The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-08-16

The View From It Is Most superb-withln
 Twenty Minutes Walk From the NLonu-
 mont is the Pretty Farmstead of Houg-
 mount.
 London. July 22, 1895
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Since writing my last letter from Dresden have visited Brussels, the field of Waterloo and Paris, Brussels is one of the most attractive of Euro pean cities, and a visit to that histori- cal city is a great privilege. The Boul- evard, which occupies the site of the old city walls, Is very attractive thoroughfare, and the Bois, just on the northern edge of the city, is one of the loveliest public parks to be found on
 the continent.
 The ground in and about Brussels rolls prettily in huge waves, and the
 effect is very fine. Inside the city there are many little hills and we walk up
 and down hill at a great rate in visi-
 
 Outside the city the cultivated fields
 covered with waving grain present
 lovely spectacle as far as the eye can
 reach.
 I do not propose at this time to write
 particularly about the beautiful city of
 Brussels; it Is filled with interesting
 buildings. and we took four days to
 enjoy the places of interest and see the
 lions, and we left with many regrets,
 hoping later in the fall to pay a second
 visit there, which will be indeed a very
 pleasurable event.
 Our chief aim in visiting Brussels
 was to pay a pilgrimage to the battle-
 field of Waterloo; this is a. perfect Mec-
 ca for English travellers; and many Americans and Germans, too, find
 great delight in going there; it is quite natural however, that very few
 Frenchmen should derive any pleasure from inspecting the historic spot where the Old Guard and the infantry and cavalry of France suffered such terri
 ble defeat when the tri-color of France
 went down before the proud red flag of England
 We left Brussels at 10 a. m The
 sun shone brightly and the blue heav-
 ems were without cloud, while cool
 breeze blew gently in our faces as we
 crossed the fields to Waterloo battle- field, which is eight miles distant from
 Brussels.
 In the center of the great battlefield { there isNa grand mound two hundred feet high, with flight of steps lead ing up to an enormous Belgian bronze lion weighing twenty-eight tons, cast from captured French cannon. This great lion is supposed to be roaring to. wards France.
 The view from the base of the lion is a most glorious one.
 Far away beyond us lies a dark ob- ject along the distant horizon; this is the thick forest of Soignes, and Brus- sels is far behind it. Wellington has been criticised severely for giving bat < tie with a thick forest in his rear but events proved that Wellington knew well what he was about, for he was a
 cool master of the situation. That forest during the battles of "Quatre Bras and "Waterloo" was filled with peasants who had taken re- 4 fuge thither with their focks and herds and there are yet few old, q lame and crippled beggars about the base of the mound who on that event. E full day followed their mothers to the \ safe recesses of that dreadful black forest of Soignes. Just below the mound is the sunken road, where the brilliant French cuisiarers made their final charge and fell into the abyss,
 where twenty-five hundred of their < number met such an inglorious end by X being trampled to death beneath their < own brothers in arms.
 \ The road is now quite even with the plain, for the ground having been lleaped up into mound in that quar- < ter has changed the field to such an ex- tent that the Duke of Wellington when
 visiting that locality, in 1920, re- marked to the Belgian generals Gen ' tlernen, you have ruined my battle fie1d!' Just behind the old road lies $ ''La Have Sainte' where the battle was waged with terrible effect at noon < on the 18th of June, 1815 The account @ of the struggle at that point makes x one's blood course rapidly as he pie z lures to himself the deeds of daring x valor exhibited by French and Eng K fish; it was in truth a bloody struggle M among the scattered buildings of that
 strategic spot. Major Won Earrings E narrative of the courage and bravery N of the Light Battalion of the German M legion, who defended La Haye Sainte 5 is one of very great interest and de $ serves to be read and re-read by every # lover of brave deeds. The soldierly 8 Frenchmen, however bit the dust and
 melted away before their brawny 1 enemy.
 N A little to the right of the lion and # reached by walk of twenty minutes I reclines the pretty farmstead of Houg.
 mount. and it is said that it presents I the same appearance to-day as it die < on the bright sunny morning of the
 memorable day of battle. The beauti e ful trees which now wave their leafy z branches to and fro over the greer @ graves of Captain Blackman and his brave comrades are the real successors @ of the giant trees which were hewr |S down by the French and Englisf .4 grape-shot, even the orchard apple # trees which are yellow with ripe frui eN have hnap r1apted i11St where the off