The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-28 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO.

Waterloo Sunday afternoon in London was a time of
violent fitful weather. Black clouds pouring down torrents,
cascades of rain, alternated with stainless blue ether and
brilliant sunshine. Which—which in the financial firma-
ment would finally prevail—the black etorm•clouds or the
clear ether and joyous sunlight ?
Storm, darkness, total eclipse; no sun, ab moon would
ultimately prevail, was the opinion of almost every one I
spoke with. That Wellington's army had been destroyed,
Prince Blucher only saved from the like fate by shameful
flight, moneyed men, as a rule firmly believed. The church
bells were ringing—to my ear they were funeral bells,
for evening service, when I returned home in a state of
desperation.

* *

Respite, absolute respite till Wednesday I What might
not happen in the meantime ? On Wednesday there was only
£14,000 to pay on those accursed bills I My downbeaten
spirit seemed to leap up again into life,—tremulous, but
hopeful life. Who, after all, had ever heard of an English
army being beaten—at all events, for the last thousand
years or thereabouts ? At Hastings certainly Harold's
forces got the worst of it; but then that was a sort of trian-
gular fight, the English tackling first one, he down t'other
came on ; and the Danes being first and down, of course
the Normans had it their own way, and won by accident.
An English army commanded by Wellington, too! Non-
sense! At all events, I would try and believe so. There
would be always time enough to hang, drown, shoot oneself,
or jump out of a three pair back window.
I will pass briefly every Monday. Consols could not be
disposed of to any considerable amount at any price. I care
not what the official quotations assert to the contrary.
Luckily, perhaps, or Treherne's hint might have been acted
upon. The devil has yon at advantage when you must
either accept the gallows or his offer. All I could hay
done was to procure an advance for a month of £30,000, at
heavy interest, by depositing as security the whole of the
stock I had the control of.

Tuesday morning brought no positive tidings. The wind
was not so fair for a vessel leaving the Dutch coast for an
English port as on the previous Saturday. It was, how-
ever, confidently whispered that the Government had re-
ceived news which they were afraid to publish.
Sick at heart, dizzy with dread, I wended my way to
Dolly's Chop•house, Paternoster-row, ordered a slight
lunch by way of excuse, sat down, and sank into a sort of
mediatative stupor, the theme being whether it would not be
insanity on my part not to take the £20,000 and—
Suddenly I became doubtfully conscious, as it were, of a
bustle, a commotion without, of people hurrying past, of
shouts, cries, inarticulate to me, but loud, joyous, fiercer.
Springing up, shaking myself into sense, I looked out,
listening eagerly. Boom I boom I boom I The tower guns,
by Heaven I Oat I rushed, joined the excited crowd, hur-
rying eastward, along Cheapside, amidst shouts of " Vic-
tory Wellington for ever I " I pushed, forced my way to
the front of the Mansion House; just as the Lord Mayor,
arrayed in his robes of office, made his appearance, holding
a paper in his hand. As soon as the deafening cheers by
which he was received permitted him to be heard, his lord-
ship officially announced a glorious victory achieved by the
Duke of Wellington over the French army, commanded by
Bonaparte in psrson. Thirty thousand prisoners; all the
French cannon and colours taken; Bonaparte himself only
saved by flight, &c.
Lord how my head spun round I how I shouted,
screamed, laughed, capered, jumped, frantically whirled
my hundkerchicf round my head ! and should probably
have dropped down and been trampled upon by the crowd,
had not two gentlemen compassionately seized hold of and
forced me into a neighbouring coffee-house. Very foolish
and absurd antics on my part, no doubt; but any one who
has ever had the misfortune, and the luck, to stand, at-
tended by the Caleraft of his time, upon a drop, with a
halter neatly fitted round his neck, anti been reprieved just
as the prison chaplain came to the words, " In the midst of
life we are in death," he will be able to make allowances.
I have only further to say that the immediate and rapidly
continuous advance in saleable value of all Government
securities, Treherne and Company's time• bargains netttnintsg
a slapping sum, enabled me to meet all eu g
quietly obtaining possession of and burn those.dreg:atf.lf
par tner
and truthfully assert, on the day the dissolution eunil bills,
ship between Joshua ounds man I
gazetted, that I was a forty-hog thouSall,.
Treherne and Andrew Lovegold was
tote weßritishld i n
Thanks for which, above and before al
army for winning the battle of Waterloo foro"ve h o
r
the
general, myself in ;particular; in grateful coolluernoratio2
of which 0)0,945 "Ilt"9111c4t I wver fail, at every until.