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that is hanged has no more than his deserts-but I don't like to look at the hangman."

Amid this dereliction, you must not suppose that we sojourners in Paris suffer solitude for want of good society. The extended hospitality of the Duke of Wellington, and of Lord and Lady Castlereagh, has afforded rallying points to the numerous English strangers, who have an opportunity of meeting, in their parties, with almost all the owners of those distinguished names, which for three years past have filled the trumpet of fame. Our minister, whose name will be read with distinction in this proud page of our annals, and to whose determined steadiness in council much of the success of 1814 is unquestionably due, occupies the palace of Pauline Borghese, now that of the British embassy. The Duke of Wellington lives in a large hotel at the corner of the Rue des Champs Elysées, furnished most elaborately by some wealthy courtier of Napoleon. Among its chief ornaments, is a very fine picture of the ex-emperor, and a most excellent bust of the same personage. It is a thing to remember, that I have seen in that hotel, so ornamented, the greatest and the bravest whom Europe can send forth, from Petersburg to Cadiz, assembled upon the invitation of the British General, and yielding to him, by general assent, the palm of military preeminence. In mentioning those whose attentions rendered the residence of the British at Paris pleasant and interesting, I ought not to forget Lord Cathcart, whose situation as ambassador to the Russian court gave him opportunities of gratifying the curiosity of his countrymen, by presenting them to the Emperor, who has of late played such a distinguished part in European history, and by making them known to such men as Barclay de Toili, Platow, Czernicheff, and other heroes of Kalouga and Beresina, where the spear of the mighty was first broken. Besides the notice of these public characters, my stay in Paris was made happy by the society of many friends, both in the civil and military departments. You know my inherent partiality for the latter class when they add gentle manners and good information to the character of their profession; and I can assure you, that as there never was a period when our soldiers were more respected for discipline and bravery, so the character of the British officers for gallantry and humanity, for general information, and for the breeding of gentlemen, never stood higher than at the capture of Paris. In such society, whatever secret discontents might in reality exist, Paris was to us like a frozen lake, over whose secret and fathomless gulfs we could glide without danger or apprehension; and I shall always number the weeks I have spent here among the happiest of my life.

In a short time, it is imagined, the greater part of the foreign troops will be withdrawn towards their own countries, or to the occupation of the fortresses they are to hold in guarantee It will then be seen

whether the good intentions of the king, and the general desire of the country for peace, will be sufficient to maintain the public tranquillity of France amid the collision of so many angry passions; and there will, at the worst, remain this consolation, that if this restless people should draw the sword upon each other, effectual precautions have been taken by the allies to prevent them from again disturbing the peace of Europe.

With the hope of speedily rejoining the beloved circle round the fireside, and acting, in virtue of my travelled experience, the referee in all political disputes, I am ever your affectionate friend,

PAUL.

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APPENDIX.

No. I.

Relation of what was done and said by Napoleon Bonaparte in the course of the 18th of June, 1815, during and after the Battle of Waterloo.-Drawn up from the Depositions of Jean Baptiste De Coster, who served him as Guide on that Day.*

JEAN BAPTISTE DE COSTER, aged about 53, born in the village of Corbeek-loo, near Louvain, has resided in the Walloon country for 33 years. He is 5 feet 10 inches high, and of robust appearance. He is intelligent, and answers the questions put to him with an air of great sincerity. He expresses himself with facility, and understands French very well.

Before the invasion of Bonaparte, De Coster occupied a little inn, with about six acres of ground. On the approach of the French army on the 17th, he retired with his family, composed of his wife and seven children, into the wood of the abbey of Awyiers, where he spent the night between the Saturday and Sunday. At six in the morning, he left the wood to go to church, and from thence to the house of his brother, situated at Planchenoir. Ile found there three French generals, who asked him if he had lived long in the country, and if he was well acquainted with the neighbourhood. On his answering in the affirmative, one of them sent him to Napoleon, accompanied by a domestic, and with a letter.

Napoleon had passed the night in the farm-house of Caillou, and had left it at six o'clock. De Coster found him in the farm-house called Rossum, where he arrived at eight o'clock, and was immediately presented to Bonaparte, who was standing in a room about twenty feet long and sixteen broad, in the middle of a great many officers of his staff. Bonaparte asked him if he was well acquainted with the localities of the country, and if he was willing to act as his guide. De Coster having given a satisfactory answer, Napoleon told him that he should accompany him, adding, "Speak to me, my friend, with frankness, and as if you were among your children."

The farm of Rossum is situated near that called La Belle Alliance. The Emperor stopped there till almost noon. During this time, De Coster was kept in view, in the courtyard of the farm, by a soldier of the guard, who, while walking with him, informed him of the strength of the army, telling him that it consisted, on passing the frontiers, of 150,000 men, of whom 40,000 were cavalry, among which latter troops were 9000 cuirassiers, 7000 of the young guard, and 8 to 9000 of the old guard. This soldier bestowed great praise on the bravery which the English had displayed at Quatre Bras. He particularly admired the intrepid sang-froid of the Scotch Highlanders, "who would not budge," said he, in his military phrase," but when the bayonet was put to their posteriors." While De Coster thus remained in the courtyard of the farmhouse, Bonaparte made him be called three different times, to ask him information as to the maps of the country, which he was incessantly consulting. He questioned him chiefly on the distance of the different towns of Brabant from the field of battle, and made him say what were the towns he had seen in his youth. De Coster named fourteen, which seemed to please Bonaparte. Ife expressed also much satisfaction on hearing that De Coster was a Fleming, and that he spoke the Flemish and Walloon languages equally well. He recommended to him above

[The original French of this Relation was appended to the earlier editions of Paul's Letters, but it has not been thought necessary to preserve it in this collection.]

all, to give nothing but certain information, and to answer to things of which he was not assured, merely by shrugging his shoulders. He frequently repeated these intimations, adding, that if he succeeded, his (De Coster's) reward should be a hundred times greater than he could imagine. He freed him also from any particular mark of respect, telling him, that, without taking off the night-cap, which he wore, he had only to salute by putting his hand to his forehead.

. At noon, Bonaparte went out with his staff, and placed himself on an eminence by the side of the causeway, at a very little distance in rear of the farm, from whence he had a view of the whole field of battle. Persons very soon came to tell him, that the attack on the farm and chateau of Hougoumont, which he had ordered to commence at eleven o'clock, had not succeeded.*

At one o'clock the battle became general. Bonaparte remained in his first station, with all his staff, till five o'clock. He was on foot, and walked constantly backwards and forwards, sometimes with his arms crossed, but more frequently with his hands behind his back, and with his thumbs in the pockets of his slate-coloured great-coat. He had his eyes fixed on the battle, and took out alternately his watch and snuff-box. De Coster, who was on horseback near him, frequently remarked his watch. Bonaparte, perceiving that he also took suuff, and that he had no more, frequently gave him some.

When he saw that his attempts to carry the position of the chateau of Hougoumont had been vainly reiterated, he took a horse, quitted the farm of Rossum at five o'clock, and, moving forward, placed himself opposite to the house of De Coster, at the distance of a gun-shot from La Belle Alliance. He remained in the second station till seven o'clock. It was at that moment that he first perceived, by means of his glass, the arrival of the Prussians; he mentioned it to his aide-de-camp, who, having directed his glass towards them, saw them also. Some minutes afterwards, an officer came to inform him that the corps of Bulow was approaching: Bonaparte answered, that he knew it, and gave orders that his guards should make a movement on the centre of the English army. He himself, again moving forward at the gallop, went and placed himself, with his staff, in a ravine formed by the causeway, half way between La Belle Alliance and La Haye Sainte. This was his third and last position.

Bonaparte and his suite had been in great danger before arriving at this ravine; a ball even carried away the pommel of the saddle of one of his officers, without either touching him or his horse. Bonaparte merely told him coldly, that he ought to keep within the ravine.

There were at this place batteries on both sides of the road. Perceiving that one of the guns of the battery on the left was not making a good fire, he alighted from his borse, mounted on the height at the side of the road, and advanced to the third gun, the firing of which he rectified, while cannon and musket-balls were whistling round him. He returned with tranquillity, with his hands in the pockets of his great-coat, and took his place among the officers.

In this position, he saw the eight batalions of the old guard, to whom he had given orders to penetrate the centre of the English army, advance upon La Haye Sainte. Three of these battalions were destroyed before his eyes, while crossing the causeway, by the fire from the farm-house and batteries; nevertheless the French made themselves masters of them, and the Hanoverians who occupied them were obliged to surrender for want of ammunition.

To support his foot-guards, Bonaparte brought forward his horse-guards, composed of eight or nine regiments. He was waiting with the utmost anxiety the result of this charge, when he saw this élite of his army annihilated in an instant, while ascending the bauk on which La Haye Sainte is situated. This was the last attempt: when he saw the old guard destroyed, he lost all hope; and, turning to Bertrand, said, “All is now over-let us save ourselves."

It was half an hour past eight. Without taking any measure,-without giving any orders, and thinking only of escaping the Prussians, Bonaparte, accompanied by his staff, set off at full speed for Genappe, following the line of the causeway at a certain distance in

*De Coster thinks, that what hindered this attempt from succeeding, was a wall which surrounds the chateau in the inside, and which was concealed from the French by a hedgo which surround it on the outside. Four thousand men found shelter behind this wall, while it was struck by the French balls.

the fields. Once only, in passing a battery of fourteen guns, he ordered, before abandoning it, fourteen shots to be fired from each gun.

It was half past nine o'clock when he arrived at Genappe. The single street which forms this village was so choked up with caissons and cannon, that it took a whole hour for him and his staff to get through it, passing along the houses, which now were void of inhabitants. There was, however, no other road to take, because the left was occupied by the Prussians, and there was no other bridge but that of Genappe for crossing the river.

From Genappe he directed his course towards Les Quatre Bras, pressing on with renewed baste, and always in the apprehension of being prevented by the Prussians. When he had passed this last place he was more tranquil; and when he arrived at Gossely, he even lighted from his horse, and went the rest of the way to Charleroi (that is to say, nearly a league) on foot. He passed through Charleroi on horseback, at about half past two in the morning, and went into a meadow called Marcenelle, beyond the town. There a large fire was made for him, and two glasses and two bottles of wine were brought, which he drank with his officers; he took no other refreshment. A sack of oats was scattered on the ground, which the horses ate, bridled as they were. At a quarter before five, after having taken another guide (who received the horse which De Coster had used), Bonaparte again mounted his horse, made an inclination of his head to De Coster, and went away. Bertrand gave De Coster a single Napoleon, which was all he received, and disappeared likewise, as did the whole staff, leaving De Coster alone, who was obliged to return home on foot.

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During the time that he had passed with Bonaparte, De Coster was not in any respect ill treated only when, in their flight, they had arrived at Les Quatre Bras, one of the officers, who perceived that a second guide whom they had with them had made off, tied, by way of precaution, the bridle of De Coster's horse to the saddle of his own.

Bonaparte, from the moment he began his retreat till he arrived in the meadow of Marcenelle, did not stop anywhere, and did not speak to anybody. He had taken no nourishment since leaving the farm of Rossum, and, as De Coster thinks, he had not even taken any thing since six o'clock in the morning.

He did not appear at all moved by the dangers of the battle. De Coster, who was much afraid, often stooped on his horse's neck to shan the balls which he heard whistling over his head. Bonaparte repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction at this, telling him, that these movements made the officers believe he was hit;-and added, that he would not shun the balls any better by stooping down than by keeping upright.

During the battle, he had frequent occasion to do justice to the bravery of the army which was opposed to him. He chiefly praised the Scotch Greys, and expressed regret at seeing them suffer so much, while they manoeuvred so well, and handled the sabre so dexterously.

Till half past five he retained good hopes, and repeated every instant that all went well. -His generals partook of these hopes.-It may be added, that during the whole action he displayed the same calmness and sang-froid, that he never manifested any ill-humour, and spoke always with great gentleness to his officers.

He never was at any time in danger of being taken; having had, even at the third station where he was nearest the enemy, twelve pieces of cannon and three thousand grenadiers of his guard around him.

He made no use of the observatory constructed six weeks before the battle by the Dutch engineers.

During the flight, he received pretty frequently news of the army, from officers who had succeeded in escaping from the pursuit of the allies.

De Coster's house having been used by the French in their bivouac, the doors and windows, and all the wood it contained, were burnt. The rent which he paid for it was 100 francs; the proprietor, after having repaired it, has let it to another person for 125 francs. De Coster resides at present at the hamlet of Joli-Bois, on the high-road between Waterloo and Mount St Jean.

This relation was drawn up at Waterloo on the 8th of January, 1816, in the Inn of Jean De Nivelles, from De Coster's answers to the questions put to him. It was read to him next day and corrected from his observations.

Brussels, 12th January, 1816.

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