The daily union., 1852-12-02
L,rsraeIi ON wellington.

upon To- Dght 10 perform souowfu but noble duty
Ii has 10 recognise IN tie face OF the country and OF me
civilized world, the loss Of the most distinguished OF our
citizens and has TO offer 10 The ashes o the great de-
parted the solemn anguish OF befeaVea hauon or,
the prncely parsonage who has left us was born IN an
age more fruitful OF great events Than any ether period
OF recorded time OF s vast incidents, the most con
smallest means and against the greatest obstacles he
was therefore, not only great man. but the greatest
OF great age Amid The chaos and conhsgiatlon
which attended the close OF the last century there arose
one OF those beings who TO be born 10 master
kind II is not too much 10 say that Napoleon combined
the imperial ardor OF Alexander with the strategy OF
Hannibal The kings o the earth fell before his hery
and subtle genus, and he denounced destruction against
the only land that dared 10 dsohey him. The provden-
ta supern,endence OF The world seems scarcely ever
manifest than when we ecollect the dlspensalons
of our day-iha the same year which gave France Ma
poleon also produced The Duke OF Wellington that
10 the year they should have embraced the same
profession; and that, natives Of distant isands they
should both have repaired for their military education 10
that usiious land which each in his turn destined
our glory might say our Wellesley fought
and won fifteen pitched battles all OF them OF The high
est Glass; concluding with OF those crownng vcto-
Tes that give color and form TO history And during
that period that be said OF him which be said o
other captain-ihat he captured three thousand can
from the enemy and never lost single gun But
the greatness OF his exploits was perhaps even sur
passed by the difficulties which he had 10 encounter; Tor
he had to encounter feeble government iaciious OPP
position, dstrustlal people scandaPas allies, and the
with starving troops and he carried on seges without
munitions The complete lhe fatality which attended him
throughout life in this respect when he had al last sue
ceeded in creating army worthy of the Roman egions
and worthy OF himself, this nvincibe host was broken
up the Of the greatest conuncture OF his life, and
he had enter the field ol Waterloo with raw levies and
discounted allies. But the star Of Wellington never
paed He has been called fortunate, but fortune is
divinity which has ever favored those who are at the
time sagaclous anu intrepid, inventive and patient
II was his character that created his caTeer-tha
achieved his exploits, and that guarded him from evsy
vcssitude; ~ \ was his supreme self control alone
,at ,,l.saI olA tuu Knit 4 has hAp nnE
late years somewhat the fashion to dsparage the mi
tary character. Forty years OF peace have perhaps,
made US somewhat less aware OF the considerable and
complex qualities which the formation oil great gen.
era II is not alone that he must be an engineer, geo2-
Tapher, learned in human nature, and adro in manag-
ing; that he must be able TO fulfill the highest duty OF
minister of State and then TO descend the humblest
office Of commissary and clerk but he has to display
all this knowledge, and to exercise all these duties at
the same time, and under extraordinary circumstances
AT every moment he has TO think of the and OF to-
morrowof his flank and of his rear. He has 10 carry
with him ammunition. PROVISIONS and hospitals he has
calculate the time the state of the weather and
the moral qualities OF his and all these elements that
perpelually changing he has TO combine sometimes
under overwhelming heat and sometimes under overpow-
ering cold sometimes amid famine, and sometimes
amid the OF artillery Behind all these circumstances
oo there present the image OF his country and the
dreadful alternative whether that country is TO welcome
him with laurel or with cypress Yet this image he
must dismiss from his mind Tor the general must think
and not only hink-he must think with the rapdity OF
lighting, for moment less depends the fate
OF most beautiful combination, and moment more
less hangs the question OF glory or OF shame. Un-
questonably sir, all this might be done IN an ordinary
manner and by ordinary man, as every day oil our
lives ordinary ho may be successful minis
OF State successful authors, successful speakers
but TO do all this with genius IS sublime Doubtless to
be able TO think with ylgor, with ceaness and with
depth in the OF the cabinet Is great intellectual
demonstrations but 10 think with equal vgor cleaIness
and depth amidst bullets appears the ottes exercise o
the most complete triumph OF the human faculties. Sir,
when take into consideration the prolonged and Illus
frous life Of the Duke of Wellington, one rs surprised
a.. a
his which fills so large space IN history. Only eight
years elapsed from Vimlera 10 Waterloo. and from the
date oil his first commission 10 the last cannon shot which
be heard the field OF battle twenty years could scarcely
be counted
He destined for another profession, and the great
and most successful OF warrors not in the pine,
at least in The perfection OF manhood-commepced
civil scarcely less successful, scarcely less spen
did, than that military one which lives IN the memory OF
men, He was thrice The ambassador oil bis sovereign al
those great historic congresses tLa settled The affairs OF
Europe he twice Secretary OF Stale he was twice
commander chief oil The forces once he was Prime
Minister of England, and 10 the last hour OF his life he
may be said TO have abored for his country IL was only
few months before lost him that he favored with
his counsel and assistance the present advisers OF the
crown respecting that war ~ the last oil which no one
could be competent TO Judge and he drew ap his views
that subject IN state paper worthy oi his genius and
indeed when he died, he died still the active chiean OF
that iusrous army 10 which he has left The tradition Of
his fame.
S there is one passage in the life Of The Duke OF We'll
nsion which in this place, and this occasion, ought
not TO lei unnollced. IL ~ our PRIDE that he was
OF our.elves-t is glory that Sir Arthur Wees
ley sat these benches we view bis career IN
the House OF Commons by The tests Of which
applied men, his career, although bel, was
sl distng guished. lie entered The royal councils and
filed high Offices Of State. But the OF SIR Arthur
Wellesley in the House OF Commons must not be tested
by The fact that be Pnvy Councillor secretary
OF a Lord Lieutenant lie achieved here which
the giealesi minister and The most brilliant orator might
never hope TO accomplish That great parlia-
mentsy triumph when he rose 10 his place TO receive
The thanks of The Speaker for brilliant victory and
still later when that bar he received from Of your
predecessors in memorable words the thanks OF CRATE
u Senate Tor accumulated iriumphs Sir there is one
source OF consolation which think the people OF Eng
land possess this moment under the bereavement
which they mount - their intimate acquaintance with
the character and even the person. ol this great man
There never was great who lived 50 long and so
much in The public eye will be bound there is not
gentleman n this house who has not seen him; many
there are who have cOnversed with him; there
who have touched bis hand His image, bis counte
nance, his manner, his voice, are impressed on every
memory, and 1--we ~ every mind la the golden saloon,
and in The busy place, the as', be might be
found The risiDg generation among whom he llvei will
recoec bis words of Kindness and The people followed
him in The with that lingering glance OF reyerent
admiration hch seemed never 10 tire Who, indeed,
can ever forget that venerable and classic head ripe with
time, and radiant, as u were, with glory
"slichous arer coRni,a faIsit
Canities.'
That might be acquainted with his inward and spirit.
ual naureiha might understand how this sovereign
master OF duty fulfilled the manifold Offices o his life
with unrivalled acliviy-he has favored with coec
,ion OF military aud administrative literature which
age and no country can ever tqual And fortunate IN