The National tribune., 1893-01-26

to the Duke OF Wellington ana Gn0 omcerB OF
the Allied Army on the eve of that first and
last of fields, king. making victory "-Waterloo.
This 10 very curious, especially to middle
aged people of to-day; for that any doubt could
exist about the house wherein that ball was
held is simply ludicrous, or at least one would
think So For example, the Duke of Yelling
ton himself did not die until tho September Of
1852, and Soult, who was Napoleon's Major
General during the Waterloo campaign, until
the November following and number of Off.
GERS, English, Prussian, Belgian, Dutch, Han
overian, who might easily have been at that
ball, and no doubt were, have died within
the last decade. Yet Is the location already
disputed. We'll might Byron say:
"Pve stood upon Achilles tomb,
And heard Troy doubted; time will doubt of
Rome"
In his "Charles O'Malley," Lever says:
"Whether we regard the illustrious and dis
tinguished perscnages who thronged around,
or we think of the portentous moment in which
it was given, the Duchess of Richmond's ball.
on the night of the 18th of Juno, 1915. was not
only one of the most memorable, but in its in
terest the most exciting entertainment that the
memory of anyone now living can compass"
He then proceeds to give an account of the ball
itself, introducing Sir Thomas Picton, Lord
Uxbridge, the Prince of Orange, and others
now forgotten, but who were then the cynosure
Oh the eyes Oh Ill LuTOpo. CuIlI tUc uoWuidii
of Napoleon in the Spring of 1914 the CONT
nent Of Europe had been practically closed to
the British, since the rupture of the treaty Of
Amiens, in 1903, except the unfortunate SUBJ
jects of Great Britain whom the Emperor found
in the French dominions at this latter date
and whom he very kindly detained as prison
ers. as an Offset to some French vessels seized
by the British when war was declared. During
these IL years, with very few exceptions, no
ritich en- iacfs vicitad Iranra as pria.
oners of war consequently when Napoleon
took his departure for the Island of Elba, and
the Bourbons occupied the Tuileries, the Eng
lish nocked to France, and particularly to
Paris, literally in shoals. And there they
reveled, feasted, and gained to their hearts
content, until the Eagle flying from steepe to
steeple finally perched upon the towers of
Notre Dame. and, then, what scamperng Of
the British hosts, what mad efforts to get across
tho border, where Wellington, with an allied
army of British, Dutch Belgian, Hanoverian,
and Brunswick troops, held the line of the
Belgian frontier from Mons to Ostend,
having his headquarters in the gay,
pleasure loving City of Brussels, and
thither rushed his fellow. countrymen and
countrywomen in great haste. Once there
they felt safe, and. according to their usual
won't. began to enjoy themselves. In addition
to the tourists, the large number of staff and
general officers, many of whom had their
families with them, and the presence of large
British garrison, helped to swell the society Of
this pleasant capital and there was q continued
round of festivity and gaiety. Napoleon and
the French army, for all the thought that was
given to them by these gay butterflies, might
as we'll have been 10000 miles of, they rest
ing unconscious of the gathering storm before
them" Yet he was knocking loudly at their
door, only 20 miles distant, where Ney, "the
bravest of the brave" fighting hard, as was al
ways his custom, was strenuously endeavoring
to wrest from the allied grasp that junction Of
the two Belgian roads now famous in history
as Quatre Bras. This was the night selected
by the Duchess of Richmond for giving her
ball, and. little antici pating what was to so i'm
mediately follow it, everyone who could do SO
was agog to be there.
1t has been strongly alleged and just as
strongly denied that Napoleon surprised the
Duke Of Wellington in this campaign. and the
fact of the Duke having been present at this
ball when the courier brought him the news
that the Emperor had captured Charleroi, aud
was with n 10 miles Of Brussels, has given color
ing to the surprise story. But as / am not
writing history of the Battle of Waterloo
(there being a few extant already, but only an
account of this ball. will simply say that tho
few officers of his staff who were aware, with
the Duke, that Napoleon meditated an attack,
and that soon, suggested that the Duchess of
hlCUmODu Uc dufl5cu W puSlpuuC ucF Sutef-
tainment; to which advice he would not listen,
and good humoredly remarked that it would
never do to disappoint lady of her Grace's
merits" And it was at his express desire that
the officers who had been invited, especially
those of his personal staff, should attend that
many went to the ball who would perhaps have
been otherwise engaged. 1t is stated that it
had been limited to division and brigade CON-
manders and those from the outposts that they
ahnulA taka THAR Leaves early and renair
their respective commands. Gradually, one or
two at q time on various pretoxts, they took
their leave aud repaired to their several posts.
Maxwell, In his Life of Wellington, gives us
this vivid pen picture of this anxious moment:
1.-THE second courier arrived from Butcher
after IL O'Clock on the night OF the 18th, and
the dispatches of the Marshal were delivered
to the Duke of Wellington in the ball room of
the Duchess of Richmond. While he was read
ing them he seemed to be completely absorbed
by their contents, and after he had finished he
for some minutes remained in the same atti-
tude of deep reflection. totally abstracted from
every surrounding object, while his counte-
nance was expressive OF fixed and intense
thought. He was heard to muttcr to himself,
Marshal Butcher thinks it is Marshal
Blucher's opinion and after remaining NIB
stracted few minutes and having apparently
| formed his decision, he gave his usual clear
and concise orders to one of his staff officers.
| who instantly left tho room, and was again as
| gay and animated as ever; he stayed to supper
| and then went home.
Supper, however. was not served until late,
and after it was over the Duke made u little
| speech, in which he returned thanks for toast
to the health of the Prince Regent, proposed
| by the Prince Of Orange.
"'Within a window ed niche of that high hall
Sa,e Brunswick 3 fated chieftain.'
| "And one Of the ball traditions has IL that
| when the courier announced the news to Well
| lington, Brunswick, who had little child
| slumberiug on his lap, started from his seat SO
hastily that the little one rolled violently upon
the floor.
"'He rushed into the field. and foremost fighting
fell 49,. asa ~
As many of the British officers had to hurry
| to their commands at once direct from the
! ball. room with the it's worn there still upon
| their backs and thin shoes their feet, one
can imagine how heartily they must have
"cussed" the whole affair as they tramped from
| Brussels TO Qnaire Bras, fought there the whole
| of the 10th, and then retreated back to Mount
| st. Jean in the tremendous rain that fell on
the evening and night Of the 18th, turning the
fields into quagmires. Yet still 1t was an oc.
| cssion long 10 be- remembered, and one cannot
| help wondering is there anyone now alive who
/ attended that ball over II years agoS
One who will live As long as the English
language exists we know was there. our clever,
versatile. but somewhat erratic little friend,
| Becky Sharp. Thackeray, who is one of the
| mediums by which tho occurrence of tho ball ID
/ a..e E.n-,, tha Runiieh soaak inU pAonla