... Speaking of the Americans, he said, they wanted a ten ye_England and Napoleon (1801-1815)

make them a nation; that at present they had no noblesse, which they

would acquire by a war; that they were now a nation of merchants (_une

nation de marchands_), as was shown in the case of the sale of

Jefferson’s library to the highest bidder; that had we (the English)

made peace with them before, we should have gone to Congress with more

weight; that America had carried on the war with spirit after France had

fallen (_après que la France eut succombée_) and that the war, after

all, was about nothing--a few feet more or less of lake. He then said

something of a great project he had with respect to Mexico, of which I

could not catch the meaning; and observed, that we should one day or

other lose Canada; adding--“of what great consequence is it to England,

with her numerous colonies?” He said, that when America became more

powerful, she would probably rival us in our marine; that he had made

the attempt to do this, but had failed. With respect to the Right of

Search, which I called a droit, he said it was no droit, but a mere

_théorie_; that when we were very strong we should exercise it, but if,

on the contrary, we had Russia, Sweden, and Denmark against us, we

probably should not insist on it. He gave it as his opinion, that

England and France should be allied. On my signifying, by a shake of the

head, the improbability of such an event, he said, “Why not?--The world

is large enough--France does not want to meddle too much with commerce.

There was a man, Fox, who could have effected it, but unfortunately he

is dead.” (_Mais pourquoi pas? le monde est assez grand--la France n’a

pas besoin de se mêler trop du commerce. Il y avoit un homme, Fox, qui

auroit pu le faire, mais malheureusement il est mort._) He then asked

where we were going from Elba, and on my answering, “To Rome and

Naples,” he replied, “Ah! then you will see there a magnificent

Lazzarone,”[20] adding, “From Naples, I suppose, you return to England

by sea?” Upon my saying that it was my intention to return by Italy and

the Mont Cenis, as I had seen all the other Passes of the Alps, having

come from Vienna by the Tyrol, he observed, “No, there is still that

over the Julian Alps.” On saying this he made us a low bow, wished us a

_très bon voyage_, and retired.

WATERLOO DESCRIBED BY WELLINGTON (1815).

=Source.=--_Selections from the Wellington Despatches._ Gurwood. P. 857.

_To Earl Bathurst._

WATERLOO,

_19th June, 1815_.

Buonaparte, having collected the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th corps of

the French army, and the Imperial Guards, and nearly all the cavalry, on

the Sambre, and between that river and the Meuse, between the 10th and

14th of the month, advanced on the 15th and attacked the Prussian posts

at Thuin and Lobbes, on the Sambre, at daylight in the morning.

I did not hear of these events till in the evening of the 15th; and I

immediately ordered the troops to prepare to march, and afterwards to

march to their left, as soon as I had intelligence from other quarters

to prove that the enemy’s movement upon Charleroi was the real attack.

The enemy drove the Prussian posts from the Sambre on that day; and

General Ziethen, who commanded the corps which had been at Charleroi,

retired upon Fleurus; and Marshal Prince Blücher concentrated the

Prussian army upon Sombref, holding the villages in front of his

position of St. Armand and Ligny.

The enemy continued his march along the road from Charleroi towards

Bruxelles; and on the same evening, the 15th, attacked a brigade of the

army of the Netherlands, under the Prince de Weimar, posted at Frasne,

and forced it back to the farm house, on the same road, called Les

Quatre Bras. The Prince of Orange immediately reinforced this brigade

with another of the same division, under General Perponcher, and, in the

morning early, regained part of the ground which had been lost, so as to

have the command of the communication leading from Nivelles and

Bruxelles with Marshal Blücher’s position.

In the mean time, I had directed the whole army to march upon Les Quatre

Bras; and the 5th division, under Lieut.-General Sir T. Picton, arrived

at about half past 2 in the day, followed by the corps of troops under

the Duke of Brunswick, and afterwards by the contingent of Nassau.

At this time the enemy commenced an attack upon Prince Blücher with his

whole force, excepting the 1st and 2nd corps, and a corps of cavalry

under General Kellermann, with which he attacked our post at Les Quatre

Bras.

The Prussian army maintained their position with their usual gallantry

and perseverance against a great disparity of numbers, as the 4th corps

of their army, under General Bülow, had not joined; and I was not able

to assist them as I wished, as I was attacked myself, and the troops,

the cavalry in particular, which had a long distance to march, had not

arrived.

We maintained our position also, and completely defeated and repulsed

all the enemy’s attempts to get possession of it. The enemy repeatedly

attacked us with a large body of infantry and cavalry, supported by a

numerous and powerful artillery. He made several charges with the

cavalry upon our infantry, but all were repulsed in the steadiest

manner.

In this affair, H.R.H. the Prince of Orange, the Duke of Brunswick, and

Lieut.-General Sir T. Picton, and Major-Generals Sir J. Kempt and Sir

Denis Pack, who were engaged from the commencement of the enemy’s

attack, highly distinguished themselves, as well as Lieut.-General C.

Baron Alten, Major-General Sir C. Halketh, Lieut.-General Cooke, and

Major-Generals Maitland and Byng as they successively arrived. The

troops of the 5th division, and those of the Brunswick corps, were long

and severely engaged, and conducted themselves with the utmost

gallantry. I must particularly mention the 28th, 42nd, 79th, and 92nd

regts., and the battalion of Hanoverians.

Our loss was great, as your Lordship will perceive by the enclosed

return; and I have particularly to regret H.S.H. the Duke of Brunswick,

who fell fighting gallantly at the head of his troops.

Although Marshal Blücher had maintained his position at Sombref, he

still found himself much weakened by the severity of the contest in

which he had been engaged, and, as the 4th corps had not arrived, he

determined to fall back and to concentrate his army upon Wavre; and he

marched in the night, after the action was over.

This movement of the Marshal rendered necessary a corresponding one upon

my part; and I retired from the farm of Quatre Bras upon Genappe, and

thence upon Waterloo, the next morning, the 17th, at 10 o’clock.

The enemy made no effort to pursue Marshal Blücher. On the contrary a

patrol which I sent to Sombref in the morning found all quiet;[21] and

the enemy’s vedettes fell back as the patrol advanced. Neither did he

attempt to molest our march to the rear, although made in the middle of

the day, excepting by following, with a large body of cavalry brought

from his right, the cavalry under the Earl of Uxbridge.

This gave Lord Uxbridge an opportunity of charging them with the 1st

Life Guards, upon their _débouché_ from the village of Genappe, upon

which occasion his Lordship has declared himself to be well satisfied

with that regiment.

The position which I took up in front of Waterloo crossed the high roads

from Charleroi and Nivelles, and had its right thrown back to a ravine

near Merke Braine, which was occupied, and its left extended to a height

above the hamlet Ter la Haye, which was likewise occupied. In front of

the right centre, and near the Nivelles road, we occupied the house and

gardens of Hougoumont, which covered the return of that flank; and in

front of the left centre we occupied the farm of La Haye Sainte. By our

left we communicated with Marshal Prince Blücher at Wavre, through

Ohain; and the Marshal had promised me that, in case we should be

attacked, he would support me with one or more corps, as might be

necessary.

The enemy collected his army, with the exception of the 3rd corps, which

had been sent to observe Marshal Blücher, on a range of heights in our

front, in the course of the night of the 17th and yesterday morning, and

at about 10 o’clock he commenced a furious attack upon our post at

Hougoumont. I had occupied that post with a detachment from General

Byng’s brigade of Guards, which was in position in its rear; and it was

for some time under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Macdonell, and

afterwards of Colonel Home; and I am happy to add that it was maintained

throughout the day with the utmost gallantry by these brave troops,

notwithstanding the repeated efforts of large bodies of the enemy to

obtain possession of it. This attack upon the right of our centre was

accompanied by a very heavy cannonade upon our whole line, which was

destined to support the repeated attacks of cavalry and infantry,

occasionally mixed, but sometimes separate, which were made upon it. In

one of these the enemy carried the farm house of La Haye Sainte, as the

detachment of the light battalion of the German Legion, which occupied

it, had expended all its ammunition; and the enemy occupied the only

communication there was with them.

The enemy repeatedly charged our infantry with his cavalry, but these

attacks were uniformly unsuccessful; and they afforded opportunities to

our cavalry to charge, in one of which Lord E. Somerset’s brigade,

consisting of the Life Guards, the Royal Horse Guards, and 1st dragoon

guards, highly distinguished themselves, as did that of Major-General

Sir W. Ponsonby, having taken many prisoners and an eagle.

These attacks were repeated till about 7 in the evening, when the enemy

made a desperate effort with cavalry and infantry, supported by the fire

of artillery, to force our left centre, near the farm of La Haye Sainte,

which, after a severe contest, was defeated; and, having observed that

the troops retired from this attack in great confusion, and that the

march of General Bülow’s corps, by Frischermont, upon Planchenois and La

Belle Alliance had begun to take effect, and as I could perceive the

fire of his cannon, and as Marshal Prince Blücher had joined in person

with a corps of his army to the left of our line by Ohain, I determined

to attack the enemy, and immediately advanced the whole line of

infantry, supported by the cavalry and artillery. The attack succeeded

in every point: the enemy was forced from his position on the heights,

and fled in the utmost confusion, leaving behind him, as far as I could

judge, 150 pieces of cannon, with their ammunition, which fell into our

hands.

I continued the pursuit till long after dark, and then discontinued it

only on account of the fatigue of our troops, who had been engaged

during 12 hours, and because I found myself on the same road with

Marshal Blücher, who assured me of his intention to follow the enemy

throughout the night. He has sent me word this morning that he has taken

60 pieces of cannon, belonging to the Imperial Guard, and several

carriages, baggage, etc., belonging to Buonaparte, in Genappe.

I propose to move this morning upon Nivelles, and not to discontinue my

operations.

Your Lordship will observe that such a desperate action could not be

fought, and such advantages could not be gained, without great loss; and

I am sorry to add that ours has been immense. In Lieut.-General Sir T.

Picton, His Majesty has sustained the loss of an officer who has

frequently distinguished himself in his service; and he fell gloriously

leading his division to a charge with bayonets, by which one of the most

serious attacks made by the enemy on our position was repulsed. The Earl

of Uxbridge, after having successfully got through this arduous day,

received a wound by almost the last shot fired, which will, I am afraid,

deprive His Majesty for some time of his services.

H.R.H. the Prince of Orange distinguished himself by his gallantry and

conduct, till he received a wound from a musket ball through the

shoulder, which obliged him to quit the field.

It gives me the greatest satisfaction to assure your Lordship that the

army never, upon any occasion, conducted itself better. The division of

Guards, under Lieut.-General Cooke, who is severely wounded,

Major-General Maitland, and Major General Byng, set an example which was

followed by all; and there is no officer nor description of troops that

did not behave well. I must, however, particularly mention, for His

Royal Highness’s approbation, Lieut.-General Sir H. Clinton,

Major-General Adam, Lieut.-General C. Baron Alten (severely wounded),

Major-General Sir C. Halkett (severely wounded), Colonel Ompteda,

Colonel Mitchell (commanding a brigade of the 4th division),

Major-Generals Sir J. Kempt and Sir D. Pack, Major-General Lambert,

Major-General Lord E. Somerset, Major-General Sir W. Ponsonby,

Major-General Sir C. Grant, and Major-General Sir H. Vivian,

Major-General Sir J. O. Vandeleur, and Major-General Count Dornberg. I

am also particularly indebted to General Lord Hill for his assistance

and conduct upon this, as upon all former occasions. The artillery and

engineer departments were conducted much to my satisfaction by Colonel

Sir G. Wood and Colonel Smyth; and I had every reason to be satisfied

with the conduct of the Adjutant-General, Major-General Barnes, who was

wounded, and of the Quartermaster-General, Colonel De Lancey, who was

killed by a cannon shot in the middle of the action. This officer is a

serious loss to His Majesty’s service, and to me at this moment.

I was likewise much indebted to the assistance of Lieut.-Colonel Lord

FitzRoy Somerset, who was severely wounded, and of the officers

composing my personal Staff, who have suffered severely in this action.

Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. Sir A. Gordon, who has died of his wounds, was a

most promising officer, and is a serious loss to His Majesty’s service.

General Krüse, of the Nassau service, likewise conducted himself much to

my satisfaction; as did General Trip, commanding the heavy brigade of

cavalry, and General Vanhope, commanding a brigade of infantry in the

service of the King of the Netherlands.

General Pozzo di Borgo, General Baron Vincent, General Muffling, and

General Alava, were in the field during the action, and rendered me

every assistance in their power. Baron Vincent is wounded, but I hope

not severely; and General Pozzo di Borgo received a contusion.

I should not do justice to my own feelings, or to Marshal Blücher and

the Prussian army, if I did not attribute the successful result of this

arduous day to the cordial and timely assistance I received from them.

The operation of General Bülow upon the enemy’s flank was a most

decisive one; and even if I had not found myself in a situation to make

the attack which produced the final result, it would have forced the

enemy to retire if his attacks should have failed, and would have

prevented him from taking advantage of them if they should unfortunately

have succeeded.

Since writing the above, I have received a report that Major-General Sir

W. Ponsonby is killed; and, in announcing this intelligence to your

Lordship, I have to add the expression of my grief for the fate of an

officer who had already rendered very brilliant and important services,

and was an ornament to his profession.

I send with this despatch 3 eagles, taken by the troops in this action,

which Major Percy will have the honor of laying at the feet of His Royal

Highness. I beg leave to recommend him to your Lordship’s protection.

RETURN OF THE KILLED, WOUNDED, AND MISSING OF THE BRITISH AND

HANOVERIAN ARMY UNDER THE COMMAND OF FIELD-MARSHAL THE DUKE OF

WELLINGTON, K.G., IN THE BATTLE FOUGHT AT QUATRE BRAS ON THE 16TH

JUNE, 1815.

+---------+---------+----------+-------+

| | | | |

| | | | |

+---------+---------+----------+-------+

| Killed | 29 | 19 | 302 |

| | | | |

| Wounded | 126 | 111 | 2,143 |

| | | | |

| Missing | 4 | 6 | 171 |

+---------+---------+----------+-------+

+---------+-----------------+--------+------------+-------+

+---------+-----------------+--------+------------+-------+

| Killed | 350 | 316 | 34 | 19 |

| | | | | |

| Wounded | 2,380 | 2,156 | 224 | 14 |

| | | | | |

| Missing | 181 | 32 | 149 | 1 |

+---------+-----------------+--------+------------+-------+

ON THE RETREAT FROM QUATRE BRAS TO WATERLOO ON 17TH JUNE, 1815.

+---------+---------+----------+-------+

| | | | |

| | | | |

+---------+---------+----------+-------+

| Killed | 1 | 1 | 33 |

| | | | |

| Wounded | 7 | 13 | 112 |

| | | | |

| Missing | 4 | 3 | 64 |

+---------+---------+----------+-------+

+---------+-----------------+--------+------------+-------+

+---------+-----------------+--------+------------+-------+

| Killed | 35 | 26 | 9 | 45 |

| | | | | |

| Wounded | 132 | 52 | 80 | 20 |

| | | | | |

| Missing | 71 | 30 | 32 | 33 |

+---------+-----------------+--------+------------+-------+

IN THE BATTLE FOUGHT AT WATERLOO ON THE 18TH JUNE, 1815.

+---------+----------+-----------+-------+

| | | | |

+---------+----------+-----------+-------+

| Killed | 116 | 109 | 1,822 |

| Wounded | 504 | 364 | 6,148 |

| Missing | 20 | 29 | 1,574 |

+---------+----------+-----------+-------+

+---------+------------------------+----------+--------------+---------+

+---------+------------------------+----------+--------------+---------+

| Killed | 2,047 | 1,759 | 288 | 1,495 |

| Wounded | 7,016 | 5,892 | 1,124 | 891 |

| Missing | 1,623 | 807 | 816 | 773 |

+---------+------------------------+----------+--------------+---------+

Killed. Wounded. Missing.

Total 2,432 9,528 1,875

The greater number of the men returned missing had gone to the rear with

wounded officers and soldiers, and joined afterwards. The officers are

supposed killed.

BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Blank in MS.

[2] Lord Grenville.

[3] Mr. Canning seems to allude especially to the course of Mr.

Sheridan at the time of the Mutiny of the Nore.

[4] There is no imputation meant against the character of this

gentleman on the supposition of his being a dissenter of the Church of

England; illiberal, indeed, would be remark of this kind to infer any

kind of reproach; but when a panegyrick is derived from party, some

partiality may very naturally be suspected.

[5] Respecting the battle at Ulm.

[6] Nelson’s funeral, on January 7, 1806, at St. Paul’s.

[7] It is now generally near the quarter-deck hatchway.

[8] The entire memorandum is in James, iv., 23-25 (ed. 1837).

[9] This Administration went by the name of “All the Talents.”

[10] Afterwards Bishop of Winchester.

[11] This letter is so carelessly composed and worded, that it is

probably from the rough copy that it is taken.

[12] This letter was drawn up by Sheridan. See Moore’s _Life_, vol.

ii., p. 20.

[13] Now Lord Combermere. He had commanded the British cavalry in

Spain during the years 1809, 1810, 1811, and 1812.

[14] Sir Stapleton had been made K.B.

[15] From MS. speeches (collected).

[16] The advance of the column under Sir T. Graham was so effectually

covered by Colonel Longa that the enemy was not aware of any British

troops being in that direction.

[17] By the Treaty of Vienna, Belgium went to the Kingdom of

Holland.--J. H. R.

[18] Augereau commanded the army operating near Lyons, but it was

inferior to that of the Austrians.--J. H. R.

[19] A gross exaggeration. Napoleon probably referred to Blücher’s

surrender near Lübeck in November, 1806, and his defeat at Vauchamps

in February, 1814.--J. H. R.

[20] Alluding to Murat.

[21] Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. A. Gordon was sent, escorted by a

squadron of the 10th Hussars, to communicate with the Prussian

headquarters, as to co-operation with the British army ordered to

retire to the position in front of Waterloo.

... Speaking of the Americans, he said, they wanted a ten years’ war to