Parc in search of us, -good-naturedly came again, to tell us that he had met Sir G. Scovell, -who had left the field with orders from Brussels about half-past -five, and that so far "all was well." The French army had encountered -our troops on their march, upon the high road, about fifteen miles -from Brussels. The 92nd and 42nd Highland regiments were the first -in order of march. These brave men immediately made a stand, formed -into squares, received the furious onset of the French with undaunted -intrepidity, and alone sustained the fight, until the Royal Scots, -the 28th, and some other regiments, came up to support them. Every -regiment, as it arrived, instantly formed and fought; and though -the English had been taken by surprise, unprepared, unconcentrated; -without cavalry, and with scarcely any artillery; and, though the enemy -outnumbered them far beyond all computation, they had not yielded an -inch of ground, and they were still fighting in the fullest confidence -of success. "There can be no doubt of their repulsing the French," -said Colonel Scovell, "but nothing of any importance can be done till -the cavalry come up, which it is expected they will do this evening. -To-morrow the engagement will most probably be renewed, and I hope it -will prove decisive." The Duke, he said, who was in excellent spirits, -was to sleep to-night at Genappe.</p> - -<p>Certainly no other troops but the English, without any cavalry, and -with very little artillery, would have thought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> themselves sure of -repulsing an enemy with both, and with an almost countless superiority -of numbers: and most certainly none but the English could have achieved -it. It is a perversion of words to call the troops engaged in the -battle of Quatre Bras the English army. During the greater part of the -day a few regiments only, a mere handful of men, were opposed to the -immense masses the French continually poured down against them; but -they formed impenetrable squares, which were in vain attacked by the -French cavalry, "steel-clad cuirassiers," and infantry; and against -which tremendous showers of shot and shell descended in vain.</p> - -<p>The 92nd, 42nd, 79th, the 28th, the 95th, and the Royal Scots, were -the first, and most hotly, engaged.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> For several hours these brave -troops alone maintained the tremendous onset, and the shock of the -whole French army, and to their determined valour Belgium owes her -independence, and England her glory. I do not, however, mean to give -them exclusive praise. I do not doubt that had the post of honour -fallen upon other British regiments, they would have acquitted -themselves equally well: but let honour be paid where it is so justly -due. Let England be sensible of the vast debt of gratitude she owes -them; and let the names of those who perished there be enrolled in the -long list of her noblest heroes! The 92nd, 42nd, and 79th Highland -regiments had suffered most severely. They had received the furious -and combined attack of the French cavalry and infantry, from first to -last, with undaunted firmness, till, after supporting this unequal -contest the whole day, after making immense havoc among their columns, -and repeatedly charging and driving them back in confusion, they had -themselves fallen, overpowered by numbers, and among heaps of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> the -slaughtered enemy, on the very spot where they first stood to arms; -and we were told that they were, almost to a man, cut to pieces. With -grief and horror, not to be described, we thought of these gallant -soldiers whom, in the morning, we had seen march out so proudly to -battle, and who were now lying insensible in death on the plains of -Quatre Bras. They had fought, and they had fallen, as became the -same noble spirits who had wrested from the same vaunting foe the -standard of the Invincibles on the sands of Egypt. They were gallantly -supported by the 28th, who, on the same soil, as well as in the long -campaigns of Spain, had gained immortal honour, and who particularly -distinguished themselves in this day's battle by their complete repulse -of the French cuirassiers, who, though clad in mail, and "armed at -all points precisely cap-à-pie," were driven back with immense loss -from every attack, and uniformly gave way before the dreaded British -charge with the bayonet. One regiment of raw Belgic troops had turned -and fled where they had the finest opportunity of charging. I confess -I was not sorry to hear that these recreant Belgians had, almost to a -man, been cut to pieces by the very French troops they had not courage -to face. The fate of cowards is unpitied. The consequences of their -misconduct had, however, been retrieved by part of Sir Thomas Picton's -division,<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> which regained the post they had lost, though with -considerable slaughter.</p> - -<p>After hearing this account our spirits completely revived, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> scarcely -knew why; for, except in the new proof we had just had of invincible -British valour and firmness, there was nothing to inspire satisfaction -or confidence. We had just learned, beyond all doubt, the truth of -the alarming report, that the Prussians were separately engaged with -another division of the enemy, which completely outnumbered them. Thus -the allied armies seemed to be effectually cut off, and prevented from -assisting each other, or acting in concert. The French then, whose -combined numbers report magnified to 180,000, were on two sides of -us, at the distance of only three hours' march from Brussels. Their -army was collected, combined, concentrated, and well-appointed. The -Prussians and the English were surprised, separated, dispersed, and -unprepared; the latter were destitute of cavalry, ill-supported by -artillery, and with an appalling inferiority even of infantry; and -these too partly composed of Belgians, who seemed to make a practice -of running away. Yet, in spite of all these disadvantages, they <i>had</i> -bravely stood the first brunt of the battle, and we felt the firm -assurance that they would eventually triumph.</p> - -<p>Colonel Scovell had left the army at half-past five; the battle, or at -least the cannonading, had lasted till about ten; and our anxiety to -know its results, our impatience for further news from the army, may be -imagined; but no later intelligence arrived; we could hear nothing but -vague reports of defeat, disaster, and dismay, to which, as they were -founded upon no authority, we paid no attention. Sir Neil Campbell was -going to join the army, like many others who had no business there:—he -was to set off at one in the morning, so that we should see him no -more, and what was infinitely worse, receive no more, through him, -immediate and au<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>thentic intelligence of all that was known. In this -respect he was a great loss to us; for he was indefatigable in bringing -us news, and took unwearied pains to be of use to us in every possible -way.</p> - -<p>Late as it was we went to see Mrs. H., whom we knew to be in great -alarm. We found her sitting surrounded by plate, which she was vainly -trying to acquire sufficient composure to pack up, with a face pale -with consternation, and quite overcome with agitation and distress. -We did all we could to assist, and said all we could to console and -reassure her. Mr. H. had gone out towards the army, and, late as it -was, had not yet returned. We stayed with her some time, and had the -satisfaction of leaving her in much better spirits than we found her.</p> - -<p>My brother had engaged, and made an agreement to pay for, horses, upon -the condition of their being in readiness to convey us to Antwerp at a -moment's warning, by day or night, if required. We had not, however, -the smallest intention of leaving Brussels for some days to come, -unless some sudden and unexpected change in public events should -render it absolutely necessary. Thinking it, however, prudent to be -prepared, we had sent our valet de place to la blanchisseuse to desire -her to send home everything belonging to us early in the morning. La -blanchisseuse sent back a message literally to this effect,—"Madame," -said the valet, addressing himself to me in French, "the blanchisseuse -says, that if the English should beat the French, she will iron and -plait your clothes, and finish them for you; but if, au contraire, -these vile French should get the better, then she will assuredly send -them all back quite wet—tout mouillé—early to-morrow morning." At -this speech, which the valet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> delivered with immoveable gravity, we -all, with one accord, burst out a laughing, irresistibly amused to find -that amongst the important consequences of Buonaparte's gaining the -victory, would be our clothes remaining unplaited and unironed; and -that the British were, in a manner, fighting, in order that the getting -up of our fine linen might be properly performed. The valet, as soon -as he could obtain a hearing, went on to say, that he sincerely hoped -we should get our clothes dried and finished, and that the English -would beat "ces diables de Français;" but this seemed quite a secondary -consideration with the valet, compared with ironing our clothes, and -we were again seized with an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Even the -valet's long face of dismay relaxed into something like a smile, and, -as he left the room, he said to himself, "Mais ces demoiselles sont -bien enjouées."</p> - -<p>It was half-past twelve; and hopeless now of hearing any further news -from the army, we were preparing to retire to rest—but rest was a -blessing we were not destined to enjoy in Brussels. We were suddenly -startled by the sound of the rapid rolling of heavy military carriages -passing at full speed through the Place Royale:—a great tumult -instantly took place among the people below; the baggage waggons, -which we knew were not to set off, except in a case of emergency, were -harnessed in an instant, and the noise and tumult became every instant -more alarming. For some minutes we listened in silence: faster and -faster, and louder and louder, the long train of artillery continued to -roll through the town:—the cries of the affrighted people increased. -I hastily flew out to inquire the cause of this violent commotion. The -first person I encountered was a poor, scared fille de chambre, nearly -frightened out of her wits. "Ah, madame!" she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> exclaimed, "les François -sont tout près; dans une petite demi-heure ils seront ici.—Ah, grand -Dieu! Ah, Jésus! Jésus! que ferons-nous! que ferons-nous!" In vain -I eagerly asked how she knew, or why she believed, or from whence -this news came, that the French were near? She could only reiterate, -again and again, "Les François sont tout près—les François sont -tout près!" my questions were unanswered and unheard; but suddenly -recollecting herself, she earnestly besought us to set off instantly, -exclaiming, "Mais, mesdames, vous êtes Anglaises—il faut partir tout -de suite—<i>tout de suite</i>," she repeated, with great emphasis and -gesticulation, and then resumed her exclamations and lamentations.</p> - -<p>As I flew down stairs the house seemed deserted. The doors of the rooms -(which in foreign hotels are not only shut, but locked) were all wide -open; the candles were burning upon the tables, and the solitude and -silence which reigned in the house formed a fearful contrast to the -increasing tumult without. At the bottom of the staircase a group of -affrighted Belgians were assembled, all crowding and talking together -with Belgic volubility. They cried out that news had arrived of the -battle having terminated in the defeat of the British; that all the -artillery and baggage of the army were retreating; and that a party -of Belgians had just entered the town, bringing intelligence that a -large body of French had been seen advancing through the woods to -take Brussels, and that they were only two leagues off. In answer to -my doubts and my questions, they all exclaimed, "Ah! c'est trop vrai; -c'est trop vrai. Ne restez pas ici, mademoiselle, ne restez pas ici; -partez, éloignez vous vîte: c'est affreux!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>"Mais demain matin——" I began.</p> - -<p>"Ah! demain matin," eagerly interrupted a little good-humoured Belgic -woman belonging to the hotel—"demain matin il n'y aura pas plus le -tems—une autre heure peut-être, et il ne sera pas plus possible de -partir." "Ecoutez, mademoiselle, écoutez!" they cried, turning paler -and paler as the thundering noise of the artillery increased. At this -moment several people, among whom were some English gentlemen and -servants, rushed past us to the stables, calling for their carriages -to be got ready instantly. "Apprêtes les chevaux, tout de suite—Vite! -vite! il n'a pas un moment!" was loudly repeated in all the hurry of -fear. These people confirmed the alarm. I sent for our côcher, and most -reluctantly we began to think that we must set off; when we found, to -our inexpressible joy, that the long trains of artillery, which still -continued to roll past with the noise of thunder, were not flying from -the army, but advancing to join it. It is impossible to conceive the -blessed relief this intelligence gave us. From that moment we felt -assured that the army was safe, and our fears for ourselves were at -an end. My brother, who had been roused from his sleep, and who, like -many other people, had been running about half-dressed, and was still -standing in his nightcap, in much perplexity what to do, now went to -bed again with great joy, declaring he was resolved to disturb himself -no more about these foolish alarms.</p> - -<p>We were now perfectly incredulous as to the whole story of the French -having been seen advancing through the woods to take Brussels; but the -Belgians still remained convinced of it; and though they differed about -how it would be done, they all agreed that Brussels would be taken.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> -Some of them said that the British, and some that the Prussians, had -been defeated, and some that both of them had been defeated, and -that the French, having broken through their lines, were advancing -to take Brussels; others believed that Buonaparte, while he kept the -allies employed, had sent round a detachment, under cover of night, -by a circuitous route, to surprise the town; but it seemed to be the -general opinion, that before morning the French would be here. The -town was wholly undefended, either by troops or fortifications; it -was well known to be Napoleon's great object to get possession of it, -and that he would leave no means untried to effect it. The battle had -been fought against the most fearful disparity of numbers, and under -the most disadvantageous circumstances to the British. Its event -still remained unknown; above all, no intelligence from our army had -arrived. Under such circumstances it was not surprising that the -general despondency should be so great; while continual rumours of -defeat, disaster, and dismay, and incessant alarms, only served to -confirm their worst fears. As the French, however, had not yet come, -this panic in some degree subsided, and comparative quietness seemed -to be restored. Great alarm, however, continued to prevail through -the whole night, and the baggage waggons stood ready harnessed to -set off at a moment's notice. Several persons took their departure, -but we quietly went to bed. My sister, however, only lay down in her -clothes, observing, half in jest, and half in earnest, that we might, -perhaps, be awakened by the entrance of the French; and overcome with -fatigue, we both fell fast asleep. Her prediction seemed to be actually -verified, for at six o'clock we were roused by a violent knocking at -the room-door, accompanied by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> cries of "Les François sont ici! les -François sont ici!" Starting out of bed, the first sight we beheld from -the window was a troop of Belgic cavalry galloping from the army at the -most furious rate, through the Place Royale, as if the French were at -their heels; and instantly the whole train of baggage waggons and empty -carts, which had stood before our eyes so long, set off, full speed, -by the Montagne de la Cour, and through every street by which it was -possible to effect their escape. In an instant the whole great square -of the Place Royale, which had been crowded with men, horses, carts, -and carriages, was completely cleared, as if by magic, and entirely -deserted. The terrified people fled in every direction, as if for -their lives. While my sister, who had never undressed, flew to rouse -my brother, and I threw on my clothes I scarcely knew how; I heard -again the dreadful cries of "Les François sont ici! Ils s'emparent de -la porte de la ville!" My toilet, I am quite certain, did not occupy -one minute; and as I flew down stairs, in the hope that it might yet -be possible to effect our escape, I met numbers of bewildered-looking -people running about half-dressed in every direction, in all the -distraction of fear. The men with their nightcaps on, and half their -clothes under their arms; the women with their dishevelled hair -hanging about their shoulders, and all of them pale as death, and -trembling in every limb. Some were flying down stairs loaded with all -sorts of packages; others running up to the garrets sinking under -the accumulated weight of the most heterogeneous articles. The poor -fille de chambre, nearly frightened out of her senses, was standing -half-way down the stairs, wringing her hands, and unable to articulate -anything but "Les François! les François!" A little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> lower, another -woman was crying bitterly, and exclaimed, as I passed her, "Nous -sommes tous perdus!" But no language can do justice to the scene of -confusion which the court below exhibited: masters and servants, ladies -and stable-boys, valets and soldiers, lords and beggars; Dutchmen, -Belgians, and Britons; bewildered garçons and scared filles de chambre; -enraged gentlemen and clamorous coachmen; all crowded together, -jostling, crying, scolding, squabbling, lamenting, exclaiming, -imploring, swearing, and vociferating, in French, English, and Flemish, -all at the same time. Nor was it only a war of words; the disputants -had speedily recourse to blows, and those who could not get horses by -fair means endeavoured to obtain them by foul. The unresisting animals -were dragged away half-harnessed. The carriages were seized by force, -and jammed against each other. Amidst the crash of wheels, the volleys -of oaths, and the confusion of tongues, the mistress of the hotel, with -a countenance dressed in woe, was carrying off her most valuable plate -in order to secure it, ejaculating, as she went, the name of Jesus -incessantly, and, I believe, unconsciously; while the master, with a -red nightcap on his head, and the eternal pipe sticking mechanically -out of one corner of his mouth, was standing with his hands in his -pockets, a silent statue of despair.</p> - -<p>Amidst this uproar I soon found out our côcher, but, to my utter -consternation, he vehemently swore, "that he would neither go himself, -nor let his horses go; no, not to save the King of Holland himself; for -that the French were just at hand, and that they would take his horses, -and murder him:" and neither entreaties, nor bribes, nor arguments, -nor persuasions, had the smallest effect upon him;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> he remained -inexorable, and so did numbers of the fraternity. While my brother, -who had now come down stairs, was vainly and angrily expostulating -with him, I inquired on all sides, and of all people, if there was no -possibility of procuring other horses. The good-natured garçon of the -house exclaimed, "That if there were horses to be had in Brussels, I -should have them;" and away he ran in quest of them, while I continued -my fruitless inquiries. In a little while he returned disappointed and -unsuccessful, exclaiming, with a face of horror that I shall never -forget, "Il n'y a pas un seul cheval, et les François sont tout près -de la ville." At this moment in rushed Mr. H., in an agony of terror, -panting, breathless, and exhausted, crying to us "that his carriage -was ready, that they could carry one of us, and that we must come away -instantly." It was to no purpose both he and I implored my sister to -accompany them, but she was inflexible. Nothing could induce her to -go without us, and, finding she was immoveable, Mr. H. ran off with -the good-natured intention of taking Lady W., since we refused to go -singly. With incredible expedition, one English carriage after another -drove off at full speed, and we were left to our fate. Of the rapid -approach of the enemy we could not entertain the smallest doubt. To -say I was frightened is nothing: I honestly confess I never knew what -terror was before. Never shall I forget the horror of those moments. -Our own immediate danger, and all the dreadful list of uncertain, -undefined evils to which we might be exposed, in the power of those -merciless savages; the anxiety, the distress, and despair of our -friends at home, joined to the dreadful idea that the English army had -been overwhelmed by numbers, defeated, perhaps cut to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> pieces, agonised -my mind with feelings which it is impossible to describe. Escape -seemed, however, impossible: like Richard, I would have gladly given my -kingdom (if I had had one) for a horse, or at least for a pair; but no -horses were to be had, neither for love, money, nor kingdoms.</p> - -<p>In the midst of this state of terror and suspense, I suddenly beheld -Major Wylie. If an angel had descended from heaven I could not have -welcomed him with more transport. Hope revived: and, springing -forward to meet him, I exclaimed: "Oh! Major Wylie, is it true?" His -countenance inspired little comfort; he looked pale, and struck with -horror and consternation. "God forbid!" he exclaimed: "I hope not. I -do not believe it; but I am going to inquire, and I will come back -to you immediately." He wrung my hand, and hurried away. In the mean -time I flew up-stairs to collect all our things, and bundle them -together, to be ready for instant departure, if we should be able to -procure horses. Never was packing more expeditiously performed: I am -certain it did not occupy anything like three minutes. With the help -of the valet de place, I crammed them all together, wet and dry, into -the travelling-bags, trunks, and portmanteaus, without the smallest -ceremony.</p> - -<p>Every minute seemed to be an age, till at last Major Wylie returned -with the blessed assurance that it was a false alarm; "that for the -present, at least, we were in no danger." It is quite impossible to -give the smallest idea of the transport we felt when we found that -the enemy were not at hand, that our army was not defeated, and that -we ourselves were not in the power of the French. I never can forget -the ecstasy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> of that moment—the bliss of that deliverance, and the -inexpressible comfort of those feelings of safety which we now enjoyed. -No fabled spirit, emerging from the dark and dismal regions of Pluto -to the brightness and beauty of the Elysian Fields, could feel more -transporting joy than we did when "the spectre forms of terror" fled, -and we felt secure from every danger. From two English gentlemen, and -lastly from Lord C., we received a confirmation of these happy tidings. -The alarm had been raised by those dastardly Belgians whom we had seen -scampering through the town, and who had most probably been terrified -by the same foraging party of the enemy which, as we were afterwards -told, had come up even to the gates of the city, insolently summoning -it to surrender. They were supposed to have come from the side of the -Prussians; and, knowing the defenceless state of Brussels, amused -themselves with this bravado. Their appearance had confirmed the alarm -beyond all doubt, and given rise to the dreadful cry that the French -were seizing on the gates of the town. The panic had indeed been -dreadful, but it was now happily over.</p> - -<p>Major Wylie again attempted to go to the Place Royale, but he was -instantly surrounded by a clamorous multitude, who, knowing him by his -dress to be an aide-de-camp of the Duke, angrily exclaimed, "What is -the reason that nothing is done for our security? Are we to be left -here abandoned to the enemy? Are we to be given up to the French in -this way? Why is not the City Guard ordered out to defend the town?" -(The City Guard to defend the town from the French!) We could not -help laughing at the idea of the excellent defence the City Guard of -Brussels would make against the French army. But the frightened and -enraged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> Belgians could not be pacified, and they beset poor Major -Wylie so unmercifully that he was fain to retreat again within the -Hôtel de Flandre.</p> - -<p>He told us that the battle of yesterday had been severe, and most -obstinately contested. The French, whose superiority of force was so -great as to surpass all computation, had borne down with dreadful -impetuosity upon our little army. "During all his campaigns, and all -the bloody battles of the Peninsula," Major Wylie said, "he had never -seen so terrible an onset, nor so desperate an engagement. The British, -formed into impenetrable squares, received the French cavalry with -their bayonets; drove them back again and again; stood firm beneath -the fire of their tremendous artillery; and, after many hours' hard -fighting, completely repulsed the enemy, and remained masters of the -field of battle." Our cavalry had come up in the evening, but too late -to take any part in the action. A French general and colonel had come -over to the British during the battle, crying "Vive le Roi!" Their -names I heard, but they have since escaped my memory:<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> indeed, the -names of men who were base enough treacherously to desert the cause -even of a rebel and a tyrant in the hour of danger, which they had -openly espoused, ought only to be stamped with everlasting infamy. -These men must have been doubly traitors, first to Louis XVIII., and -then to Napoleon Buonaparte.</p> - -<p>The French were commanded by Marshal Ney,<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> who,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> with three -divisions of infantry, a strong corps of cavalry (under the command of -General Kellerman), and a powerful artillery, could make no impression -on one division of British infantry, without any cavalry, and with -very little artillery. It was but too true that the greatest part of -the brave Highlanders, both men and officers, were amongst the killed -and wounded. They fought like heroes, and like heroes they fell—an -honour to their country: and on many a Highland hill, and through many -a Lowland valley, long will the deeds of these brave men be fondly -remembered, and their fate deeply deplored! The 28th had particularly -distinguished themselves, and gallantly repulsed the French in every -attack. Our friend Major Llewellyn was safe; and I scarcely knew -whether the assurance of his safety, or that he and Sir Philip Belson -had been in time for the battle, gave me the most heartfelt pleasure. -Our loss had been severe, but that of the enemy much greater; but -though our loss was less in actual numbers, it was much more important -to us than that which the enemy had sustained was to them. From their -great superiority of force, the killed and wounded fell proportionably -heavier on our small army, while theirs was scarcely felt among their -tremendous hosts.</p> - -<p>When Major Wylie came away, about half-past four in the morning, the -Duke had made every disposition for battle, in the full expectation -that a general engagement would take place this day.<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> "The Prussians -had fought like lions," Major Wylie said; not, however, like British -lions, for it was but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> too true that they had been defeated and -repulsed, though we could scarcely at the time give entire credit -to this disagreeable news. Waggon-loads of Prussians now began to -arrive. Belgic soldiers, covered with dust and blood, and faint with -fatigue and pain, came on foot into the town. The moment in which I -first saw some of these unfortunate people was, I think, one of the -most painful I ever experienced, and soon, very soon, they arrived in -numbers. At every jolt of the slow waggons upon the rough pavement we -seemed to feel the excruciating pain which they must suffer. Sick to -the very heart with horror, I re-entered the hotel, and, in answer -to something Major Wylie said to me, I could only exclaim that the -wounded were coming in. "Good God! how pale you look! For God's sake -do not be alarmed," said the good-natured Major Wylie, compassionately -laying his hand upon my arm; "I do assure you there is nothing to fear. -The wounded must come here at any rate—it has nothing to do with a -defeat." Long familiarised himself to such scenes, they now made no -impression upon him, and it never occurred to him to imagine that we -could be shocked by seeing anything so common as waggons filled with -wounded soldiers. He thought it was the victory or the approach of the -French that I feared.</p> - -<p>Again, however, he strongly recommended us to set off immediately. -If the army should have to retreat, and fall back upon Brussels, -which, considering the immense force of the enemy, he said, was not -improbable, the confusion in Brussels would be dreadful, and escape -impossible. The French might even take the town, and then our situation -would be horrible indeed. Of the prudence and wisdom of this advice -there could be no doubt. We had experienced the utter impracticability -of getting away in the moment of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> danger; we knew not how soon that -moment might return. Had we ourselves possessed the means of escape, -like Mr. and Mrs. H. and others, who had horses of their own, nothing -could have induced us to have left Brussels to the last; but to remain -exposed to incessant alarm and to imminent danger, in an open town, -which before night might be in possession of a merciless enemy, whose -formidable armies were threatening it in two separate divisions, at -the distance of a very few leagues, seemed certainly little less than -madness. With extreme reluctance we at last determined to set out for -Antwerp. The Wilsons, though they had carriage-horses, were on the -point of setting off; the carriages of Lady F.S. and Lady C. were also -at their doors, the trunks and imperiales were tying on with the utmost -dispatch, though they had at all times the means of escape within their -power.</p> - -<p>Our faithless côcher now declared he was willing to go with us, as the -French, he said, were not <i>yet</i> come—and to Antwerp accordingly we -consented to repair. We had had no breakfast all this time, nor would -it ever have occurred to us to procure any, had not the sight of Major -Wylie's breakfast-tray reminded us of our own famishing state. We -swallowed some coffee and bread, sitting on one of the window-seats of -the staircase of the Hôtel de Flandre, and then with great regret set -off, casting "many a longing, lingering look behind," with feelings of -anxiety so deep and overwhelming for the fate and success of our army, -that it engrossed all our faculties. Upon the event of the impending -battle, which we fully believed this very day was to decide, depended -not only the present as well as the future peace and security of -Belgium and of Europe; but, what I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> confess was to us even yet more -dear, the safety and the glory of our gallant army. Absorbed in these -reflections, as we slowly made our way out of the town, we witnessed -many a melancholy sight; crowds of afflicted people were assembled -round their poor wounded countrymen who had been brought in from the -field. One soldier was dying at the door of his own house: the sobs -and lamentations of some of the crowd who were collected round him, -and the grief marked on their countenances, proclaimed them to be near -relations of the unfortunate sufferer. Quite in the suburbs, some -poor people were hanging over the insensible corpses of two soldiers -who had died of their wounds. The streets were crowded so as to be -scarcely passable: carriages were driving past each other as fast as -the horses could go. All Brussels seemed to be running away; and the -only competition appeared to be who should run the fastest. The road -was thronged with people on horseback and on foot flying from the -battle, while scattered parties of troops, British, Belgic, Hanoverian, -Nassau, and Prussian, were hurrying to the scene of action. A great -number of Prussian Lancers, with their black mustachios, high caps, -long pikes, and little horses, were pushing forwards to the field. Long -trains of commissariat waggons were rolling along with a deafening -clatter; overturned carts, and the remains of broken wheels, were -lying in the ditches. By the wayside, and beneath the shade of some -tall trees, there was a large rude sort of encampment, consisting of -men and women, horses and waggons, amongst which universal uproar -seemed to prevail. I could have fancied them a Tartar settlement in -the act of suddenly decamping at the approach of some horde of savage -enemies. Farther on, parks of artillery<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> were drawn up in the peaceful -verdant meadows. Droves of oxen were going up to be slaughtered for -the army, and the poor beasts, amazed at the horrid objects and noises -which they encountered, took fright, and ran about in every direction -except the right one, entirely blocking up the road, where confusion -reigned unbounded: while the barking of the dogs, the blows and halloos -of the drivers, the curses of the soldiers, and the vexation of the -passengers, only served to increase the turbulence of the unruly -cattle. The canal, by the side of which the road is carried, was -covered with boats, and trackschuyts, and côches d'eau, and vessels -of every description, and presented a scene of tumult and confusion -scarcely inferior to that upon land.</p> - -<p>About three miles from Brussels, situated upon an eminence above the -road, we passed the magnificent palace of Lacken. I shuddered as I -looked up to its lofty dome, and recollected that Napoleon had made the -boast that this very night he would sleep beneath its roof. Uncertain, -as we then were, how the day that had risen might terminate, believing -as we did that the eventful battle was even now begun which was to -decide the fate of Europe, my heart swelled with the proud confidence, -that unprepared, unconcentrated, outnumbered as they were; leagued -with foreigners who could not be depended upon, and with allies who -had been defeated, yet that under every disadvantage British valour -would still be triumphant, as it had ever been in every contest, and at -every period. Great numbers of wounded stragglers from the field were -slowly and painfully wandering along the road, pale and faint from loss -of blood, and with their heads, arms, and legs bound up with bloody -bandages. We spoke to several of them, but they were all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> either Belgic -or Prussian, and did not understand a word of French. Two of the most -severely wounded we took upon our carriage and carried into Malines, -where they told the côcher their friends lived. From him we learnt -that they had been wounded in the battle yesterday morning. I saw—I -am sorry to say—one young English gentleman, who was travelling quite -alone in his own carriage, sternly order down two of these unfortunate -wounded men from his carriage.</p> - -<p>The wounded, however, whom we saw, were able to move. In time they -would reach a place of safety and shelter; but, if even their -sufferings were so great that the very sight of them was painful, -what must be the state of those who were left bleeding on the field -of the lost battle, deserted by the retreating Prussians, passed by, -unpitied and unaided, by the advancing French, and abandoned to perish -in sufferings from the bare idea of which humanity recoils!<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> The -day was unusually sultry; but if we felt the rays of the sun beneath -which we journeyed to be so oppressive, what must be the situation of -the poor unsheltered wounded, exposed to its fervid blaze in the open -field, without even a drop of water to cool their thirst? What must be -the sufferings of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> our own unfortunate men, above all, of those who -were not only wounded but prisoners, and at the mercy of the merciless -French? Never—never till this moment, had I any conception of the -horrors of war! and they have left an impression on my mind which no -time can efface. Dreadful, indeed, is the sight of pain and misery -we have no power to relieve, but far more dreadful are the horrors -imagination pictures of the scene of carnage; the agonies of the -wounded and the dying on the field of battle, where even the dead who -had fallen by the sword, in the prime of youth and health, are to be -envied!—the thought was agony, and yet I could not banish it from my -mind.</p> - -<p>At a little inn, half-way to Malines, we got out of the carriage while -the horses were eating their rye-bread, and the poor people of the -village crowded around us with faces of the greatest consternation and -distress, to inquire what had happened. They had heard such varying -and contradictory reports that they knew not what to believe, but -terror was the predominant feeling; and their horror of the approach -of the French, which they were convinced would happen sooner or later, -surpassed everything I could have imagined. In spite of all we could -say to inspire confidence, and to convince them that the English had -been, and would still be, victorious, and that the French would never -again be masters of Belgium, their apprehensions completely overpowered -their hopes; and their alarm and consternation were truly pitiable. I -asked them why they feared the French so much? With one accord they -immediately burst out into exclamations, that they would plunder and -destroy everything, and rob and murder them;—that they were monsters, -who had no pity, and would show no mercy:—"Oh! what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> will become -of us! what will become of us!" was the universal cry of these poor -affrighted peasants. They were anxious about the Duke of Brunswick, -and when they heard that he had really fallen (which we had learnt -from Major Wylie), their lamentations were great, and the certainty -of his fate seemed to increase their despondency. He must have been a -good prince whose fate could at such a moment be deplored. He had a -country seat in the neighbourhood of Lacken, and he was consequently -well known and much beloved in this part of the country. An officer -in a dark military great coat, whom I took for a German, hearing me -talk to some poor affrighted women with babies in their arms, whom I -was endeavouring to reassure, asked me in French if I had come from -Brussels, and what was the issue of yesterday's battle? I told him -all the particulars I knew, and after some minutes' conversation, -he said at last, with the air of a person paying a compliment, that -he understood <i>some</i> of my countrymen had behaved most gallantly: -"comme braves hommes," was his expression. "Some of my countrymen!" -I indignantly exclaimed, feeling myself turn as red as fire at this -foreigner's degrading and partial praise of the British army—"they all -behaved most gallantly, they fought like heroes; how else should the -French have been repulsed: and when did the English behave otherwise?" -"The English! but you are not English surely, madame?" said the -officer. "Oui, monsieur," said I, proudly, "je suis Anglaise." "Et -moi aussi," said he, half laughing; and during the short time our -conversation lasted, we condescended to make use of our mother-tongue. -He proved to be an English officer going from Antwerp to join the army, -and I took him for a German, chiefly I think because he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> accosted me -in French, and because he did not look much like an Englishman. Why -he took me for a Belgian, heaven only knows: it was not likely that a -Belgic lady should be speaking in French to the Belgic people, rather -than in the common language of the country.</p> - -<p>A party of Nassau troops, on their way to the army, were sitting -drinking in some long Flemish waggons at the door of the inn. A -Prussian hussar, whom we had passed on the road, arrived while we were -there. The moment he dismounted from his horse he was assailed by the -Nassau soldiers for news of the battle. While he was telling them his -story, anxiety for intelligence made me draw as near as I durst. The -loud voices of the soldiers, however, drowned the greater part of his -recital, and their language was so barbarous that I could only make -out that they were making a joke of Louis XVIII., and laughing at the -idea of the fright he would be in, and saying, that he was so fat and -unwieldy he would never be able to run away before Napoleon's long -legs overtook him. The hussar, seeing me, I suppose, gazing at him -very wistfully, respectfully took off his cap, which encouraged me to -ask him if I had not misunderstood him, that I thought I had heard him -say the French had beaten the Prussians. "No, madame," said he, with -an air of great concern, "it is really so; the French have beaten the -Prussians." "The French beat the Prussians!" I exclaimed: "Did you say, -sir, that the French had beaten the Prussians? are you sure of it?" -"Too sure, madame, for I was in the battle." I now perceived for the -first time that he was slightly wounded; his long blue cloak, which -nearly descended to his feet, had concealed it. He told us that, after -a desperate engagement, the Prussians had been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> repulsed and compelled -to retreat, and that the French were advancing in great force. We had -repeatedly heard this at Brussels; but, unwilling to believe bad news, -we had hoped it would prove false, and even yet we would gladly have -taken refuge in incredulity.</p> - -<p>The garçon of this inn, a fine youth, with a most engaging countenance, -was in great anxiety and alarm at the approach of the French, and he -implored us to tell him the whole truth; for if they should come, it -would cost him his life, and he would fly to the end of the world to -avoid them. We assured him that the French had been repulsed yesterday -by the British, when our force was not half collected, and that, now -that the cavalry and all the troops had joined the army, there could -be no doubt that the English would be victorious. "Ah! je l'espère!" -said the garçon; "mais ils sont terribles, ces François." We assured -him that terrible as they were, they would never conquer the British -and Belgic army, nor regain possession of Belgium. The garçon fervently -prayed they never might:—"Mais, je ne sais quoi faire, moi," said this -poor youth in his Belgic French, with a face of extreme perplexity, as -we drove off.</p> - -<p>Of the town of Malines I do not retain the smallest remembrance; but -the consternation of the people with whom it was crowded, and their -faces of terror and distress, I shall never forget. They were struck -with universal dismay, and so thoroughly convinced that Napoleon -would be victorious, that we might as well have talked to the winds -as have told them that he would be defeated. They only shook their -heads, and despondingly said: "Ah! he has so many soldiers, and he is -so desperate—and he cares not how many thousands he sacrifices; he -cares for nothing but his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> ambition:—Oh! he will be here, that is -too certain." The garçon of this inn had been a conscript, and served -two years in the French army. At the expiration of that period he had -procured a substitute for one thousand florins, which money, I suspect, -he had amassed by plunder. He was, however, a most intelligent man, -and his hatred of the French, and of Napoleon in particular, was so -strong, that he could not refrain from pouring out a most eloquent -torrent of invective against him: "And throughout the whole of Belgium -he is equally dreaded and detested in every place—except at Antwerp," -added he, correcting himself; "there he has some adherents, for many -people grew rich by the public works, and by making the docks, and -building the ships, and supplying the arsenal; and many grew rich upon -the distresses of the people—and therefore they wish for him back -again." My brother observed that he had certainly done a great deal for -Antwerp, and made great improvements, and he particularly mentioned the -docks and the quays.</p> - -<p>"Yes! he did a great many fine things, to be sure, at Antwerp, and -he took care to make us pay for them. Au reste," continued he, "the -people of Antwerp, that is, the merchants and the manufacturers, and -all the decent, industrious people, hate him with their whole hearts." -"And why do the Belgians hate him so much?" I asked. "Why! because he -stopped our trade; he ruined our manufactures and commerce; he took -our men to fight his battles, and our money to fill his pockets; and -he took from us the means to get money: here, in this very town, the -lace manufacturers were starved; the work-women had no employment; -our streets were filled with beggars; our priests were insulted: he -destroyed, he consumed everything." "Il a mangé tout,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> was the phrase -he frequently repeated, with an expression of hatred in his voice -and gesture so strong that I can give no idea of it. "But he cannot -live without war, nor can the French; it is their trade; they live -by it; they make their fortunes by it; they place all their hopes in -it; they are wolves that prey upon other nations; they live by blood -and plunder: they are true banditti (vrais brigands), and they are so -cruel, so wicked—ils sont si méchans." It is impossible to give the -force of this expression in a literal translation. When we asked him if -the Belgians did not dislike the Dutch, and if the government of the -House of Orange was not unpopular, he said, "Je vous dirai, monsieur: -Les Hollandais et les Belges never liked each other, and one great -reason is the difference of our religion. They think us Papists and -bigots, and we think them Puritans and Calvinists; besides, we were -always rivals, and always jealous of each other, and we think (c'est à -dire les Belges) that their king becoming our king, is, as if we had -fallen under their dominion. If we may not be an independent nation, -we would, perhaps, rather belong to the English, or to the Austrians; -but we would rather belong to anything—to the devil himself—than to -Napoleon Buonaparte."</p> - -<p>The poor lace-makers whom we saw were in nervous trepidation at the -expected approach of the dreaded French, whom they reviled with all -the bitterness and volubility of female eloquence. The same sentiments -were written upon every countenance, and uttered by every tongue. In -every village and every hamlet through which we passed, the utmost -consternation seemed to reign. We met officers on horseback, and -detachments of troops marching to join the army. It was with difficulty -I refrained from beseeching<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> them to hasten forwards: it seemed to me -that every man was of importance. At another time I might have been -interested with seeing the country; but now—I could not look at it—I -could not think of it; and as my eye rested with a vacant gaze upon -the waving fields of luxuriant corn through which we passed, I could -only feel the heart-sickening dread, that the harvests of Belgium, -though they had been sown in peace, would be reaped in blood. We had -every reason to think that the mortal struggle had been renewed; -Lord Wellington himself, the whole army expected it. How then was it -possible, believing, as we did, that, within a few leagues of us, the -battle was at that time raging that was to decide the fate of Europe, -and give or take from our gallant countrymen the palm of victory and of -glory—that we could for a single instant feel the smallest interest -about anything else?</p> - -<p>At a distance, we saw the lofty spire of the cathedral of Antwerp, -without <i>then</i> admiring its beauty, or even being conscious that it -was beautiful. We looked, we felt, indeed, like moving automatons. Our -persons were there, but our minds were absent. Every step we took only -seemed to increase our solicitude for all we left behind. Our thoughts -still to the battle</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">"turned with ceaseless pain,</span><br /> -And dragged at each remove a lengthening chain." -</p> - -<p>A tremendous storm of thunder and lightning and rain burst over our -heads. It was peculiarly awful. But what are the thunder and lightnings -of heaven to the thunder and lightnings of war, which, perhaps, at -this very moment, were sweeping away thousands! The thunderbolts of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> -God are merciful and harmless; those of men deadly and destructive. We -thought of this storm, as of everything else, only with reference to -our army—to those who were fighting, and those who were bleeding on -the field of battle, and who were exposed unsheltered to its rage.</p> - -<p>We gazed with admiration at the threatening walls and ancient -battlements of Antwerp, which are encircled with a wooden palisade. -This seemed a complete work of supererogation, and struck me as -being something like putting a strong box of iron into a band-box of -pasteboard for further security.<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> Three walls of immense strength -and thickness, surrounded by three broad deep ditches or moats, lay -one behind another. To an ignorant, unpractised eye like mine, its -fortifications seemed to be impregnable; and as we passed under its -gloomy gates, and slowly crossed its sounding draw-bridges, I heartily -wished that the whole British army were safe within its walls.—This -was certainly more "a woman's than a warrior's wish." Antwerp was -already crowded with fugitives from Brussels; and with considerable -difficulty we got the accommodation of two very small rooms in the -hotel of Le Grand Laboureur, in the Place de Maire.</p> - -<p>No later authentic intelligence than that which we had heard previously -to leaving Brussels had been received here; reports of all kinds -assailed us, as quick and varying as the tints of the evening clouds, -but we could learn nothing; the commandant knew nothing; we could not -even ascertain whether another engagement had taken place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> to-day, and -in miserable suspense we passed the remainder of the evening.</p> - -<p>One of the apartments in our hotel was occupied by the corpse of the -Duke of Brunswick, which had arrived about two o'clock. It had been -already embalmed, and was now placed in its first coffin. My brother -went to see it: but the room was so crowded with guards and soldiers, -British and foreign military, and with people of every description, -that neither my sister nor I chose to go. My brother described the -countenance as remarkably placid and noble; serene even in death. It -was past midnight: my brother and sister had gone to rest, and I was -sitting alone, listening to the incessant torrents of rain which drove -furiously against the windows, and thinking of our army, who were lying -on the cold, wet ground, overcome with toil, and exposed to all "the -pelting of the pitiless storm." Everything was silent,—when I heard, -all at once, the dismal sounds of nailing down the coffin of the Duke -of Brunswick. It was a solemn and affecting sound; it was the last -knell of the departed princely warrior: when at length it ceased, and -all again was silent, I went down with the young woman of the house, to -look at the last narrow mansion of this brave and unfortunate prince. -Tapers were burning at the head and foot of the coffin. The room was -now cleared of all, excepting two Brunswick officers who were watching -over it, and whose pale, mournful countenances, sable uniforms, and -black nodding plumes, well accorded with this gloomy chamber of death. -It was but yesterday that this prince, in the flower of life and -fortune, went out to the field full of military ardour, and gloriously -fell in battle, leading on his soldiers to the charge. He was the first -of the noble warriors<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> who fell on the memorable field of Quatre Bras. -But he has lived long enough who has lived to acquire glory: he dies -a noble death who dies for his country. The Duke of Brunswick lived -and died like a hero, and he has left his monument in the hearts of -his people, by whom his fate will be long and deeply lamented; and by -future times his memory will be honoured.</p> - -<p>It seemed to be my invariable lot at the dead hour of the night to -be disturbed with some new and terrible alarm. I had not returned -many minutes to my room, after this visit to the remains of departed -greatness, and I was just preparing to go to bed, when I suddenly -heard the well-known hateful sounds of the rolling of heavy military -carriages, passing rapidly through the streets, which were instantly -succeeded by the trampling of horses' feet, the clamour of voices, -and all the hurry of alarm. The streets seemed thronged with people. -Concluding that some news must have arrived, I hastily went out to the -little apartment which the young woman of the house occupied, and where -she told me at any hour she was to be found—but she was gone, and the -noise below was so great, and the men's voices so loud, that I durst -not venture down stairs. I wandered along the passages, and hung over -the balustrades of the staircase, listening to this increasing noise in -a state of the most painful suspense. At last the girl returned with a -countenance of consternation, and pale as death. I eagerly inquired if -there was any news. She said that there was; the very worst;—that all -was lost; that our army had been compelled to retreat, and were falling -back upon Brussels: the French pursuing them. All the English had left -Brussels. People in carriages, on horseback, and on foot, were flying -into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> Antwerp in the greatest dismay. Baggage waggons, ammunition, -and artillery, were pouring into the town on all sides: and "enfin, -madame," said she, "tout est perdu!"</p> - -<p>For a few minutes, consternation overpowered all my faculties. -The English retreating, pursued by the French, overwhelmed by a -tremendous superiority of numbers—our gallant countrymen vainly -sacrificed—the flower of our army laid low—Buonaparte and the French -triumphant!—the thought was not to be borne: till this moment I never -knew the bitterness, the intensity of my detestation of them. It never -occurred to me to doubt that there had been a battle, and it seemed -too probable that its result had been unfavourable to the British. I -hoped, however, that they were only retreating in consequence of their -extreme inferiority of force to the enemy, to wait until they were -joined either by the fresh reinforcements of our own troops which were -expected, or by the Russians. Some experienced officers had thought -this might probably happen, even when the troops first marched out of -Brussels. I recollected Lord Wellington entrenching himself in the -lines of Torres Vedras. I recalled with proud confidence the multiplied -triumphs of my countrymen in arms, and I firmly believed that, whatever -might be the temporary reverses, or appearance of reverse, they would -eventually prove victorious.</p> - -<p>But in vain I endeavoured to reassure this poor terrified girl, or -inspire her with the conviction I felt myself, that though the English -might retreat before an overpowering force, against which it would be -madness to keep the field, they only retreated to advance with more -strength; and that when joined by fresh reinforcements they would give -battle, and beat the French; and that with such a general<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> and such an -army, they never had been, and they never could be, defeated.</p> - -<p>I succeeded much better in inspiring myself with hope and confidence -than this poor young woman; but all that I myself endured during this -long night of misery is not to be imagined or described. The uncertain -fate of our army, their critical situation, and the dread that some -serious reverse had befallen them, filled my mind with the most -dreadful apprehensions. Worn out as I had been with two successive -nights of sleepless alarm, this news had effectually murdered sleep; -and even when fatigue for a few minutes overpowered my senses, I -started up again with a sense of horror to listen to the beating of -the heavy torrents of rain, and the dismal sounds of alarm which -filled the streets; the rattle of carriages continually driving to the -door, crowded with fugitives who vainly solicited to be taken in, and -drove away utterly at a loss where to find a place of shelter; and -the deafening noise of the rolling of heavy military waggons which, -during the whole night, never ceased a single moment. So deep was the -impression these sounds made upon my senses, so associated had they now -become with feelings of dismay and alarm, that long after every terror -was ended in the glorious certainty of victory, I never could hear -the rattling of these carriages, and the thundering of their wheels, -without a sensation of horror that went to my very heart.</p> - -<p>The morning—the eventful morning of Sunday, the 18th of June—rose, -darkened by clouds and mists, and driving rain. Amongst the rest of the -fugitives, our friends, the Hon. Mr. and Mrs. H., arrived about seven -o'clock, and, after considerable difficulty and delay, succeeded in -obtaining a wretched little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> hole in a private house, with a miserable -pallet bed, and destitute of all other furniture; but they were too -glad to find shelter, and too thankful to get into a place of safety, -to complain of these inconveniences; and overcome with fatigue, they -went immediately to bed. It was not without considerable difficulty -and danger that their carriage had got out of the choked-up streets -of Brussels, and made its way to Malines, where they had been, for a -time, refused shelter. At length, the golden arguments Mr. H. used -obtained for them admittance into a room filled with people of all -sexes, ages, countries, and ranks—French Princes and foreign Counts, -and English Barons, and Right Honourable ladies and gentlemen, together -with a considerable mixture of less dignified beings, were all lying -together, outstretched upon the tables, the chairs, and the floor; some -groaning, and some complaining, and many snoring, and almost all of -them completely drenched with rain. The water streamed from Mr. H.'s -clothes, who had driven his own carriage. In this situation, they, too, -lay down and slept, while their horses rested; and then, at break of -day, pursued their flight. A hundred Napoleons had been vainly offered -for a pair of horses but a few hours after we left Brussels, and the -scene of panic and confusion which it presented on Saturday evening -surpassed all conception. The certainty of the defeat of the Prussians; -of their retreat; and of the retreat of the British army, prepared the -people to expect the worst. Aggravated reports of disaster and dismay -continually succeeded to each other: the despair and lamentations of -the Belgians, the anxiety of the English to learn the fate of their -friends who had been in the battle the preceding day; the dreadful -spectacle of the waggon loads of wounded coming in, and the terrified -fu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>gitives flying out in momentary expectation of the arrival of -the French:—the streets, the roads, the canals covered with boats, -carriages, waggons, horses, and crowds of unfortunate people, flying -from this scene of horror and danger, formed altogether a combination -of tumult, terror, and misery which cannot be described. Numbers, even -of ladies, unable to procure any means of conveyance, set off on foot, -and walked in the dark, beneath the pelting storm, to Malines; and the -distress of the crowds who now filled Antwerp, it is utterly impossible -to conceive. We were, however, soon inexpressibly relieved, by hearing -that there had been no engagement of any consequence the preceding day; -that the British army had fallen back seven miles in order to take up -a position more favourable for the cavalry, and for communication with -the Prussians; that they were now about nine miles from Brussels; and -that a general and, most probably, decisive action would inevitably -take place to-day.</p> - -<p>Although it continued to rain, we set out, for to sit still in the -house was impossible, and after passing through several streets, we -went into the cathedral, where high mass was performing, and</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;"> -"Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault<br /> -The pealing anthem swell'd the note of praise." -</p> - -<p>For a while its solemn harmony seemed to calm the fever of my mind; it -elevated my thoughts to that God, in whose unerring wisdom and divine -mercy I could alone at this awful moment put my trust, and to Him -"who is the only giver of victory," and at whose command empires rise -and fall, flourish and decay; to Him who alone has power to save and -to destroy, I breathed a silent prayer to bless the British arms, to -shield my brave and heroic countrymen in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> the hour of danger, and give -to them the success and glory of the battle. Intelligence arrived that -the action had commenced. We were told that the French had attacked the -British this morning at daybreak: the contending armies were actually -engaged, and the last, the dreadful battle was at this very moment -deciding.</p> - -<p>It is impossible for any but those who have actually experienced it to -conceive the dreadful, the overwhelming anxiety of being so near such -eventful scenes, without being actually engaged in them; to know that -within a few leagues the dreadful storm of war is raging in all its -horrors, and the mortal conflict going forward which is to decide the -glory of your country, and the security of the world:—to think that -while you are sitting in passive inactivity, or engaged in the most -trifling occupations, your brave countrymen are fighting and falling in -the uncertain battle, and your friends, and those whose fate you may -deplore through life, perhaps at that very moment breathing their last; -to be surrounded by misery that you cannot console, and sufferings that -you cannot relieve; to wait, to look, to long in vain for intelligence; -to be distracted with a thousand confused and contradictory accounts -without being able to ascertain the truth; to be at one moment -elevated with hope, and the next depressed with fear; to endure the -long-protracted suspense—the deep-wrought feelings of expectation—the -incessant alarms, the ever-varying reports—the dreadful rumours of -evil—Oh! it was a state of misery almost too great, too agonising for -human endurance! Never—never shall I forget the torturing suspense, -the intense anxiety of mind, and agitation of spirit, in which this -day was passed. In the midst of all that could interest the mind and -charm the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> fancy, and surrounded by all that, at any other time, would -have afforded me the highest gratification, I could neither see, hear, -observe, admire, nor understand anything; I could think of nothing -but the battle. In vain I tried to distract my thoughts, or to force -my attention even for a moment to other things: the situation of our -army, their danger, their success, their sufferings, and their glory, -were for ever present to me. Unable to rest, we wandered mechanically -about the town, regardless of the frequent heavy showers of rain, and -of the deep and dirty streets, anxiously awaiting the arrival of news -from the army—though well aware that for many hours nothing could -be known of the event of the battle. With a view to dissipate our -fruitless anxiety, and as a shelter from the rain, we visited several -cabinets of paintings: but I beheld the noblest works of art, and the -finest monuments of departed genius, with indifference. Not even the -sublime touches, the affecting images, and the unrivalled productions -of Guido, and Raphael, and Rubens; not all the force, the pathos, and -the expression of their powerful genius, could at this moment charm or -even interest me; for I had no power to feel their beauties.</p> - -<p>Every faculty of our minds was absorbed in one feeling, one thought, -one interest;—we seemed like bodies without souls. Our persons and our -outward senses were indeed present in Antwerp, but our whole hearts and -souls were with the army.</p> - -<p>In the course of our wanderings we met many people whom we knew, and -had much conversation with many whom we did not know. At this momentous -crisis, one feeling actuated every heart—one thought engaged every -tongue—one common interest bound together every human<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> being. All -ranks were confounded; all distinctions levelled; all common forms -neglected. Gentlemen and servants; lords and common soldiers; British -and foreigners, were all upon an equality—elbowing each other without -ceremony, and addressing each other without apology. Ladies accosted -men they had never before seen with eager questions without hesitation; -strangers conversed together like friends, and English reserve seemed -no longer to exist. From morning till night the great Place de Maire -was completely filled with people, standing under umbrellas, and -eagerly watching for news of the battle; so closely packed was this -anxious crowd, that, when viewed from the hotel windows, nothing -could be seen but one compact mass of umbrellas. As the day advanced, -the consternation became greater. The number of terrified fugitives -from Brussels, upon whose faces were marked the deepest anxiety and -distress, and who thronged into the town on horseback and on foot, -increased the general dismay, while long rows of carriages lined the -streets, filled with people who could find no place of shelter.</p> - -<p>Troops from the Hanseatic towns marched in to strengthen the garrison -of the city in case of a siege. Long trains of artillery, ammunition, -military stores, and supplies of all sorts incessantly poured in, and -there seemed to be no end of the heavy waggons that rolled through the -streets. Reports more and more gloomy reached our ears; every hour only -served to add to the general despondency. On every side we heard that -the battle was fought under circumstances so disadvantageous to the -British, and against a preponderance of force so overpowering, that -it was impossible it could be won. Long did we resist the depressing -impression these alarming accounts were calculated to make upon our -minds;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> long did we believe, in spite of every unfavourable appearance, -that the British would be victorious. Towards evening a wounded officer -arrived, bringing intelligence that the onset had been most terrible, -and so immense were the numbers of the enemy, that he "did not -believe it was in the power of man to save the battle." To record the -innumerable false reports we heard spread by the terrified fugitives, -who continually poured into the town from Brussels, would be endless. -At length, after an interval of the most torturing suspense, a wounded -British officer of hussars, scarcely able to sit his horse, and faint -from loss of blood, rode up to the door of the hotel, and told us the -disastrous tidings, that the battle was lost, and that Brussels, by -this time, was in the possession of the enemy. He said, that in all the -battles he had ever been engaged in, he had never witnessed anything at -all equal to the horrors of this. The French had fought with the most -desperate valour, but, when he left the field, they had been repulsed -by the British at every point with immense slaughter: the news of -the defeat had, however, overtaken him on the road; all the baggage -belonging to the army was taken or destroyed, and the confusion among -the French at Vittoria, he said, was nothing to this. He had himself -been passed by panic-struck fugitives from the field, flying for their -lives, and he had been obliged to hurry forward, notwithstanding his -wounds, in order to effect his escape. Two gentlemen from Brussels -corroborated this dreadful account: in an agitation that almost -deprived them of the power of utterance, they declared that when they -came away, Brussels presented the most dreadful scene of tumult, -horror, and confusion; that intelligence had been received of the -complete defeat of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> British, and that the French were every moment -expected. The carnage had been most tremendous. The Duke of Wellington, -they said, was severely wounded; Sir Dennis Pack killed; and all our -bravest officers killed, wounded, or prisoners. In vain we inquired, -where, if the battle was lost, where was now, and what had become of -the British army?—"God alone knows," was the answer. The next moment -we heard from a gentleman who had just arrived, that before he left -Brussels, the French had actually entered it; that he had himself seen -a party of them; and another gentleman (apparently an officer) declared -he had been pursued by them more than half way to Malines!</p> - -<p>Dreadful was the panic and dismay that now seized the unfortunate -Belgians, and in the most piercing tones of horror and despair they -cried out, that the French would be at the gates before morning. Some -English people, thinking Antwerp no longer safe, set off for Breda, -late as it was. Later still, accounts were brought (as we were told) -by three British officers, confirming the dreadful tidings of defeat; -it was even said that the French were already at Malines. We believed, -we trusted that these reports of evil were greatly exaggerated; we did -not credit their dreadful extent, but that some terrible reverse had -befallen the British army it was no longer possible to doubt. During -the whole of this dreadful night, the consternation, the alarm, the -tumult, the combination of horrid noises that filled the streets, I -shall never forget. The rapid rolling of the carriages, the rattle of -artillery, and the slow, heavy motion of the large waggons filled with -wounded soldiers, which incessantly entered the town, were the most -dismal of all.</p> - -<p>Of the bitter agony, the deep-seated affliction that now<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> overwhelmed -us, it would be in vain to speak. There are feelings in the human -heart that can find no utterance in words, and which "lie too deep for -tears:" and the conviction that the British army had been defeated—the -dreadful uncertainty of its fate—and the heart-piercing sight of -my brave, my unfortunate wounded countrymen returning from the lost -battle in which their valour had been exerted, and their blood been -shed in vain, awakened sensations which no visible emotion, no power -of language could express; but which have left an impression on my -mind that no lapse of time can efface. No private calamity, however -great, that had befallen myself individually, could have afflicted me -with such bitter anguish as I now suffered. The image of the British -troops retreating before a conquering, an insulting, a merciless -enemy—defeated, perhaps cut to pieces: the idea of their misfortunes -and their sufferings—of the wounded abandoned to perish on the fatal -field; the misery of thousands; the distress in which it would plunge -my country; the years of war and bloodshed, and all the dreadful -consequences it would bring upon the world, incessantly haunted my mind -during this long night of misery. Overpowered by three days and nights -of extreme fatigue, anxiety, and agitation, I fell at times into a sort -of unquiet slumber; but my busy fancy still presented the horrid images -of terror and distress, and repeatedly I started up from uneasy sleep -to the dreadful consciousness of waking misery. Oh! it was a night of -unspeakable horror—<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">"Nor when morning came</span><br /> -Did the realities of light and day<br /> -Bring aught of comfort: wheresoe'er we went<br /> -The tidings of defeat had gone before;<br /> -And leaving their defenceless homes, to seek<br /> -What shelter walls and battlements might yield,<br /> -<br /> -Old men with feeble feet, and tottering babes,<br /> -And widows with their infants in their arms<br /> -Hurried along: nor royal festival,<br /> -Nor sacred pageant—with like multitude<br /> -E'er fill'd the public way:—all whom the sword<br /> -Had spared—fled here!"—<i>Southey's Roderick.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>With a heavy heart, I rose and dressed myself, and went out before -eight o'clock, attended only by our old valet de place, who with a -sorrowful countenance awaited me at the foot of the stairs. From him, -and from the master of the hotel, who were both on the watch for news, -I learned that no official intelligence had been received, no courier -had arrived: but no doubt was entertained of the truth of the dreadful -reports of the night, and the events of every hour seemed to give full -confirmation of the worst. I traversed the gloomy streets, anxiously -gazing at every melancholy careworn countenance I met, as if there I -could read the truth. I was struck to the heart with horror by the -sight of the heavy loaded waggons of wounded soldiers which incessantly -passed by me; while litters borne silently along on men's shoulders -gave dreadful indications of sufferings more severe, or nearer their -final termination; nor were they less painful to the thoughts from -being unseen. Imagination perhaps conjured up sufferings more dreadful -than the reality—sufferings at which my blood ran cold.</p> - -<p>Wholly forgetful of some business I had to transact, which I had -undertaken for a friend before leaving England, I hurried through the -streets with the vague hope of hearing some decisive intelligence; -certain that anything, even the knowledge of the worst, would be -preferable to this state of wretchedness and torturing suspense. At -last, without intending it, I found myself near the Malines gate. -Con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>ducted by the old valet, I turned into a narrow street on my -right, where, to my inexpressible astonishment, I saw five wounded -Highland soldiers who, in spite of the bandages which enveloped their -heads, arms, and legs, were shouting and huzzaing with the vociferous -demonstrations of joy. In answer to my eager questions, they told -me that a courier had that moment entered the town from the Duke of -Wellington, bringing an account that the English had gained a complete -victory, that the remains of the French army were in full retreat, and -the English in pursuit of them.</p> - -<p>To the last hour of my life, never shall I forget the sensations of -that moment. Scarcely daring to credit the extent of this wonderful, -this transporting news, I did, however, believe that the English had -gained the victory; believed it with feelings to which no language -can do justice, and which found relief in tears of joy that I could -not repress. For some minutes I was unable to speak. The overpowering -emotions which filled my heart were far too powerful for expression; -but the boon of life to the wretch whose head is laid upon the block -could scarcely be received with more transport and gratitude. The -sudden transition from the depth of despair to joy unutterable, was -almost too great to be borne.</p> - -<p>In the mean time the Highlanders, regardless of their wounds, their -fatigues, their dangers, and their sufferings, kept throwing up their -Highland bonnets into the air, and continually vociferating,—"Boney's -beat! Boney's beat! hurrah! hurrah! Boney's beat!" Their tumultuous joy -attracted round them a number of old Flemish women, who were extremely -curious to know the cause of this uproar, and kept gabbling to the -soldiers in their own tongue. One of them, more eager than the rest, -seized one of the men by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> his coat, pulling at it, and making the most -ludicrous gestures imaginable to induce him to attend to her; while -the Highlander, quite forgetting in his transport that the old woman -did not understand Scotch, kept vociferating that "Boney was beat, and -rinning away till his ain country as fast as he could gang." At any -other time, the old Flemish woman, holding the soldier fast, shrugging -up her shoulders, and making these absurd grimaces, and the Highlander -roaring to her in broad Scotch would have presented a most laughable -scene—"Hout, ye auld gowk," cried the good-humoured soldier, "dinna -ye ken that Boney's beat—what, are ye deef?—dare say the wife—I say -Boney's beat, woman!" When the news was explained to the old women -they were in an ecstasy almost as great as that of the Highlanders -themselves, and the joy of the old valet was quite unbounded. These -poor men were on their way to the hospital, but they did not know which -way to go; they were ignorant of the language, and could not inquire. -I thought of sending the valet de place with them, who was extremely -willing to conduct "ces bons Ecossois," as he called them, but then I -could not easily have found my own way home; so the valet de place, -the soldiers, and I, all went to the hospital together. Our progress -was slow, for one of them was very lame, another had lost three of the -fingers of his right hand, and had a ball lodged in his shoulder. Some -of them were from the Highlands, and some from the Lowlands, and when -they found that I came from Scotland, and lived upon the Tweed, they -were quite delighted. One of them was from the Tweed as well as myself, -he said, "he cam' oot o' Peeblesshire."</p> - -<p>After parting with them close to the hospital, I returned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> homewards, -and by the time I reached the Place de Maire it was thronged with -multitudes of people, who seemed at a loss how to give vent to their -transport. One loud universal buzz of voices filled the streets; one -feeling pervaded every heart; one expression beamed on every face: in -short, the people were quite wild with joy, and some of them really -seemed by no means in possession of their senses. At the door of our -hotel the first sight I beheld among the crowds that encircled it, was -an English lady, who had apparently attained the full meridian of life, -with a night-cap stuck on the top of her head, discovering her hair -in papillotes beneath, attired in a long white flannel dressing-gown, -loosely tied about her waist, with the sleeves tucked up above the -elbows. She was flying about in a distracted manner, with a paper -in her hand, loudly proclaiming the glorious tidings, continually -repeating the same thing, and rejoicing, lamenting, wondering, pitying, -and exclaiming, all in the same breath. From an English gentleman -whom I had met, I had already learned all the particulars that were -known; but this lady seized upon me, repeated them all again and again, -interrupting herself with mourning over the misfortunes of poor Lady de -Lancey, pitying Lady F. Somerset, rejoicing in the victory, wondering -at the Duke's escape, lamenting for Sir Thomas Picton, and declaring, -which was incontestably true, that she herself was quite distracted.</p> - -<p>In vain did her maid pursue her about with a great shawl, which -occasionally she succeeded in putting upon her shoulders, but which -invariably fell off again the next moment.</p> - -<p>In vain did another lady, whose dress and mind were rather more -composed, endeavour to entice her away—she could not be brought to -pay them the smallest attention, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> I left her still talking as -fast as ever, and standing in this curious déshabille among gentlemen -and footmen, and officers and soldiers, and valets de place, and in -full view of the multitudes who thronged the great Place de Maire. An -express had arrived, soon after eight o'clock, bringing the Duke of -Wellington's bulletin, dated Waterloo, containing a brief account of -the glorious battle. But from private letters and accounts we learnt -that the triumph of the British arms had indeed been complete. After -a most dreadful and sanguinary battle, which lasted from ten in the -morning till nine at night, the French at length gave way, and fled -in confusion from the field, leaving behind them their artillery, -their baggage, their wounded, and their prisoners. The certainty of -this great, this glorious victory, won by the heroic valour of our -countrymen in circumstances so disadvantageous; the fall of the enemy -of Britain and of mankind; the deliverance of Europe; the peace of the -world, and, above all, the glory of England, rushed into my mind; and -every individual interest, every personal consideration, every other -thought and feeling, were swallowed up and forgotten.</p> - -<p>The contest had been dreadful—the carnage unexampled in the bloodiest -annals of history. The French army had been nearly annihilated, and -our loss was tremendous. The greatest part of our gallant army, the -best, the bravest of our officers, were among the killed and wounded. -Sir Colin Halket, Generals Cooke and Alten, Sir Dennis Pack, the -Prince of Orange, Lord Uxbridge,<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> and Lord Fitzroy Somerset, -were severely wounded. Sir Thomas Picton, Sir William Ponsonby, Sir -Alexander Gordon were killed. Sir<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> William de Lancey had also been -killed by a cannon-ball while in absolute contact with the Duke, whose -escapes seemed to have been almost miraculous. Unmindful, perhaps -even unconscious, of the showers of shot and shell, he had stood -undaunted from morning till night in the thickest of the battle, -coolly reconnoitring with his glass the motions of the enemy, issuing -his orders with the utmost precision, and everywhere present by his -promptitude, coolness, and presence of mind. Almost all his staff -officers were either killed or wounded.<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> Lady M. showed us the -official bulletin; it contained a most brief and modest account of -the victory, announcing scarcely any particulars, and mentioning the -names only of a very few of the principal officers who were among the -sufferers.</p> - -<p>In a few hours the town was crowded with the wounded. The regular -hospitals were soon filled, and barracks, churches, and convents were -converted into temporary hospitals with all possible expedition. Tents -were pitched in a large piece of open ground near the citadel, and -numbers of these unfortunate sufferers were carried there: but nothing -could contain the multitude of wounded who continually entered the -town. Numbers were lying on the hard pavement of the streets, and on -the steps of the houses; and numbers were wandering about in search of -a place of shelter. Nothing affected me more than the quiet fortitude -and uncomplaining patience with which these poor men bore their -sufferings. Not a word, not a murmur, not a groan escaped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> their lips. -They lay extended on their backs in the long waggons, their clothes -stained with blood, blinded by the intolerable rays of the sun, in -silent suffering; while every jolt of the waggons seemed to go to one's -very heart. Numbers on foot, almost sinking with fatigue and loss of -blood, were slowly and painfully making their way along the streets. -Officers supported on their horses, and almost insensible, with faces -pale as death, and marked with agony, and those dreadful litters, whose -very appearance bespoke torture and death, were passing through every -street.</p> - -<p>Never shall I forget the impression that the sight of my poor wounded -countrymen made upon my mind. When I saw their sufferings, and thought -of their deeds in arms, of their dauntless intrepidity in the field, -and of the immortal glory they had won, tears of pity, admiration, and -gratitude burst from my heart, and I looked at the meanest soldier -returning, covered with wounds, from fighting the battles of his -country, with a respect and admiration which not all the kings and -princes of the earth could have extorted from me.</p> - -<p>If such were the horrors of the scene here, what must they be on the -field of battle, covered with thousands of the dead, the wounded, and -the dying! The idea was almost too dreadful for human endurance; and -yet there were those of my own country, and even of my own sex, whom I -heard express a longing wish to visit this very morning the fatal field -of Waterloo! If, by visiting that dreadful scene of glory and of death, -I could have saved the life, or assuaged the pangs, of one individual -who had fallen for his country, gladly would I have braved its horrors; -but for the gratification of an idle, a barbarous curiosity, to gaze -upon the mangled corpses of thousands; to hear the deep groans of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> -agony, and witness the last struggles of the departing spirit—No! -worlds should not have bribed me to have encountered the sight: the -consolation of being useful, alone could have armed one with courage to -have witnessed it. Nothing could exceed the humanity and kindness of -the Belgic people to those poor sufferers who now crowded the streets. -Unsolicited they took them into their own houses; sent bedding to the -hospitals; resigned their own rooms to their use; provided them with -every comfort, and administered to their wants as if they had been -their own sons. One old lady alone, who was the sole inhabitant of a -large house, refused to take in two wounded officers; the Commandant, -on hearing of this, immediately billetted six private soldiers upon -her. But, notwithstanding the praiseworthy activity and exertion which -were used to accommodate them, it was long, long indeed, before they -could all be taken care of. We grieved that we had no house to shelter -them, and no power to give them any essential relief. Money was to them -as useless as the lump of gold to Robinson Crusoe in his desert island: -we could not act by them the part of the good Samaritan, nor could we, -like the heroines of the days of chivalry, bind up and dress their -wounds, for in our ignorance we should only have injured them, and the -most stupid hospital mate could perform that office a thousand times -better than the finest lady.</p> - -<p>Numbers of poor wounded Highlanders were patiently sitting in the -streets, shaded from the powerful rays of the sun. We had a good -deal of conversation with several of the privates of the 42nd and -92nd regiments, and their account of the battle was most simple and -interesting. They seemed not to have the smallest pride in what they -had done; but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> to consider it quite as a matter of course; they uttered -not the smallest complaint, but rather made light of their sufferings, -and there was nothing in their words or manner that looked as if they -were sensible of having done anything in the least extraordinary; -nothing that laid claim to pity, admiration, or glory. The carnage -among the French, both on the 16th and 18th, in their encounter with -the Highland regiments, was described to us as most dreadful. The -cuirassiers, men and officers, horses and riders, were rolled in -death, one upon another, after the British charge with the bayonet. -In vain the French returned to the attack with furious valour and -reinforced numbers. Their utmost efforts could make no impression on -the impenetrable squares of the infantry, and the spiked wall of the -British embattled bayonets; and when they retired from the ineffectual -attack, the brave Highlanders, with loud cries of "Scotland for ever!" -rushed among them, bore down all resistance, and scattered their -legions like withered leaves before the blast of autumn.</p> - -<p>It is but justice to these gallant men to say, that it was not from -themselves we heard this relation of their own deeds. <i>They</i> could -not be induced to speak of what they had done, but it was repeated on -every side; it was the theme of every tongue. The love and admiration -of the whole Belgic people for the Highlanders are most remarkable. -Whenever they heard them mentioned, they exclaimed, "Ah! ces braves -hommes! ces bons Ecossais! ils sont si doux—et si aimables—et dans -la guerre!—ah! mon Dieu! comme ils sont terribles!" They never speak -of them without some epithet of affection or admiration. Their merits -are the darling topic of their private circles, and their figures the -favourite signs of their public-houses; in short,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> they are the best of -soldiers and of men, according to the Belgians—nothing was ever like -them, and the idea they have of their valour is quite prodigious.<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></p> - -<p>The sufferings of the wounded, however, did not form the only affecting -sight that Antwerp presented. The deep, the distracting grief of the -unfortunate people whose friends had perished, and the heart-rending -anxiety of those who vainly sought for intelligence of the fate of -those most dear to them, were amongst the most distressing parts of -the many mournful scenes we witnessed. Of those friends for whose -safety we were deeply solicitous, we could gain no information, and the -suspense, dreadful as it was, we, as well as thousands, were obliged to -endure. But our anxiety, our sorrows, seemed light indeed in comparison -with those of others: there were few who had not some near friend or -relative to deplore, and Antwerp was filled with heart-broken mourners, -whom the victory of yesterday had bereft of all that made life dear to -them. In the same hotel with us was poor Lady de Lancey, a young and -widowed bride, upon whom, in all the hopes of happiness—in the very -flower of youth—unacquainted with sorrow, and far from every friend, -the heaviest stroke of affliction had fallen unprepared. But three -little days ago, she seemed to be at the summit of felicity, and now -she was bereaved of every earthly hope. She bore the intelligence of -her irreparable loss with astonishing firmness. I did not wonder that -she refused to see every human being, for no earthly power<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> could speak -consolation to misery such as hers. In vain I tried to forget her—I -could not banish her from my remembrance; and often, during our long -wanderings in the distant regions of Holland, when I was far from her, -and far from all that might have recalled her to my remembrance, among -other sights and other scenes, her early misfortunes wrung my heart -with the deepest sorrow.</p> - -<p>But whatever might be the grief and anxiety of individuals, the -universal joy was unbounded. It is impossible to describe the effects -of this victory upon all ranks of people. Every human heart seemed to -beat in sympathy; every countenance beamed with joy; every tongue spoke -the language of exultation. As the terror and despair of the Belgians -had been excessive, their transport was now vehement and overflowing, -and their volubility not to be imagined. We went into several shops, -and the people, unable to restrain themselves, poured out upon us -the fulness of their joy, their astonishment, their gratitude, their -admiration, and their praise. Totally forgetful of their interests, -they thought not of selling their goods; they thought of nothing—they -could do nothing but talk of the battle and the British, and it was -with difficulty we could get them to show us what we wanted: nay, more -than once we were actually obliged to go away without doing anything, -from the impossibility of making them attend to the business of selling -and buying.</p> - -<p>But sometimes the expression of their feelings was so simple, so -natural, and so touching, and there was so much of truth and naïveté, -both in their manner and their words, that it was impossible to hear -them without emotion. The French they loaded with execrations; and -their hatred, their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> indignation, and their bitter feelings of their -wrongs, said more than volumes of eloquence, or even facts could have -done, in condemnation of the conduct of their late masters. All the -English merchandise, and all colonial produce, imported even before -it was decreed to be a crime, were seized, carried from their shops -and warehouses, and burnt before their eyes in the Place Verte. No -remuneration, no indemnity whatever was given them; and by this single -act of wanton tyranny, hundreds of industrious families were reduced -to beggary. Heavy exactions and continual contributions were levied, -and the weight of these fell upon the most industrious and respectable -orders of the people. "All that we had they took," was said again and -again to us, "and if we had had thousands more, it would have all -gone." They ruined the commerce, the manufactures, the trade of the -country, and then they drained the poor inhabitants of their property. -They shut up the sources of wealth, and then called on them for money. -They blocked up the fountain, and then asked for its waters. Like -Egyptian task-masters, they took from them the materials, and then -demanded their work. They expected them to make "bricks without straw." -The French soldiers lived at free-quarters upon the people, and the -Belgic youths were marched away to fight in foreign wars. The oppressed -people were subject to the unrestrained rapine and brutal insolence of -the French soldiery, of which they durst not complain. It was unsafe -even to murmur. Not only the liberty of the press, but the liberty of -speech was denied them. Any unfortunate person convicted of holding -intercourse with England was imprisoned, and some of them (we were -told), by way of example, were shot.</p> - -<p>We happened to go into a little stationer's shop, kept by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> a widow and -her three daughters, who received us almost with adoration because we -were English. They all began to talk at once, and relieved their minds -by pouring out a torrent of invectives against those detested tyrants, -"Ces fléaux du genre humain," as they called them. All their goods had -been seized; their shop (which was not then a stationer's) completely -stripped of its contents, under the pretence of its being filled with -British and colonial produce, which they said was not the case; and a -considerable quantity of continental manufactures had also been carried -away. "But <i>that</i> was nothing," the poor mother said, as she wiped -the tears from her eyes, "<i>that</i> she could have borne, for though it -seemed heavy at the time, she thought less of it now;—but her five -sons (fine handsome young men, they were, as ever a mother bore), her -five sons were all taken for soldiers, and perished in the French wars; -some in the retreat from Russia, and some in the subsequent campaign -in Germany." The tears streamed down the cheeks of one of these young -women, as she spoke to me of her "poor brothers." I can give no idea of -the bitterness, the rancour, the hatred, and above all, the volubility -of the abuse which these poor women poured out against the French.</p> - -<p>We got away from them with difficulty; and though the deep sense of -their own wrongs rankled in their minds, and aggravated the resentment -and detestation which they must naturally feel towards the authors of -so much misery, yet we found the same sentiments, in greater or in -less degree, among all the Belgians with whom we conversed, or whom we -heard conversing. I had always understood that the French (and Napoleon -in particular) were highly popular in Antwerp, but from some most -respectable old-established<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> merchants, both British and Belgic, we -learned that the inhabitants were decidedly hostile to the French, and -that they were both feared and hated by all, excepting the very dregs -of society, and those individuals who had made fortunes under their -administration.</p> - -<p>In the course of our rambles we had many conversations with various -people whom we never saw before, and I suppose shall never see again. -We met a wounded officer who had been taken prisoner by the French. He -said, that after repeatedly threatening to kill him, and loading him -with abuse, they actually knocked him on the head with the butt-end -of a musket, and left him for dead upon the field: he came, however, -to himself, and effected his escape. His face was most frightfully -swelled, and so bruised, that it was every shade of black, and blue, -and green; his head was entirely tied up with white handkerchiefs and -bloody bandages, and in my life I never saw a more battered object. He -had his arm in a sling; but he was by much too rejoiced at his escape -to care about his wounds or bruises. He told us, what <i>then</i> I could -scarcely believe, that the French had killed many of our officers whom -they had taken prisoners, and that they had <i>piked</i> numbers of the -wounded. The truth of these brutal murders, disgraceful to humanity, -and even more dishonourable and more barbarous than the worst cruelty -of savages, were unhappily, afterwards, too indisputably proved.</p> - -<p>In our progress through the streets we could not resist stopping to -speak to such of the poor wounded soldiers as seemed able to talk, -and who looked as if they would thank us even for a word of kindness, -much to the amazement of Mr. D., an Antwerp merchant, who was walking -about with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> us, to "show us the lions," as he said. However, he waited -most patiently, while Mrs. H., my sister, and I talked to ensigns, -sergeants, corporals, and common soldiers, who were all, more or less, -wounded or disabled.</p> - -<p>"We have got six of those wounded soldiers billeted upon us," said -Mr. D., as we walked on, "but I must get them boarded out somewhere, -for they would be very troublesome in the house." "Troublesome!" I -exclaimed. "Yes! you know they would be very troublesome in a house, -though I suppose the surgeons will look after their <i>wounds</i>, and all -<i>that</i>; they will cost me" (I forget how many guelders he said) "a -week, but I would rather <i>pay</i> it" (with a strong and proud emphasis -upon the word pay) "than have them in the house, it would be so very -disagreeable."</p> - -<p>I was silent, for I durst not trust myself to speak. Yet this was a -very well-meaning man. I make no doubt he subscribed <i>handsomely</i> to -the Waterloo fund, and that he would have given money to those very -wounded soldiers to whom he refused shelter—if he had thought they -wanted it. But beyond giving money his ideas of charity did not extend. -To his mercantile mind, money was the chief and only good; the sole -source of pride and of happiness; the only object in life worth seeking -after—the one thing needful. He was a very good kind of man in his -way, but he was entirely occupied with his "snug box" at Clapham, his -brother's grand potteries in Staffordshire, and his own cargoes of -rice, and hogsheads of rum and sugar; he could not feel the vast debt -of gratitude their country owed to "the men of Waterloo;" to those -gallant soldiers who had fought and bled for her safety and glory. -He did not mean to be unkind or ungenerous; he would have started at -the re<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span>proach of wanting humanity, or being deficient in gratitude, -but—but—but—in short, he was altogether an Antwerp merchant.</p> - -<p>The day was extremely hot, and on the outside of the Cafés, beneath -the shade of awnings, and seated beside little tables in the open -street, the Belgic gentlemen were eating ices and fruit, and drinking -coffee, and reading "L'Oracle de Bruxelles," and playing at domino -and backgammon with the utmost composure, utterly regardless of the -crowds of passengers, and apparently as much at their ease as if they -were in their own houses,—or indeed more so; for the Belgians, like -the French, are more at home at le Café, or in the public streets, or -anywhere, than in their own home, which is the last place in which -they think of looking for enjoyment. They have no notion of domestic -comfort, domestic pleasure, or domestic happiness; and consequently -they cannot have much knowledge of domestic virtues. I cannot, -therefore, help considering the French as a gay, rather than a happy -nation. French habits and manners, and, I am afraid, French morals, -are universally prevalent throughout Belgium. Groups of ladies of the -most respectable character may everywhere be seen, sitting on chairs -or benches, in the public streets or promenades, working, talking, -laughing, and amusing themselves with all the ease and gaiety and -sangfroid in the world. Sometimes only a knot of ladies, but more -frequently ladies coquetting with their obsequious beaux.</p> - -<p>We visited the unfinished Quay, begun by Napoleon, which was to have -extended above a mile along the broad and deep Scheldt, and would have -been one of the finest quays in Europe. We saw the flying bridge ("Le -Pont<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> Volant"), a most ingenious contrivance, on which carriages, -horses, and waggons pass with great rapidity and security from one -side of the river to the other, without interrupting its navigation, -even for vessels of the largest burden. Such a plan, I should think, -might be adopted with great success upon the Thames between London and -Gravesend, or in any river where the arches of a stone bridge would -obstruct the passage of the ships, and where the breadth is too great -for the single span of an iron bridge. The mechanism seemed to be very -simple. The largest ships of war can come up close to the quay; but the -navigation of the Scheldt is difficult, and even dangerous, from the -number of sand banks which choke it up. Antwerp is upwards of fifty -miles from the mouth of the river.</p> - -<p>We saw the docks, the offspring of Napoleon's hatred against our -country; one of them was made sufficiently large and deep to be capable -of containing the greatest part of the British navy, and at one time he -exulted in the expectation of seeing the "wooden walls" of Old England -safely moored in <i>his</i> docks at Antwerp. Little did he anticipate the -day when the little army of England, which he despised and ridiculed, -should be the unmolested possessors of <i>his</i> capital of Paris!</p> - -<p>The Arsenal (la Maison de Marine) is now emptied of its stores, and -deserted by its workmen. We saw a long building erected by Napoleon for -the manufacture of ropes for ships—now equally useless. Its length is -precisely the same as that of the cable of a first-rate British ship -of war. The manner in which they repair ships in these docks is unlike -anything I ever saw before. Instead of lifting the ship entirely out -of water, and placing it upon the stocks (in effecting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> which, or in -relaunching it, a vessel is said often to sustain injury), a rope is -attached to the masts, and the ship is hauled down until its keel is -exposed; after repairing that side they haul it down on the other in -the same manner, and the workmen stand upon a raft that is fastened to -its side.</p> - -<p>We went to see the Citadel, a noble and complete fortification -overlooking the Scheldt. The walls are of such an immense height and -thickness, that I should imagine them to be quite invulnerable. The -fortress is capable of containing 10,000 men; by means of the river -fresh reinforcements might be constantly thrown in; and with a strong -garrison, and an adequate supply of provisions and ammunition, I should -suppose, that like another Troy, it might stand a ten years' siege; -only that modern patience would never hold out such a length of time.</p> - -<p>The commandant was confined to his bed by indisposition; but every -part of the fortification was explained to us by a very good-humoured, -intelligent Irish officer, whose name I have forgotten, but who seemed -to be excessively amused by the (I fear) almost childish delight which -my sister and I betrayed in seeing all the wonders of this wonderful -place. Everything to us was new and interesting. It was the first -citadel we had ever seen: and to see with our own eyes a real, actual -citadel—nay, more, to be in one, was so very delightful, that we both -agreed, if we had seen nothing else, we should have thought ourselves -amply repaid for our journey to Antwerp.</p> - -<p>This good-natured officer contentedly toiled along with us, under the -burning rays of a most sultry sun, round the whole fortifications, and -pointed out to us where and how<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> attacks might be made with success, -and in what manner they could be resisted. The sight of the moat, -the draw-bridges, the ramparts, the bastions, and the dungeons; the -sally-ports and gates, which communicate with the citadel from the moat -by long subterranean passages, so forcibly recalled to my recollection -all that I had heard and read of battles and sieges in history and in -tales of chivalry, that I could have fancied myself transported back -into ages long since past—into the iron times of arms; and all that -had before existed only in imagination was at once realised.</p> - -<p>After visiting all the lions of Antwerp, docks and fortresses; and -ships and statues; and pictures and prisons; and quays and cathedrals; -and battle-beaten walls and flying bridges; and decayed monasteries, -and modern arsenals; which, as they have all been often so much better -described than I can describe them, I shall forbear to describe at -all—we returned to the hotel, excessively heated and tired, and very -glad to sit down to rest. To-day, for the first time since our arrival, -we began to have serious thoughts of getting some dinner. We might have -eaten something during those days of alarm and agitation, and I suppose -we did; but, excepting the breakfast we had got upon the stairs at -Brussels on Saturday, I have not the most distant recollection of ever -having eaten at all.</p> - -<p>Upon the necessity and expediency of now dining, however, we were all -unanimously agreed: the difficulty was how to achieve it. Mr. and Mrs. -H. had a pigeon-hole for their only habitation, in which it would -have been perfectly impossible to have introduced a table; a single -chair was all it was capable of containing. In our rooms we had some -difficulty in turning round when more than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> one person at a time was -in them; but by dint of sitting <i>out</i> of the window, and against the -door, and upon all the boxes, we had, I was assured—for I actually did -not remember it—ingeniously succeeded in getting some breakfast—but -to dine was perfectly impracticable. There happened, however, to be in -this very hotel, a Captain F., an idle, not a fighting, captain; one -who made his campaigns, not at Waterloo, but in Bond-street; and this -Captain F., who had been in Antwerp long before the commencement of -hostilities, had, luckily for us, got possession of a room in which -it was possible to move. He was a Newmarket friend of Mr. H.'s, who -introduced him to us, with the recommendation that he was a young man -of fashion and fortune, well known about town; and in Captain F.'s room -and company, Mr. and Mrs. H., my sister, my brother, and I accordingly -dined; we were also favoured with the company of a particular friend -of his, a Mr. C. Many foolish young men it has been my lot to see, but -never did I meet with any whose folly was at all comparable to that of -Captain F.</p> - -<p>Captain F. was a young man who prided himself upon his knowledge of -horse-flesh, and who had, by his own account, been jockeyed out of -"many a cool thousand" by his ignorance of it; he was a young man who -delighted in building more <i>new invented</i> carriages in one year than -he could pay for in twenty; he was a young man who prided himself upon -borrowing money from Jews at fifteen per cent. while his guardians were -saving it for him at five; and in squandering it at Newmarket while -they thought him poring over Greek and mathematics at Cambridge; he -was a young man whose highest pride consisted in driving four-in-hand -"knowingly;" whose greatest ambition was to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> resemble a stage-coachman -exactly, and whose distinguishing characteristic was that of being a -most egregious fool.</p> - -<p>In consequence, I suppose, of a perseverance in this laudable career, -Captain F. now found it more convenient to play the fool upon the -continent than in England. After recounting to us various and manifold -deeds of folly committed in London and Newmarket, amongst Jews and Whip -Clubs, he at length gravely asserted, "that it was impossible for any -man to dress under seven hundred a year."</p> - -<p>This piece of information was received by some of the party with equal -amazement and incredulity: but Captain F. assured us, "'Pon his soul -it was true; that he knew as well as any man what it was to dress, and -that it could not be done for less than seven hundred a year—nay, that -it often costs nine."</p> - -<p>"And pray, Captain F.," said I, involuntarily glancing at his coat, -which happened not to be by any means a new one, "do <i>you</i> spend nine -hundred a year upon dress?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! not <i>now</i>," he exclaimed; "I don't dress <i>now</i>; I never dressed -but eighteen months in my life." He then explained at large to me, -who, in my ignorance, had not understood what to dress meant, "that -'to dress' signified to be the first in fashion, to make it the study -of one's life to appear in a new mode before anybody else; 'to sport' -something new every day; and during the time he dressed," he said, -"his tailor sent him down three boxes of clothes every week from town, -wherever he might happen to be." Having thus satisfactorily proved, -that, at a considerable expense to his pocket, he had turned himself -into a sort of block for the tailors to attire in their new invented -coats and waistcoats, like the wooden dolls the milliners dress up -to set off their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> new fashions, he next poured out such a quantity -of nonsense about the battle and the wounded, that he reminded me of -Hotspur's account of his interview with a coxcomb of the same species:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;">"When the fight was done,——" -</p> - -<p>But why do I waste a word upon him.</p> - -<p>A Scotch acquaintance, Mr. E., of M., arrived this evening from the -field, where he had been ineffectually engaged in the soul-harrowing -employment of searching among the dead, the wounded, and the dying, -for his youngest brother, who was nowhere to be found. He was a -gallant-spirited youth of eighteen, and this was his first campaign. -His horse had returned without its rider—among the multitude of -wounded he could not be found. Some hopes, some faint hopes, yet -remained that he might have been taken prisoner, and that he might yet -appear; but there was too much reason to fear that he had perished, -though where or how was unknown. Alas! every passing day made the hopes -of his friends more and more improbable. No tidings were ever heard of -him, and "on earth he was seen no more." The uncertainty in which the -fate of this lamented young man was involved was even more dreadful -than the knowledge of the worst could have been. Mrs. H.'s anxiety -respecting her brother was relieved by Mr. E.'s assurance of his being -in perfect safety. He could tell us nothing of the fate of those for -whom we were so deeply anxious. "Do not ask me," he exclaimed, "who -<i>is</i> wounded—I cannot tell you. It would be easy to say who are -<i>not</i>." Intelligence from another quarter, however, relieved our fears, -and although it subsequently proved false,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> for the present it led us -to believe that our friends were in safety.</p> - -<p>We now learnt that the battle had been even more desperate, and the -victory more glorious and decisive, than Lord Wellington's concise and -modest bulletin had led us to imagine. The French had not "retreated," -they had been completely routed, and put to flight; they had not -merely "been defeated," they were no longer an army. They had fled in -every direction from the field, pursued by the victorious British and -by the Prussians, who had not come up till just at the close of the -battle.<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> The whole of their artillery, ammunition, and baggage, -their caissons, all the matériel of their army had been taken. Of -130,000 Frenchmen who had marched yesterday morning to battle, -flushed with all the hopes and confidence of victory, no trace, no -vestige now remained; they were all swept away; they were scattered -by the whirlwind of war over the face of the earth. Yesterday their -proud hosts had spread terror and dismay through nations, and struck -consternation into every heart, except those of the brave band of -warriors who opposed them. To-day the greater part of them slept -in death, the rest were fugitives or captives. It was an awful and -tremendous lesson. They were gone with all their imperfections on their -heads,—their hopes, their purposes, their plans, their passions, and -their crimes, were at rest for ever! And their leader, who had sported -away the lives of thousands, with feelings untouched by remorse; who -had impiously presumed to defy the powers of God and man; and whose -insatiate ambition the world itself seemed too small to contain—where -was he now?—an outcast and a wanderer, hunted, pursued, beset on all -sides, and at a loss where to lay his head!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>It was with a heart pierced with anguish that I wept for the brave who -had fallen; that I felt in the bitterness of sorrow, that not even the -proud triumph of my country's glory could console me for the gallant -hearts that were lost to her for ever!</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;">"How many mothers shall lament their sons;<br /> -How many widows weep their husbands slain!—<br /> -Ye dames of Albion! ev'n for you I mourn:<br /> -Who sadly sitting on the sea-beat shore,<br /> -Long look for lords who never shall return!" -</p> - -<p>It was twelve o'clock before our friends left us, and then, worn out -with fatigue of body and mind, for the first time during four nights, -I enjoyed the blessing of some hours of undisturbed repose, in spite -of the bonfires, the acclamations, the noisy rejoicings, and the -songs, more patriotic than melodious, which resounded in my ears. Last -night the streets were filled with the cries of horror and alarm, -to-night they resounded with the shouts of exultation and joy; and -it was with feelings of deep and fervent thanksgiving to Heaven that -I laid my wearied head upon the pillow, and sank to sleep with the -blessed consciousness that we should not this night be disturbed by the -dreadful alarms of war.</p> - -<p>Nothing on retrospection seemed to me so extraordinary as the shortness -of time in which these wonderful events had happened. I could scarcely -convince myself that they had actually been comprised in the short -space of three days—so long did it seem to be! Yet in that brief space -how many gallant spirits had death arrested in their glorious career of -honour and immortality—how many hearts had grief rendered desolate! In -these eventful days the fates of empires and of kings had been decided, -and the trembling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> nations of Europe freed from the vengeance and the -yoke of the tyranny which menaced them with subjugation.</p> - -<p>If the passage of time were to be computed by the succession of events, -rather than by moments, we should indeed have lived a lifetime! an age! -for it was "eternity of thought." Every thing that had happened, even -immediately before these events, seemed like the faintly-remembered -traces of a dream, or the fading and distant images of long past years. -It seemed as if at once</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">"From the tablet of my memory</span><br /> -Were wiped away all trivial fond records,<br /> -All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past,<br /> -That youth and observation copied there;<br /> -And this remembrance all alone remain'd,<br /> -Within the book and volume of my brain,<br /> -Unmixed with baser matter." -</p> - -<p>Yes! the days, the months, the years of my future life may pass away -and be forgotten, and all the changes that mark them fade like a -morning dream; but the minutest circumstance of these eventful days -must be remembered "while Memory holds her seat;" for such moments and -such feelings in life can never return more.</p> - -<p>A fortnight elapsed, which we passed in making the tour of Holland; in -gliding along its slow canals, visiting its populous cities, gazing at -its splendid palaces, yawning over its green ditches, wondering at its -great dykes, its prodigious sluices, and its innumerable windmills; -admiring its clean houses, laughing at the humours of its fairs, and -falling fast asleep in its churches.</p> - -<p>We found the Dutch a plain, plodding, pains-taking, well-meaning, -money-getting, matter-of-fact people; very dull and drowsy, and slow -and stupid; little addicted to talking, but very much given to smoking; -but withal pious and chari<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>table, and just and equitable; with no wit, -but some humour; with little fancy, genius, or invention—but much -patience, perseverance, and punctuality. They make excellent merchants, -but very bad companions. What Buonaparte once in his ignorance said -of the English, is truly applicable to the Dutch,—"They are a nation -of shopkeepers;" and they used to remind me very much of a whole -people of Quakers. In dress, in manners, in appearance, and in habits -of life, they precisely resemble that worthy sect; and like them, in -all these points they are perfectly stationary. It is singular enough -that in all matters of taste and fashion, in which other nations are -continually varying, the Dutch have stood stock still for at least -two centuries; and in political opinions and institutions, which it -requires years, and even ages, to alter in other countries, the Dutch -have veered about without ceasing. They have literally changed their -form of government much oftener than the cut of their coats. They have -had Stadtholders, and Revolutions, and Republics, and Despotisms, and -Tyrants, and limited Monarchies; and new Dynasties and old; and the -"New Code Napoleon,"—and the newer Code of King William: and they have -changed from the side of England to that of France, and from France -to that of England,—and from the House of Orange to Buonaparte, and -from Buonaparte to the House of Orange, with a rapidity and versatility -which even their volatile neighbours, the French, could not equal.</p> - -<p>But while their government, their laws, their sovereigns, and their -institutions, have undergone every possible transformation—the -fashion of their caps and bonnets, their hats and shoebuckles, remains -unchanged; and they have adhered, with the most scrupulous exactitude, -to the same forms of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> politeness, the same hours, dresses, manners, and -habits of life that were the fashion among the venerable Burgomasters -in the days of good King William. Certainly if Solomon had ever lived -in Holland he never would have said that "the fashion of this world -passeth away," for there it lasts from generation to generation.</p> - -<p>I should think that the Dutch are now very like what the English were -in the times of the Puritans. They have a great deal of rigidity and -vulgarity in their appearance, and of coarseness and <i>grossièreté</i> in -their manners; and they are wholly destitute of vivacity, refinement, -and "the grace that charms." I speak of the people at large; not of the -Court nor of the courtly, who in every country are much the same, or at -least fashioned upon one model; but, excepting the Court, there is no -polite circle, no general good society. It is the rarest thing in the -world to meet with a gentleman in Holland. The Dutch are equally devoid -of that acquired good breeding which distinguishes the well educated -English, and that native politeness and winning courtesy which is so -irresistibly engaging among the French, and even the Belgic people.</p> - -<p>I did not think anything could have roused the phlegmatic Dutch to such -energy and vehement animation as they showed in their ardent attachment -to the present government, and their detestation of their former -tyrants. They are absolutely enthusiastic in their loyalty to the House -of Orange; and their implacable and virulent hatred to the French -surpasses all conception. They cannot be silent upon this subject; they -cannot forget their past sufferings, and the tyranny and cruelty which -they endured so long.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> They never utter their names without bitter -execrations, and the very language is become unpopular. But the British -they look upon with the highest respect and admiration, and treat -them with a blunt, coarse, complimentary sort of kindness, which is -flattering to our national pride.</p> - -<p>The Dutch, however, allowed that Louis Buonaparte was a very -well-intentioned, good-hearted man; but he was only a tool in the hands -of the "Great Napoleon;" and, though he did not like to crush them, he -had no power to mitigate the tyranny which bowed them to the earth. -For Napoleon himself—his ministers, his soldiers, his edicts, and -the system of plunder, oppression, and slavery which constituted his -government—no words are strong enough to speak their abhorrence. They -are now most completely an unanimous people. From the lowest beggar in -the street to the king upon his throne, one common political feeling -animates and inspires them.</p> - -<p>The only people who grew rich during the reign of the French were -the smugglers, and some of these men made astonishing fortunes by -the sale of colonial produce,—chiefly coffee and tobacco; and -English manufactures, which they introduced into the kingdom in great -quantities, notwithstanding all the spies, soldiers, plans, penalties, -and prohibitions of Buonaparte.</p> - -<p>In the failure of taxes and contributions to satisfy his rapacity, -he sequestrated a large portion of the funds destined for the annual -repair of the dykes and sluices, which in consequence were fast falling -to decay; so that had the French Government lasted much longer, Holland -might have been no longer a country; it might <i>physically</i>, as well as -<i>politically</i>, have ceased to exist, and a tide, even more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> destructive -than the armies of France, have rolled over it and restored it again to -the ocean.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the faint reports of distant war roused us during our -slumbering progress through this soporific country; and Dutch men and -Dutch bonnets, and towns and palaces, and universities and museums, -and tulips and hyacinths, and even "Orange Boven" itself, were -entirely forgotten in the animating and overpowering interest of the -triumphant progress of the British arms,—the final fall of the Usurper -of France,—and the entrance of the Allied Army, led by the Duke of -Wellington, into the gates of Paris.</p> - -<p>A sight more affecting than any other that Holland contained we -frequently witnessed:—long <i>treckschuyts</i> filled with the wounded -Dutch soldiers of Waterloo, mutilated, disabled, sick and suffering, -passed us upon the canals, slowly returning to their homes. In many -of the towns and villages of Holland, the hospitals were filled with -these poor soldiers, to whom the inhabitants showed the most humane -and praiseworthy kindness and attention. It is but justice to the -Dutch to state, that though their charity began at home it did not end -there. Every town and village made contributions for the wounded Belgic -and British, as well as for the Dutch, both of money and provisions, -including plenty of butter and cheese, together with an enormous supply -of ankers of real Hollands, which amused me extremely. I am sure they -sent it out of pure love and kindness, anxious, I suppose, that the -poor wounded should have plenty of what they liked best themselves; or -perhaps they thought that gin, like spermaceti, was "sovereign for an -inward bruise."</p> - -<p>If Ireland be "the country that owes the most to Nature<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> and the least -to Man," Holland is unquestionably the country which owes the most to -Man and the least to Nature. I bade it farewell without one feeling of -regret: with as little emotion as Voltaire, I could have said—"Adieu! -Canaux, Canards, Canaille!"—and after crossing many a tedious and -toilsome ferry, and slowly traversing the trackless and sandy desert -which separates Bergen-op-Zoom from Antwerp, we left Holland,—I hope, -for ever!</p> - -<p>Nothing can be imagined more dreary than this journey. One wide -extended desert of barren sand surrounded us as far as the eye could -reach, in which no trace of man, nor beast, nor human habitation, -could be seen. Some bents, thinly scattered upon the hillocks of sand, -and occasional groups of stunted fir, through which the wind sighed -mournfully, were the only signs of vegetation. Slowly and heavily the -horses dragged our cabriolet through these deep sands, choosing their -own path as their own sagacity, or that of their driver, directed. -Quitting at last this solitary waste, we entered the sheltering copse -woods of oak which surround the city of Antwerp, drove swiftly by neat -cottages and smiling gardens, descried with delight its lofty walls, -its frowning fortifications, and the spire of the Cathedral, whose -beauty we could <i>now</i> admire; and with feelings which may be better -conceived than described, we once more entered its gates.—But what -a change had one fortnight produced! It did not seem to be the same -place or the same people; and when I thought of all the quick varying -scenes of horror, consternation, and triumph which we had witnessed -here, and remembered that within these walls we had trembled for the -safety, and mourned the imaginary defeat of that army who were now -victorious in the capital of France; when I recalled all that the -heroes of my country had done<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> and dared and suffered for her honour -and security and peace—and that to them, under Heaven, Europe owed its -salvation—it was difficult, it was nearly impossible to restrain the -strong tide of mingled emotions which at this moment swelled my heart. -Not for worlds, not to have been the first and greatest in another -land, would I have resigned the distinction of calling England my -country; and I blessed Heaven that I was born an Englishwoman, and born -in this, the proudest era of British glory.</p> - -<p>As these reflections rapidly passed through my mind, a Highland soldier -obstructed our passage with his musket, signifying to the driver -that he was to go at a foot-pace past a large building, which we now -discovered to be an hospital, and before which the street was thickly -laid with straw. We were affected with this proof of the attention -and care paid to the wounded, still more so when we learnt that this -hospital was full of wounded French. The Highland soldier who now stood -on guard to prevent the smallest noise from disturbing the repose of -his enemies, had himself been wounded—wounded in the action with them. -It was a noble, a divine instance of generosity: it was returning good -for evil. It was worthy of England. The French soldiers had inhumanly -murdered their wounded prisoners. The British not only dressed the -wounds and attended to all the wants of theirs, but they protected and -watched over them, that even their very slumbers might not be disturbed.</p> - -<p>At the hotel of Le Grand Laboureur they knew and welcomed us again, -and testified great joy at the success of the Allies since we had seen -them, and a great dread lest Napoleon should make his escape. In the -streets we met numbers of poor wounded British officers, weak, pale, -faint, and ema<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>ciated, slowly and painfully moving a few yards to taste -the freshness of the summer and the blessed beams of heaven.</p> - -<p>Many fine young men had lost their limbs, many were on crutches, many -were supported by their wives or by their servants. At the open windows -of the houses, propped up by pillows, some poor unfortunate sufferers -were lying, whose looks would have moved a heart of stone to pity. We -passed several hospitals, and looked into some of them. The cleanliness -and neatness of appearance which they exhibited were truly gratifying.</p> - -<p>Antwerp was filled with wounded. In every corner we met numbers of -convalescent soldiers and officers, some of whom looked well; but the -sufferings we saw, and heard of, were far too dreadful to relate, and -in many cases death would have been a blessed relief from a state of -hopeless torture. Several vessels had already sailed, filled with -convalescent wounded, for England.</p> - -<p>Most of the wounded French, the wretched survivors of Buonaparte's -imperial army, were here. But what consolation had they to support them -on the bed of pain and sickness? What glory awaited them when they -returned to their native country? What was their recompense for their -valour, their sufferings, their services, and their dangers?—Broken -health, and blighted hopes, and ruined fortunes, and blasted fame, -were all they had to look to. They had not fought and bled for their -country, but for a leader who had basely deserted them. Surrounded by -these bleeding victims of a tyrant's ungovernable ambition, I felt the -truth that inspired the poet's lines—</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;">"Unblest is the blood that for tyrants is squandered,<br /> -And Fame has no wreath for the brow of the slave." -</p> - - - -<p>And what British heart would not exclaim with him—<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;">"But hail to thee, Albion, who meet'st the commotion<br /> -Of Europe, as firm as thy cliffs meet the foam,<br /> -With no bond but the law, and no slave but the ocean—<br /> -Hail, Temple of Liberty! thou art my home!" -</p> - -<p>The night soon closed in upon us, and we could see the wounded no more. -We went to rest, and enjoyed a night of more calm repose than it had -ever yet been our lot to experience in Antwerp.</p> - -<p>With what different feelings, and under what different circumstances, -did I open my eyes on this Sunday morning, to those which we suffered -on the dreadful morning of Sunday, the 18th of June, which we had -spent here before! Then horror and despair filled the minds of the -people—then they were lamenting the imaginary destruction of that -army for whose success they were now offering up thanks—for this was -the <i>Kennesgevin</i>, or day of thanksgiving, for the glorious victory -of Waterloo. We attended high mass at the Cathedral, as we had done -before—but with sensations how different! and if at that awful moment -my prayers had ascended to heaven, to crown with victory and glory the -arms of my country, the deep and fervent emotions of gratitude which -filled my heart were now offered up in thanksgiving to the throne of -divine mercy. The anxiety, the misery that I had endured when I was -before within these aisles, was too poignant to be easily forgotten; -but that remembrance made me feel more deeply the blessings which -Heaven had bestowed upon us.</p> - -<p>Mass being over, we ascended by 640 steps to the top of the tower, or -rather of the staircase, of the Cathedral, for its utmost pinnacle is -accessible only to the winged inhabitants of air: but as we were not -furnished with wings, we were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> obliged to content ourselves, instead -of soaring higher, with gazing upon the magnificent prospect that lay -below us. The men and women flocking out of the churches through the -streets, looked exactly like a colony of ants swarming on the gravel -walks of a garden in a sunny day: the streets and houses looked like -the miniature model of a town in pasteboard; and the majestic Scheldt -like a long ribbon streaming through a measureless tract of country.</p> - -<p>However, the view was both various and beautiful. Far as the eye -could reach, the rich fields and woods of Flanders, with its populous -villages, its lofty spires, and noble canals lay extended around us, -presenting a striking contrast to the cold, bare, triste, watery flats -of Holland, which were fresh in our remembrance; and Flanders, no -doubt, looked doubly beautiful from the recent comparison.</p> - -<p>We distinctly saw the fortifications of Bergen-op-Zoom on one side, and -the steeple of Vilvorde on the other. We traced the Scheldt winding its -course through a rich country down towards the ocean. Upon its broad -bosom lay the vessels waving with the flag of Britain, and destined -to carry home the troops who had so bravely fought and bled in her -service, and for her glory.</p> - -<p>When I thought of the dreadful waste of human life and sufferings -which the battle of Waterloo had cost the world, it almost seemed as -if it had been dearly purchased: yet in frequent indecisive battles, -and in long-protracted campaigns, more blood might—must have been -shed, without the same glorious or important results. In one great -day, years of bloodshed and of toil had been saved. In one tremendous -burst of thunder the war had ended, and the lightnings of Heaven in -that vengeful hour had descended upon the head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> of the guilty. The dark -cloud which menaced Europe had passed away, and the prospect was now -calm, bright, and unclouded. The blood of Britons had indeed flowed, -but it had flowed in a noble cause, and it had not flowed in vain. It -had secured present peace and security to the world, and it had left to -future ages the proudest monument of British fame.</p> - -<p>But I forget that I am all this time upon the top of Antwerp Cathedral; -and it is high time to descend from my altitude. When we once more -reached the earth, we went to see a sort of religious puppet-show, -called Mount Calvary. It had been "got up" with great care and cost, -and must have required a world of labour; for there were artificial -rocks and caverns, and heaven and hell into the bargain; and it was -altogether a most edifying spectacle. There were the Crucifixion, and -the Virgin Mary, and St. Paul, and St. Peter,—and I dare say all the -rest of the Apostles, and at least fifty more holy persons, who were -most likely saints, all as large as life, and made of white stone. -There were also red-hot flaming furnaces of purgatory, filled with -figures of the same materials; with this difference, that they were -making horrible grimaces. There were also the Sepulchre and the Angel; -and our friend Mr. D. (the Antwerp merchant), who took us to see this -show, was in an ecstasy with it, and declared that all the paintings -in the world were not to be compared to it—nay, that he did actually -think that it was almost as well worth seeing as St. Paul's or the -Monument;—but this he asserted more cautiously.</p> - -<p>We visited the house and the tomb of Rubens with more veneration than -we had paid to the shrines of all the saints. The people of Antwerp -almost adore the memory of this great artist. He was descended from -one of the most ancient<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> families in Flanders; of noble birth and of -splendid fortune. Antwerp was the place of his birth and of his death, -and his spirit still seems to hover over it; for never did I witness -a passion for paintings, and a knowledge of the art, so universally -diffused among all classes as in this town. All the merchants, and even -the petty shopkeepers and tradespeople, have good paintings, both of -the Flemish and Italian school. In every house they may be seen; and -in every street even the lowest of the people may be heard to canvass -their merits. They still lament over the loss of the fine paintings -which were carried from the churches by the French; and they seemed -particularly to grieve for their celebrated Altar-piece, the pride of -their city, which was taken from them. They petitioned and implored -Buonaparte with so much importunity and perseverance to restore to -them this idol of their affections, that he at last promised it should -be sent back. In process of time, and in conformity with his imperial -word, there arrived the celebrated altar-piece of "The Descent from -the Cross,"—correctly copied from the original by a modern French -artist! The immortal touches of Rubens were not there. The fraud was -instantly discovered, and the people were indignant at this mockery of -restitution. They told us they intended immediately to send deputies -to Paris to claim this and the other treasures of which they had been -despoiled, and which now adorn the Louvre.</p> - -<p>There are some very fine private cabinets of pictures in Antwerp, which -are opened to strangers with all that alacrity and politeness which in -England, in such cases, we are so lamentably and notoriously deficient -in. In one of these we saw the celebrated "Chapeau Pâle" of Rubens. I -was dis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>appointed in it; probably from having had my expectations too -highly raised by hearing its beauties extravagantly extolled. In fact, -the subject does not call forth any great powers either of genius or -execution. It is simply the portrait of a handsome woman with a very -attractive countenance, and dressed in a very becoming grey beaver -hat and feather; and both the lady and her hat are most beautifully -painted. We saw some landscapes by Rubens, some of which were very -fine. There is no branch of painting which the versatile genius of this -wonderful man did not lead him to attempt, and none in which he did -not succeed. His Scriptural and historical paintings, upon which rests -his fame; his allegories, portraits, and landscapes, are well known: -but I have seen a miniature picture of his performance, beautifully -finished—a piece of fruit and flowers, very well executed, though in -an uncommon style—and lastly, <i>an interior</i>, not a servile copy of -Teniers, Ostade, or Gerard Douw, but marked with his own characteristic -originality of manner and expression. This last piece is in the -possession of a Flemish gentleman at Ghent.</p> - -<p>At Antwerp we saw some beautiful landscapes by Asselins and -Dietrichsen; a very fine Holy Family by Murillo; and the Death of -Abel by Guido. The whole figure of Abel prostrate on the earth, but -especially the touching, the more than human expression of his face -as he looks up at his brother and his murderer, is one of the finest -things I ever beheld in painting. It is in that upward look of pathetic -supplication and unutterable feeling that Guido is unrivalled—it is -his characteristic excellence. We saw some very fine paintings both -by Italian and Flemish artists, but the fascination of the former, in -spite of myself, riveted my eyes upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> their never-satiating beauties. -It is impossible not to feel the decided superiority of the Italian -over the Flemish school of painting, in force, delicacy, and dignity -of expression; in the power of transposing <i>soul</i> into painting, if -I may so express myself, and in all that constitutes the greatness -and the sublimity of the art. But the Flemish artists laboured under -great natural disadvantages. They did not live beneath the brilliant -sky that sheds its tints of beauty over the happier climates of Italy -and Provence; they did not dwell in the enchanting vales and sunny -mountains, or gaze upon the caverned rocks and romantic solitudes -which formed and perfected the genius of a Claude Lorraine, Vernet, -Salvator Rosa, and Poussin. Fate threw Berghem and Both, and Cuyp, -under unkinder skies, and amidst less picturesque scenes; but in genius -they are perhaps equal, if not superior, to the French and Italian -masters. Nor were Rubens, Rembrandt, Teniers, and many of the Flemish -artists, inferior to any in conception and execution, in originality, -in invention, in truth of expression, and all the natural and acquired -powers which constitute the perfection of the painter's art. And if -the Italian artists—if Guido, Raphael, Buonarotti, Carlo Dolce, and -Correggio, possess a pathos and sublimity, a force, a grace, and an -undefinable charm of expression, which makes their works unequalled -on earth—let it be remembered that the Flemish artists did not, -like them, wake to life amidst the beauty and the harmony of nature; -they were not surrounded by faces and forms of speaking, moving -expression—of heavenly sublimity and soul-subduing tenderness. The -"human face divine" was not moulded of the finer elements of beauty -and of grace.—Painting is an imitative art. The world which Nature -had spread before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> them they copied, but they could not create a -new one. They were driven to seek in the habitations of men for the -sources of that interest which the scenes of Nature denied them; and -their powerful and original genius, seizing upon the materials which -surrounded them, formed for itself a new and distinct school. They were -most faithful copies of Nature. It is impossible to travel through -Belgium and Holland and not notice at every step the landscapes of -Hobbima, the <i>Interiors</i> of Ostade and Gerard Douw; the faces, figures, -and humorous scenes which Teniers has exhibited so often to our view; -and to recognise at every turn the fat and fair, and well-fed and -well-clad beauties of F. Mieres. But the paintings and the painters -of Italy and Flanders have led me far from my travels. To return to -Antwerp.</p> - -<p>After the bright-painted, well-scoured, baby-house looking towns of -Holland, the streets of Antwerp appeared very grand and magnificent, -but extremely dirty. Remarking this to an English, or rather an -Irish officer, he laughed, and said they were beautifully clean in -comparison of the state in which the British troops found them when -they first came to the garrison. Their complaints of the filthiness -and unwholesomeness of the town produced no effect; and to their -representations of the necessity of cleaning it, the magistrates -answered, with offended dignity, that "the city of Antwerp <i>was</i> -clean." The British commandant then ordered our soldiers to sweep -the streets, and to pile up all the dirt against the houses of those -magistrates who with so much pertinacity maintained that the city of -Antwerp was clean! The mountains of dirt collected by the soldiers in -one morning blocked up the windows, and it was with difficulty that the -magistrates could get out of their doors.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> When they did, however, they -immediately bestirred themselves, convinced by more senses than one -that the city of Antwerp was <i>not</i> clean; and they have taken due care -ever since that the streets shall be regularly swept.</p> - -<p>The churches in Antwerp were once extremely rich in silver shrines, -images, ornaments, gold plate, and precious stones; but these -treasures, the Belgians said, had been carried off by Buonaparte: upon -more strict inquiry, we found that these alleged robberies of Napoléon -le Grand had been committed eighteen years ago, most probably by the -sacrilegious hands of the Jacobin Revolutionists, who would leave -little or nothing for imperial plunder. On my remarking this to one -of the Belgians, he said, with a shrug of the shoulder, "Ah! c'est -égal—ces gens-là étoient tous les mêmes—les coquins!"—but whatever -mischief has been done, they always lay it upon Buonaparte, whom they -hate with a bitterness surpassing all conception.</p> - -<p>The journey betwixt Antwerp and Brussels was quite new to us. The -anxiety and agitation of mind which we had suffered on the day we left -Brussels for Antwerp, had so completely engrossed every faculty, that -the scenery on the way had not made the smallest impression on us. The -objects of living interest, with which the road was then crowded, had -alone fixed our attention. I could scarcely believe that I had ever -travelled this road before, or ever seen the towns and villages through -which we had so lately passed.</p> - -<p>I beheld the same harvest, which I then feared would be reaped in -blood, ripening, to crown the hopes of the husbandman, beneath the -blessing of Heaven. My eye now rested with delight upon the corn -fields, waving in rich luxuriance, the deep verdure of the meadows, -and the lofty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> woods which diversified the prospect:—the peaceful and -prosperous appearance of the country, and the contented, gladsome faces -of the people, as they stood at their cottage-doors, "gay in their -Sunday 'tire," presented a happy contrast to the terrors and sufferings -we had witnessed, and the still more dreadful and multiplied horrors -which then seemed ready to burst upon this devoted country.</p> - -<p>We entered Malines; but I did not retain the smallest recollection -of it until we again reached the inn. From the inn-window I well -remembered sorrowfully gazing into the market-place below, and -contemplating the train of baggage-waggons, the confusion of English -carriages, the parties of troops advancing, the wounded soldiers -returning, and the affrighted countenances of the poor Belgic -peasantry, crowding together in dismay, with which it was then filled. -Now I beheld a very different scene:—a crowd of Belgians, indeed, -filled the market-place, but it was a joyous, not a trembling crowd. -The people were all amusing themselves after their own fashion. Some -flocking to the Church; others gazing at a wonderful puppet-show, -which was stationed at the very door; others listening to a Belgic -ballad-singer, who was roaring out, in no very harmonious strains, -the downfal of Napoleon, and the warlike prowess of the Belgians; and -others were talking and laughing with most noisy glee. The sounds of -innocent mirth and pious gratitude were indeed a blessed contrast to -the terrors and anxiety we had before witnessed here.</p> - -<p>The <i>Kennesgevin</i>, or thanksgiving, for the victory, and for the -deliverance of the country, had been celebrated, and one priest -mounting the pulpit after another, continued to preach a succession of -homilies to the people, who might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> listen to as many or as few of them, -as their piety or their taste dictated. We saw a young priest mount the -pulpit, and some of the congregation, who had been assembled during the -sermon of his predecessor, remained to hear him. He preached in the -Belgic language, therefore we could not understand him; his discourse -was apparently extempore, and accompanied with much ungraceful -gesticulation. In distant parts of the Church, before the shrine of -many a saint, numbers of pious votaries of both sexes were kneeling in -silence; engaged in their private earnest devotions, without attending -at all to the lectures of the priest, or being disturbed by those who, -like us, were wandering up and down the long-drawn aisles and decorated -chapels of this ancient Cathedral.</p> - -<p>There is a perpetual going in and out, and moving backwards and -forwards, during the whole service of the Roman Catholic Church abroad. -The people, as soon as they have finished their own prayers, walk off -without ceremony, and are succeeded by others; which in a Protestant -church we should think a most scandalous proceeding; and indeed the -service of the Roman Catholic Church itself, both in England and in -Ireland, is conducted in a very different manner. It is a common -practice here, as well as in France and Italy, for strangers to walk -about and examine the churches, paintings, &c., when the Mass is -performing; nor does it seem to annoy the congregation in the least.</p> - -<p>The Roman Catholic is the exclusive religion of Belgium no other form -of worship or religious persuasion seems to have any proselytes; -indeed, it is only in consequence of a law enacted since the present -King ascended the throne, that other religions have been tolerated. -The Belgians are very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> pious, and even bigoted; but they are not -gloomy, they are lively bigots; apparently without a doubt to disturb -the fulness of their faith; strict in their observances, gay in their -lives, happy in the consolation their religion gives them here, and in -its promises hereafter. Comparing their character with that of their -unbelieving neighbours, the French, I have no hesitation in preferring -bigotry to infidelity. Even the extreme of superstition is better than -the horrors of irreligion and atheism.</p> - -<p>The Church of Malines is a fine old structure: the towers (for there -are two) seem to have been built at an earlier period than the body. We -were astonished at the magnificence of the interior. Its magnitude, its -antiquity, its lofty arches, its massive pillars, its rich altars, its -sculptured figures, and its carved confessionals, have a very imposing -effect; and the large, though not fine paintings which adorn its walls, -and the decorations which piety has profusely spread over every part of -this vast edifice, gave it an air of great splendour. Foreign churches -possess a decided advantage, to the eye of the mere spectator, over -those of England, from being wholly unincumbered with pews, which -certainly take from the grandeur and unity of the whole.</p> - -<p>The pulpit of carved wood in this Church is most beautifully executed. -It was done only a few years ago by a Flemish artist. There are a few -pieces of sculpture of ancient date carved in wood in basso relievo, -and painted white, which I admired extremely. The expression given to -some of the figures and faces is quite astonishing.</p> - -<p>We passed through Vilvorde, half-way to Brussels, where there is -a strong <i>Maison de force</i> for the imprisonment and employment of -criminals. At the little inn where we had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> before baited our horses, -we stopped once more for the same purpose. The garçon remembered us -immediately, and with a countenance of great glee expressed his delight -to see us again, and described most vividly the distress they had -experienced, and all the rapid and dreadful alarms that had succeeded -to each other. He then reminded us of our parting prophecy, that the -Allies would be victorious, and that the French would never more -penetrate into Flanders, and he said, he had often thought of it since; -and that it had proved true, for they had indeed seen no French, except -"les François blessés."</p> - -<p>We proceeded on our journey through a country still improving in -beauty. Sloping grounds, and woods and lawns, and country seats and -pleasure-grounds, and meadows covered with the richest verdure, greeted -our eyes as we advanced to Brussels. We met and passed several of the -Diligences; tremendous machines in size, and in slowness, not unlike -the vehicles which in England are used for the conveyance of wild -beasts from one town to another. They were filled with an innumerable -motley multitude, some of which were playing upon the fiddle, others -singing, and all merry-making, as they jogged along. The road was much -cut up with the passage of commissariat-waggons, long trains of which -we frequently met upon the way.</p> - -<p>We drew near to Brussels, and traversed the margin of that calm and -quiet canal, which, when we left it, had presented a scene of such -horrid confusion; and as we approached Lacken we looked up at it once -more, but with very different feelings to those with which we had gazed -at it when we had passed it before, and recollected the boast Napoleon -had made the preceding day—"To-morrow I shall<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> sleep at Lacken." It -was from hence that his premature pompous declarations to the Belgic -people were dated, announcing victory; which were even found ready -printed in his carriage at Charleroi, after his defeat and flight on -the 18th of June.</p> - -<p>We entered a sort of wood. On each side of us, upon the grass and -beneath the shade of the trees, there was a large encampment of tents, -men, horses, waggons, huts, and arms; with all the accompaniments and -confusion attendant upon such an establishment. It formed, however, a -picturesque and animated scene; fires were burning, suppers cooking, -men sleeping, children playing, women scolding, horses grazing, and -waggons loading; while long carts and tumbrils were drawn up beneath -the trees; parties of Flemish drivers sitting on the ground round the -fires, drinking and smoking; and people moving to and fro in every -direction. This encampment belonged to the Commissariat department.</p> - -<p>We passed the Allée Verte, usually the fashionable promenade for -carriages on Sunday evening; but though this was Sunday evening, it was -entirely deserted. The inhabitants of Brussels had not yet, perhaps, -resumed their habits of gaiety, and in fact the Allée Verte was nearly -impassable, owing to the heavy rains and the immense passage of -military carriages upon it.</p> - -<p>We entered Brussels about the same hour that we had entered it for the -first time. Then, the British military were crowding every street; -standing at every corner; leaning out of every window, in the full -vigour of youth and hope and expectation: then, they were gaily talking -and laughing, unconscious that to many it was the last night of their -lives. Now, Brussels was filled with the wounded. It is impossible<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> -to describe with what emotions we read the words "Militaires blessés" -marked upon every door; "un, deux, trois, quatre," even "huit Officiers -blessés," were written upon the houses in white chalk. As we slowly -passed along, at every open window we saw the wounded, "languid and -pale, the ghosts of what they were." In the Parc, which had presented -so gay a scene on the night of our arrival, crowded with military -men, and with fashionable women, a few officers, lame, disabled, or -supported on crutches, with their arms in slings, or their heads bound -up, were now only to be seen, slowly loitering in its deserted walks, -or languidly reclining on its benches. The Place Royale, which we had -left a dreadful scene of tumult and confusion, was now quite quiet, and -nearly empty. It was in all respects a melancholy contrast, and it was -with saddened hearts that we alighted at the Hôtel de Flandre, where -they gladly received us again, and talked much of the eventful scenes -that had followed our departure.</p> - -<p>Colonel M., of the Inniskillen Dragoons, was in this hotel. He had -been severely wounded in five different places; he passed the night -after the battle on the road between Waterloo and Brussels, which was -completely blocked up from the excessive confusion occasioned by the -abandoned baggage and waggons. Although his life had been despaired of, -he was now recovering, and supposed to be out of danger. Some English -newspapers, which we borrowed, were indescribably interesting to us; -every particular relative to the battle we read, or rather devoured, -with insatiable avidity; but the list of the killed and wounded we -could not get a sight of till the next morning. Secure that none of -our own friends were contained in it, we restrained our impatience and -went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> to rest. Little did we know the shock that awaited us! the misery -of the following morning, when we saw the name of Major L. among the -list of severely wounded; and found him at last in a state of extreme -suffering and danger! The days of deep anxiety and individual grief -that followed I pass over in silence. Nor can I bear to dwell upon the -miseries it was our lot to witness; the still more excruciating and -hopeless sufferings which we daily heard related, and the scenes of -death and distracting affliction which surrounded us. How often was -the anxious inquiry made with trembling eagerness for a wounded friend -or relation—"Where is he to be found?" How often, after a few minutes -of torturing suspense, was the dreadful answer returned—"Dead of his -wounds!" Numbers of the young and the brave, after languishing for -weeks in hopeless agony, expired during our stay in Brussels; and it -happened more than once within our own knowledge, that the parents, -whose earthly hopes and happiness were centred in an only son, arrived -from England to see their wounded boy the very day of his decease—in -time to gaze upon his insensible and altered corpse, and to follow -the mortal remains of all they loved to the grave. The heart-broken -countenance, and the silent, motionless grief of one old man, whom I -saw under this dreadful affliction, made an impression on my mind too -strong to be easily forgotten. Despair seemed to have settled upon his -soul, but he neither shed a tear, nor uttered a complaint. I could not -even go from the hotel where we stayed to the house where Major L. -lodged, without passing crowded hospitals, filled with many hundreds -of poor wounded soldiers; and although every attention that skill -and humanity could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> suggest to contribute to their recovery was paid -to them, both by the British Government and the Belgic people, their -sufferings were dreadful. Many of the British officers died in the -common hospitals: they had been originally conveyed to them, and it was -afterwards found impossible to remove them.</p> - -<p>At every corner the most pitiable objects struck one's eye. I could not -pass through a single street without meeting some unfortunate being, -the very sight of whose sufferings wrung my heart with anguish. Numbers -of young officers, in the very flower of life and vigour, pale, feeble, -and emaciated, were slowly dragging along their mutilated forms. Upon -couches, supported by pillows, near the open windows, numbers lay to -enjoy the fresh summer air, and divert the sense of pain by looking at -what passed in the streets. But we knew too well, that the sufferings -we saw were nothing to those we did not see. Every house was filled -with wounded British officers; and how many, like our old friend Major -L., were silently enduring lingering and excruciating torture, unable -to raise themselves from the couch of pain!</p> - -<p>Often, as I gazed at the soldier's frequent funeral as it passed along, -I could not help thinking that, though no eye here was moistened -with a tear, yet in some remote cottage or humble dwelling of my -native country, the heart of the wife or the mother would be wrung -with despair for the loss of him who was now borne unnoticed to a -foreign grave. But let me not dwell upon these scenes of misery; their -remembrance is still too painful—though it can never be erased from my -mind.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>When at last we had the consolation of seeing our good old friend out -of immediate danger, we dedicated one day to a visit to Waterloo.<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></p> - -<p>On the morning of Saturday the 15th of July, we set off to visit the -field of the ever-memorable and glorious battle of Waterloo. After -passing the ramparts, we descended to the pretty little village of -Ixelles, embosomed in woods and situated close to the margin of a -still, glassy piece of water. From thence we ascended a steep hill, and -immediately entered the deep shades of the forest of Soignies, which -extends about nine miles from Brussels. The morning was bright and -beautiful; the summer sun sported through the branches which met above -our heads, and gleamed upon the silver trunks of the lofty beech trees. -On either side woodland roads continually struck in various directions -through the forest; so seldom trodden, that they were covered with -the brightest verdure. At intervals, neat white-washed cottages, -and little villages by the road-side, enlivened the forest scenery. -We passed through "Vivi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>dolles," "La Petite Espinette," "La Grande -Espinette," "Longueville," and several other hamlets whose names I have -forgotten.<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a></p> - -<p>Upon the doors of many of the cottages we passed, were written, in -white chalk, the names of the officers who had used them for temporary -quarters on their way to the battle; or who had been carried there for -shelter in returning, when wounded and unable to proceed further. Many -we knew had died in these miserable abodes; but all the survivors, -excepting one or two of the most severely wounded, had now been removed -to Brussels. It was impossible to retrace, without emotion, the very -road by which our brave troops had marched out to battle, three weeks -before, and by which thousands had been brought back, covered with -wounds, in pain and torture. They alone of all that gallant army had -returned; thousands had met a glorious death upon the field of battle, -and the victorious survivors had pursued their onward march to the -capital of France.</p> - -<p>I could not help asking myself, as we proceeded along, what would have -been the consequences if the French and British armies had happened to -encounter each other in the midst of this forest, instead of meeting, -as they did, a few miles beyond it? Had our troops been a little later -in leaving Brussels on the morning of the 16th of June, this must -inevitably have been the case; for it was impossible that the advanced -guard of Belgic troops, which was stationed at the outpost of Quatre -Bras, could have sustained<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> the attack of the French, or have delayed -their progress for any length of time. But if the hostile armies had -encountered each other here, it would have been impossible that a -general action could have taken place; the thick entangled underwood -makes all entrance into the forest impracticable; and if they had -attempted to fight, the road would soon have been choked up with dead. -Yet the English, I imagine, would not have retreated, since, if they -had, they must either have abandoned Brussels to the enemy, or fought -under its very walls; and whether the French would have retreated -till they came to open ground, or how they would have manœuvred in -such a situation, it was impossible for an unmilitary head like mine -even to form a conjecture. During the battle, all the cottages and -villages by the wayside had been deserted by their inhabitants, who -fled in consternation into the woods, in expectation of the victory -and immediate advance of the French, from whom they looked for no -mercy. The road had been so dreadfully cut up with the heavy rains and -the incessant travelling upon it, that notwithstanding three weeks of -summer weather had now elapsed since the battle, the chaussée in the -centre was worn into ruts upon the hard pavement, and in many places -it was still so deep, that the horses could scarcely drag us through; -the unpaved way on each side of the chaussée was perfectly impassable. -Along the whole way, shattered wheels and broken remains of waggons -still lay, buried among the mud. Their demolition was one of the many -consequences that resulted from the violent panic with which the men -who were left in charge of the baggage were seized towards the close -of the battle. It was originally caused, I understood, by the Belgic -cavalry, great numbers of whom fled in the heat of the des<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>perate -attack made by the French upon our army in front of Mont St. Jean -before the Prussians came up. They were rallied and brought back by -some British officers; but, unable to stand the dreadful onset of the -French, they turned about again and fled in irretrievable confusion, -trampling upon the wounded and the dying in their speed, and spreading -the alarm that the battle was lost. With troops less steady, with any -other troops, in short, than the British, the example of flight, joined -to such an alarm, at this critical moment, might have occasioned the -loss of the battle in reality. The men stationed in the rear in charge -of the baggage, who knew nothing of what was going forward, believed at -once the report, and, without stopping a moment to ascertain its truth, -they set off at full speed. If the battle was lost, it was clearly -their business to run away, and they could not be accused of neglecting -this part of their duty. Following the example of the Belgians, they -all set off full gallop in the utmost confusion, pell-mell, along the -road to Brussels. Nothing is so infectious, nothing so rapid in its -progress as fear: the panic increased every moment; the terrified -fugitives overtook the carts filled with wounded, and encountered -waggons and troops, and military supplies coming up to the field. It -was impossible to pass: the road, confined on each side by the thickly -woven and impenetrable underwood, was speedily choked up; those who -were proceeding to the army insisted upon going one way, and those who -were running away from it, persisted in going the other. The confusion -surpassed all description; till at last, amidst the crash of waggons, -the imprecations of the drivers, and the cries of the soldiers, a -battle took place, and many were the broken heads and bruises, and -various were the wounds<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> and contusions received in this inglorious -fray. It is even said, and I fear with truth, that some lives were -lost. The baggage was abandoned, and scattered along the road; the -waggons were thrown one upon another into the woods, and over the banks -by the road-side; the horses, half-killed, were left to perish; and the -wounded were deserted. Over every obstacle these panic-struck people, -frantic with fear, forced their way, and, pursued by nothing but their -own terrified imaginations, they arrived at Brussels, proclaiming the -dreadful news that the battle was lost, and the French advancing! The -fearful tidings extended from thence even into Holland; and thus, in -consequence of the cowardice of some Belgians and baggage-men, the -last and most dreadful alarm of Sunday night was spread over the whole -country.</p> - -<p>The road, the whole way through the forest of Soignies, was marked with -vestiges of the dreadful scenes which had recently taken place upon it. -Bones of unburied horses, and pieces of broken carts and harness were -scattered about. At every step we met with the remains of some tattered -clothes, which had once been a soldier's. Shoes, belts, and scabbards, -infantry caps battered to pieces, broken feathers and Highland bonnets -covered with mud, were strewn along the road-side, or thrown among -the trees. These mournful relics had belonged to the wounded who had -attempted to crawl from the fatal field, and who, unable to proceed -farther, had laid down and died upon the ground now marked by their -graves—if holes dug by the way-side and hardly covered with earth -deserved that name. The bodies of the wounded who died in the waggons -on the way to Brussels had also been thrown out, and hastily interred.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>Thus the road between Waterloo and Brussels was one long uninterrupted -charnel-house: the smell, the whole way through the forest, was -extremely offensive, and in some places scarcely bearable. Deep -stagnant pools of red putrid water, mingled with mortal remains, -betrayed the spot where the bodies of men and horses had mingled -together in death. We passed a large cross on the left side of the -road, which had been erected in ancient times to mark the place where -<i>one</i> human being had been murdered. How many had now sunk around it in -agony, and breathed, unnoticed and unpitied, their dying groans! It was -surrounded by many a fresh-made, melancholy mound, which had served for -the soldier's humble grave; but no monument points out to future times -the bloody spot where they expired; no cross stands to implore from the -passenger the tribute of a tear, or call forth a pious prayer for the -repose of the departed spirits who here perished for their country!</p> - -<p>The melancholy vestiges of death and destruction became more frequent, -the pools of putrid water more deep, and the smell more offensive, as -we approached Waterloo, which is situated at the distance of about -three leagues, or scarcely nine miles, from Brussels. Before we left -the forest, the Church of Waterloo appeared in view, at the end of -the avenue of trees. It is a singular building, much in the form of a -Chinese temple, and built of red brick. On leaving the wood, we passed -the trampled and deep-marked bivouac, where the heavy baggage-waggons, -tilted carts, and tumbrils had been stationed during the battle, and -from which they had taken flight with such precipitation.</p> - -<p>Even here cannon-balls had lodged in the trees, but had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> passed over -the roofs of the cottages. We entered the village which has given -its name to the most glorious battle ever recorded in the annals of -history. It was the Headquarters of the British army on the nights -preceding and following the battle. It was here the dispositions for -the action were made on Saturday afternoon. It was here on Monday -morning the dispatches were written, which perhaps contain the most -brief and unassuming account a conqueror ever penned, of the most -glorious victory that a conqueror ever won.<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> Waterloo consists of a -sort of long, irregular street of whitewashed cottages, through which -the road runs. Some of them are detached, and some built in rows. A -small house, with a neat, little, square flower-garden before it, on -the right hand, was pointed out to us as the quarters of Lord Uxbridge, -and the place where he remained after the amputation of his leg, until -well enough to bear removal. His name, and those of "His Grace the Duke -of Wellington," "His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange," and other -pompous titles, were written on the doors of these little thatched -cottages. We also read the lamented names of Sir Thomas Picton, Sir -Alexander Gordon, Sir William de Lancey, and Sir William Ponsonby, who -had slept there the night before the battle, and many others who now -sleep in the bed of honour. Volumes of sermons and homilies upon the -instability of human life could not have spoken such affecting and -convincing eloquence to our hearts as the sight of these names, thus -traced in chalk, which had been more durable than the lives of these -gallant men.</p> - -<p>After leaving Waterloo, the ground rises: the wood,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> which had opened, -again surrounded us, though in a more straggling and irregular -manner—and it was not till we arrived at the little village of Mont -St. Jean, more than a mile beyond Waterloo, that we finally quitted the -shade of the forest, and entered upon the open field where the battle -had been fought. During the whole of the action the rear of the left -wing of our army rested upon this little village, from which the French -named the battle. We gazed with particular interest at a farm-house, at -the farthest extremity of the village nearest the field, on the left -side of the road,—with its walls and gates and roofs still bearing the -vestiges of the cannon-balls that had pierced them. Every part of this -house and offices was filled with wounded British officers; and here -our friend Major L. was conveyed in excruciating agony, upon an old -blanket, supported by the bayonets of four of his soldiers.</p> - -<p>On the right we saw at some distance the church of Braine la Leude, -which was in the rear of the extremity of the right wing of our army. -From the top of the steeple of this church the battle might have -been seen more distinctly than from any other place, if any one had -possessed coolness and hardihood sufficient to have stood the calm -spectator of such a scene; and if some cannon-ball had not stopped his -observations by carrying off his head.</p> - -<p>Alighting from the carriage, which we sent back to the barrière of Mont -St. Jean, we walked past the place where the beaten down corn, and the -whole appearance of the ground, would alone have been sufficient to -have indicated that it had been the bivouac of the British army on the -tempestuous night before the battle, when, after marching and fighting -all day beneath a burning sun, they lay all night in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> this swampy piece -of ground, under torrents of rain. We rapidly hurried on, until our -progress was arrested by a long line of immense fresh-made graves. We -suddenly stopped—we stood rooted to the spot—we gazed around us in -silence; for the emotions that at this moment swelled our hearts were -too deep for utterance—we felt that we stood on the field of battle!</p> - -<p>"And these, then, are the graves of the brave!" at length mournfully -exclaimed one of the party, after a silence of some minutes, hastily -wiping away some "natural tears." "Look how they extend all along in -front of this broken, beaten-down hedge—what tremendous slaughter!" -"This is, or rather was," said an officer who was our conductor, -"the hedge of La Haye Sainte;<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> the ground in front of it, and -the narrow lane that runs behind it, were occupied by Sir Thomas -Picton's division, which formed the left wing of the army; and it -was in leading forward his men to a glorious and successful charge -against a furious attack made by an immense force of the enemy, that -this gallant and lamented officer fell. He was shot through the head, -and died instantly, without uttering a word or a groan!" We gazed at -the opposite height, or rather bank, upon which the French army was -posted. We thought of the feelings with which our gallant soldiers -must have viewed it, before the action commenced, when it was covered -with the innumerable legions of France, ranged in arms against them. -The solemn and portentous stillness which precedes the bursting of the -tempest, is nothing to the awful sublimity of a moment such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> as this. -The threatening columns of that immense army, which their valour had -destroyed and scattered, were then ready to pour down upon them. The -cannon taken in the action, which now stood in the field before us -under the guard of a single British soldier, were then turned against -them.</p> - -<p>The field-pieces taken by the Prussians in the pursuit were not here. -But 130 pieces of cannon belonging to the British, and taken by them on -the field of battle, still remained here. We went to examine them; they -were beautiful pieces of ordnance, inscribed with very whimsical names, -and some of them with the revolutionary words of Liberté, Egalité, -Fraternité! Our own artillery, which was admirably served, had been -principally placed in two lines upon the ridge of the gentle slope -on which our army was stationed. About four o'clock in the afternoon -the first line of guns advanced, and the second took the place which -the first had before occupied; it was also placed upon every little -eminence over the field, and it did great execution amongst the enemy's -ranks.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span><a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></p> - -<p>The ground occupied by Sir Thomas Picton's division, on the left of -the road from Brussels, is lower than any other part of the British -position. It is divided from the more elevated ridge where the French -were posted by a very gentle declivity. To the right the ground rises, -and the hollow irregularly increases, until at Château Hougoumont it -becomes a sort of small dell or ravine, and the banks are both high and -steep. But the ground occupied by the French is uniformly higher, and -decidedly a stronger position than ours.</p> - -<p>Nothing struck me with more surprise than the confined space in which -this tremendous battle had been fought; and this, perhaps, in some -measure contributed to its sanguinary result. The space which divided -the two armies from the farm-house of La Haye Sainte, which was -occupied by our troops, to La Belle Alliance, which was occupied by -theirs, would, I think, scarcely measure three furlongs. Not more than -half a mile could have intervened between the main body of the French -and English armies; and from the extremity of the right to that of the -left wing of our army, I should suppose to be little more than a mile.</p> - -<p>The hedge along which Sir Thomas Picton's division was stationed, and -through which the Scots Greys, with the Royals and the Inniskillens, -headed by Lord Uxbridge, made their glorious and decisive charge at the -close of the action, is almost the only one in the field of battle. -The ground is occasionally divided by some shallow ditches, and in one -place there is a sort of low mud dyke, which was very much broken and -beaten down. This was not on the ground our troops occupied, but rather -below the French position; and excepting this, the whole field of -battle is unenclosed. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> ground is, however, very uneven and broken, -and the soil a strong clay. It belongs to different farmers, and bore -crops of different kinds of corn; but it is entirely arable land, and, -excepting a very small piece on the French side, none of it was in -grass.</p> - -<p>Against the left wing of our army the attacks of the French were -furious and incessant. Buonaparte had stationed opposite to it the -chief body of his Corps de Réserve, and fresh columns of troops -continually poured down, without being able to make the smallest -impression upon the firm and impenetrable squares which the British -regiments formed to receive them. It was Buonaparte's object to turn -the left wing of our army, and cut it off from the Prussians, with whom -a communication was maintained through Ohain, and who were known (at -least by the commanders of the British army) to be advancing.<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> The -Duke expected them to have joined before one o'clock, but it was seven -before they made their appearance.</p> - -<p>On the top of the ridge in front of the British position, on the left -of the road, we traced a long line of tremendous graves, or rather -pits, into which hundreds of dead had been thrown as they had fallen -in their ranks, without yielding an inch of ground. The effluvia which -arose from them, even beneath the open canopy of heaven, was horrible; -and the pure west wind of summer, as it passed us, seemed pestiferous, -so deadly was the smell that in many places pervaded the field. The -fresh-turned clay which covered those pits<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> betrayed how recent had -been their formation. From one of them the scanty clods of earth which -had covered it had in one place fallen, and the skeleton of a human -face was visible. I turned from the spot in indescribable horror, and -with a sensation of deadly faintness which I could scarcely overcome.</p> - -<p>On the opposite side of the road we scrambled up a perpendicular -bank, through which the road had evidently been cut. It was upon this -eminence that the Duke of Wellington stood, beneath the memorable tree, -from the commencement of the action, surrounded by his staff. It was -here, we were told, that in the most critical part of it he rallied the -different regiments, and led them on again in person to renew the shock -of battle. Here we stood some time to survey the field.</p> - -<p>Immediately before us, nearly in the hollow, was the farm-house of -La Haye Sainte, surrounded by a quadrangular wall, full of holes for -musketry. At the commencement of the action it was occupied by the -British, and it formed the most advanced post of the left centre of -our army. It was gallantly and successfully defended by a detachment -of the light battalion of the German Legion, until nearly the close -of the day, when their ammunition was exhausted; it was impossible to -send them a supply, as all communication with them was cut off by the -enemy, who at length succeeded in carrying it, after a most obstinate -resistance; but its brave defenders only resigned its possession with -their lives.</p> - -<p>On the opposite side of the road, a little behind La Haye Sainte, -and immediately below the ground occupied by Sir Thomas Picton's -division, is a quarry which was surrounded by British artillery at -the commencement of the battle. Towards the close of the action it -was filled with the wounded, who had taken refuge in it as a shelter -from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> shot and shells, and from the charge of the cavalry—when, -horrible to relate! a body of French Cuirassiers were completely -overthrown into this quarry by a furious charge of the British, -and horses and riders were rolled in death upon these unfortunate -sufferers. The ghastly spectacle which it exhibited next morning was -described to me by an eye-witness of this scene of horror. On the -left, in the hollow between the two armies, we saw the hamlet of Ter -la Haye, which was occupied by British troops;—its possession was -never disputed by the enemy, although it was close advanced upon their -position. Beyond it, still farther to the left, were the woods of -Frischermont, and the road to Wavre, from which the Prussians issued -through a narrow defile, and advanced to attack the right flank of the -French.</p> - -<p>These woods bounded the prospect on that side. On the right stood the -ruins of Château Hougoumont (or Château Goumont, as the country-people -called it), concealed from view by a small wood which crowns the hill. -It formed the most advanced post of the right centre of our army, -and it was defended to the last with efforts of successful valour, -almost more than human, against the overpowering numbers and furious -attacks of the enemy. The battle commenced here about eleven o'clock. -The French, suddenly uncovering a masked battery, opened a tremendous -fire upon this part of our position, and advanced to the attack with -astonishing impetuosity, led on, it is said, by Jerome Buonaparte in -person, while Napoleon viewed it from his station near the Observatory -on the opposite height. They were completely repulsed by the bravery of -General Byng's brigade of Guards, but they succeeded in carrying the -wood, which was occupied by the Belgic troops. The French, however,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> -after a dreadful struggle, were driven out of the wood again by the -Coldstreams and the third regiment of Guards, and never afterwards -were able to regain possession of it. The Black Brunswickers behaved -most gallantly. In retrieving the consequences of the misconduct of -the Belgic troops, and in defending the Château and the garden, the -British Guards performed prodigies of valour, though they suffered -most severely. Lieutenant General Cooke, Major-General Byng, Lord -Saltoun, the lamented Colonel Miller, who died as he had lived—a brave -and honourable soldier; Captain Adair, Captains Evelyn and Ellis; -Colonels Askew, Dashwood, and D'Oyley, with many others, particularly -distinguished themselves by their steady gallantry and personal valour. -The house was consumed by fire, and numbers of the wounded perished in -the flames; yet the British maintained possession of it to the last, -in spite of the incessant and desperate attacks of the enemy, who -directed against it a furious fire of shot and shells, under cover of -which large bodies of troops advanced continually to the assault, and -were driven back again and again with tremendous slaughter. Without the -possession of this important post the right flank of our army could not -be attacked; it formed what is called the key of the position; from its -elevation it commanded the whole of the ground occupied by our army, -and had it been lost, the victory to the French would scarcely have -been doubtful.</p> - -<p>Opposite, but divided from it by a deep hollow, were the heights -occupied by the French, upon which, at some distance, and secure from -the storm of war, stands the Observatory, where Buonaparte stationed -himself at the beginning of the action, and whence he issued his -orders, and commanded column after column to advance to the charge, -and rush upon destruction. His "invincible" legions, his in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span>vulnerable -Cuirassiers, in vain assaulted the position of the British with the -most furious and undaunted resolution. In vain the vast tide of battle -rolled on—like the rocks of their native land, they repelled its -rage.—Squares of infantry received the onset of the French columns; -directed against them a steady and uninterrupted fire of musketry, and -stood firm and unshaken beneath the most tremendous showers of shot -and shell. Every vacancy caused by death was instantly filled up: the -enemy vainly sought for an opening through which they might penetrate -the impenetrable phalanx; and when at last they receded from the -ineffectual attack, the British cavalry rushed forward to the charge, -and, notwithstanding their superiority of numbers, drove them back -with immense slaughter. But I am relating the history of the battle, -forgetful that I am only describing the field.</p> - -<p>From the spot where we now stood I cast my eyes on every side, and saw -nothing but the dreadful and recent traces of death and devastation. -The rich harvests of standing corn,<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> which had covered the scene -of action we were contemplating, had been beaten into the earth, and -the withered and broken stalks dried in the sun, now presented the -appearance of stubble, though blacker and far more bare than any -stubble land.</p> - -<p>In many places the excavations made by the shells had thrown up the -earth all around them; the marks of horses' hoofs, that had plunged -ankle deep in clay, were hardened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> in the sun; and the feet of men, -deeply stamped into the ground, left traces where many a deadly -struggle had been. The ground was ploughed up in several places with -the charge of the cavalry, and the whole field was literally covered -with soldiers' caps, shoes, gloves, belts, and scabbards; broken -feathers battered into the mud, remnants of tattered scarlet or blue -cloth, bits of fur and leather, black stocks and havresacs, belonging -to the French soldiers, buckles, packs of cards, books, and innumerable -papers of every description. I picked up a volume of Candide; a few -sheets of sentimental love-letters, evidently belonging to some French -novel; and many other pages of the same publication were flying -over the field in much too muddy a state to be touched. One German -Testament, not quite so dirty as many that were lying about, I carried -with me nearly the whole day; printed French military returns, muster -rolls, love-letters, and washing bills; illegible songs, scattered -sheets of military music, epistles without number in praise of -"l'Empereur, le Grand Napoléon," and filled with the most confident -anticipations of victory under his command, were strewed over the field -which had been the scene of his defeat. The quantities of letters -and of blank sheets of dirty writing paper were so great that they -literally whitened the surface of the earth.</p> - -<p>The road to Genappe, descending from the front of the British position, -where we were now standing, passes the farm-house of La Haye Sainte, -and ascends the opposite height, on the summit of which stands La -Belle Alliance, which was occupied by the French. We walked down the -hill to La Haye Sainte—its walls and slated roofs were shattered and -pierced through in every direction with cannon shot. We could not get -admittance into it, for it was completely deserted by its inhabitants. -Three wounded officers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> of the 42nd and 92nd Regiments were standing -here to survey the scene: they had all of them been wounded in the -battle of the 16th. One of them had lost an arm, another was on -crutches, and the third seemed to be very ill. Their carriage waited -for them, as they were unable to walk. After some conversation with -them, we proceeded up the hill to the hamlet of La Belle Alliance. -The principal house on the left side of the road was pierced through -and through with cannon balls, and the offices behind it were a heap -of dust from the fire of the British artillery. Notwithstanding the -ruinous state of the house, it was filled with inhabitants. Its broken -walls, "its looped and windowed wretchedness," might indeed defend them -sufficiently "well from seasons such as these," when the soft breezes -and the bright beams of summer played around it—but against "the -pelting of the storm," it would afford them but a sorry shelter. It was -immediately to be repaired; but I rejoiced that it yet remained in its -dilapidated state.</p> - -<p>The house was filled with vestiges of the battle. Cuirasses, helmets, -swords, bayonets, feathers, brass eagles, and crosses of the Legion -of Honour, were to be purchased here. The house consisted of three -rooms, two in front, and a very small one behind. On the opposite side -of the road is a little cottage, forming part of the hamlet of La -Belle Alliance; and at a short distance, by the way side, is another -low-roofed cottage, which was pointed out to us as the place where -Buonaparte breakfasted on the morning of the battle. Farther along this -road, but not in sight, was the village of Planchenoit, which was the -head-quarters of the French on the night of the 17th.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span><a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a></p> - -<p>We crossed the field from this place to Château Hougoumont, descending -to the bottom of the hill, and again ascending the opposite side. Part -of our way lay through clover; but I observed that the corn on the -French position was not nearly so much beaten down as on the English, -which might naturally be expected, as they attacked us incessantly, -and we acted on the defensive, until that last, general, and decisive -charge of our whole army was made, before which theirs fled in -confusion. In some places patches of corn nearly as high as myself -was standing. Among them I discovered many a forgotten grave, strewed -round with melancholy remnants of military attire. While I loitered -behind the rest of the party, searching among the corn for some relics -worthy of preservation, I beheld a human hand, almost reduced to a -skeleton, outstretched above the ground, as if it had raised itself -from the grave. My blood ran cold with horror, and for some moments I -stood rooted to the spot, unable to take my eyes from this dreadful -object, or to move away: as soon as I recovered myself, I hastened -after my companions, who were far before me, and overtook them just as -they entered the wood of Hougoumont. Never shall I forget the dreadful -scene of death and destruction which it presented. The broken branches -were strewed around, the green beech leaves fallen before their time, -and stripped by the storm of war, not by the storm of Nature, were -scattered over the surface of the ground, emblematical of the fate of -the thousands who had fallen on the same spot in the summer of their -days. The return of spring will dress the wood of Hougoumont once more -in vernal beauty, and succeeding years will see it flourish:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span></p> - - - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;">"But when shall spring visit the mouldering urn,<br /> -Oh! when shall it dawn on the night of the grave!" -</p> - -<p>The trunks of the trees had been pierced in every direction with -cannon-balls. In some of them I counted the holes, where upwards of -thirty had lodged:<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> yet they still lived, they still bore their -verdant foliage, and the birds still sang amidst their boughs. Beneath -their shade the hare-bell and violet were waving their slender -heads; and the wild raspberry at their roots was ripening its fruit. -I gathered some of it with the bitter reflection, that amidst the -destruction of human life these worthless weeds and flowers had escaped -uninjured.</p> - -<p>Melancholy were the vestiges of death that continually met our eyes. -The carnage here had indeed been dreadful. Amongst the long grass lay -remains of broken arms, shreds of gold lace, torn epaulets, and pieces -of cartridge boxes; and upon the tangled branches of the brambles -fluttered many a tattered remnant of a soldier's coat. At the outskirts -of the wood, and around the ruined walls of the Château, huge piles -of human ashes were heaped up, some of which were still smoking. The -countrymen told us, that so great were the numbers of the slain, that -it was impossible entirely to consume them. Pits had been dug, into -which they had been thrown, but they were obliged to be raised far -above the surface of the ground. These dreadful heaps were covered with -piles of wood, which were set on fire, so that underneath the ashes lay -numbers of human bodies unconsumed.</p> - -<p>The Château itself, the beautiful seat of a Belgic gentle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>man, had been -set on fire by the explosion of shells during the action, which had -completed the destruction occasioned by a most furious cannonade. Its -broken walls and falling roof presented a most melancholy spectacle: -not melancholy merely from its being a pile of ruins, but from the -vestiges it presented of that tremendous and recent warfare by which -those ruins had been caused. Its huge blackened beams had fallen in -every direction upon the crumbling heaps of stone and plaster, which -were intermixed with broken pieces of the marble flags, the carved -cornices, and the gilded mirrors, that once ornamented it.</p> - -<p>We went into the garden, which had sustained comparatively little -injury, while every thing around it was laid waste. Its gay parterres -and summer flowers made it look like an island in the desert. A -berçeau, or covered walk, ran round it, shaded with creeping plants, -amongst which honey-suckles and jessamines were intermixed, en -treillage. The trees were loaded with fruit; the myrtles and fig-trees -were flourishing in luxuriance, and the scarlet geraniums, July -flowers, and orange-trees, were in full blow. My native country can -boast of no such beauty as bloomed at Château Hougoumont: its rugged -clime produces no fruitful fig-trees, no flowers rich in the fragrance -of orange blossom:—but it is the land of heroes!</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;">"Man is the nobler growth our realms supply,<br /> -And souls are ripened in our northern sky." -</p> - -<p>I saw the pure and polished leaves of the laurel shining in the sun, -and I could not restrain my tears at the thought that the laurels, the -everlasting laurels which England had won upon this spot, were steeped -in the heart-blood of thousands of her brave, her lamented sons. But -if not immortal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> in their lives, they will be so in their fame: their -laurels will never wither; and no British heart, henceforward, will -ever visit this hallowed spot without paying a tribute of veneration -and regret to those gallant spirits who here fought and fell for their -country.</p> - -<p>At the garden gate I found the holster of a British officer, entire, -but deluged with blood. In the inside was the maker's name—Beazley -and Hetse, No. 4, Parliament-street. All around were strewed torn -epaulets, broken scabbards, and sabretashes stained and stiffened -with blood—proofs how dreadfully the battle had raged. The garden -and courts were lined during the engagement with Nassau troops, as -sharpshooters, who did great execution.</p> - -<p>A poor countryman, with his wife and children, inhabited a miserable -shed amongst these deserted ruins. This unfortunate family had only -fled from the spot on the morning of the battle. Their little dwelling -had been burnt, and all their property had perished in the flames. They -had scarcely clothes to cover them, and were destitute of everything. -Yet the poor woman, as she told me the story of their distresses, and -wept over the baby that she clasped to her breast, blessed heaven that -she had preserved her children. She seemed most grateful for a little -assistance, took me into her miserable habitation, and gave me the -broken sword of a British officer of infantry (most probably of the -Guards), which was the only thing she had left; and which, with some -other relics before collected, I preserved as carefully as if they had -been the most valuable treasures.</p> - -<p>It is a remarkable circumstance that amidst this scene of destruction, -and surrounded on all sides by the shattered walls and smoking piles -of "this ruined and roofless abode," the little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> chapel belonging to -the Château stood uninjured. Its preservation appeared to these simple -peasants an unquestionable miracle; and we felt more inclined to -respect than to wonder at the superstitious veneration with which they -regarded it. No shot nor shell had penetrated its consecrated walls; -no sacrilegious hand had dared to violate its humble altar, which was -still adorned with its ancient ornaments and its customary care. A type -of that blessed religion to which it was consecrated, it stood alone, -unchanged, amidst the wreck of earthly greatness—as if to speak to our -hearts, amidst the horrors of the tomb, the promises of immortality; -and to recal our thoughts from the crimes and sorrows of earth to the -hopes and happiness of heaven. The voice of the Divinity himself within -his holy temple seemed to tell us, that those whom we lamented here, -and who, in the discharge of their last and noblest duty to their -country, had met on the field of honour "the death that best becomes -the brave,"—should receive in another and a better world their great -reward! Blackened piles of human ashes surrounded us; but I felt that -though "the dust returns to the earth, the spirit returns unto Him that -gave it."</p> - -<p>The countryman led me to one of these piles within the gates of the -court belonging to the Château, where, he said, the bodies of three -hundred of the British Guardsmen who had so gallantly defended it, had -been burnt as they had been found, heaped in death.<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> I took some of -the ashes and wrapped them up in one of the many sheets of paper that -were strewed around me; perhaps those heaps that then blackened the -surface of this scene of desolation are already<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> scattered by the winds -of winter, and mingled unnoticed with the dust of the field; perhaps -the few sacred ashes which I then gathered at Château Hougoumont are -all that is now to be found upon earth of the thousands who fell upon -this fatal field!</p> - -<p>It was not without regret that we left this ever-memorable spot, -surrounded as it was by horrors that shocked the mind, and vestiges -that were revolting to the senses. Still we lingered around it, till -at length, after gazing for the last time at its ruined archways and -desolated courts, we struck into the wood, and lost sight for ever of -the Château Hougoumont. The road to Nivelles, which strikes off to the -right from the highroad to Genappe at the village of Mont St. Jean, -passes the Château on the other side. The right wing of the British -army crossed this road, and in the deep ditches on each side of it we -were told that human remains still lay uninterred. Some of the party -returned to Mont St. Jean by this road, which is considerably nearer; -but my brother, my sister, and myself, once more crossed the field in -order to pay another visit to La Belle Alliance.</p> - -<p>I could not be persuaded to go to see the skeleton of a calf which had -been burnt in one of the outhouses of Hougoumont, and over which one -of the ladies of our party uttered the most pathetic lamentations. -It seemed to fill her mind with more concern than anything else. -At another time I might have been sorry for the calf; but when I -remembered how many poor wounded men had been burnt alive in these -ruins, it was impossible to bestow a single thought upon its fate. -Finding that her sensibility obtained no sympathy from me, the lady -turned to my sister, and began to bewail the calf anew, till at last, -wearied out with such folly, "out of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> her grief and her impatience," -she exclaimed, "that she did not care if all the calves in the world -had been burnt, compared to one of the brave men who had perished here."</p> - -<p>As we passed again through the wood of Hougoumont, I gathered some -seeds of the wild broom, with the intention of planting them at -H. Park, and with the hope that I should one day see the broom of -Hougoumont blooming on the banks of the Tweed. In leaving the wood I -was struck with the sight of the scarlet poppy flaunting in full bloom -upon some new-made graves, as if in mockery of the dead. In many parts -of the field these flowers were growing in profusion: they had probably -been protected from injury by the tall and thick corn amongst which -they grew, and their slender roots had adhered to the clods of clay -which had been carelessly thrown upon the graves. From one of these -graves I gathered the little wild blue flower known by the sentimental -name of "Forget me not!" which to a romantic imagination might have -furnished a fruitful subject for poetic reverie or pensive reflection.</p> - -<p>While my sister was taking a view of the field of battle, and my -brother was overlooking and guarding her, I entered the cottage of "La -Belle Alliance," and began to talk to Baptiste la Coste, Buonaparte's -guide, whom I found there. He is a sturdy, honest-looking countryman, -and gave an interesting account of Buonaparte's behaviour during the -battle. He said that he issued his orders with great vehemence, and -even impatience: he took snuff incessantly, but in a hurried manner, -and apparently from habit, and without being conscious that he was -doing so: he talked a great deal, and very rapidly—his manner of -speaking was abrupt, quick, and hurried: he was extremely nervous and -agitated at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> times, though his anticipations of victory were most -confident. He frequently expressed his astonishment, rather angrily, -that the British held out so long—at the same time he could not -repress his admiration of their gallantry, and often broke out into -exclamations of amazement and approbation of their courage and conduct. -He particularly admired the Scotch Greys—"Voilà ces chevaux gris—ah! -ce sont beaux cavaliers—très beaux;" and then he said they would all -be cut to pieces. He said—"These English certainly fight well, but -they must soon give way;" and he asked Soult, who was near him, "if -he did not think so?" Soult replied, "He was afraid not." "And why?" -said Napoleon, turning round to him quickly. "Because," said Soult, -"I believe they will first be cut to pieces." Soult's opinion of the -British army, which was founded on experience, coincided with that of -the Duke of Wellington. "It will take a great many hours to cut them -in pieces," said the Duke, in answer to something that was said to him -during the action; "and I know they will never give way."</p> - -<p>Buonaparte, however, who knew less of them, and whose head always ran -upon the idea of the English flying to their ships, had never dreamt -that with a force so inferior they would think of giving him battle, -but imagined that they would continue their retreat during the night, -and that he should have to pursue them. It is said that he expressed -great satisfaction when the morning broke and he saw them still there; -and that he exclaimed, "Ah! pour le coup—je les tiens donc—ces -Anglais!"</p> - -<p>Before the engagement began he harangued the army, promising them the -plunder of Brussels and Ghent. Once, towards the close of the battle, -he addressed himself to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> Imperial Guard, leading them on to the -brink of the hill, and telling them "that was the road to Brussels." -Regardless of the waste of human life, he incessantly ordered his -battalions to advance—to bear down upon the enemy—to carry every -thing before them. He inflamed their ardour by the remembrance of past, -as well as the prospect of present victory, and the promise of future -reward: but he never led them on to battle himself—he never once -braved the shock of British arms. It is not true as has been reported, -that he was ever near Lord Uxbridge, or in any danger of being taken -prisoner by the English. Indeed, he exposed himself to very little -personal risk—a proof of which is, that not one of those who attended -him the whole day was wounded.</p> - -<p>La Coste said, that at first, when he was told that the Prussians were -advancing, he obstinately and angrily refused to believe it, declaring -it was the French corps under Marshal Grouchy.<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> He then commanded -this news to be spread amongst the army, and ordered Marshal Ney, at -the head of two columns, each composed of four battalions of the old -Imperial Guard, and seconded by all the available force of the French -army, both cavalry and infantry, to charge, and to penetrate to the -centre of the British position. He stood to witness the desperate -struggle which ensued, and the final and complete overthrow of the -<i>élite</i> of his gallant army, of immensely preponderating force, by -a handful of determined<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> British troops; but when he perceived his -"invincible legions" give way, and retreat in confusion before the -grand simultaneous charge of the British army, which immediately -ensued, led by the Duke of Wellington in person, who was amongst the -foremost in the onset, he turned pale, his perturbation became extreme, -and exclaiming, "All is lost—let us save ourselves" (Tout est perdu; -or, Sauve qui peut!), or words to that effect; he put spurs to his -horse, and galloped from the field. La Coste expressly said, that he -was among the first of the officers to set the example of flight.<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> -His own old Imperial Guard still remained—disputed every foot of -ground—fought desperately to the last, and at length, overpowered by -numbers, fell gloriously—as their leader should have fallen.</p> - -<p>But he!—not even despair could prompt him to one noble thought, or -rouse him to one deed of desperate valour. He fled—as at Egypt, at -Moscow, and at Leipsic he had fled—while his faithful veterans were -still fighting with enthusiastic gallantry, and shedding the last drop -of their blood in his cause!</p> - -<p>Was this the conduct of a hero? Was this the conduct of a general? Was -this the conduct of a great mind? No! He had set his "life upon a cast, -and he should have stood the hazard of the die." And for what did he -abandon his army, and basely fly in the hour of danger? That he might -be humiliated, pursued, and taken—that he might become a suppliant to -that hated enemy whose ruin he had pursued with implacable hostility, -and be indebted to their faith and generosity for life and safety—that -he might live to hear his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> name execrated, and linger out a few years -of miserable existence in exile, obscurity, and degradation.</p> - -<p>It has been said by his advocates and admirers, that he was not only a -great man, but the greatest man who ever lived—and that his only fault -was ambition. Yes! Napoleon Buonaparte had, indeed, ambition; but it -was selfish ambition; it was for power, not for glory; for unbounded -empire and unlimited dominion, not for the welfare of his subjects and -the prosperity of his country. He used the talents, the opportunities, -and the power, with which he was gifted, and such as perhaps no mortal -ever before enjoyed, not to save, but to destroy, not to bless, but to -desolate, the world.</p> - -<p>The conduct of the leaders of the contending armies was as opposite as -the cause for which they fought. While Napoleon kept aloof from the -action, Lord Wellington exposed himself to the hottest fire, threw -himself into the thickest of the fight, and braved every danger of the -battle. He issued every order, he directed every movement, he seemed -to be everywhere present, he encouraged his troops, he rallied his -regiments, he led them on against the tremendous forces of the enemy, -charged at their head, and defeated their most formidable attacks. No -private soldier in his army was exposed to half the personal danger -that he encountered.<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> All who surrounded him fell by his side, -wounded and dying. All his personal staff, with scarcely an exception, -were either killed or wounded. In the battle's most terrible moment, -and most hopeless crisis, when our gallant army, weakened by immense -losses, and by more than seven hours of unequal combat, were scarcely -able to stand against the overwhelm<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span>ing number of fresh troops which -the enemy poured down against them; when the recreant Belgians fled, -when every British soldier was in action, when reinforcements were -asked for in vain; when no reserve remained, and no prospect of succour -from our allies appeared, Lord Wellington, exposed to the hottest -fire, calmly rode along the lines of his diminished army, animating -and encouraging the men; directed fresh arrangements of his remaining -forces; rallied in the fight, the wavering Brunswickers, cheered on, -and headed the brave British Brigades,<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a> and finally, having repulsed -the last tremendous attack of the enemy,—with the memorable words, "Up -guards! and at them!" led on the remnant of his gallant army to the -most glorious victory a general ever won.<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a></p> - -<p>Nor was the conduct of the two generals on this day more opposite -than that of the armies which they commanded, and the motives by -which they were actuated. The French fought to obtain plunder and -aggrandisement—the British to fulfil their duty to their country. -Well did their generals know this essential difference! Buonaparte -held out to his troops the spoils of Belgium and Holland. When he -wished to animate them to the greatest exertions, he led them forward -and told them, "That was the road to Brussels!" Lord Wellington, in -the most critical moment of the battle, held another language. "We -must not be beaten," he said to his soldiers; "What will they say of -us in England!" After the battle their conduct was equally different. -The French had murdered numbers of their prisoners, and those whose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> -lives they spared, they robbed, insulted, and treated with the utmost -cruelty, shutting them up without food, without dressing their wounds, -and subjecting them to every hardship and privation. The British, on -the contrary, though irritated by the knowledge of these barbarities, -protected the wounded French from the rage of the Prussians, who would -have gladly revenged the cruelties with which they had been treated by -them. Our wounded soldiers, who were able to move, employed themselves -in assisting their suffering enemies, binding up their wounds, and -giving them food and water—but the brave are always merciful.</p> - -<p>A countryman, who belonged either to La Belle Alliance, or to some of -the neighbouring cottages, told me, that when he came here early on the -morning after the battle, the house was surrounded with the wounded and -dying of the French army, many of whom implored him, for God's sake, to -put an end to their sufferings.</p> - -<p>But the agonising scenes which had so recently taken place here, and -the images of horror which every object in and around La Belle Alliance -was irresistibly calculated to suggest to the mind, were almost too -dreadful for reflection. More pleasing was the remembrance, that it was -here Napoleon Buonaparte stood when he prematurely dispatched a courier -to Paris with the false news that he had won the day; and that it was -here the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blucher accidently met, a few -hours after, in the very moment of victory, when Buonaparte was flying -before their triumphant armies, himself the bearer of the news of his -own defeat. [<i>See</i> Appendix, E.]</p> - -<p>The interview between the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blucher was -short, but it will be for ever memorable in the annals of history. -They did not enter the house, but re<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span>mained together a few minutes in -earnest conversation. It is well known that Blucher and the Prussians -continued the pursuit during the night. The remains of the British army -rested from their toils on the ground, surrounded by the bleeding and -dying French, on the very spot which they had occupied the preceding -night—and Lord Wellington returned to Waterloo.</p> - -<p>"As he crossed again the fatal field, on which the silence of death -had now succeeded to the storm of battle, the moon, breaking from -dark clouds, shed an uncertain light upon this wide scene of carnage, -covered with mangled thousands of that gallant army whose heroic valour -had won for him the brightest wreath of victory, and left to future -times an imperishable monument of their country's fame. He saw himself -surrounded by the bloody corpses of his veteran soldiers, who had -followed him through distant lands, of his friends, his associates in -arms, his companions through many an eventful year of danger and of -glory: in that awful pause, which follows the mortal conflict of man -with man, emotions, unknown or stifled in the heat of battle, forced -their way—the feelings of the man triumphed over those of the general, -and in the very hour of victory Lord Wellington burst into tears."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span><a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a></p> - -<p>The state of the wounded during this dreadful night may be conceived. -Not even a drop of water was to be had on the field to relieve their -thirst, and none was to be procured nearer than Waterloo. Late as it -was, and exhausted as our officers must have been with the fatigue of -such unremitting exertions, many of them mounted their horses, slung -over their shoulders as many canteens as they could carry, galloped to -Waterloo, a distance of more than two miles from almost every part of -the field, filled them with water, and returned with it for the relief -of the wounded men.</p> - -<p>I did not leave a corner of La Belle Alliance unrummaged, but I cannot -say that I saw anything particularly worthy of notice: I ate a bit of -intolerably bad rye-cake, as sour as vinegar, and as black as the bread -of Sparta, which nothing but the consideration of its having been in La -Belle Alliance during the battle (which the woman assured me was the -case) could have induced me to swallow:—but I need not stop to relate -my own follies.</p> - -<p>I bought from the people of the house the feather of a French officer, -and a cuirass which had belonged to a French Cuirassier, who, they -said, had died here the day after the battle. Loaded with my spoils, I -traversed the whole extent of the field, thinking, as I toiled along -beneath the burning sun, under the weight of the heavy cuirass, that -the poor man to whom it had belonged, when he brought it into the -field, in all the pride of martial ardour, and all the confidence of -victory, little dreamed who would carry it off. If he had known that -it was to be an English lady, he would have been more surprised than -pleased.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>I did not stop till I got to the old tree now known by the name of Lord -Wellington's tree,<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> near which he stood for a length of time during -the battle, and beneath which I now sat myself down to rest. Its massy -trunk and broken branches were pierced with a number of cannon-balls, -but its foliage still afforded me a grateful shade from the rays of the -sun.</p> - -<p>It was between this part of the field and Hougoumont that the lamented -Sir William Ponsonby gloriously fell in the prime of life and honour, -after repeatedly leading the most gallant and successful charges -against the enemy, in which he took upwards of 2000 prisoners and two -French eagles. The particulars of his death are well known. In the -heat of the action he was unfortunately separated from his brigade, -his horse stuck fast in the deep wet clay of some newly-ploughed -land, and he saw a large body of Polish Lancers bearing down against -him. In this dreadful situation he awaited the inevitable fate that -approached him with the composure of a hero: he calmly turned to his -aide-de-camp, who was still by his side, and it is said that he was in -the act of giving him a picture and a last message to his wife, when -he was pierced at once with the pikes of seven of the Polish Lancers, -and fell covered with wounds. England never lost a better soldier, nor -society a brighter ornament. He was deservedly beloved by his friends -and companions, adored by his family, and lamented and honoured by his -country.</p> - -<p>Numbers of country-people were employed in what might be called the -gleanings of the harvest of spoil. The muskets, the swords, the -helmets, the cuirasses—all the large and un<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span>broken arms had been -immediately carried off; and now the eagles that had emblazoned the -caps of the French infantry, the fragments of broken swords, &c., were -rarely to be found, though there was great abundance upon sale. But -there was still plenty of rubbish to be picked up upon the field, for -those who had a taste for it like me—though the greatest part of it -was in a most horrible state.</p> - -<p>It was astonishing with what dreadful haste the bodies of the dead -had been pillaged. The work of plunder was carried on even during -the battle; and those hardened and abandoned wretches who follow the -camp, like vultures, to prey upon the corpses of the dead, had the -temerity to press forward beneath a heavy fire to rifle the pockets of -the officers who fell of their watches and money. The most daring and -atrocious of these marauders were women.<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a></p> - -<p>The description I heard of the field the morning after the battle -from those who had visited it, I cannot yet recal without horror. -Horses were galloping about in every direction without their riders: -some of them, bleeding with their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> wounds and frantic with pain, were -tearing up the ground, and plunging over the bodies of the dead and -the dying—and many of them were lying on the ground in the agonies of -death.</p> - -<p>Over the whole field the bodies of the innumerable dead, already -stripped of every covering, were lying in heaps upon each other; the -wounded in many instances beneath them. Some, faint and bleeding, were -slowly attempting to make their way towards Brussels; others were -crawling upon their hands and knees from this scene of misery; and -many, unable to move, lay on the ground in agony.</p> - -<p>For four days and nights some of these unfortunate men were exposed -to the beams of the sun by day, and to the dews by night; for -notwithstanding the most praiseworthy and indefatigable exertions, the -last of the wounded were not removed from the field until the Thursday -after the battle; and if we consider that there were at least 8000 -British, besides the Belgic, Brunswick, and Prussian wounded soldiers, -and an incalculable number of wounded French—we shall find cause for -surprise and admiration, that they could be removed in so short a time. -Their conveyance, too, was rendered extremely difficult, as well as -inconceivably painful to the poor sufferers, by the dreadful and almost -impassable state of the roads.</p> - -<p>The Belgic peasantry showed the most active and attentive humanity to -these poor wounded men. They brought them the best food they could -procure; they gave them water to drink—they ministered to all their -wants—complied with all their wishes—and treated them as if they had -been their own children.</p> - -<p>An officer, with whom we are well acquainted, went over the field on -the morning of the battle, and examined the ghastly heaps of dead in -search of the body of a near rela<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span>tion; and after all the corpses were -buried or burnt—in the same melancholy and fruitless search, many an -Englishwoman, whom this day of glory had bereft of husband or son, -wandered over this fatal field, wildly calling upon the names of those -who were now no more. The very day before we visited it, the widow -and the sister of a brave and lamented British officer had been here, -harrowing up the souls of the beholders with their wild lamentations, -vainly demanding where the remains of him they loved reposed, and -accusing Heaven for denying them the consolation of weeping over -his grave. I was myself, afterwards, a sorrowful witness of the -dreadful effects of the unrestrained indulgence of this passionate and -heart-breaking grief. In the instance to which I allude, sorrow had -nearly driven reason from her seat, and melancholy verged upon madness.</p> - -<p>I have forced myself to dwell upon these scenes of horror, with -whatever pain to my own feelings, because in this favoured country, -which the mercy of Heaven has hitherto preserved from being the theatre -of war, and from experiencing the calamities which have visited other -nations, I have sometimes thought that the blessings of that exemption -are but imperfectly felt, and that the sufferings and the dangers of -those whose valour and whose blood have been its security and glory, -are but faintly understood, and coldly commiserated. I wished that -those who had suffered in the cause of their country should be repaid -by her gratitude, and that she should learn more justly to estimate -"the price of victory." But it is impossible for me to describe, or for -imagination to conceive, the horrors of Waterloo!</p> - -<p>How gladly would I dwell upon the individual merits of those who -fell upon this glorious field, had I but the power to snatch from -oblivion one of the many names which ought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> to be enrolled in the -proud list of their country's heroes! In the heat of such a battle, -probably thousands have fallen, whose untold deeds surpass all that -from childhood our hearts have worshipped. But that heroic valour and -devoted patriotism, which in other days were confined to individuals -and signalised their conduct—at Waterloo pervaded every breast. -Every private soldier acted like a hero, and thus individual merit -was lost in the general excellence, as the beams of the stars are -undistinguished in the universal blaze of day.</p> - -<p>But it is not only the unrivalled glory of my countrymen in arms, of -which I am proud, it is the noble use which they have made of their -triumph. It is not only their irresistible valour in battle, but their -unexampled mercy and moderation in victory which exalts them above all -other nations. It has been justly said by those whom they conquered, -that no other army than the British could have won the battles of -Quatre Bras and Waterloo: and no other army but the British, after such -a battle and such a victory, after a long course of incessant warfare, -after recent insults and wanton cruelties, and after ages of inveterate -hostility and national animosity,—no other army but the British, -in such circumstances, would have marched through the heart of that -enemy's country, and entered that enemy's capital, as the British army -marched through France and entered Paris.</p> - -<p>We have only to remember what has invariably been the conduct of the -French armies in their march through the countries they have conquered. -We have only to picture to ourselves what <i>would</i> have been their -conduct, if they had triumphantly marched through England, and we shall -then be able to appreciate the meritorious moderation of the British -army. No plundered towns, no burning villages, no ruined houses marked -their course; no outrage, no cruelty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> nor violence disgraced their -triumphant progress. The French people received from their enemies that -mercy which was denied them by their own soldiers. There is not a spot -on the earth, from the burning sands of Egypt to the frozen deserts -of Russia—from the Black Sea to the Pillars of Hercules—from the -coasts of the Baltic to the shores of the Mediterranean, where the name -of Frenchman and of Napoleon Buonaparte is not dreaded and detested. -Whereever the power of Buonaparte has been known, or his dominion felt, -his name is uttered with execrations. Wherever he has gone, his path, -like that of the pestiferous serpent, has been traced by misery and -desolation. But it is a proud reflection to every British heart, that -there is not a country of the civilised world where England is not -mentioned with respect and gratitude, and the very name of Englishman -coupled with blessings.</p> - -<p>I am too sensible of my own incompetency, and too conscious of my want -of knowledge, to attempt to give any account of the battle itself. -The deeds of my countrymen I can only admire—I am not qualified to -record them. Abler pens than mine must do justice to the events of -this day of glory, which I cannot recal to memory without tears: but -it was impossible to stand on the field where thousands of my gallant -countrymen had fought and conquered, and bled and died—and where -their heroic valour had won for England her latest, proudest wreath -of glory—without mingled feelings of triumph, pity, enthusiasm, and -admiration, which language is utterly unable to express.</p> - -<p>I stood alone upon the spot so lately bathed in human blood—where -more than two hundred thousand human beings had mingled together in -mortal strife: I cast my eyes upon the ruined hovels immortalised by -the glorious achieve<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span>ments of my gallant countrymen. I recalled to mind -their invincible constancy—their undaunted intrepidity—their heroic -self-devotion in the hour of trial—their magnanimity and mercy in the -moment of victory: I cast my eyes upon the tremendous graves at my -feet, filled with the mortal remains of heroes.—Silence and desolation -now reigned on this wide field of carnage: the scattered relics of -recent slaughter and devastation covered the sun-burnt ground; the -gales of heaven, as they passed me, were tainted with the effluvia -of death. I shuddered at the thought that, beneath the clay on which -I stood, the best and bravest of human hearts reposed in death. Oh! -surely in such a moment and on such a spot, "some human tears might -fall and be forgiven!"</p> - -<p>Alas! those for whom I mourned sleep in death—and in vain for -them are the tears, the praise, or the gratitude of their country: -but though their bodies may moulder in the tomb, and their ashes, -mingled with the dust, be scattered unnoticed by the winds of winter, -their names and their deeds shall never perish—they shall live -for ever in the remembrance of their country, and the tears which -pity—gratitude—admiration—wring from every British heart, shall -hallow their bloody and honourable grave. On earth they shall receive -the noblest meed of praise; and oh! may we not, without impiety or -presumption, indulge the hope, that in heaven the crown of glory and -immortality awaits those who fell in the field of honour, and who -in the discharge of their last and noblest duty to their country, -"resigned their spirit unto Him that gave it?"</p> - -<p>It was with difficulty I could tear myself from the spot—but after -casting one long and lingering look upon the wood-crowned hill of -Hougoumont, the shattered walls of La Haye Sainte, the hamlet of La -Belle Alliance, the woods<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> of Frischermont, the broken hedge in front -of which Sir Thomas Picton's division had been stationed, and which was -doubly interesting from the remembrance that it was there that gallant -and lamented general had fought and fallen; and after giving one last -glance at the ever memorable tree beneath which I stood, I joined my -brother and sister, who had been taking sketches at a little distance, -and set off with them to Mont St. Jean—lightened of the load of my -cuirass, which a little girl, who before the battle had been one of the -inhabitants of La Haye Sainte, joyfully carried to the village for half -a franc.</p> - -<p>On our return we entered the farm-house where Major L. had been -conveyed when wounded. The farm-house and offices enclose a court into -which the windows of the house look. It is only one story high, and -consists of three rooms, one through another. Not only these rooms, -but the barns, out-houses, and byres were filled with wounded British -officers, many of whom died here before morning.</p> - -<p>In that last tremendous attack which took place towards the close of -the day, before the arrival of the Prussians (but which, thanks to -British valour, was wholly unsuccessful), the battle extended even -here. The French suddenly turned the fire of nearly the whole of their -artillery against this part of our position, in front of Mont St. Jean, -and a general charge of their infantry and cavalry advanced, under -cover of this tremendous cannonade, to the attack. Weakened as our -army had been in this quarter with the immense loss it had sustained, -they expected it to give way instantly, and that they should be able -to force their way to Brussels. The Belgians fled at this tremendous -onset. The British stood firm and undaunted, contesting every inch -of ground. Every little rise was taken and retaken. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> French and -English, intermingled with each other, fought man to man, and sword -to sword, around these walls, and in this court, while cannon-shot -thundered against the walls of the house, and shells broke in at the -windows of the rooms crowded with wounded. Such of the officers as it -was possible to remove were carried out beneath a shower of musketry. -But our troops maintained their ground in spite of the immense numbers -of the enemy, and of a most tremendous and incessant fire; and after -a long and desperate contest, the French were completely repulsed and -driven back. They never for a moment gained possession even of this -farm-house, much less of the village of Mont St. Jean, to which indeed -the battle never extended. Some cannon-balls indeed were lodged in the -walls of the cottages, but the action took place entirely in front of -the village, and its possession was never therefore disputed.</p> - -<p>The farmer's wife had actually remained in this farm-house during the -whole of this tremendous battle, quite alone, shut up in her own room, -or rather garret. There she sat the whole day, listening to the roar -of the cannon, in solitude and silence, unable to see anything, or to -hear any account of what was passing. It seemed to me that the utmost -ingenuity of man could not have devised a more terrible punishment than -this woman voluntarily inflicted upon herself. When I asked her what -could have been her motives for remaining in such a dreadful situation, -she said that she stayed to take care of her property—that all she had -in the world consisted in cows and calves, in poultry and pigs—and she -thought if she went away and left them, she should lose them all—and -perhaps have her house and furniture burnt. She seemed to applaud -herself not a little for her foresight. If the French, however, had -been victorious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> instead of the English, the woman, as well as her hens -and chickens, would have been in rather an awkward predicament.</p> - -<p>Her husband first told me this story, which I could scarcely credit -till she herself confirmed it. But he, honest man! had wisely run away -before the battle had begun, leaving his wife, his pigs, and poultry -to take care of themselves. She said she stayed in her room all that -night, and never came down till the following morning, when all the -surviving wounded officers had been removed, but the bodies of those -who had expired during the night still remained, and the floors of -all the rooms were stained with blood. She seemed very callous to -their fate, and to the sufferings of the wounded; and very indifferent -about everything except her hens and chickens. She led me to a little -miserable dark cow-house, where General Cooke (or Cock, as she called -him) had remained a considerable time when wounded, and it seemed to be -a sort of gratification to her, that a British general had been in her -cow-house.</p> - -<p>Leaving this farm-house, we walked through the village of Mont St. -Jean, and stopped at the little inn, where we found the rest of the -party busily employed upon every kind of eatable the house afforded, -which consisted of brown bread, and butter and cheese—small beer, -and still smaller wine. Although I had rejected with abhorrence at -Château Hougoumont a proposal of eating, which some one had ventured -unadvisedly to make; and though it did seem to me upon the field of -battle that I should never think of eating again, yet no sooner did I -cast my eyes upon these viands than I pounced upon them, as a falcon -does upon its prey, and devoured them with nearly as much voracity. -They seemed to me to be delicious; and the brown bread and butter, -especially, were incomparable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>The woman of the house and her two daughters, who were industriously -employed in plain needlework, related to us with great naïveté all the -terrors they had suffered, and all the horrors they had seen. Like all -the other inhabitants of the village, they had fled the day before the -battle—not into the woods, but to a place, the name of which I do not -remember, but which they said was very far off ("bien loin").</p> - -<p>Several cannon-balls had lodged in the walls about this house, although -it was at the extremity of the village, farthest from the field. -Having finished our frugal repast, for which these kind and simple -people asked a most trifling recompense, we left Mont St. Jean, passed -through the village of Waterloo for the last time, and returned to -Brussels with an impression on our minds, from our visit to the field -of Waterloo, which no time can efface.</p> - -<p>It was on Wednesday, the 19th of July, that we learnt the astonishing -news that Napoleon Buonaparte had surrendered himself to the -British, and was actually a prisoner on board the Bellerophon. An -aide-de-camp of the King of France, going express to the King of -Holland at the Hague, was the bearer of this important intelligence. -It was communicated to us by General Murray, who came in with a -countenance radiant with joy, and scarcely could my sister and I, in -our transports, refrain from embracing the good old general. He had -himself seen the aide-de-camp of Louis XVIII.; yet this news was so -unexpected, so wonderful—and above all so good; that scarcely could -it be credited. Could it indeed be possible that Napoleon—the dreaded -Napoleon—was really a prisoner to the English! All ranks of people -were breathless with expectation, and with trembling eagerness and -anxious inquiries awaited further intelligence. In a few hours it was -confirmed beyond<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> a possibility of doubt.—"Buonaparte est pris!—il -est pris!—c'est vrai—c'est bien vrai!" cried M. Weerid, the Belgic -gentleman in whose house Major L. was an inmate, bursting into his room -with a turbulence of joy ill-suited to the suffering state of our poor -wounded friend. The loud acclamations of the populace—the ejaculations -of thanksgiving and tears of joy which burst from the women—and -the curses which were freely bestowed on him by the men—proved the -strength of their terror, and the bitterness of their detestation.</p> - -<p>It was our fate to be the bearers of this intelligence almost the -whole way through Belgium. So slowly does news travel in this country, -that although it had arrived in Brussels at five o'clock in the -afternoon, and we did not set off till eight the following morning, -no rumours of it had been received in any of the towns or villages -through which we passed; and we even found the good people of Ghent in -profound ignorance of it. But the Belgians were slow of belief, and the -transport and the vociferous joy with which it was uniformly received -at first, were generally followed by doubts and fears, and fervent -wishes for its truth.</p> - -<p>At the inn at Alost we found a party comfortably sitting down to dinner -at twelve o'clock, at the well-spread Table d'Hôte. No sooner had I -mentioned this news than knives and forks were thrown down, plates and -dishes abandoned. An old fat Belgic gentleman, overturning his soup -plate, literally jumped for joy; another, more nimble, began to caper -up and down the room. A corpulent lady, in attempting to articulate her -transport, was nearly choked, like little Hunchback, with a fish-bone; -and the demonstrations of joy shown by the rest of the party were not -less extravagant. One old man, however, shook his head in sign of -incredulity, and said with fervour, when I assured him that Buona<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>parte -was really a prisoner to the English, "that he should have lived long -enough if he ever lived to see that day." Nothing amused me more, -however, than the squall set up by an old country-woman, who shook my -hand till she nearly wrung it off, and then, shocked at what she had -done, burst forth into apologies to me, exclamations of joy, and abuse -of Buonaparte, all in a breath.</p> - -<p>To my cost, however, the official account of this important news did -arrive at Ghent, just after I had gone to bed. It had been more than -twenty-four hours on its way, travelling at the rate of about a mile an -hour; and much did I wish that it had been longer, for neither peace -nor repose was now to be had. Bonfires were lighted, guns fired, squibs -and crackers let off in the streets, rockets sent up to the clouds, -and both heaven and earth disturbed by the uproar. Not satisfied with -this, they took it into their heads to keep up a firing with muskets -under my windows; and the inhabitants and the English soldiers, royally -drunk and loyally noisy, vied with each other in singing or rather -roaring out the most discordant strains; and "God save the King," in -English, and a variety of Belgic songs in low Dutch, were sung all at -once, with the most patriotic perseverance, in the streets. By the time -these outrageously loyal people found their way to bed, it was nearly -time for me to get up, which I did at five o'clock, in order to see a -very fine cabinet of paintings. The old Flemish gentleman to whom they -belonged, not satisfied with giving me permission to see them, had the -politeness to rise at that unseasonable hour, in order that he might -be ready to receive me, and to show them to me himself. What English -gentleman would have got out of his bed before six o'clock in order -to show his collection of paintings to a foreigner, a person of no -distinction, of whom he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> knew nothing, who had no introduction to him, -whom he had never seen before, and would most probably never see again?</p> - -<p>Next day at nine o'clock we embarked from Ostend for England in a -large packet crowded with passengers. We set sail with a favouring -gale, but the winds and the waves maintained their usual capricious -and inconstant character, and after a succession of calms, contrary -winds, and opposing tides, we found ourselves, late on the evening of -the second day, at anchor within sight of the harbour of Margate, but -without a hope of reaching it till the following morning. In order to -escape spending another night on board, we embraced the expedient of -committing ourselves to a little boat, in which it seemed invariably to -be our fate to end all our voyages.</p> - -<p>We were rowed ashore, and landed in the dark, at past eleven o'clock -at night, upon the slippery and weed-covered rocks of Margate, exactly -six weeks after we had landed in the same manner, at the same hour, and -the same day of the week, on the deep and deserted sands of Ostend. -In that six weeks what a change had taken place! When I left England, -Buonaparte was the terror of the world—Europe was arming against -him, and his threatening hosts were ready to overwhelm it again with -ruin. When I returned, these tremendous armies were defeated and -scattered—the victorious troops of England were in the capital of -France; and Buonaparte himself, fallen from the highest imperial throne -of the universe to the lowest abyss of fortune, was a prisoner on board -a British ship of war, and a suppliant to the mercy of my country!</p> - -<p>Events so extraordinary and improbable, and changes so sudden and so -wonderful, seemed to outrun the rapidity of imagination itself, and -to exceed the limits of possibility.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> The past seemed like a dream. -Scarcely, on retrospection, could we believe it to be real, or be -convinced that the scenes we had witnessed, since our departure from -England, had not been the illusions of fancy, or the "baseless fabric -of a vision." They bore more resemblance to the shifting and imaginary -scenes represented on the stage, than to events which had actually -happened on the great theatre of the world. It had indeed been a great -and a bloody tragedy, and it had been our lot to witness it from the -first to the last scene. It began at our entrance, it finished at our -departure from Brussels. The news of Buonaparte having attacked the -Prussians reached Brussels at the very moment of our arrival—the news -of his surrender to the British was received the night before we left -it.</p> - -<p>In that six weeks the work of an age had been accomplished; an usurper -had been dethroned; a monarch had been restored; a kingdom had been -lost and won; a war had begun and ended; peace had revisited the world; -and justice—strict, impartial justice—had descended upon the head of -the guilty. And all this was the work of England!</p> - -<p>Yet it has been asked—and I have often heard the question slightingly -repeated by my own countrymen—"And what, after all, has England gained -for years of war and bloodshed but glory?" I might answer that she has -gained security, peace, and prosperity for the world, and for herself, -besides, the highest place among nations: but granting that she had -only gained glory—what, I ask in return, could she gain that is -equivalent to it? What is there on earth to be compared to it?</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;">"Is aught on earth so precious and so dear<br /> -As Fame or Honour? or is aught so bright<br /> -And beautiful as Glory's beams appear,<br /> -Whose goodly light than Phœbus' lamp doth shine more clear?" -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 10em;"><i>Faerie Queen.</i></span> -</p> - - - -<p>Glory is the highest, the most lasting good. Without it, extent of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> -empire, political greatness, and national prosperity, are but a name; -without it, they can have no security, and can command no respect; -without it all other possessions are worthless and despicable—unstable -and transitory. Fortune may change; arts may perish; commerce may -decay; and wealth and power, and dominion and greatness may pass -away—but glory is immortal and indestructible, and will last when -empires and dynasties are no more.</p> - -<p>What gives nations honour and renown in future times but the glory -they have acquired? What exalted Greece and Rome to their proud -pre-eminence among the nations, and transmitted the lustre of their -name to the remotest time? Why does the traveller still traverse -distant countries, to explore with hallowed respect their mouldering -temples, and linger with silent awe amidst the ruins of the Parthenon, -or on the site of the Capitol? Why does generation after generation -contemplate with veneration the plains of Marathon, and the heights of -Leuctra? Why do they still retrace with enthusiasm the deeds of their -departed heroes, and the long catalogue of their ancient glories?—It -is to these ancient glories that they owe their present interest and -importance. The nations of the East were possessed of unbounded wealth, -magnificence, and power—and were long the seats of commerce, of the -arts of life, and of learning, when the western world was immersed in -ignorance and barbarism.—Yet their antiquities are unexplored—their -history neglected—their very existence almost forgotten; for they have -left no proud remembrance, no ray of glory, to immortalise their name.</p> - -<p>If it had been extent of empire, or superiority of wealth, that gave -nations lasting greatness, Persia would have en<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span>joyed that veneration -which is now paid to Athens. If it had been conferred by antiquity, or -by being the birth-place of the arts and sciences, Egypt would have -stood upon that pedestal of fame which Rome now fills.</p> - -<p>Yes! England has nobly fought, triumphantly conquered and well has she -been rewarded! She has gained that unalienable, imperishable prize, -which neither time nor fortune, nor fate—nor any earthly power can -ever wrest from her. She has won the immortal meed! Generations yet -unborn shall pride themselves on being the descendants of those who -fought and conquered in the righteous cause of Justice, Honour, and -Independence, on the plains of Spain, and on the glorious field of -Waterloo; and feel the throb of generous enthusiasm and of virtuous -patriotism, when they retrace the bright history of their country's -achievements.</p> - -<p>With these sentiments deeply impressed upon my mind; with the proud -consciousness, that highly as the fame of England had stood in all -ages, she had now attained an unparalleled height of greatness and -glory; that the ancient triumphs of Cressy, Poictiers, and Agincourt, -in one age, of Ramillies, Malplaquet, and Blenheim, in another, had -been surpassed in those of Salamanca, Vittoria, and Waterloo, in our -own; that her name would descend to the latest times as unrivalled -in arms, invincible by land and by sea, and pre-eminent, not only in -valour, but in faith and honour—in justice, mercy, and magnanimity, -and in public virtue—I returned to my country after all the varying -and eventful scenes through which it had been my lot to pass, more -proud than when I left it of the name of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;"><span class="smcap">An Englishwoman</span>. -</p> - - - - - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> The Emperor Charles V., in disparagement of the capital -City of his rival, used to delight in saying, "Je peux mettre tout -Paris dans <i>mon Gand</i>." Ghent, on the Continent, is always spelt and -pronounced Gand, the same as <i>gant</i>, glove.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> I write it not grammatically, but as they pronounced it, -with a strong emphasis on the last letter.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> It was not expected at that time that Belgium would be the -theatre of war, but that the Allies would advance into France.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> Afterwards, on our return to Brussels, I observed an -inscription on one of these fountains, purporting, that the Czar, Peter -the Great, having drunk too freely of wine, fell into its waters. The -day and year are mentioned. It was, I think, about a century ago.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> [The 32nd and 44th should be added.—<span class="smcap">Ed.</span>]</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> Consisting of the 28th, 32nd, 79th, 95th, a battalion of -the 1st, or Royal Scots, the 42nd, 92nd, and the 2nd battalion of the -44th, and a battalion of Hanoverians. It was the first division which -arrived, and, during the principal part of the day, it was the only -part of the British army engaged.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> Since writing the above, I have found that the names of -these officers were Lieutenant-General Bourmont and Colonel Clouet. -[<i>See</i> Appendix, A.]</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> Ney, in his own account of this battle, says, "in spite -of my exertions, in spite of the intrepidity and devotion of my troops, -my utmost exertions could only maintain me in my position till the -close of the day." He then complains grievously of having had <i>only</i> -three divisions to fight against the British, and boasts of what he -<i>would have done</i> if he had had five.—<i>Vide Marshal Ney's Letter.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Subsequently, the news of the defeat and retreat of the -Prussians obliged the Duke of Wellington also to retreat, to keep open -the communications with Blucher.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> Not even imagination could form an idea of the dreadful -sufferings that the unfortunate soldiers of the French and Prussian -armies, who were wounded in the battles of the 15th and 16th of June, -were condemned to endure. It was not until nearly a week afterwards -that surgical aid, or assistance of any kind, was given to them. During -all this time they remained exposed to the burning heat of the noonday -sun, the heavy rains, and the chilling dews of midnight, without any -sustenance except what their importunity extorted from the country -people, and without any protection even from the flies that tormented -them. Numbers had expired; the most trifling wounds had festered, and -amputation in almost every instance had become necessary. This, and -every other necessary operation, was hastily and negligently performed -by the Prussian surgeons. The description I heard of this scene of -horror, from some respectable Belgic gentlemen who were spectators of -it on the Wednesday following, is too dreadful to repeat.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> This was, I find, only a proof of my ignorance; I -afterwards learnt that wooden palisades add greatly to the strength of -fortifications.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> Afterwards Marquis of Anglesey</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> At one time, as we afterwards learned, the Duke had -scarcely a single aide-de-camp left to dispatch with orders. All around -him fell dead, or wounded. His preservation was miraculous. As he -himself reverentially declared after the battle, "The finger of God was -upon me."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> No doubt the gallantry of every British regiment was -equally praiseworthy, but few had such opportunities of displaying it. -And we naturally enough heard of the exploits of the brave Highland -regiments which had nearly been cut to pieces, and the remains of -which, all wounded, had reached Antwerp.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> [<i>See</i> Appendix, B.]</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> The road from Brussels to the field of battle was not -for some time considered safe, on account of the number of deserters -who had taken shelter in the woods, and issued forth, sometimes alone, -and sometimes in a gang, to rob passengers and plunder the defenceless -cottages and farm-houses of the surrounding country. Neither property -nor life certainly could be considered safe at the mercy of these armed -desperadoes; but I never heard of any well-authenticated murder that -they committed: and from all the inquiries I made, I believe that most -of the horrible stories we heard of their enormities were entirely -devoid of truth; and that the mischief, even in the way of plunder, -they did, was very much exaggerated. Even at the time we went to the -field, great apprehensions were entertained by many people of these -lawless deserters. Large parties of these were brought in two or three -times a week, during our stay in Brussels. They consisted of Belgic, -Nassau, and Brunswick soldiers. There was some difficulty in procuring -proper places of confinement for them. They were generally sent to -the neighbouring Maisons de Force; what eventually was to be their -punishment, or what has been their fate, I have never been able to -learn.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> It is remarkable that every village in this part of the -country has a French name, except Waterloo, which is pronounced by the -natives—according to the fashion of the London Cockneys—<i>Vaterloo</i>; -the letter W being the exclusive property of the British people—with -the exception of the aforesaid Cockneys, who resign all claim to it.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> Cæsar's celebrated <i>bulletin</i>, "Veni, vidi, vici," was -more concise, but not quite so unassuming.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> La Haye Sainte (the holy hedge). It gives its name to the -farm-house of La Haye Sainte. I could not hear from any of the country -people why it was distinguished by the epithet "Sainte." They did not -seem to have any tradition respecting it.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> An order had been issued not to fire at the enemy's -field-pieces, but at the troops. However, during the latter part of -the action, a young officer of artillery, out of patience with the -destruction caused among his men, and particularly with the loss of -Captain Bolton, his friend and brother officer, from the fire of some -guns opposite, levelled his cannon at them, and had the satisfaction -to see the French artillerymen, and officers who commanded them, fall -in their turn. At that moment he was accosted suddenly by the Duke -of Wellington, whom he had no idea was near—"What are you firing at -there?" The artillery officer confessed what he was about. "Keep a -good look out to your left," said the Duke, "you will see a large body -of the enemy advancing just now—fire at them." They soon perceived -a tremendous number of the Imperial Guards, the <i>élite</i> of the army, -advancing with great order and steadiness to attack the British. The -moment they appeared in view, the officer to whom the Duke had spoken, -directed against them such a tremendous and effective fire, that they -were mowed down by ranks. This gallant young officer had volunteered -his services, and was one of the brigade attached to the second -division of our army.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> It is, however, a remarkable fact, and does additional -honour to the resolute, invincible constancy of British soldiers, that -nearly all the officers, and the whole of the privates of the British -army, were ignorant that there was any expectation of the arrival of -the Prussians. Indeed, many of them never knew till after the battle -was over that they had joined.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> In this part of Belgium, the wheat had this year grown to -full five feet in height, and rye upwards of six feet: great quantities -of the latter are grown, for it answers to the liberal definition of -oats by Dr. Johnson, and is the food of men in England, and of horses -in Flanders; nay, it is actually baked into bread for their use, and -regularly given them at the inns where they stop to bait. Several -soldiers of the Highland regiments who had got into a field of this -gigantic rye on the 16th, were shot without even being able to see -their enemy.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> Buonaparte slept at the farm of Caillon, near -Planchenoit.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> These memorable beech-trees, pierced through and through -with balls, have been since all cut down by the owner of Château -Hougoumont!!!</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> In other pits the corpses of the French had also been -burned. About eight thousand of the French army fell in the attack of -Hougoumont.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> That Buonaparte pretended to believe those troops to be -French, although he must have known the contrary, is unquestionably -true. Marshal Ney, in his account of the battle, states that he -received a message from the emperor, brought by General Labedoyère, to -inform him "that the French corps under Marshal Grouchy had arrived -in the field, and attacked the left wing of the British and Prussians -united. General Labedoyère rode along the lines, spreading this -intelligence through the whole army."—Vide <i>Marshal Ney's Letter</i>. -[<i>See</i> Appendix, C.]</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> This statement too is confirmed by Marshal Ney, who -said, "that Buonaparte had entirely disappeared before the end of the -battle." Let it be remembered that Ney's letter was written exactly a -week after the battle, while Napoleon was still emperor, and still in -Paris, and, if his statement was not true, a thousand witnesses could -have contradicted it.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> The Duke himself reverentially said afterwards, "The -finger of God was upon me."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> It was near seven o'clock when this circumstance -happened. The Prussians had not appeared. The regiments which he led to -the charge were the 71st, the 52nd, and the 95th. He also repeatedly -rallied the Belgic regiments, and sometimes vainly exerted himself to -make them face the enemy.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> [<i>See</i> Appendix, D.]</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> It was with a heart saddened by feelings which did him -honour, that the Duke of Wellington returned from the battle. The -letters which he wrote to the relations of the distinguished officers -who had fallen, prove how truly he felt what he sorrowfully said, that -"there is nothing more melancholy than a victory—except a defeat." I -cannot resist inserting the following simple and affecting extract from -one of his letters, written on the morning after the battle. "I cannot -express to you," he writes, "the regret and sorrow with which I look -around me, and contemplate the losses which I have sustained. They have -quite broken me down. The glory resulting from such actions, so dearly -bought, is no consolation to me." -</p> -<p> -The extract in the text is taken "From Circumstantial Details Relative -to the Battle of Waterloo," which was written by the author to explain -"A Panoramic Sketch of the Field of Battle," by her sister, both of -which were published by J. Booth, London, in August, 1815, for the -benefit of the Waterloo Fund.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> It is on the left of the road in going towards Waterloo, -behind the farm-house of La Haye Sainte. But this tree, which ought to -have been for ever sacred, has been <span class="smcap">CUT DOWN</span>!!!</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> Some soldiers' wives were, however, actuated by better -motives, and, like the matrons of Hensberg, in times of old, seemed -to think their best treasures were their husbands. Many of them -rushed forward and carried their wounded husbands off the field at -the hazard of their own lives. The wife of a sergeant in the 28th was -severely wounded in two places by a shell, which struck her as she -was carrying off her wounded husband. This anecdote was related to me -by an eye-witness of the circumstance. The woman (respecting whom I -inquired since my return to England) has, I understand, been allowed -a pension from Chelsea Hospital. I heard of several similar instances -of heroic conjugal affection; and I myself saw one poor woman, the -wife of a private in the 27th, whose leg was dreadfully fractured by -a musket-ball in rescuing her husband. When struck by the ball she -fell to the ground with her husband, who was supposed to be mortally -wounded, but she still refused to leave him, and they were removed -together to the rear, and afterwards sent to Antwerp. The poor man -survived the amputation of both his arms, and is still alive. The -woman, who was then in a state of pregnancy, has, since her return to -this country, given birth to a child, to which the Duke of York stood -godfather.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2>A TRIBUTE <br /> - -<span class="small">TO THE</span><br /> - -MEMORY OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.<br /> - -<span class="medium">WRITTEN THE DAY AFTER HIS FUNERAL.</span></h2> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">19th November, 1852. -</p> - - -<p>The great Arthur, Duke of Wellington, whose latest achievements in -war form the subject of the preceding pages, is no more. Long, long -will the nation mourn the greatest, the most irreparable loss it ever -sustained. The last sad and solemn scene has passed away. That great -and wondrous man, who was its stay, its pride and glory, has been borne -to his honoured tomb, amidst those splendid obsequies and funeral pomps -with which his grateful country vainly sought to evince her unbounded -admiration, her devoted love, and her profound veneration, for him who -was her deliverer and preserver; to whom she owed her unprecedented -triumphs in war—her prolonged blessings in peace.</p> - -<p>"His funeral pall has been borne by nations—not by the nations he -enslaved, but the nations he liberated;—the truncheons of eight -armies have dropped from his grasp, and they were borne in the funeral -procession by the companions and allies of his arms and victories."<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a> -But, nobler far, he was followed to the grave by the blessings and the -tears of millions; and he, alone, amidst all the great generals and -conquerors of the earth, merits the proud eulogium, that he was at once -a true patriot and a benefactor to his species.</p> - -<p>Eloquence has vainly exhausted itself in enumerating his merits and -services; but words are powerless to speak his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> praises. They are -felt in the hearts of the people of England. Never did a chieftain, -a conqueror, a hero, descend to the tomb so universally honoured and -lamented. All ranks, all ages, all parties, unite in one unanimous -sense of sorrow and bereavement. Every man seems to feel that he, -personally, has lost a benefactor, a protector—almost a parent. And as -the light of the sun is not missed until it is withdrawn, so even his -value was not perhaps fully felt until he was lost.</p> - -<p>But he is gone! "Quenched is that light which was the leading star to -guide every Briton on the path of duty and honour."<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a> His name is -surrounded by a pure halo of glory—not that ordinary vulgar glory -which is the meed of the mere conqueror. No! the "hero of a hundred -fights," who never knew defeat, sought not, valued not such glory; -nay, more, he despised it; he never even named "its very name."<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> -His watchword was Duty, and the path of duty, honour, and patriotism, -he trod. What a striking contrast did his career present to that of -Napoleon, who sought that vain, false glory, through fields of fire -and carnage, crushing the nations beneath his iron yoke, to aggrandise -his selfish ambition, and reign the despot of a devastated world! How -striking is the fact, that at the very time when, by the mysterious -decree of Providence, a Buonaparte was sent to desolate and enslave -the world, a Wellesley was given to save and deliver it!—the one, the -Destroyer; the other, the Preserver. They seemed like the Incarnate -Principles of Evil and of Good; but the Good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> triumphed: the conqueror -and deliverer of distracted and bleeding Europe became its Pacificator; -and through long years of peace and prosperity the nations which he -saved from tyranny and ruin, have had reason to bless the name of -Wellington.</p> - -<p>Will it yet be permitted to one British heart—simply "An -Englishwoman," who witnessed the most eventful scenes of his glorious -campaigns, and proudly watched from first to last his high unblemished -career—to offer, with the deepest veneration, a humble tribute of high -and holy admiration upon the tomb of that hero whom, through life, her -heart has worshipped.</p> - -<p>The <span class="smcap">One True Hero</span>! unequalled in the annals of -history—unsurpassed even in the creations of Romance; He, who never -headed the battalions of his countrymen except in a just and righteous -cause, and never once failed to lead them on to victory and honour; He, -who was not only the "Victor of Victors," the greatest of Conquerors, -but also the greatest Pacificator the world ever saw—for he used the -triumphs of War only to obtain the blessings of Peace;—He, whose -first thought in victory was mercy, whose first care was to ensure, -not the spoils, but the protection of the vanquished;—He, who, when -he sheathed his conquering sword, consecrated the powers of his mighty -genius, his mind, and life, to the welfare of his country; who worked -her weal through evil report and good report, unmoved by the cabals of -Faction, the intrigues of Power, and the slanders of Malignity;—He, -whose Spirit, whilst he lived, was our Shield and Buckler, our Stay -and Support; his counsels our best resource; his name our tower of -strength; and his very existence our surest defence.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span></p> - - - -<p>Alas, for England! Woe! woe to our country! The grave has closed over -him; but his sacred ashes shall still guard our land. Around his -honoured tomb every British heart will rally to rout and vanquish -the hostile foe who dares to set foot on British ground. Every heart -will be roused, every arm raised to repel the insult. His name shall -be our everlasting panoply of defence; his life, his example, his -memory, shall live in our hearts, and to the latest posterity England's -proudest boast shall be the name of Wellington.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p> - - - - - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> <i>Times</i>, November 18th, 1852.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> Lord Lovaine's speech, November 12th.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> It is well known that the word "Glory" does not once -occur in the multifarious dispatches of the Duke of Wellington.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2>APPENDIX.</h2> - - -<p>A. (p. 44).</p> - -<p>The desertion of General Bourmont did not take place during the Battle -of Quatre Bras, but on the day before. He and his Staff joined the -Prussian General Ziethen as the French were advancing on Charleroi, on -June 15. The mistake, however, is hardly the writer's fault, as Sir F. -Head, the English authority for the statement, misprints the date. (See -Hooper's <i>Waterloo</i>, p. 68.)</p> - - -<p>B. (p. 93).</p> - -<p>The decisive part which the Prussian army played in the Battle of -Waterloo is often overlooked, as it is here. Readers must bear in mind -that the junction of the two armies of the Allies was preconcerted by -Wellington and Blücher, and that the battle would not have been fought -under other circumstances. It is true that the Prussian advance from -Wavre, whence it had retreated after the Battle of Ligny on the 16th, -was delayed, whereby an undue strain was placed upon and nobly borne -by the English infantry, but the first Prussian corps under Bülow was -known to be approaching by three o'clock. Their advance on the village -of Planchenoit, on the right of the French position, caused Napoleon to -detach to his right 16,000 French troops, out of the 72,000 with which -he began the battle, and at last engaged his attention so far as that -he left Ney to conduct the attack upon Wellington's army. Though it -may be true, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> Mrs. Eaton states, that the Prussians did not "make -their appearance" (<i>i.e.</i> to the British troops) till seven o'clock (p. -130), they were nevertheless in conflict with the French for some hours -before, and considerably modified their attack on Wellington's position.</p> - - -<p>C. (p. 145).</p> - -<p>The allegations of cowardice brought against Napoleon at the time, -and frequently repeated, do not meet with the slightest support from -accurate historians. It is almost certain that when Wellington, on the -17th, withdrew his army from Quatre Bras to the position in which he -accepted battle on the following day, Napoleon was with the head of -the French column which followed up the retreat, and was within cannon -shot of the British artillery and of Lord Uxbridge, who commanded the -cavalry.</p> - -<p>At the close of the Battle of Waterloo he showed no lack of courage. -"During the attack of the Imperial Guard he had ridden as far as the -orchard of La Haye Sainte; when the Guard recoiled he had rallied them; -when the 52nd and other regiments of the brigade pursued so promptly he -had gradually fallen back with the steadier masses of the fugitives, -surrounded by the truly <i>dévourés</i> of those days, the veterans of the -Guard."—<i>Hooper</i>, p. 238.</p> - -<p>It was only when the Prussians, almost fresh upon the field, undertook -the pursuit, that he diverged from the press and rapidly made his way -to Charleroi, where he obtained a carriage.</p> - - -<p>D. (p. 148).</p> - -<p>The celebrated order of Wellington to the Guards is perhaps, in its -popular form, not quite authentic. When towards the close of the battle -Ney, unhorsed, was leading<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> the column of the Old Guard up the slope of -the British position, behind the crest of which the British infantry -was lying, Wellington said, "Up, Guards, and make ready!" they "sprang -to their feet within fifty yards of the astonished French, and poured -in a volley which struck the column like a bolt of iron ... and when -the Duke cried, 'Charge!' and the British Guards dashed forward with a -cheer, Ney's veterans broke and fled."—<i>Hooper</i>, p. 231. The approach -of cavalry caused the British to retreat to their position on the hill, -but in the meantime the second column of the French Guard had been -routed by a bold and skilful charge of the 52nd Regiment, followed up -by cavalry, whilst the Prussians were successfully pushing back the -right wing of the French. Then the English leader saw that his time, -at last, was come. To quote again Mr. Hooper's stirring description: -"On the ridge near the Guards, his figure standing out amidst the smoke -against the bright north-western sky, Wellington was seen to raise his -hat with a noble gesture, the signal for the wasted line of heroes to -sweep like a dark wave from their coveted position, and roll out their -lines and columns over the plain. With a pealing cheer, the whole line -advanced just as the sun was sinking, and the Duke, sternly glad, but -self-possessed, rode off into the thick of the fight, attended by only -one officer, almost the last of the splendid squadron which careered -around him in the morning."—P. 234.</p> - - -<p>E. (p. 149).</p> - -<p>Though the meeting of Wellington and Blücher at La Belle Alliance has -been made the subject of a well-known picture, it is not founded on -fact. The actual meeting took place nearer Rossomme, some distance -further south on the Charleroi road, along which the routed army was -struggling. From this point the pursuit was left to Blücher's troops.</p> - - - - - - -<p class="center" style="margin-top:10em;"> -<span class="small" >LONDON:<br /> -PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,<br /> -STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.</span> -</p> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Waterloo Days, by Charlotte Annie Waldie Eaton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WATERLOO DAYS *** - -***** This file should be named 52991-h.htm or 52991-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/9/9/52991/ - -Produced by MWS, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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