The Express.
London, England, 1852-09-17 00:00:00

BRUSSELS BRFORE WATERLOO.

Brussels, from the beginning of April to the:midd:r of
June, was the scene of great and untiring festivity. Da,
nen, soirees, balls, theatrical amusements, concerts—lt
which Catalani, then in her prime, played a prominent rut
—caused the streets of that beautiful and picturesque ray
to echo with sounds of gladness ; while the fields and ales.
dews around were alive all day long with military pafo4
and reviews. There was not a grove or wood-within us
miles of the place but afforded shelter, as the summer ad•
vanced, to frequent encampments. The troop; lay, for the
most part, in quarters, or were distributed through the tie
!ages as they arrived; but the artillery, with the wsgeeat
and tumbrils belonging to it, was parked, and piequets slept
and sentries kept guard beside them. Moreover, the whole
lino of road from the sea coast to the capital WWI kept ,a a
state of constant bustle. Travellers hurrying to the font
of gaiety passed, at every stage, corps of infantry or cavil*
or guns on the march—and were enchanted, as darkness set
in, with the spectacle, to them as new as it was striking,
bivouacs by the wayside such as Tenicrs delighted to e.
present. Nor were they more delighted than astonished to hod
that among the gayest of the gay in all the festive sA7ne!, to
which they were Introduced, the duke end the principal
officers of hie army took the lead. They did not kuow—
what to his followers in the Peninsula was a matter already
well understood—that the Duke of Wellington never fed
more thoroughly unembarrassed than when cares under.
which other men would have soak demanded his &Ww aa,
and that the mind which was found able to arrange OW
for the preservation of Europe, could, while it worked,
enter with perfect freedom and even rest into every ocher
of fun or enjoyment which might ho proposed to it. Id
so it was, tie who, at his own table, or as the guest of ova
or other of the leading faahionahles of Brussels, wu ever the

Wont promoter of that polished mirth which more %Mei
all others ha seemed heartily to enjoy, suffered no point,
weever minute, to wipe his notice, to which it behoved
the commander of a great army to pay attention, while, at
the same time, he conducted and brought to a favourable
ronehi•ion tiolitical and financial negotiations, which, but
for the skill and &mom displayed in his Bitumen:sent,
ro:glit bare et.ded disastrously.
WELLINIATON AND BLVCRIIt.

About eight in the morning the Duke of Wellington
ginned Bru.sels. About eleven, or • little later, he/cached
Uthttft. Brae; whence hr closely reconnoitered the enemy's
te„.ition, and satisfied himself that there was no immediate
danger trout the side of Fresno. This done, and having
lift directions with the Prince of Orange as to the points
of halt for seat eery* as might arrive in his absence, he
galloped off to communicate in person with Meld Marshal
Blather. The latter had, with exceeding diligence
and gathered three out Of his four corps into posi-
ton. Ile occupied a chain of elevations, rather than heights
which, extending front Bey un the right, embraced Sombre(
in the centre, and terminated at Tinigrines. The advantage
of this position woo that it covered the high road from Na-
mur to Nisalies =4l goatee Bran, at the point where the
toads from l'harteroi huiu (all in with it. It had
likewise in its trued the rivulet of Ligny, into which a
mailer stream, att, r winding through a ravine, falls ; with
several valla,:es, especially St. Amend and Ligny itself,
Handing forward as outposts, et the foot of the slope. Its
disulvantaees were, that it off. red 60 security to the right;
in other word.' to that thank by which the communications
with the leuglish were to be kept open ; and that the vil-
lages in advance were too far removed from the line to
permit of than' being reinforced, in case of need, except at
great hazard. There, however, Blucher had drawn up his
army; and when the Duke of Wellington joined him, he
explained the dispositions of the 'leveret carp, with much
apparent complacency. The duke is said to have ex-
pn,sed, with caaracteristie giod breeding, yet firmness,
ho disapproval of Prince Blucher's arrangements. Every
man " (such is the su'istance of the words which the duke
is said to have spoken) '• knows his own people best ;
but I can only say that, with a British army, I should not
caeupy this lzrouutt as you du." Blucher. however, repre-
sithil that los countrymen liked to see the enemy biter,
they engagi d him, :mil adhered to th- o.,iuion that St.
Arnaud and Liens' were the key* of his position. Aud the
duke wa% at once to', wise and two much under the influ-
mice of it right limas his point. It was the duke's '
desire to co 'sprat. with Prince Blucher actively, rather
than paieivele. Ile saw that against the latter the main
strength of the Frei, It 1110 y would be carried, and he pro-
po.cd to advaisce, as soon as he should have concentrated
trice enough. ut .111 brasue and Gout/lies, and to fall upon
the min'', rear. But this, which would have been both
• practicaldi .1714 a judicious movement, had his Unice re-
ceased intonation wWe French attack in good time, was
now well nigh i.npossible. It was idle to expect that Napo-
leen would delay his onward inoveineut long enough to
permit the c nesotration at Quatro Bras of such a force as
would authorise an aggressive operation; and a project, ad-
mirable in itself, woe at once abandoned, and an arrange-'
meet mark that by he Namur road the allies should sup-
port one medlar. It is said that the duke, as he cantered
hack to hie own ground, turned to a 'toff-officer deeply in
his confidence. and slid, "Now mark my words: the Pine-
Liens eat m.),•• a gallant *the ; for they arc capital troops,
and well commanded; but they will be beaten. I defy any
army not to be beaten placid as they are, if the force that
attacks them be such as I suppose the }'roach under Boone-
parte are...
TUE JOI 160 ArtZil 141:6Ttli .

llavin:ilheriiire; men hit outposts well arranged, and
lett no point urn area fur which seemed to demand atten-
tion. lie withdrew to a tire near the roadside and sat (lowa.
Other genera:a would have been oppressed with a.naiety as
to what the marrow alight bring forth, lied it been Napo-
leon, in the day. of hisearly glory, of whom we now write,
it would have probably been our way to describe him as
poring over n map and me•sun•g with a pair of compasses
the routes and di.tances from one portion of the district to
another. But the duke seems always to h she possessed the
rare, and, to en ora,er, invalua4le quality of relaxing his
enertnev as coo-. as the call fur them was over, and turning
his thoughts into any enannel which happened to invite
them. tht the present occasion a regiment of cavalry, the
12th, happened to come up won atter he had taken Lis sent.
it was comiramir d by one of the bravest suldien, though of
the gentlest nature, that ever wore ■ Britiab uniform,
Litut..Cul. the lion. Frederick Ponsonby, who, passing
over to salute Lis Iri,nil and beloved commander, found him
busily ening, din the perusal of some English newspapers.
A packet hail jest reached him, and the duke began upon
them forthwith, mailing aloud, and indulging in many a
good juke at the capen.e of the lean of the home govern-
ment, as they Wen there described. To speck of such a man
as at any moment liable to be ...itemised," is to exhibit •
asarvellously alight acquaintance with human nature. He
who is surprised must lose self.raseasiou ; and if he be
attacked in some manner upon which he had never mice-
!stet!, his wear.. of r. pelling the attack will be to seek. But
the lam of selt-p.....woiva can hardly be predicated of one
who, amid the hurry of active operations, and in the very
middle, so to speak, of a battle, is able to amuse himself
and all who come near him, as tits duke amused that night
his staff, mu the gallant soldier who joined himself to their
company.