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    and having formed various idle projects for escaping , in spite of the Eng lish cruisers , he surrendered to Captain Maitland of the Bellerophon . JJlucher , would have assassinated Napoleon , but the Duke refused to be a party to the transaction , and saved the life of his great rival . To appease the Prussians , he procured the appointment of Baron Muffling to be-Governor of Paris—of which Blucher immediately availed himself to lay the capital under a contribution

    of a hundred million francs , to quarter troops upon the inhabitants , and to demand various sums from Versailles and other towns . What to the French was more galling than this , he commenced the destruction of two bridges which Napoleon had built and called after his victories of Jena and Austerlitz . Wellington also put a stop to these gratuitous acts of oppression ; the contributions were not levied , and the bridges had only their names changed by the King to Le Pont des Invalids and Le Pont de Jardin du Hoi .

    On the 8 th of July , a ministry , at the head of which was Prince Talleyrand , was appointed at the suggestion of the Duke ; and on the loth , his Grace , with the grand staff of the British army , composed of 300 generals , and other distinguished bfficers , paid their respects to Louis , at the Tuileries . His Majesty on that occasion told the British Conr . nander-m-Chief that he owed him " a personal obligation for his humanity and the good conduct of his army . "

    The news of Waterloo was brought on the 20 th by Mr . Button , the proprietor of a number of vessels plying between Colchester and Ostend , who made the voyage at his private cost for that special purpose . The Duke ' s despatches arrived two days later , and were immediately conveyed to the two houses of parliament . They produced the most rapturous expressions of joy . A vote of thanks to the Duke and his army was carried by acclamation in the Lords , on the motion of the Earl Bathurst ; and in the Commons , the minister ( Lord Castlereagh ) brought a message from the Prince Regent , in consequence of which an additional grant

    of 200 , 000 ^ ., accompanied by the most flattering encomiums , was made , to purchase a mansion and estate for his Grace . Illuminations were general throughout the country , and almost every steeple rang out its merriest peals . A form of thanksgiving was said in the churches on Sunday , the 9 th of July , and a subscription , amounting to upwards of 100 , 000 / ., was made for the widows and orphans of the slain . The Duke also generously relinquished , for the sumo purpose , half the parliamentary compensation due to him for the Peninsular prize property . All the regiments which had been in the battle were permitted to inscribe " Waterloo" on

    their banners , and every surviving soldier was presented with ii silver medal , and was allowed to reckon that day as two years' service . The Ilev . . John Nore . ross wrote to the Duke , requesting that he would name a private or non-commissioned officer as most deserving of a handsome donation which he oll ' ered . His Grace nominated Sergeant Graham , of the Coldsireams , whose gallant conduit at Ilougomont is already known to our renders , and warmly eulogised Mr . Noreross ' s patriotism . To the Mayor of I'russels , whose kindness to tin ;

    wounded was past , all praise , he also wrote a grateful letter of acknowledgment . This was . signed '' Wellington , Prince of Waterloo , " which lit ; had been created in July by the King of Hie Netherlands , who also conferred on him the estate of I > a l ! elle Alliance . The A ' ictory was mentioned in fitting terms in the Prince Kegeiif's speech at , the close of the session , on the 12 th of July -the corporal ion of London having , a few davs before , presented an address of congratulation to the throne . The City also presented splendid swords to liis Grace and the chief allied oUicers . The

    distribution was made , at the Lord Mayor ' s request , by the Duke himself -a circumstance that , must , have greatly enhanced the value of ( lie donation in the eyes of all by whom it- was received . On the . 'SOlh of November , his Grace , published a general order , in which he took leave of I lie army , of which he spoke in very Mattering terms . lie continued , however , to reside in the palace of Klysee liourhon for . some nioiil Iim longer .

    On the liDth of June , IS 1 C , his Grace set out foi London ; not , however , without experiencing anolhei narrow escape . A few days he fore he had given at his palace a grand farewell _/! 7 /\ lo which the younger Hourbon princes , many dis ! in ;; ui-hed members of 11 k government and court , and all the Mnglisli of rank in tho capital , were invited . Tim servant of Air . Aston happening lo be wailing in the street , perceived a smoke coming from one of flic cellars . He instantly gave the alarm , and a lighted rag was found near a barrel of gunpowder , and two barrels of oil . The danger was quietly removed , and no interruption occurred lo the cntcrfiiiiuneuf . It was , however , quite clear ( hat , a Guy Kawlu's explosion had been plotted . On the JHth of Juno , 1817 , the ; magnificent new

    Strand-bridge , designed by Mr . Rennic , and called after the glorious victory of that day , was opened by the Prince Regent , who crossed it in state , with the Duke of York on his right hand and the Duke of Wellington on his left—the gorgeous ceremonial being heralded by a discharge of 202 guns , in commemoration of the number of pieces captured . During his Grace ' s short stay in London , on the motion of Lord Castlereagh , carried by acclamation , a committee of the House was appointed to wait on him to offer their congratulations . On the 16 th of August he again returned to Paris as ambassador-plenipotentiary ; and in the course of the next month he was employed in prosecuting the publisher of the Flanders Journal for a libel ;

    and though he failed , he received at the hands of the court ample amends for the slander he complained ofnamely , that he had been guilty of misconduct in his diplomatic functions . In the meantime Apsley House , in Hyde Park , had been purchased . by the British government and rebuilt by Mr . Wyatt , for the Duke , who has since given in it an annual dinner on Waterloo day , to his brother officers present at the battle . Amongst the objects of interest in it , is the magnificent colossal statue of Napoleon , by Canova , which Louis sent over to him as soon as it arrived from the artist at Rome . On the 19 th of November the parliamentary commissioners purchased of Lord Rivers the estate of Strathfieldsaye , in Hampshire , for 263 , 000 ? ., the timber on it alone being valued at 150 , 000 / .

    On the 11 th of February , 1818 , as the Duke's carriage was entering the gate of his hotel in Paris , a scoundrel , named Cantillon , fired a pistol at his Grace , but happily missed his aim . The Ministers of the allied Sovereigns , as well as the King of France , warmly congratulated him on his escape , and the Prince Regent sent him an autograph letter on the occasion . Lord Castlereagh , in consequence of this atrocious attempt , procured an extension of the Alien Act for two years longer . Cantillon , and another man , named Marinot , were tried during the next year , but were acquitted . Napoleon , -who died on the 5 th of May , 1821 , left Cantillon a legacy of 10 , 000 francs—a fact that speaks volumes for the " generosity" of his disposition .

    On the 25 th April , ISIS , the negotiations with France were finally concluded ; and on the 9 th of the following October , a treaty by the allied sovereigns was agreed to at Aix-la-Cbapelle , for the immediate withdrawal of the army of occupation . On the 22 nd there was a grand review and sham lig ht near Valenciennes ; after which the Duke gave a splendid entertainment to the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia , and the troops embarked for this country forthwith . His Grace was made a Field-Marshal in the Austrian , Russian , and Prussian service immediately after the Congress of Aix ; and , on the 20 th of December , he was appointed Master-General of the Ordnance at home .

    In June , 1819 , the 'Waterloo prize-money was distributed , the Duke of Wellington ' s share being 00 , 000 / . ; a general's , 1250 / . ; a field-ollicer ' s , 420 / . ; a captain ' s , ! J ( V . ; a subaltern ' s , ' A' . il . ; a sergeant ' s , «)/ . ; a private ' s , ' II . JO . v . About this time a magnificent dessert service was presented lo the Duke by the King of Saxony . A still more magnificent present was made flu ; Duke by the King of Portugal . If consisted of a silver plateau , thirty feet long and three feet , and a half broad , of beautiful design and workmanship , and lighted by 100 wax tapers . In 1822 , the ladies of Kngland having conl libuted 10 . 000 / . towards the erection of

    aIiioniiliieiif to the Duke and his companions 111 arms , a magnificent , cast , by Westmacott of the Achilles on the Quirinal Hill was erected in Hyde-park , near Apsleyhouse . The ; statue ; , which is twenty feet high , and upwards of thirty-six tons in weight , was insult ; ( us the inscription slates ) of the cannon laken in the battle * of Salamanca , Viftoria , Toulouse , and Waterloo . In this year , too , he received from the merchants of London a . silver-gilt shield , weighing I 5 OO lbs ., splendidly

    designed by Stot hard . In 1825 , when a mania for joint-stock companies , similar to the railway hallucination of 1817 , st ' ized the public mind , his Grace exerted himself greatly to nisi rain 1 he infatuation of the English capitalists ; ami , as an acknowledgment of his public services in this respect , alone , he was invited to a splendid banquet , and presented with 11 magnificent silver vase , worth I ()()( »/ .

    In , 1820 the reaction attendant upon this commercial iiiful nation burnt upon the country . The distress was of the severest description . On the 1 th of March ( lie < Ja : illc contained ninel y-thive bankrupts . At the Duke ' s suggestion , small notes were re-issued at the Hank of Nnglaud , and this , joined to the large amount , of new coin minted , ill , last put an end to flu ; embarrassment . Him Grace was also unpointed , with Sir Itobert Peel

    and other leading members of Parliament , one of + k commissioners for Indian affair * . -. The Duke of Y 1 dying on the 5 th of January , the Dvifcftof Welliii f was appointed , on the 24 th , his successor as Cn mmider-in-Chief and colonel of the 1 st Gr « wr Guards . On the 10 th of March his Grace was instSi in the office of High Constable of the Tower with ^ salary of 1 , 000 ? . per annum , to commence from tl ^ date of his appointment . At the same time he

    was appointed Custos Rotulorum of the Tower Hamlet with a much greater salary . The Prime Minister ' Lord Liverpool , having died of apoplexy , on the I 7 tli of February , after holding office since the 9 th of June 1812 , the King , on the 10 th of April , nominated Mr Canning as his successor . Upon this the Duke of Wei- ' lington , and six other of the principal members of the " old Cabinet , retired , his Grace resigning the command of the army on the 30 th .

    This secession , which has been severely criticised caused the failure of Canning's ministry , and was sue ! ceeded by Lord Goderich , whose government was very short lived . When he resigned , the Duke of Wellington was instructed to frame a Cabinet . This he accordingly did , resigning the command on the 15 th of February in favour of Lord Hill . Mr . Huskisson showing , some insubordination , was soon dismissed from the Cabinet ; from which his friend Lord Dudley , as well as Mr . Charles Grant , and Lord Palmerston also seceded . His late Majesty ( William TV . ) taking offence at a remonstrance made by the Duke of Wellington upon the expensiveness of his habits , also resi gned his office as Lord High Admiral . His Grace's mode of

    life as Prime Minister was such as might have been expected from his previous career . He slept on a mattrass spread on an iron camp bedstead ; rose regularly at seven ; breakfasted at eight , and immediately commenced his official duties . He was the terror of the idlers at Downing-street . On one occasion , when the Treasury clerks told him that some mode of making up the accounts was impracticable , they were met with the curt reply , " Never mind ; if you can't do it , I'll send you half-a-dozen pay-sergeants that will "—a hint they did not fail to take .

    One of the reforms with which the Duke of Wellington ' s name is indissolubly connected , is the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts , which he triumphantly carried during the session of 1828 , in spite of the fierce opposition of Lord Eldon and ot her tories of the old school . Another measure of a similar nature was the Romancatholic Relief Bill . His lordship had shown himself , when Chief Secretary for Ireland , leniently disposed towards this large branch of his Majesty ' s subjects . The question had been agitated for many years ; and Iuh ( . race ' s Cabinet , after resisting the popular demands for

    some time , at length determined to yield , and to perform this act of justice . Mr . Peel ( the late Sir Kobert ) then sat for tho ' University of Oxford , and the first intimation of the Ministry ' s determination was his resignation . This step caused a prodigious sensation in the political world ; and the University marked its displeasure by electing Sir Hobert Inglis in the room of the " apostate . " It would be a . long ta . sk to describe the struggle which took place in both houses ; but during the session of 1829 , Mr . Peel carried the 1 ) 111 through the Commons by a majority of 100 on the second reaelin < r . and 178 on the third ; and the Duke himself passed

    it through the Lords by a majority of 105 on the . secoiu rcadin <> -, ; md 101 on the third . It received the ropl assent , on the 13 th of April . On the li ) lh of March the Kiu-1 of Winchelsea and Nottingham , 11 determined <» 1 >" poser of the bill , olfered the Duke what his Grace considered an insult , A new scholastic institution , < ' » lll !( King ' s College , having been opened in ili « Strand , counteract the tendencies of that in ( Jower-st reet , Ins Grace had been selected as patron . U > nl Wind" ™' (

    wrote to Mr . Coleridge , the secretary , in the . ' «>'> " '"" terms : " I was one of those who at , first thoug ht <•• plan might be practicable , and prove an ant idote to ^ « principles of the London University . IiH-t « I ' " " events have convinced me that the whole transaction wintended as a blind ( 0 the Protestant and high <> l " . party ; and that the noble Duke , who hud for «>»»' ^ . ^ previous to that period determined upon bmikll ' ([ i | ll . upon the cons ' fifufion of K 5 HH , might the more el e < ^ ally , under the cloak of sonic * outward show ol /« ' « 111 I y j | | in if I mil , iiiwiiit \ r A >>•»•• - •¦ --- — I . i < rllM

    the Protestant religion , curry on his insidious li * » , _ Ihv the infringement of our liberties , and tlu > " » ' ^^ „ ( ion of Popery into every department of •>« ' H , . ^ The Duke of Wellington demanded 11 rd , nictation , ^ his lordship declined to give , and the preliini . miH . ing been settled by Sir Henry Hardingo <> " ; ( w <) hand , mid < he . Karl of . K , ilinouili on the , •>< lior - ' ^^ , peers had u hostile meeting , on Saturday , M »> " h ((| l ( , March , in Hutto-Hca Kie . ldH . IHh Grace lnvcl w . ^ Hlecf , the Karl discharged Iiih pistol »»<« . "" V' u | ( e > - purticH then left the ground . Lord Wnwl" ^

    Untitled Article

    888 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 18, 1852, page 888, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1952/page/4/