The National Register.
London, England, 1816-04-15 00:00:00

APRIT. 15.

Ii.I7"FLE OF WiITE.IIL(Xi.

lilrrative of the Conduct of SAY./LEON Box XP main on the Igth
admit., Int.'', during and after the Battle or Waterloo, take);
fvotti the Depo.ition ofJohn Baptista De Co! tcr,wko served
113 Guide on Oat Day.

J. 13. De Caster is abed about 1..3; he was born in the
village of Corbeck-km, near Louvaine, and has inhabited
Walloon for !;:t years; bdore the invasion of Napoleon he
occupied a small ale-house (cabaret), with about six acres
of laud. Upon the approach of the French army, on the
17th of June, he retired with his consisting of his
wife and seven children, help the wood of the Abbey
d'Awyko.s; on Sunday he went to his brother's, who lived
Pauchenoit. He met there three French Generals,
who sent him to Buonaparte.
Dc •Costerfoundhim at afar, minus' Rossum, and was
immediately presented to him, who was standing in a
rsom in the midst of a great number of officers of his Staff.
Huonaparte asked him, if he was well acquainted with
the local situation of the country, and it' he would be his
guide? Dc Coster having answered him mnisfitetorilv,
Buonaparte told him he would accompany him, adding
Speak frankly with me, toy friend, as if you were
with your children."
llntmaystrte had De Coster r 'three different times,
to obtain information as to the maps of the country,
which he consulted. —He questioned him chiefly upon
the distance of several towns of Brabant from the field Or
battle, and made him explain those he had seen in his
youth. De Coster named It, which appeared to pleas;
Buonaparte; he seemed very much satisfied to find that'
De Coster wa3FleMish, and that-he spoke the language;
he advised him above all, to give only well authenticated
information, and not to answer for things of which he was
uncertain, shrug Ong his shoulders at th sane time. He
repeated often &eye instructions, adding—" That if' he
(Buonaparte) succeeded, his recompenee should be a'
hundred times greater than he could imagiue."—He
dispensed with every particalar mark of respect, telling
him, that instead of taking t. f' his cap, he need only put
his hand to his forehea 1.
At mid-day, Buonaparte went out with his staff, and
placed himself upon a drank on the aide of the road which
commanded a view of the field of battle. Shortly after-
wards news arrived that the attack upon the farm and
chateau of Hougoumont, which he had commenced at 11
o'clock, was unsuccessful.
At one the battle became general; Buonaparte remain-
ed in his first station with his staff anti five; he was on
foot, and constantly walked backwards unit f awards,
sometimes with his arms crossed, but chiefly behind his
back, with his thumbs in the pocket of a dark coloured
great coat; he had iris eyes fixed upon the bottle, and
pulled out his w:rtch and snuff box alternately. De
Custer, who was ,on horseback near him, observud fre-
quently his watch. Buonaparte perceiving that De
Coster took snuff, and that he had none, gave bins seve-
ral pinches.
When he found that his attempts to force the position
of the Chateau of Hougoumont had been made in vain,
he took a horse, left the farm Rossum at five P. M. and
riding foremost, halted opposite De Coster's house, about
100 yards from La Belle Alliance. He remained there
until seven. At this moment he, by means of a tele-
scope, first perceived the Prussians advance, and commu-
nicated it to an Aid-de-Camp, who,'upon turning his spy-
ing glass saw them also. Some moments atter, an officer
came to announce that Bulow's corps approached. Buo-
naparte replied that he knew it well, and gave orders for
his guard to attack the centre of the English army ; and
riding at full gallop in advents, he placed himself with
his staff in a hollow made by the road, half way between
La Belle Alliance and Haye Sainte. This was his third
and last position.
Buonaparae and his suite ran great risks to reach this
hollow : a bullet struck the pommel of the saddle of one
of his officers, without touching him or his horse. Boo-
naparte contented himself by coolly observing, "that they
must remain is this hollame." _ _

Here there was on each side of the road a battery, and
perceiving that one of the cannons of the left battery did
not play well, he dismounted, as?ended the height of the
advsaaced to the third piece, and rectified the error,
• while the bullets were hissing around him.
Whilst in this position, he saw eight battalions of his
Old Guard, to whom he lmul givett orders to force the cen-
tre of the English army, tulvaneing upon Hayc Sainte.
Three of these battalions were annihilated in his sight,
whilst crossing the road, by the firing from the &rut and
batteries. Nevertheless, the French made themselves
masters of the f.:rtn, and the Hanoverians who occupied
it, were obliged to surrender fhr want of ammunition.
To support the foot guards (garde a fined) linonaparte
made his horse guards, composed of eight or nine regi-
ments, advance ; he waited the result of this charge with
the greatest anxiety; but he saw the flower of his army
destroyed in an instant, whilst ascending the bill upon
which Haye Sainte is situate. This was his last trial ;
for on sexing his Old Guard destroyed, 1w lost all hope,
and on turning towards his officers, said, "a present eat
sauvons anus."—lt is now finished, let us save our-
selves.
It was half-past eight o'clock.; and, wqunt pursuing
any steps, or giving any orders, and taking nli ptribic
care to livid the Prussitus, he, accomytmied by his• Sta:;