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at the time when the stirring events

narrated in the letters were occurring.

I feel sure that readers of 'N. & Q.' will

agree with me in feeling most grateful to
the present owners of the letters for so
kindly giving me permission to print them
in these pages.

. We heard about this time last year
of the appearance of Blucher at the gates of
Paris and of the behaviour of Napoleon in
accepting his life with the squireship of
Elba. How different is the picture now!
Behold him again at Paris preparing to
engage the world in arms! When we re-
ceived the news of his landing at Antibes-
there or thereabouts "-it was the general
hope that he would be knocked on the head
by some fellow in a village or at the corner
of a wood, with a rifle barrel or a brickbat.
The Moniteur, which was the only intelli-
gence which we received except private
letters, gave us to understand that the whole
enterprise was that of a madman, and that
from the numerous desertions he must be
would be hunted like a wolf in the mountains.
soon left without a follower, and that he
Such was the state of ignorance in which we
kept (which was the case at Paris, as I have
been informed by an English gentleman
who left it the day before Napoleon entered
it) till the Moniteur containing the news of
the King's flight and Boney's advance to
Fontainebleau arrived. Private letters to
the Prince [of Orange] reported that he was
at Amiens with 50,000 men on the 22nd,
and at that time, 24th, probably at Lisle [sic],
advancing towards Belgium to regain as
far as the Rhine. Up to this the Duke [of
Richmond], who directs his family as he
would an army, thinking perhaps that we
could not sustain a siege here, gave orders
for us to retire upon Antwerp; however,
arrived at Louvain, he thought it best to
upon hearing that 40,000 Prussians were
hearing the above intelligence respecting
stay. The consternation in this city upon
the advance of Bonaparte was inconceivable,
and the circumstance of the Guards being
ordered to march next morning for the
frontiers increased the panic. The English,
day for Antwerp. Lord Waterpark* was
except two or three families, departed next
found by F. Russell pacing the Hall with
*The third Baron Waterpark (1765-1830).

291631

man as he is. The company consisted of the Hereditary Prince General, Lord Hill, Lord W.'s second in command, Sir Charles Stewart, Ambassador at this Court, Hon. Charles Gordon,* Secretary of Legation, his brother Col. Sir Alexander Gordon, Col. Bourg, aides-de-camp to the Duke, the Duke and Duchess of Richmond, two Lady Lennoxes, Lord March, and your humble servant. Upon numbering them up to make up the fourteen. I find I have omitted Mr. Capel, a man who holds some high office in the Prince's household, and wears the royal livery, red cuffs and collar. The Duke of Wellington was in the highest spirits, full of fun and drollery, and made himself the life and soul of the company. When the ladies retired he engrossed the whole of the conversation, and told many interesting anecdotes of Bonaparte and his campaigns, which he had heard from some of the French Marshals during his residence in Paris. No source can be more authentic, and every onelistened to him with the greatest interest. The day happened to be the anniversary of Badajos, and you may be sure this was not forgotten by the Duke of Richmond.

his whole family at half past four in the morning, not a soul having been in bed, and all of them considering Bonaparte as all but in Brussels. They had ordered horses at four, which, it seemed, had not come. The Guards marched at four the same morning, and Russell had called the last thing before marching for the chance of finding a servant up to get his sword or something that he had left a day or two before. In the course of a day or two we learned that Bonaparte had never quitted Paris, and-that the report had been treacherously spread for the purpose of making Louis quit Lille. The best of the joke is that four or five days afterwards Lord Waterpark sent over a lady, his sisterin-law, disguised in a French costume and travelling in a carriage of the country, for the purpose of ascertaining in whose possession Brussels was, whether Boney was here, and what chance Lord Waterpark had of recovering certain heavy packages he had left behind. This lady was recognized, notwithstanding her disguise, in a shop by one of the Ladies L., and was obliged to confess the object of her mission, and expressed surprise that any English persons were found still at large in this town. We The Duke appears to unite those two are all packed up and ready to start at a extremes of character which Shakespearemoment's warning, but I should not be at all gives to Henry V., the hero and the trifler. surprised at the Duke's refining a little too You may conceive him at one moment much, for he is very sanguine, expecting the commanding the Allied armies in Spain, and success of the Allies, and, in short, of all of at another sprawling on his back or on all us being made prisoners should the great fours upon the carpet, playing with a child. Emperor make a dash at Belgium. Bona- His judgement is so intuitive that instant parte said a few days ago : "Je plains decision follows perception, and consequently, beaucoup pour ces bons Bourbons." We as nothing dwells for a moment on his mind, have had most of the branches of the royal he is enabled to get through an infinity of family scampering through Belgium without business without ever being embarrassed by daring to look behind them. They certainly it or otherwise than perfectly at his ease. have behaved in the most cowardly manner In the drawing-room before dinner he was except the king, and he is little better than playing with the children, who seemed to the rest. Had some individual shown spirit look up to him as to one on whom they might enough to fall in the cause, there might have depend for amusement, and when dinner was been a "civil war." Lord Wellington [sic] is announced, they quitted him with great appointed General-in-Chief of the English, regret, saying, Be sure you remember to Prussians, Dutch, and Hanoverians, and is send for us the moment dinner is over," expected here daily.... which he promised he would do and was as good as his word. During the latter part of his residence at Paris that impatience of rest and love of active life, which most

II.

[To his sisters.]

Bruxelles, April 11, 1815. .....The Duke of Wellington arrived here on the 4th, after having travelled near 700 miles in seven days, at least I believe it is about that distance from Vienna to Bruxelles. He dined here on Thursday the 6th. You may conceive the pleasure it gave me to find myself at the same table with such a

66

* Col. the Hon. Sir Alexander Gordon, K.C.B., and Col. the Hon. Sir Charles Gordon were the

third and fourth sons respectively of George, Lord Haddo (1764-91), who predeceased his father, the third Earl of Aberdeen. The former was a LieutenantColonel and A.D.C. to his uncle, Sir David Baird, and later to the Duke of Wellington. He died of wounds received at Waterloo. See post, Letter IV. The Hon. Sir Charles Gordon was LieutenantColonel of the 42nd Highlanders, and died in 1835.

III.

[To his father.]

military men who have seen service feel Some must fall, and all stand a chance of more or less, became more apparent daily. it. Lord March, A.D.C. to the Prince He wished for a war somewhere. "Per- called a few days ago whilst we were at haps," said he, "Murat may prove trouble- dinner, to say they were going. He shook some and an English force be sent there," hands with every individual round the little thinking at that time of the occasion on table, and departed. He has been backwhich he should be shortly recalled to his wards and forwards many times since the old post of Commander-in-Chief of a large Prince fixed his headquarters at Brain-learmy. As far as we know at present of the Comte, and each time he takes leave as if plan of the Campaign, the Allied forces under the last. It has this good effect that the the Duke will be divided into two corps Duchess and his sisters, who doat on him, d'armée, one of which will be commanded by do not mind the parting; they say, “Oh !" the Prince, the other by Lord Hill, and it is we shall see him again in a day or two." not improbable that the Duke of Richmond The Duke of Richmond has three sons, some may command a body of reserves. All here nephews, and many other relations, besides are sanguine that the Allies will be at Paris an extensive acquaintance, amongst whom in two months.... are his Irish Secretary, the Duke of Wellington, and eight A.D.C.'s, engaged in this business. The Secretary is the Duke of: Wellington.* Lord G. Lennox is A.D.C. to his Grace, Lord William to General Maitland, Lord W. met with a fall about two months. ago, riding a race at Enghien. He was taken up for dead, but has experienced a most. wonderful recovery. He cannot yet go to his duty, and is living with us for the present.. The Duke of R.'s offer of service has been declined by Ministers, because he is senior to the Prince and must therefore have a larger command than him. He is very much annoyed about it. Tho' I have given some fairly good reasons for supposing that hostilities will soon commence, yet no one would suppose it judging by the Duke of Wellington. He appears to be thinking of anything else in the world, gives a ball every week, attends every party, and partakes of every amusement that offers. He took Lady Jane Lennox (the youngest of the four) to Enghien to the cricket match and brought her back at night, apparently having gone with no other purpose than to amuse her. At that time Bonaparte was said to be at Maubeuge, about thirty or forty miles off. The whole scene of military preparations is new to me and, of course, very interesting. In the Allée Verte, which is the ride here, there were a few evenings ago the King and Queen of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange, Dukes of Wellington, Berri, and Brunswick, Prince de Condé, Blucher, &c., &c.

Brussels, June 13, 1815. The family are at present gone to Enghien to a cricket match amongst the gentlemen of the Guards, in which the Duke takes a part. You have, of course, heard of his fame as a cricketer. He was, I believe, considered one of the two best in England; the other is Lord Frederick Beauclerc. Tho' on the spot, I can give you little news with respect to public affairs which you will not see sooner in the English papers. In fact, we have all along received accounts of the downfall of Murat (omen haud malum, for the imperial cause) much earlier by way of England than of Vienna, and the case is the same with reference to Paris intelligence. From Germany we have it in its way to you. The latest is that the Prussians are on the Rhine, and no doubt active operations may be expected very soon. The Allied force which will bona fide enter France, may be safely computed at 500,000 (sic) men. An officer told me a few days ago that he had observed many droves of cattle, marked G. R., which had quitted their pastures and were proceeding to the frontiers. These he conceived to be destined for the subsistence of the army on its march, not whilst it remains stationary. English officers who have come from their quarters to Brussels to make purchases for the campaign, &c., say that they have left it for the last time. Westminster man cannot fail of knowing people, go where he will, and it is curious to think how many old schoolfellows I have fallen in with, that I have not seen for years. It is an interesting thing to take leave of these brave fellows, all of whom it is impossible that we should see again.

A

ALAN STEWART.

(To be concluded.)

Lieutenant of Ireland 1807-13, and the Duke of *The Duke of Richmond had been Lord Wellington was Chief Secretary in 1807. It seems, therefore, that the former continued playfully to call the latter his Secretary still.

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be found in all corners of the island, enjoying more or less reputation for all the various services which such people usually perform in an ignorant community.

FOLK-LORE OF CYPRUS. (Concluded from 11 S. xi. 488.) PARTICULAR foods are by custom only The manner in which religious shrines eaten at particular times. During the Lent come into existence, not only in the primitive and Advent fasts snails are much eaten, Levant, but elsewhere, is often very curious. boiled and mixed into a pilaf of rice. But A priesthood compelled to maintain its although the natives eat garden snails, shell- existence with difficulty amidst poverty fish are practically unknown as an article of and ignorance, crushed beneath the exactions food. A kind of caviar is also prepared for of an alien government, appears unable to the fasting periods, but never eaten at other control superstitious developments among its times. The native cuisine is of the most people, or prevent the frauds and impostures limited kind, and seems to consist of the to which all religions are susceptible. eternal greasy stew of mutton and vegetables, In Cyprus, as in other districts of the without variety in flavour or materials. Levant, may be found private speculative Cold meat is absolutely unknown to the shrines within the houses of the people. Cypriot, and he eats a plate of boiled beans These are usually in the form of a chamber in oil during the fasting days only. Goats- set apart for the worship of an eikon. In milk cheese is also eaten at all times except Nicosia there is to be seen, within a small during Lent and Advent. William Turner ordinary room, an eikon in embossed silver in his Travels,' published in 1815, refers to representing the Annunciation, the two the peasants of Cyprus, who have a curious heads of Virgin and Angel being painted; superstition which prevents them from eating its box-like frame is surrounded by tawdry the flesh of oxen, cows, or calves, or drinking curtains and a number of wax candles, and cows' milk. He supposes this superstition in front of it hangs a lighted lamp. The wall to have descended from the ancient Egyp-on which the eikon hangs is also festooned tians, when the island was under the govern- with a string of small gilt coins, bracelets, ment of the Ptolemies. In the rural dis-beads, &c., and little figures in silver, all of tricts this prejudice against beef and cows' which are evidently votive offerings. Amongst milk still continues, although in the towns its decorations are also flowers and sprays a taste for veal and butter is certainly of orange-blossom. Beneath the eikon is a increasing. small closed box for money offerings.

I may add a few notes as to popular superstitions with regard to good fortune or the contrary. When a funeral passes down a street the house servants throw a cup of water on the doorsill of each house before which the body is carried. When any one leaves home on a journey, no brushing-up or cleaning of the floor may take place "behind him," but such necessities must be deferred until the morrow. To spill oil is of bad augury, but to upset wine is a good sign, if the direction which it takes is observed. Upsetting salt or pepper brings about a quarrel. One should never pass in front of any one asleep; and to move the feet about after one is seated is supposed to presage evil.

There are several words which, although understood, are never used if another expression, or the form omoloïtos ("it is understood"), can be substituted for them. For example, it is supposed that if the word "bilious" is used to a person suffering from colic, he will be prevented from vomiting, however much he may desire it.

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"Piles of stones are built up and still venerated on the sites of hundreds of churches which have long ago fallen into ruins, and the Cypriote is never at a loss to ascribe the holy spot to a parincense is still burnt there, and the ashes placed ticular saint. On the patron's festival a little on the altar in a potsherd. When no stone of the walls remains upon another, loose stones are collected and piled up rudely in the outline of a church."-Hogarth's Devia,' p. 30.

So strongly rooted is the belief in the efficacy of holy eikons in cases of sickness, that St. George seems to usurp the functions Magic and exorcism-the one to counter-of Apollo, and Aphrodite, in some of her act the other-are freely practised and attributes, appears under the form of the believed in. Professional magicians are to Virgin Mary.

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