"Lieutenant-general Sir Henry Clinton,

"After serving through the long campaigns of the Peninsular war, from Salamanca to Orthes and Toulouse, there remained nothing for a soldier to desire, but to be present at the great battle of Waterloo; and if, in that terrible conflict, it were possible to select one spot more than another where our national military character was put to its fiercest trial, it must have been that where you were commanded, with Hougomont in your front, and directing or supporting the brave brigades of Byng, Maitland, and Adam.

"In estimating the services of that gallant army, this country has not contemplated alone the glory of a single day; they have looked to the toilsome marches and sharp combats which preceded it, and to the steady, skilful, and victorious march by which that army completed its success, and entered the enemy's capital. They have seen also, with a just exultation, that whilst British troops held the gates of Paris by right of conquest, their camp displayed at the same time a model of good order and well-regulated discipline, which even the conquered could not but applaud and admire.

"Your present stay amongst us we understand to be only for a short period. But on returning to your brethren in arms let them be assured by you, that whenever their foreign service shall terminate they will find that their great deeds had not been forgotten by us and we trust that, on re-entering the metropolis of their native country, they will behold some lofty and durable monument, which shall commemorate to the latest ages our. never-ending gratitude to the armies who have fought for us, and the God who has delivered us.

"You, Sir, are the last of those distinguished officers to whom our thanks have remained undelivered; and I do now, in the name and by the command of the Commons of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled, deliver to you their unanimous thanks for your indefatigable zeal and exertions upon the 18th of June, 1815, when the French army, commanded by Buonaparte, received a signal and complete defeat.'

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Upon which Lieutenant-general Sir Henry Clinton said:

"I am extremely grateful to the House for the honour which has been conferred upon me by the vote of its thanks for my services in the battle of Waterloo; a reward to which you, Šir, so well know how to give the full value; and I wish to assure you, Sir, that I am fully sensible of the favour I have received at your hands.

R

"It is impossible for me to mention the name of Waterloo and not feel an irresistible desire to join in the general voice of gratitude to the hero who commanded us, and in that of admiration of the extraordinary talents which he has so long and so usefully devoted to the service of his country.

"An army hastily drawn together, composed of the troops of various nations, and amongst which were counted several brigades of inexperienced militia, was the force the Duke of Wellington had to oppose to one of the most formidable and best-appointed armies which France ever produced.

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Every officer and soldier, I am persuaded, did his duty; but the Duke of Wellington alone was capable of giving union to such a force.

"No other man living could have rendered the service which he performed, with an army so composed.

"His great name filled it with confidence; by his constant vigilance, his undaunted firmness, and the exertion of the greatest intrepidity and perseverance, he was able, throughout that wellcontested day, to defeat every effort of a powerful and enterprising enemy, and ultimately to gain that victory by which he restored peace to Europe, and increased, to the impossibility of our ever acquitting it, his country's debt of gratitude.'

"Ordered, Nemine Contradicente, That what has now been said by Mr. Speaker, in giving the Thanks of this House to Lieutenantgeneral Sir Henry Clinton, together with his Answer thereto, be printed in the votes of this day."

"House of Commons, July 2, 1816.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That the Thanks of this House be given to Field-marshal the Duke of Wellington, on his return from the Continent, for his eminent and unremitting services to his Majesty and to the public, especially on the ever-memorable battle of Waterloo; and that a Committee of this House do wait upon his Grace to communicate the same, and to offer to his Grace the congratulations of the House on his arrival in this kingdom.

"Ordered, That a Committee be appointed to attend the Duke of Wellington with the said Thanks; and a committee was appointed accordingly.”

FIRST ANNIVERSARY

OF

THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO.

CONSIDERATIONS UPON THE RETURN OF THE 18TH OF JUNE, IN 1816.

We have often looked back with something like reverential feeling, upon the manner in which the rejoicings for the great triumph of the 18th of June manifested themselves upon the instant, in every heart and in every situation.

The successes of our arms in the Peninsula, and the Continental victories of our Allies, had made us familiar with the idea of military glory; and we had regularly testified our satisfaction at these successes and its consequences, by all the proper indications of gladness which Englishmen are ever ready to adopt. But there was something so tremendous in the extent, and so complete in the issue of the triumph of Waterloo; it was so exalted by details of individual heroism, and so saddened by the records of individual loss, that the shout of exultation died upon the lip, and the dirge mingled with the song in softening unison upon the past danger, but safety, of our Champion. This ecstasy of thought softened every heart and watered every eye; reflection was far more soothing and cheerful than mirth;-and who is there that now remembers the first break of the glories of Trafalgar, but instantly recognises a similar stupefaction of sensation when they heard at the same moment the fate of their idol, Nelson? We rejoiced for the glory of England, but we wept for the fall of its heroes.

Since the deed of Waterloo a year has passed away, and with it has passed away much of those solemn considerations which once restrained our outward joy: the great effects, too, of this triumph are impressively before us—perhaps not so vividly as our hopes might have painted, but sufficiently bright to throw their lustre upon objects which evil policy may have darkened. There was also much due to 'gratitude; and we believe this feeling has been general, we know that it has been enthusiastically cherished by those around us.

Upon thoughts and feelings similar to these, the return of the

day in the following year was celebrated as the first anniversary with the most heartfelt joy; and surely it is not too much to expect that future ages, with an increased ratio in diminishing the time, but increasing the importance of the seeming affair of yesterday, though distant one year, will busily employ time to record in coexistent characters in the calendar of glory the feats of heroism, discipline, and perseverance, displayed by this chosen band on the day of Waterloo.*

In order to form a precedent or a memorial for succeeding years, we will endeavour to give a faint idea of the enthusiasm with which the return of the day was welcomed at Brussels.

"At Brussels the return of the day was celebrated with the utmost military pomp, and during the whole day the road from Brussels to Waterloo was crowded with splendid equipages. The musical funeral service was performed in the Church of Waterloo with great solemnity. The visitors went to the wood, where a great many persons took their repast. The place where the Prince of Orange was wounded was one of the principal objects of the attention paid in these celebrated fields, where the blood of so many illustrious warriors flowed. Among the equipages were several very elegant ones belonging to English families. Two hundred carriages had arrived the evening before, mostly with foreigners."

At Windsor also, on June 18th, the residence of our august monarch, the most gratifying scene took place; and for the moment there was a perfect unison of soul in all ranks: they were found mingling with each other their good offices; the distinguished forgot their elevation, and the less so elevated their ideas to be in concord. We now proceed to give some of the details.

The greater part of the officers of the Grenadier Guards, and a select party of distinguished persons, amongst whom were the Duke of Montrose, Earl Percy, and General Taylor, dined on Monday with Sir R. Hill, and the officers of the Royal Horse Guards, at the Cavalry Barracks. The extensive Riding-school was fitted up on this occasion in a style of appropriate elegance seldom exceeded. At the head of the room was "G.P.R.” in variegated lamps, with "YORK" on one side, and “WELLINGTON" on the other, most tastefully formed with laurel leaves;under each of these was a brilliant star. On the sides were painted the names of generals of division, and the places where the regiments had been distinguished; viz. Maitland, Cooke, Anglesey, Somerset -Hougomont, Genappe; between these were arranged the banners of the several troops of the Royal Horse Guards. About a third of the room was divided from the part appropriated to the banquet

*The gentlemen managing the Waterloo Fund chose the return of this auspicious day to develope to the public an outline of their proceedings, and of the principle they had adopted for the distribution of the fund committed to their charge. Vide p. 248.

table by a large and elegant arch, the columns of which were entwined with a profusion of variegated lamps, amongst which appeared transparencies of Peace and Felicity; the top was formed by the word " WATERLOO," in variegated lamps. Behind this magnificent arch was the accommodation of sideboards, &c. and at the end of the Riding-school was fitted up an elegant temporary orchestra, over which was "G.R." and a crown of variegated lamps. The cross-beams of the building and the sides were decorated with a profusion of laurels and oaken wreaths, mingled with "flowers of all hues." The tables were arranged in the form of a horse-shoe; over these were suspended nine brilliant chandeliers. At five o'clock on Monday, the cloth having been laid, the public were admitted to view the arrangements in the Riding-school: a great number of genteel persons continued there till nearly seven o'clock, the regimental band meanwhile playing some delightful pieces. About that hour the company sat down to dinner, in full dress, with their respective decorations and orders. Sir R. Hill took the chair; the Duke of Montrose on his right, Earl Percy on his left. The dinner was of the most sumptuous and luxurious description, and was served in the valuable plate of the regiment; the dessert consisted of the rarest fruits, and the wines were of the most exquisite and expensive qualities.

We are sorry that our limits will not allow us to describe the many appropriate toasts that were given on the occasion; whether expressive of warlike recollections, or the gallantry of soldiers, each was received with a corresponding enthusiasm: the remembrance of the occasion was an irresistible stimulus to a generous warmth of festivity, and never, therefore, was an evening passed with more social freedom and hilarity. A number of the inhabitants were admitted to witness these pleasures, and were treated with a marked urbanity and kindness.

On Tuesday the officers of the Royal Horse Guards, and several personages of distinction, dined with the Duke of York and the officers of the Grenadier Guards. The arrangements at the Infantry Barracks were not, from want of room, upon the same extensive scale as those of the Riding-house; but elegance and taste predominated in the decorations. The room fitted up for the occasion was a large one usually occupied by serjeants; round the walls were tastefully disposed a great variety of laurels and flowers, interspersed amongst the most fragrant and beautiful shrubs. At the head of the room were crossed the gloriously tattered banners, which had sustained so many fierce conflicts amongst their gallant defenders; between these was the word WATERLOO;" at the other extremity were the new colours of the regiment, destined, we hope, long to be unfurled only in shows of peace: these floated on each side of the inscription, "FIRST ANNIVERSARY." The dining-room was elegantly lighted from