ing), and before which, although the ditch was said to have twelve feet water, a footing on dry ground was found, by wading through a narrow part in the angle of the gate, within the rampart. I have every reason to be satisfied with the light infantry of the division, who, by their fire, covered the attacks of the parties, of sixty men each, which preceded the column. "The three brigades of artillery of Lieutenant-colonel Webber Smith, and Majors Knott and Browne, under the direction of Lieutenant-colonel Hawker, made particularly good practice, and immediately silenced the fire of the enemy's artillery, except from two guns on each flank of the citadel, which could not be got at, and two field-pieces on the ramparts of the town, above the Valenciennes gate, and which played upon the troops as they débouched from the cover they had been posted in. Twenty prisoners were made at the horn-work of the Paris gate, and about one hundred and thirty altogether in the town. Their fire was very slack, and even that, I foresaw, they were forced to by the garrison of the citadel. I left the 23d and 91st Regiments in town, with two guns and a troop of Ensdorff Hussars, and I am much indebted to Sir William Douglas and Colonel Dalmer for their assistance in preserving order. Some depredations were committed, but of no consequence, when the circumstances we entered by are considered. "From the division, as well as my personal staff, I received every assistance in the course of the three days' operations. "I am, (Signed) &c. "CHARLES COLVILLE." An Extract received by Earl Bathurst, addressed to his Lordship by the Duke of Wellington, dated Orvillé, June 28, 1815. "MY LORD, "The citadel of Cambray surrendered on the evening of the 25th instant, and the King of France proceeded there with his Court and his troops on the 26th. I have given that fort over entirely to his Majesty. "I attacked Peronne with the 1st brigade of Guards, under Major-general Maitland, on the 26th, in the afternoon. The troops took the horn-work, which covers the suburb on the left of the Somme, by storm, with but small loss; and the town immediately afterwards surrendered, on condition that the garrison should lay down their arms and be allowed to return to their homes. "The troops upon this occasion behaved remarkably well, and I have great pleasure in reporting the good conduct of a battery of artillery of the troops of the Netherlands. "I have placed in garrison there two battalions of the troops of the King of the Netherlands. The "The armies under Marshal Blücher and myself have continued their operations since I last wrote to your Lordship. necessity which I was under of halting at Cateau, to allow the pontoons and certain stores to reach me, and to take Cambray and Peronne, had placed the Marshal one march before me; but I conceive there is no danger in this separation between the two armies. "He has one corps this day at Crespy, with detachments at Villars Coterets and La Ferté Milon; another at Senlis; and the fourth corps, under General Bulow, towards Paris; he will have his advanced guard to-morrow at St. Denis and Gonasse. The army under my command has this day its right behind St. Just, and its left behind Taub, where the high road from Compeigne adjoins the high road from Roye to Paris. The reserve is at Roye. "We shall be upon the Oise to-morrow. "It appears, by all accounts, that the enemy's corps collected at Soissons, and under Marshal Grouchy, have not yet retired upon Paris; and Marshal Blücher's troops are already between them and that city." Dispatch addressed to Earl Bathurst by his Grace the Duke of Wellington, dated Orville, June 29, 1815. 66 "MY LORD, Being aware of the anxiety existing in England to receive the returns of killed and wounded in the late actions, I now send lists of the officers [the whole of the killed and wounded will be found at the end in an alphabetical form], and expect to be able to send, this evening, returns of the non-commissioned officers and soldiers. The account of non-commissioned officers and soldiers, British and Hanoverian, killed, wounded, and missing, is between 12,000 and 13,000. "Your Lordship will see in the enclosed lists the names of some most valuable officers lost to his Majesty's service. Among them I cannot avoid to mention Colonel Cameron of the 92d, and Colonel Sir H. Ellis of the 23d Regiments, to whose conduct I have frequently drawn your Lordship's attention, and who at last fell distinguishing themselves at the head of the brave troops which they commanded. 66 Notwithstanding the glory of the occasion, it is impossible not to lament such men, both on account of the public, and as friends. "I have the honour to be, &c. "Beaumont, June 20, 1815. "All the details which we have hitherto collected concerning the flight of the French are confirmed here. Buonaparte passed through this place yesterday, at one o'clock; he had on a grey surtout and a round hat. He took the road to Avesnes. Disorder increases every moment in the French army, and the want of discipline is at the highest pitch. The soldiers think themselves betrayed, and every one manifests his wish to return to his home. "At Beaumont, all fled at the first alarm. Almost at the gate of the town we found a piece of cannon abandoned, and two more on the road to Solre-le-Château. They say that the enemy has set on fire a train of pontoons near the village of Clermont. I hope I shall be able to save some of them. "At Charleroi, our troops found nine cannon and 100 caissons abandoned. The crowd upon the bridge was so great, that Buonaparte was obliged to place there a company with fixed bayonets, to stop the fugitives. This company was overpowered, and then it was impossible to stop the torrent. An inhabitant of that town counted twenty-nine pieces which passed the bridge, and six were left between Charleroi and Solre-le-Château. "MY LORD, (Signed) "ZIETHEN.” "Louvres, June 30th. "I have the honour of inclosing to your Lordship the returns of the killed and wounded of the army, on the 16th, 17th, and 18th; lists of officers, &c. "Brigadier-general Hardinge, who was employed by me with the Prussian army, is not included in these returns; but he received a severe wound in the battle of the 16th, and has lost his left hand. He had conducted himself, during the time he was so employed, in such a manner as to obtain the approbation of Marshal Prince Blücher and the officers at the Prussian headquarters, as well as mine, and I greatly regret his misfortune. "I have the honour to be, &c. &c. (Signed) "WELLINGTON." "Earl Bathurst." The following is a Copy of the Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving for the late Victory; ordered to be read in all Churches in Great Britain, &c. "O God, the disposer of all human events, without whose aid the strength of man is weakness, and the counsels of the wisest are as nothing, accept our praise and thanksgiving for the signal victory which Thou hast recently vouchsafed to the Allied armies in Flanders. Grant, O merciful God, that the result of this mighty battle, terrible in conflict, but glorious beyond example in success, may put an end to the miseries of Europe, and stanch the blood of nations. Bless, we beseech Thee, the Allied armies with Thy continued favour. Stretch forth Thy right hand to help and direct them. Let not the glory of their progress be stained by ambition, nor sullied by revenge; but let Thy Holy Spirit support them in danger, control them in victory, and raise them above all temptation to evil, through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory now and for Amen." ever. PROPOSALS FOR COMMISSIONERS. "Laon, June 25, 1815. "The changes which have taken place in the Government of France by the abdication of the Emperor Napoleon, accepted in the name of the French people by their representatives, having removed the obstacles which had hindered, till this day, the opening of a negociation, calculated to prevent the evils of war, between France and the high Allied Powers, the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have received full powers for negociating the conclusion and signature of all acts which may conduce to stop the effusion of blood, and re-establish, upon a stable foundation, the general peace of Europe. They have, therefore, the honour to give this information to his Highness the General-in-Chief, Prince Blücher, and to beg him to enable them immediately to repair to the head-quarters of the Allied Sovereigns, and to confer previously with him on the subject of a general suspension of arms between the French and the Allied armies, a suspension which has been already demanded by the French general commanding the vanguard of the Army of the North, and virtually agreed upon between our respective out-posts. "The Plenipotentiaries request his Highness the General-inChief, Prince Blücher, to accept the assurance of their high consideration. "Count HORACE SEBASTIANI. Count DE LA FORET. LA FAYETTE. B. CONSTANT, Councillor of State. 66 "MY LORD, ABDICATION OF BUONAPARTE. Head-quarters at La Villette, June 30, 1815. "Your hostile movements continue, although, according to their declarations, the motives of the war which the Allied Sovereigns make upon us no longer exist, since the Emperor Napoleon has abdicated. "At the moment when blood is again on the point of flowing, I receive, from Marshal the Duke of Albufera, a telegraphic despatch, of which I transmit you a copy. My Lord, I guarantee this armistice on my honour. All the reasons you might have had to continue hostilities are destroyed, because you can have no other instruction from your Government than that which the Austrian generals had from theirs. "I make the formal demand to your Excellency of ceasing all hostilities, and that we proceed to form an armistice, awaiting the decision of Congress. I cannot believe, my Lord, that my request will remain ineffectual; you will take upon yourself a great responsibility in the eyes of your noble fellow-countrymen. "No other motive but that of putting an end to the effusion of blood, and the interests of my country, have dictated this letter. "If I present myself on the field of battle, with the idea of your talents, I shall carry the conviction of there combating for the most sacred of causes, that of the defence and independence of my country; and, whatever may be the result, I shall merit your esteem. 66 Accept, I beg you, my Lord, the assurance of my highest consideration. “The Marshal Prince of ЕCKMUHL, Minister at War.” The same letter was written by his Excellency to Marshal Blücher. PROCLAMATION OF THE DUCHESS D'ANGOULEME. "London, June 26, 1815. "If the voice of your legitimate king has not yet reached you, I now make you hear it. It is in his name, in virtue of the powers he has confided to me, that I address you. "Faithful Frenchmen! join the daughter of your kings; she does not bring you war; she speaks to you only of peace and union. She laments the frightful calamities brought upon you by treason and perjury; she cannot look without terror to those of which war may still render you the victims. "Frenchmen! in the name of the country, of your families, of all that you hold most dear and sacred upon earth, rise all, join yourselves to me, to secure the triumph of the paternal views of the best of kings. "Frenchmen! time is precious, victorious armies advance: let a truly national movement, and the expression of our fidelity to our king, at once put an end to a war, not undertaken from ambi |