The Express.
London, England, 1852-09-28 00:00:00

_ .
SOME PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF

WELLINGTON.

(prep the !coif anal Nad(ll,l, Ga:ette.)
We know not the date of the following occur-
rence, but we had it some years ago on testimony that en-
sures its authenticity. It might have been upwards of 20
years back; indeed we think It took place when the Duke
was Prime Minister.

One morning &clerk in the Ordnance-office was called
upon by a gentleman, a native of the same place iu the
north of Scotland with himself, who then for the first time
hot visited England. lie stated that he had that morning
arrived, and had come to him to introduce him to the
Duke of Wellington, he being impressed with the idea that
his friend in the Ordnance•ottiee was in such a position as
could at any time command an interview with one w ho, if
not then Master-General, had, at least, formerly held that
position.
" I—l introduce you to the duke ; the thing is out of the
ques iou, my good friend; but us you seem so bent on it,
and have come up from &whimd for no other purpose, pos-
sibly, if you will go to Apsiey !louse and make known the
purport of your calling, the porter may be able to procure
you an interview."
Disappointed, but nothing daunted, the old Scotch gen-
tleman wended his way up St. Jamee's•street, and along
until he arrived at the house of the great cap-
tain. On the gate being opened, he informed the porter
that he desired to see the Dale of Wellington. " Have
you an appointment with the nuke inquired the faithful
sentinel. " No; but 1 wish particularly to see Lim."
There must have been something peculiarly winrint, if
not commanding, in the manner and appearance o: the
venerable stranger, with his silver locks hangin, ,nt his
shoulders, who now, without introduction, without a pre-
vious appointment, with much earnestness was w.kin.t to
see the great lord of the mai.sion ; for the porter. ..:T• r a
while, said. " Sir, it you will give me your curd, 1. 0,.l ice
what can be done."

In a few minutes the porter returned, desirieg the
stranger to walk into the house, where he wee shown into
a ZOOM. He had been there but a short time who the
duke came in with the card in his hand, to " Mr.
Robertson, what is your business with me ? I eau *fluid
you ten minutes."
Your grace," said the patriarchal visitor, his face beam-
ing with intelligence and los couidenance brightemeg eith
satisfaction, " I have attentively watched your grace's
career fr.an the day you were an ensign cp to the preNent
hour. lam now, as your grace aces, a very old man, _old
must soon leave this world ; but I felt that I could ~.it be
gathered to my tethers in peace without having le.held
your grace. I arrived from Scotland this morale:, each
this sole object. The only wish I had on earth is ne,. {ra-
tified, and to morrow mutating I shall set off on my way
home again."
" Well, Mr. Robertson," said the duke, " next t t the
honours I have received frees my Sovereign, this is cei
the greatest compliment ever paid inn. lam now od 4e:a
to leave you, but you will come hem to dinner at seven
o'clock, and to morrow I am going down to Windsor, and
shall be happy to take you with me."
" Ns," replied Mr. Robertson, much affected by the
interview, " I have seen your grace—the longing el my
heart is gratified—l want nothing else." And with a pro-
found bow ho flsok his leave.

Tile following anecc7t:May also be relied on:—
During the period when the duke was at the head of the
government he visited a place, then of fashionable (sort,
celebrated for the efficacy of its waters. His Grace'. medi-
cal attendant, a resident, having learnt his intent, ni of
being present at the morning service the following dad in a
certain church, communicated it to the officiating
This announcement of the duke's arrangement som•. what
diiconeerted the rev. gentleman a man universally re-
spected and beloved by all who know him—because lie wu
then going through a course of sermons on the 1e....ns of
the day, and it so happened that the first lesson for that
Sunday was the sth chapter of the 2nd King., where the
story of the captain of the host of the King of b)ria in
told. and the kindhearted Mr. —, whose WARM was
already prepared, was fearful that the duke might think he
had selected the subject as it were to preach at him.
A clerical friend was consulted, who said it would per-
haps have been wrong to have purposely chosen the sub-
ject, but as it occurred regularly in the course he was
giving, and as the sermon was already written, he tli,ught
it best to go on with it, in the hope that it might be
blessed.

On the following morning, when the preacher had given
out his text, and read the verse—
" Now Neaman, captain of the host of the King of Syria,
was a great man wit► iiis master, and honourable, In
by him the Lord bad given deliverance to Syria. Ile was
also a mighty man in valour, but he was • h FT,"
the duke, placing his elbow on the front of the pee, and
fixing his eyes on the preacher, appeared to give the utwest
attention to the discourse.

On coming out of church some one—we believe it wu
the Duke of Manchester—tapping the Duke of Wellington
on the shoulder, said, " Alt he has hit your grace, I
think." "He has hit US all," replied the great captain;
" but I happen to know that the subject was not purposely
selected, but came in the order of a course of senno..s en
the lessons of the day''—for the medical attendant bad told
him that the minister was engaged on such a course.
The duke was called away before the next Sunday to
attend a cabinet council, but he desired the physici.in to
make known to Mr. the reason of his absence.

TUB DI:111.5 LAST VISIT TO ♦ PUBLIC ANCSEMENT.
—lt is a singular fact that his grace's last visit to a 1.4 Ain
exhibition was to witness the representations of his own
campaigns at the Gallery 01 Illustration, Regent-stret -. It
was a private view, and is described as being of the most
interesting; character. As scene followed genie, the duke
identified the localities, even occasionally pointing out par.
titular buildings. As the illustration or his own imn 'eta!
deeds passed before him, he gave a running comment cv of
the events to the distinguished party that accompanied
enriching it with interesting details, coupled with ,vnie
most recherche anecdotes.

TES DUKE AT CHILTENHAIC—A singular little inci-
dent occurred, not uninstructive, as illustrative of.chari. ter
in connexion with the duke's patronage of the Rotunda
Promenade Ball, the ordinary charge for admission to v.:deb
wee 34., but, on this occasion, the proprietor, either biliing
to reap a richer harvest of profit, or to render his room, less
crowded, advertised the price of the tickets at 4e. This
did not escape the notice of the duke, and a polite =wigs
was sent, through a friend, that his grace would not con•idcr
any advance upon the regular entrance-charge any ooinpli-
phment to himself ; and the proposed alteration wei, of
course, abandoned, but not before it had provoked avere
animadversion.— Lookw

THB Delta OF WELLINGTON AS • CONNOISSEVII.—
Among the many anecdotes which have been publish, d of
the illustrious man whose decease still forms almost the only
topic of conversation, there is one which is not very ene-
rally known, we believe—or which has not at least been
published. It cannot fail to be remembered that the Duke
of Wellington became the purchaser of one of the lugs
pictures of Waterloo by our own celebrated painter, it
William Allan. After the picture had become the pro' irty
of the duke, the artist was instructed to call at the Lase
Guards on a certain day, in order to receive payment.
Punctual to the hour appointed, Sir William met his grtos,
who proceeded to count out the price of the picture, when
the artist suggested that, to save the time of one whose
every hour was devoted to his duty, a cheque might be 'Men
on the duke's bankers. No answer was vouchsafed, how-
ever; and Sir William, naturally supposing that his modest
hint might not have been beard, repeated it—" Perliaps
your grace would give me a cheque on your bankes ; it
would save you the trouble of counting notes." This time
the old hero had beard, and whether irritated at being
stopped in the middle of his enumeration, or speakine his
real sentiments, we know not, but, turning half tonne. he
replied, with rather a peculiar expression of voice and c,uu-
tenance—" And do you suppose I would allow Cou'ts's
people to know what a fool I have been ?" We give the
anecdote as it circulates among the friends of the late Sir
William Allan, by whom it was told with great 9,4
humour. It reflects no discredit on either 4;
party. 'Their
i..eaa of art were certainly very different.—Scottisli !WSJ.
Ott. Or Ulf Bemis LAST Am OP BINIVOLIINeB.—
We axe informed by the Secretary of the Shipwrecked
Fishermen and Mariners' Royal Benevolent Society, that,
about the middle of last month, the late Duke of Wellidston
presented the noble donation ot SOL to this valuable tamely.
AN OLD COMBAT)* or visa I/VlZ.—Among the retinue
of the late duke at Widmer, in Mr. Townsend, a venerable-
looking old soldier, holding the oleos of warder and steward
of the castle, and who bravely served his country in the field
under his illustrious master. This veteran was formerly in
the 2nd battalion of the Grenadier Guam* with wtheh
corps he was present at the storming of Bergetn-op•Zoom,
under General Graham. The advantage gained by the
capture of that strongly-fortified place, as is well known,was
not judiciously followed up, and the result of the error was
that many of our soldiers were driven to surrender. But
Townsend, when called upon to give up his arms, refund,
and having induced thirteen of Ms comrades to join hors,
they passed the square of the town in the face of the
enemy • cross fire, and mounted the battery which the
British were about to evacuate. There he turned some
guns upon the enemy, and cepended the whole of the
ammunition within reach, ev, n to the contents of his own
and his comrades' poaches, and then retired, perfectly nu-
scathed. His gallant little party, by this act of velour,
effected their departure from the town, thus escaping the
horrors of a French prison. This veteran also fought St
Waterloo, being then a sergeant in the Guards. He there
took part in the memorable end crowning charge of the
British Guards upon the Imperial Guard of Napoleon, and
in that desperate yet decisive affair he had his halbert shot
from him, and his hat carried away by a gun-shot ; yet he
survived to receive the above appointments from the duke,
which he holds to this del. His grace also nominated him
to a vacant wardership in the Tower of London, two years
since.

Tun WILLINOtON MONVIIIIN'T IN NVTNINOID-PA/Ll.
Meet of our readers are aware that a monument has been
long in course of erection in Wynyard-park, in commemo-
ration of the visit of the lamented warrior to the Marquis
of Londonderry in 1827 ; and it is perhaps worthy of notice
among ooineident events, that the last stone had hardly
boss fixed in its place, and the finishing touch put upon the
work, before the melancholy tidings of the great captain'.
death reached the can of the workmen, and changed, es it
were, the pillar of triumph into a cenotaph of grief. The
duke arrived at Wynyard on the 26th of September, 1827,
and on the following Wednesday the lamented warrior
!viaited this city, and received addresses from the corpora•
' tion and inhabitants, to which his grace returned very flat-
tering replies. Indeed, his northern progress was one con-
tinued ovation. Ilia grace left this city about nine o'clock
cease Friday morning, on his way southwards, and arrived
in town on the Sunday evening.—Diwitant Adostisser.

-~

REVIEW OF THE CORN TRADE.

t hes the Meek Last Krtreas.l
BRITISH. _

The general ton. of the grain trade has undergone
very little cheer during the Last week. The reports re e: trod
from different (marten respecting the result of the hurvest
teed to eosins what has pros Mealy been said on the subject.
In the Berthas parts of Kaglead and I. Soothed the crops
have In mend give • satisfactory return, both I. quantity
and quality, but nothing has transpind to lead to the belief
that the briery sustained in the southern parts of the king-
dom has hese overrated. No improvement is perceptible ak
the quality of the new wheat ; indeed the scrotum on this
subject are incree,ingly iinforentrable, sad it is certain viat
by tar the grJater propocioa of the crop in the chief wheat- '
producing counties of the smith is very far inferior to the
as, rage I reduce of moder itely mod years. The prices
w7aieh tarsier, ease Is en ele.cord to accept for what they
Imre hitherto brought forwent have bees very low and us-
arise, a.ul thoso who or, in a position to hold
ern we think he disposed to thresh freely at present; '
It lied, the deliveries daring the loot month hate
bra smaller thou they is-welly are at the correspond-
fag period of the year, et at the want of attic sty by
which tessiarie has bees charuteri.ed must be partly
rtribeted to the ieferiotity of the quality of the new
',lust, a kilo pectin of the use hating come forward in
wretchedly ALI condition as to be wholly unlit for
me .ea aso. 1 his (ac ought to have the ( ff:et of enhanc-
ing 'he value of old, ted to my are still of opinion that stkli
mil. be the ease Inter in r • peer. Hitherto, however. the
supplies from abroad have been on •sultleiently liherat male
to provost onything like marePy of old:wheat being feat, and
the future nage and join • must depend on the sanest of the
uzi;Ortauas• Iran shreel. Parana the excitement which
pi retailed at harvest uses, orders to purchase wheat on
Nnolish megeat were seat to the Baltic ports at liberal
halite, end the eternity of thee@ were r aerated. Seine of
the wheat then bought is now on range, and the rest is in
pr,eiress of shipment ; we ere net likely, therefore, to be
without supplies. but whether these Will exceed what may
le seeded is not an easy to de ti reline. That a much larger •
mmeartioa of old will'fie required for mixing with the new
tie in would have been the car if the latter hail been har-
vested ia tolerably dry .idmits of no doubt; said
though the idea of herb prices which was at one renal ,truer-
Lined memo to be Abeadnned, holders of granaried samples
of old wheat continue confident.

The potato disease has excited Inn attention the last
eii ;it or ten dap than it did earlier in the month. We
have, however, continued oar inquiries, end the result is
a conviction that tho extent of the mischief in England
and Scotland is as great as it bee been in any prey.ous
W 11,411-1846, perhaps, excepted. The reports from be-
hind are of so conflicting u character as to defy any-
thing like a di finite (minion being arrived at; hut the
continued rise in the value of the article at the principal
markets in the sister isle affords proof that the forcvd
sahs made earlier in the reason have been followed by'
the results we predicted corer :votive scarcity and an
advance in prices. In proportion as potatoes rise, so
will the demand for other kinds of food increase is Ire-
land, and large shipments of flour are already being
made weekly teem Liverpool and other ports on the west
coast to that country. Indian cora baa beconse a near-
sat, article of food with the Irish; the stocks are not
heavy, and a eery large importation will no doubt be
rt ;air vi. The eat cloys are sexy highly spoken of, both
in Ireland and Scotland; but, as the Ices ot potatoes iu
;linguae, of the prevalence of the murrain will cause
a materially increased consumption of oatmeal in both
cot:airier, we can scarcely reckon on reeeiving very large
~'plies. Barley has suffered in quality in almost all parts
at the United Kingdom—less, perhaps, in Scotland than
.l.ewhete; and we should net be ,rirprised if some of the
finest samples grown in the north were to fin.l their way to
the southern market. That the bran and pea erops have
given a very short yield is now yr. tty well ascertained, and
these articles are at present higher than other agricultural
pradactioas. 't his will nn doubt have the effect of drawing
supplies from abroad ; but, so the deficiency is mid to he
quite as great in most of the near continental countries as in
England, some time will have to elapse before arrivals of
C. OttrOlIC• can reach as.
We hare no increase to report in the arrivals of Wheat
eoirstrise into the port of London, hat the miller, having
conducted their operations with extreme caution, the small-
ness of the supply has not been f. It.
The traLsactions in English Wheat were on quite a re.
tot scale on Wednesday. There were few sami les ex-
hibited on the E sex and Kent stands; and the offirs
fs the cast roast were not by any means numerous.
ruder these circumstances, factors were not inclined to

gire way ; and. though Mee demand was slow, previous
prices were well sumpegeog. Matters have nut changed
.terially since indeed, the only alteration on
Friday we. some increase of firmness on the part of holden.
The receipts of wheat from abroad have been moderate
since the close of last week, only 11,411 qrs. having been
',ported up to this (Saturday) evening. A coniederable
Proportion of the supple previously received having passed
IWO the hands of the millers, or been landed or account of
imp men, there have been no rimming sellers. We are un-
able, however, to report any increase of activity in the der
mind, and prices were not higher at the close than they
were in the commencement of the week. The gener^l
im-
will

Itsons is be Ass the mutiny ioquiry v...., improvii
tbe year. led a moderate rise on prrsent rates is
Mmlldently anti bead by the majority of holders.
There has boos stair amount of busiaem done in floating
Illeneee of wheat, and previous prices hive been well main- I
belated; for Berdiaaski, 41s. per qr , emt zr.l freight, bas'
been paid. Polish Odessa wheat ha. not, we believe. been
off r.il below 365. per qr., cost, freight, and insurance, and
f. other qaalities corriapondieg rates hare been asked.
The offers from the Baltic have not been very numerous;
the terms 'eked free on board on the other side have been
deemed too high to encourage oar buyers to operate, and
kw bargains have, we believe, been closed.
Cho nolunal top price for town-made flour has been,
et, adily supported, and good tre.h country marks have not
at seri period of the week been sold cbtaper than on Mon-
day. The arrivals of Sour from America have been small
doer, the last eight or ten der., awl holden of parcels is
w-rehosse have sLown more confidence.
Very_ few parcels of Emboli bask, have come forward
since Monday last; Sae malting counties have been in-
qt..red far; the prevailing opinion to that OM lb" to the wee
tto•ive injury suffered by the crop, the beat kinds all is
'germ and comparatively dear. Supplies of the INGIIIIIIIII
kind. will ao doubt after a time mearemes bat
barley has realised relatively Meier pekes Ibis=
Von sun, for grinding, has beta to Wesaquarst, Sal hen
commanded filly as much meaty as
Toe operations in malt have not bees by may mesas es-
ten.orr ; the previous value of the Miele Ws seimilimiss
Urn steadily supported.
Tat arrivals of -oats cemeteries rid fres Wised %sables
small, sad a material falling at bestehen plass be ea
plier trom abroad. Yearly the "WM of the
arrived la the htglawilag of tits use ; mid se *seems.
VAN to WWII& mos es pram% sad the ps
of these ass hese ate is Sea hurls muse adivesse be
to rambled es. The balms ewe baa bees '
phia
is Busks sees, shish lave *proved Is who, the males
Rade as Fdday being be Om St per lc alms those car-
mt at
Beams love emllluity.s to hoed sgmeogly. and the ississey of
prises his sill std spume& For Epyptiss is granary,
At. to Ss. ler gr. hsibees sited.
The late lipid eles is Oise el pew hen emend the de-
mand to sinks. aid rum we certainly Isms isslinaties to
pun hese tide estimie tessalle the close of the week.
Indian Ma hes hems Is psi request, sad though the az-
rivels of the esseeleme bees hogs, prises have rather tended
upwards ; be G&W Ss pee qr. ram, freight, sad lir
enrolee, has bees paid.