The Sun.
London, England, 1852-11-18 00:00:00

HIS CROWNING SUCCESS AT WATERLOO,

The Congress was still sitting at Vienna when there
arrived the astounding news of Napoleon's escape from El-
ba, and of his triumphal march from Cannes to theTuileries.
The Duke was the one who first announced to his brother
Plenipotentiaries the course to be pursued in consequence
of this marvellous intelligence. " Gentlemen," said he,
when they had all assembled to dine with the
Prince Metternich, " have you heard of the Emperor's
escape ?" adding, as he went up to Prince Talleyrand,
and touched him on the shoulder—" Quant d moi, Mon-
sieur de Talleyrand, je suis soldat du roi de France."
Everybody knows the details of the ensuing campaign ;
it is among the household stories of France and Eng-
land, and has penetrated, years and years ago, to every
inhabited corner of the two hemispheres. After the
celebrated contests at Ligny and at Quatre Bras, there
came on the yet more renowned 18th of June—that tre-
mendous struggle at Waterloo, where the banners of
Napoleon were borne down and trampled under foot by
the united ranks of the English, Dutch, Germans, Bel-
gians, and Brunswickers.
Familiar as the generality are with the incidents of
this great battle, and with the nature of its conse-
quences, they are possibly not as familiar with the very
surprising coincidence that, upon one occasion during
the course of his brilliant campaigns, the Duke of Marl-
borough meditated a struggle against the French bat-
talions on those very plains of Waterloo which were
ultimately the arena of the last military exploit of the
Duke of Wellington. The circumstance is pointed out
by Haydn in his "Dictionary of Dates," and will be
found thus distinctly recounted by Smollet in his "His-
tory of England :"
" On the 3d of August, 1705, Baron Spaar, with a
body of Dutch troops, marched to Raboth, on the canal
of Bruges, forced the French lines, at Lovendegen, and
took four forts by which they were defended ; but, re-
ceiving advice that the enemy were on the march to-
wards him, he retired to Mildegern, and carried with
him several hostages, as security for the payment
of the contribUtions he had raised. On the 15th
the Duke of Marlborough moved from Mildert
to Corbais ; next day continued his march to
Genap, from whence he advanced to Fischermont. On
the 17th, General D'Auverquerque took the post of
Waterloo ; and next day the Confederate Army was
drawn up in order of battle before the enemy, who ex-
tended from Overysche, near the wood of Soignies, to
Neerysche, over the little river Ysch in their front, so as
to cover Brussels and Louvain. The Duke of Marl-
borough proposed to attack them immediately before
they should recollect themselves from their consterna-
tion ; and D'Auverquerque approved of the design ; but
it was opposed by General Schlangenburg, and the other
Dutch officers, who represented it in such a light to the
Deputies of the States that they refused to concur in the
execution. The Duke being obliged to relinquish the
scheme, wrote an expostulatory letter to the States-
General, complaining of their having withdrawn that
confidence which they had reposed in him while he acted
in Germany. This letter being published at the Hague,
excited murmurs among the people ; and the English
nation were incensed at the presumption of the Deputies,
who wrote several letters in their own justification to
the States-General. But these had no effect upon the
populace by whom the Duke was respected even to a
degree of adoration."