973]

Prince Blucher, and the Allied Armies. that he might assist them if they should be attacked, and if he should be attacked, they might assist him. This position at Waterloo was a very strong one, and had been noticed as such by the duke His grace of Wellington last summer. then passing near it, the position struck him, and he made a minute of it. He stated at the time, that if ever it should be his fate to fight a battle in that quarter for the protection of Brussels, he should endeavour to do it in that position. He knew the importance of the place, therefore, even at that time, and the event has shown that he judged well. The enemy attacked our troops in that position on the 18th of this month, with the whole of his army, except one corps which was left to observe the Prussians. They fought with that intrepidity for which the nation was distinguished; but they were met with no less intrepidity by our forces, and with a resolution and firmness in which the British forces were not outrivalled by those of any nation whatever. In the course of this arduous and desperate contest, the duke of Wellington performed the duties of military officers of all ranks. As a commander-in-chief, as a general of division, as colonel of a regiment, he exerted himself in encouraging the troops to persist, and maintain their resistance to the repeated and desperate attacks of the enemy. Towards the close of the day, Buonaparté himself, at the head of his guards, made a desperate charge upon the British guards, and the British guards The instantly overthrew the French. battle lasted nearly nine hours, and at length our troops repulsed these desperate attacks made upon them by forces infinitely superior in number. Here, then, the battle ended, as far as concerned the attacks of the enemy. But the duke of Wellington, with his accustomed promptitude and decision, observing that the retreat of the enemy from the last attack was attended with considerable confusion, ordered the whole of those of his troops who had not suffered in the present conAlict to move forward upon the enemy. The troops accordingly advanced, attacked the enemy in their position, drove them from the heights, and put them completely to the rout. He continued the pursuit of the enemy, till the troops, overcome with fatigue, could proceed no further, and then the Prussians were left to follow up the victory. The consequences of this victory, as far as he could at pre

sent state them, were these:-About
5000 prisoners had arrived at Brussels
2000 were on parole, and more were ex-
pected to be brought in; and besides this,
a great quantity of ammunition and bag-
gage was taken. He was not then speak.
ing of what was accomplished by the Prus-
sians during the pursuit, as no regular ac-
count of it had as yet arrived. Having thus
stated the nature and extent of the victory,
there was one point still which could not
be passed over without observation. Their
lordships must be sensible that an achieve-
ment of such magnitude as this could pot
be performed without great loss. It had
been wisely ordained by Providence that
we should taste neither of joy nor of grief
unmixed, and the price at which this
victory was gained must teach us to check
our exultation. There were none who
had not lately looked to our army on the
Continent, upon the point of commencing
hostilities, without anxiety respecting the
result: but how much more keen must
the troops.
have been the anxiety of those who had
friends and connexions among
The result must in that respect be to
many most painful: but still the friends
of those who fell had this consolation, at
least, that if those who were dear to them
had paid the common tax imposed on the
military profession, they had not paid it in
vain. Who could recollect without admira-
tion and sorrow the stern and manly virtue
of sir Thomas Picton, the firm and amiable
character of sir W. Ponsonby, or the
heroic gallantry of the duke of Bruns-
wick, who, having refused to be included
in the armistice at Wagram, and traversed
hostile Germany with his little band, had
at length here terminated his life in a
manner so worthy of his own conduct,
and the race from which he sprung? No
one could speak on this point so well as
the duke of Wellington himself. His
grace had written a private letter to the
earl of Aberdeen, with intelligence of his
brother's death, an extract of which letter
he begged leave to read to their lordships.
After adverting to the events of the day,
and to the death of sir Alexander Gordon,
the duke of Wellington expressed himself
thus :-"I cannot express, in adequate
terms, the grief which I feel in contem-
plating the loss which we have sustained
in the death of so many valued friends.
The glory of such actions is no consola-
tion to me, and I cannot suggest it as a
consolation to you: but a result so deci-
sive will in all probability be followed by

the early attainment of the just object of our wishes and exertions, and this may afford us some consolation for our loss." In looking at the list of the wounded, their lordships found the name of the brave earl of Uxbridge, who had headed every charge of cavalry himself (Hear, hear!). Their lordships would also find many names which must be familiar to them from the frequent mention which had been made of them on the account of their services in the Peninsula; and at the head of the list they would see the name of that gallant youth the hereditary Prince of Orange, who had shed his blood in defence of the Netherlands, and thereby acquired a better title to those dominions than mere formalities could afford. It would be in vain to attempt to do justice to the merits of all those who fell, of those who were wounded, and those who escaped; and he should, therefore, refrain from a selection of any particular individuals, lest the distinction should appear invidious. It remained only for him to advert to the conduct of marshal prince Blucher and the Prussians, to whom, as part of the allied forces engaged in these memorable transactions, it was his intention to move their lordships thanks. The duke of Wellington had expressed in strong terms the assistance which he had received from the Prussians. Without that assistance, though the attack of the enemy would not have succeeded, he could not have, in his turn, made that attack on the enemy which had terminated in his complete rout and overthrow, Prince Blucher himself, worn out with the constant exertions of the preceding days, had retired to bed; but as soon as he received intelligence that the duke of Wellington was attacked, he rose from bed, and himself headed a corps to assist the British troops. He hung all night on the rear of the retreating enemy, and no doubt amply avenged the fate of those brave Prussians who had fallen in the battle of the 16th, by their refusal to take quarter. He had now, then, only to move their lordships,

mand, and in conjunction with the troops under the command of Marshal Prince Blucher, whereby the military glory of the British nation has been exalted, and the territory of his Majesty's ally the King of the Netherlands, has been protected from invasion and spoil."

The Marquis of Lansdowne said, that it was impossible to add any thing to the statement of the noble earl opposite, the observations which he made on the circumstances attending this splendid achievement, and the merits of those who had fallen, whose loss the noble earl had so feelingly deplored; yet in the absence of those who, if present, would, with far greater grace and ability, have given their sanction to this motion, he could not bring himself to give a mere silent vote; and, therefore, on this most brilliant, and at the same time most awful event, which had occurred during his own life, or the lives of any of their lordships, he should, with their lordships' permission, say a few words. He was the more induced to do so from this circumstance, that when he first heard of the proposition, he had felt some hesitation whether he should comply with it. That hesitation, however, was not founded on any doubt whatever as to the magnitude and importance of the success, but on the appearance which the vote would carry, of anticipating those great consequences which might probably ensue, but the extent of which they could not then completely appreciate when he considered all the circumstances of this transaction,-when he considered the important consequences which must result from it, independent of its military or political effects,-when he contemplated the field of battle as the scene where, from the talents of the respective chiefs, the rival qualities of the troops of two nations were displayed, and the powers of every officer and every private soldier were brought to a public trial, and then looked at the result; great and indubitable as he held it to be, it was impossible for him to abstain from doing all "That the Thanks of this House be in his power to render the record of that given to Field Marshal the Duke of Wel- result as interminable and imperishable as lington, Knight of the most noble Order of the glory which had been acquired by it. the Garter, for the consummate ability, It was not improper, therefore, in the preunexampled exertion, and irresistible ar- sent instance, to agree to this proposition, dour displayed by him on the 18th of even before they could be apprised of its June, on which day the decisive victory immediate military or political conseover the enemy, commanded by Buona-quences. The event of this day would, in parté in person, was obtained by his grace, its effects, extend far beyond the fate of with the Allied troops under his com- those who were engaged in it-beyond

but

977]

Grant to the Duke of Wellington.

the other events and interests, great as they were, of the present times. It was one of those events which formed the most valuable part of national property and history; and like events of that description, to none of which this was inferior, it would become one of the clearest titles of the glory of the nation, the charter of its fame. He should therefore give his cordial concurrence in voting for a monument as imperishable as the glory which had been gained by the transaction and the means by which it had been achieved. He wished to be understood as likewise concurring in the vote about to be proposed for a further provision for the duke of Wellington, as an additional testimony of the sense entertained by Parliament and the country of his transcendent services. The splendour and national importance of the event was such as almost to stifle the feeling of individual calamity, and to make us look upon the brave who had fallen as we regard the fate of those "quos neque lugeri neque plangi fas est,"-[Hear, hear!]

The Vote of Thanks to the duke of Wellington having been agreed to nem. dis., earl Bathurst then moved the Thanks of the House to the Prince of Orange, the earl of Uxbridge, lord Hill, baron Alten, general Barnes, lord E. Somerset, and several other officers of distinction; which was carried. His lordship also moved a Resolution of Thanks to marshal Prince Blucher, to the Prussian army, and to the troops of the Allies under the orders of the duke of Wellington. It was agreed to. [See the Resolutions in this day's proceedings of the Commons.]

PRINCE REGENT'S MESSAGE RESPECTING AN ADDITIONAL GRANT TO THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.] The order of the day for considering the Prince Regent's Message being read,

The Earl of Liverpool rose and observed, that he thought it unnecessary long to Occupy the attention of the House upon the subject of the motion which he was about to submit, especially after the eloquent speeches of his noble friend, and of the noble marquis on the other side, with regard to the merits of the great Commander, and the illustrious army, to whom the country owed such a splendid triumph. He doubted whether it was in the power of words to add to the eulogy which the House had heard, but he felt that it was not in his power to offer any thing which (VOL. XXXI.)

would not serve rather to weaken the
effect of that eulogy. He was, however,
called upon to propose a measure calcu-
lated farther to commemorate the glory
of the duke of Wellington, by erecting to
Their lord-
himself and to his family a living monu-
ment of national gratitude.
ships would consider the nature of our
constitution, and what was one of the
principal objects of that branch of the
constitution which they composed. That
object evidently was to transmit to poste-
rity an hereditary distinction of the talents
and virtue of the country; and he would
ask whether a case had ever occurred in
which any individual was more eminently
entitled to have his merits so recorded
[Hear, hear!] A stronger claim to na-
tional gratitude could not, indeed, be ad-
duced. It was, in fact, due in justice, not
only to this illustrious individual himself,
but to the nation, to confer upon him the
highest honour. For it was obviously the
best policy of the nation to show that it
was never wanting in gratitude to those
who bravely fought for its defence and
security-who contributed to exalt and
establish the national glory. For all his-
tory had shown, that when a nation had
lost its martial spirit, whatever other vir-
tues it retained, it soon became a prey to
some jealous enemy. As to the expedi-
He had
ency of the vote which he meant to pro-
pose, he had to state a few facts.
the honour of being one of the trustees
appointed to superintend the application
of the sum which the liberality of Parlia
ment had granted as a provision for the
family of lord Wellington. Last year
500,000l. was granted, and it was stipu-
lated that out of that sum 100,000l. should
be applied for the construction of a suit-
able mansion. But the trustees, after the
most indefatigable inquiry, found that this
stipulation could not be consistently exe-
cuted that indeed it would be impossible
to construct or procure an appropriate
mansion for the money allotted to that
purpose-that, as a monument of national
taste, and of the honour due to the family.
of this great hero, it would be impracti-
cable to accomplish the object. Nay, he
It was found, that if
could go farther.
an obligation were imposed upon the
trustees to purchase or erect a suitable
mansion, a proper estate could not be ob-
tained without sinking such a sum as
would not leave sufficient revenue for the
support of the dignity of the duke of Wel-
lington and his family. Then, after such
(3 R)

dis

979] HOUSE OF COMMONS, an action as that of the 18th of Jane Lord Castlereagh, in rising to call the atafter a victory which combined all the tention of the House to the last splendiď virtues that belonged to his former triumph of the British arms, was at a loss achievements-which presented a display to express the feelings which he expeof all the great qualities of a general, rienced in common with all who heard whether for defensive or offensive warfare him. On various occasions he had had -whether for resistance or attack-whe- the honour to address them on the exther for gallantry, perseverance, or skill-ploits of that illustrious Commander, who he would ask, whether, after a victory unparalleled in history, Parliament could be conceived to do its duty, if it merely confined itself to a vote of thanks, and declined to present any further evidence of public gratitude to the valiant leader of such a signal victory, if it refused to make an adequate provision for this celebrated conqueror and his family-[Hear, bear!] if it left that family, after all his eminent services, in a state of incapacity to maintain its proper splendour. If any thing more than the duke of Wellington's public services were necessary, to interest their lordships or to induce the House to acquiesce in the motion he meant to submit, he had to urge the merit of that distinguished individual's personal character. He had for many years been both personally and politically connected with the duke of Wellington. He had, therefore, bad ample opportunity of witnessing his grace's disposition, and he could bear unqualified testimony to his extreme disinterestedness. He had known him intimately in his official communications, and he had found that this gallant warrior, while commanding on the Peninsula, and even when poor, never received, for some years, his due official allowance. Yet he never applied for it. Although he made many applications for the benefit of others, he never made any for himself-[Hear, hear!] After farther enforcing the justice and policy of the measure, with a view to gratify the feelings of Parliament and the public, the noble lord concluded with moving a Resolution, in pursuance of the Prince Regent's Message, that the House would concur in granting such additional provision to field-marshal the duke of Wellington, as might be necessary to afford a farther proof of the opinion entertained by Parliament of his transcendent services, and of the gratitude of the British nation. The motion was unanimously agreed to. Adjourned till Monday.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Friday, June 23.

THANKS TO THE Duke of WelliNGTON,
PRINCE BLUCHER, AND THE ALLIED ARMIES.]

was the subject of the motion with which
he should conclude; but never, even
among the mighty achievements which
had swelled our military renown, since
that exalted character was placed at the
head of our army, had it been his lot to
submit to Parliament a proposition found-
ed on an event so glorious as that which
called for the expression of their gratitude
this day. The present was a triumph of
such a character, that, without
paragement to those actions in which
his great genius had formerly displayed
itself, he might say of it it had
never happened, even to him, to con-
fer so great a benefit on his country
before. It was an achievement of such
high merit, of such pre-eminent import-
ance, as had never perhaps graced the
annals of this or any other country till
now; and when considered, not only
with a view to the immediate loss inflicted
on the enemy, but with reference to the
moral effect which it must be expected to
produce on the war now commenced, in
the issue of which the fate of this country,
of Europe, and the world were so closely
bound up, it must be felt that it opened to
our view a prospect so cheering, and so
transcendently bright, that no language
could do justice to the feelings it must
naturally inspire. He sincerely felt this
to be one of those instances in which the
victory gained must be depreciated by
the inadequacy of language faithfully to
represent the vast service performed. He
might, therefore, do best to abstain from
offering any observations of his own, to
introduce the vote which he had to propose,
satisfied, as he was, that those to whom he
addressed himself, would act from what
their own feelings, their own understand-
ings, and their own hearts suggested, and
not upon any thing that might fall from
him. But there were some distinguished
features in this victory which he could not
be content to pass over in silence. It.
must be felt, that there was in this case
something in the situation of the hostile
armies, which, without at all detracting
from the high merit and military skill of
the great commanders, who placed the

981]

allied force in the position it had occupied, |
gave the enemy a decided advantage in
the first instance. The war not having
actually commenced, though certainly it
had been understood it was immediately
to break out, had caused arrangements to
be made different from those which might
otherwise have been thought necessary.
The combined armies, it had been found
expedient to distribute where sustenance
could most conveniently be procured. In
the then situation of things, their policy
was evidently to act on the defensive; and
consequently the power which had to
choose the period for acting on the offen-
sive, must necessarily have an advantage
over the Allies, from the extent of their
line, in that part of it against which it
might think fit to direct its first attack.
This was unavoidable, as the enemy had
the choice of the point on which he would
commence his operations, and as the Duke
of Wellington and Prince Blucher could
not concentrate their forces without leaving
a large portion of the frontier of the domi-
nions of the King of the Netherlands open
to the incursions of the French. This,
without militating in the slightest degree
against the skill of the commanders,
necessarily gave the enemy, in the first
instance, the advantage he had described.
A person in the situation of Buonaparté,
would naturally, and, he might say, pro-
perly consider, while contemplating the
operations about to be commenced by the
armies now assembling along the whole
line of the frontier of the country under
his control, that the course which it was
for him to take, was that which he (Buo-
naparte) had determined upon taking.
Whatever might be the risk of assailing
the armies under the duke of Wellington
and prince Blucher, it was obvious that if
he could bring them into action before
they could be supported by the armies
advancing to co-operate with them, the
chance of success would be greater than
that which would remain to him after they
had actually got up. Buonaparté consi-
dering this, had certainly formed his
resolve with all that judgment and deci-
sion of character which belonged to him,
when he determined on the forward move-
ment that led to those operations which
had terminated so gloriously for the British
and their Allies. In considering the
amount of the force by which the attack
had been made, it should be remembered
that besides the Imperial Guards, Buona-
parté had under him the five most complete

corps of the French army, and nearly the
whole of its cavalry and artillery. It was.
but justice to the enemy to say, that in
the actions which had taken place, they
had fought with determined courage, and
This circum-
well sustained the renown they had
acquired in former wars.
stance served but to add to the lustre of
the triumph obtained, as it had been
gained over an army composed of the
most experienced and best disciplined
soldiers in the world. The number of
troops who had fought under Buonaparté
could not be estimated at less than 130,000;
taken at 140,000.
and perhaps they would not be over-
rated if they were
They certainly were the flower of the
French army, brought together from all
parts of Europe where they had been
prisoners or otherwise dispersed, and con-
centrated for the purpose of making this
first attack. They were in a high state of
organization before the return of Buona.
parté to France; and since his restoration
to power during the last few months, every
care and preparation had been accumu
lated upon them to add to their efficiency.
It was obviously the design of the enemy
to bring the whole strength of his army to
bear on the Prussians and English, in the
hope that striking one great blow against
them before the other allied forces could
get up, a most important object would be
effected, and the hopes of the Allies so
considerably diminished, as to give him
It appeared
advantages which he could not expect
by other means to secure.
that, in consequence of his being able to
bring superior numbers against any one
part of the line of the Allies, on the 15th
he succeeded in forcing the Prussians
back, and on the 16th, in consequence of
the superior numbers which the enemy
could bring against him, it had been
thought advisable by prince Blucher to
fall back upon Wavre, to strengthen
himself by means of the approaching
force of general Bulow. Notwithstanding
the intrepidity for which the Prussians had
always been distinguished, and with which
they would ever fight under a commander
so dear to them as prince Blucher, yet the
French had advanced in such masses
against them, that his posts had been
driven in, and he had been forced to draw
back his right wing. The whole of the
operations of Buonaparte on that day were
not directed against the Prussian army.
Two divisions were sent against the Eng
These were met by a body of
lish.