New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-12

more engaging person than other OBJ
servers have shown the Great Duke TO
he Gentle. affectionate, fond Of fun,
fond Of talk. full Of thoughtful kind
nesses. quickly moved at the sight or sur
fering-this is surely the soldierly hero
of a poets dream and this he is in these
pages. The diarist describes his pleas
ant behavior at magnificent banquet
which Included royalty. IT was IN 1914
after his Peninsular victories had maze
him the most worshipped parsonage IN
England The Prince Regent proposed
his health. and when the duke rose 10
reply he had broad smile on his race
and seemed to regard all the pageantry
and the honors Of that day as nonsense
| and fun. It seemed as though all these
! honors concerned any one rather than
himself At last the duke began: j
want words TO express The Prince
Regent promptly interposed: Ny dear
fellow, we know your actions and we
will excuse your words, so sit down.
This the duke did, with all the delight OF
schoolboy who has been given an IN
| expected holiday" After dinner there
was ball, and Wellington, who was
meanwhile expanding in jokes, danced
nolonaise Blucher was there doing
| German country dance and skipping
down the middle Of the room with Lady
! Burghersh. a ludicrous performance at
which everybody laughed was that OF ola
! PIatoff. the fierce Cossack commander.
He came forward TO oblige the company
with what he called a national dance
which consisted i'm stamping his feet
/ like a horse and nodding his head II
WAS on this occasion that Wellington
said 10 Shelley: Il think if Bonaparte
had attacked In person when first we
entered Spain we should have been beat
| But latterly, II there had been any sort
Of equality in numbers. we should have
! conquered I'm any event. mean whether
| Bonaparte had commanded in person or
not"
| There is glimpse Of the duke taking
care of Lady Shelley after the opera,
and gayly exclaiming as the crowd re-
spectfully made way for them: It's a
| fine thing TO be great man, is not it?'
I There is another glimpse of him, IN fun
uniform and glittering with orders,
! jumping into a market cart when his
carriage broke down in order not to be
| late at the church where he was to give
his niece away. After Waterloo, when
| Wellington was staying in Paris, the
! Sheleys carried ont a long cherished
plan Of Continental travel They were
received in the French capital with
eager kindness by the duke, who seemed
to be the youngest and gayest at the first
entertainment he offered them. Lady
| Shelley was an accomplished horse
woman, and she constantly rode with
| him at the many reviews. The Emperor
of Russia was Otter of the party, and
| dwelt upon his pleasure in seeing the
interest the beautiful English woman
took In military matters. All that was
most delightful and memorable in Paris
at that time was open to the Shelleys,
and the journal becomes a lively record
of amusements and Of encounters with
famous persons. But again and again
stalks into the page the stately figure of
| Wellington, and always in fashion
that appeals TO our liking. There is a
pretty picture OF his tenderness to a
shabby and not too clean little French
child who ran up to MIN as he sat with a
merry group. after dinner in the garden
Of the Hotel Beauvais. He began to
play with the little creature, who could
not be persuaded to leave him for any
body else; he ate bit OF the apple she
was holding, and taking her on his knee,
caressed her "in the prettiest and most
natural manner" There has existed for
a century an impression that Wellington
was cold, hard and formal being-Lady