CHAPTER XI.
PARLEY ATTENDS A REVIEW IN HYDE PARK, AND RELATES SOME PASSAGES IN THELIFE OF MARSHAL SOULT.--CONCLUSION.
"PETER PARLEY had begun to recover from the fatigue which he hadundergone, and was thinking of once more crossing the Atlantic, andreturning to the enjoyment of his quiet home, when one morning atbreakfast, Major Meadows announced that there was to be a grand reviewin Hyde Park, on a scale of such splendour, that Peter Parley must seeit before he left town.
"The day fortunately turned out one of the most beautiful that could beconceived, and the crowds of persons who assembled to witness the grandmilitary display, were very great. It was estimated by some of themilitary officers, who are accustomed to form pretty accurate notionsof vast bodies of men, that at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, therewere not less than two hundred thousand spectators present, in andaround the Park.
MARSHAL SOULT'S STATE CARRIAGE.]
"Early in the day the troops began to arrive, and by ten o'clock allthe regiments to be reviewed were on the ground. Shortly after, theDuke of Wellington, Lord Hill, and a great number of English militaryofficers, as well as Marshal Soult, and all the foreign ambassadors,attended by their brilliant suites, arrived, and were every wherereceived with great cheering.
"At half-past eleven her Majesty arrived accompanied by her suite infour carriages, each drawn by four horses, and escorted by a detachmentof Life Guards. She was attended by her Aides-de-Camp in full militaryuniform. The arrival of the royal party was announced by a dischargeof cannon, the band striking up the national anthem, and the soldierspresenting arms as her Majesty approached.
"The great attraction among the foreign visitants was Marshal Soult,who, as usual, excited much attention. As he rode close past the spotwhere Peter Parley and his friend Major Meadows had taken their stand,his stirrup broke, and we feared he would have fallen from his horse,but the Marshal is a good rider, and quickly recovered. Peter Parleyafterwards saw a curious anecdote in the newspapers connected with thisaccident. On learning what had happened, Sir H. Vivian immediatelydispatched a messenger to the saddlers to the Ordnance, to procure apair of stirrups to replace the broken one. It happened, singularlyenough, that the Saddlers had in their possession the stirrups whichNapoleon used in many of his campaigns; so that Marshal Soult, duringthis review, actually did what was next to standing in his master'sshoes!
"Seeing that Peter Parley was very much interested in the Marshal,Major Meadows, who had been engaged in the Peninsular war, and hadfought against him in some of his most celebrated battles, continued,when our attention was not completely occupied by the evolutions of thetroops, to relate many most interesting anecdotes of his distinguishedcareer.
"'Marshal Soult,' said Major Meadows, 'is a very singular man, Mr.Parley, and like many of Napoleon's generals, rose from the veryhumblest rank. He entered the army as a private soldier, and, afterserving some time in this capacity in a royal regiment of infantry, hebecame sub-lieutenant of grenadiers.
"'He afterwards rose through the various ranks, till in 1796 he wasappointed general of brigade, and sent to join the army of Italy. Herehe soon won for himself new laurels, and his fame attracted the noticeof Napoleon, who henceforth honoured him with his personal esteem.
"'On the eve of the memorable battle of Austerlitz, in which he wasentrusted with the command of the centre of the army, Napoleon, asusual, called his marshals together to explain his plans to them, andto give them instructions for their guidance. To the others he wasminute in his directions, in proportion to the importance of the postsassigned to them. When he came to Soult, however, he merely said, 'asfor you, Soult, I have only to say, act as you always do.'
"'In the midst of the battle, an aide-de-camp arrived with an orderthat the Marshal should instantly push forward and gain certainheights. 'I will obey the Emperor's commands as soon as I can,' repliedSoult, 'but this is not the proper time.' Napoleon, enraged at thedelay, sent a second messenger, with more peremptory orders. The secondaide-de-camp arrived just as the Marshal was putting his column inmotion. The manoeuvre had been delayed because Soult observed that hisopponents were extending their lines, and, consequently, weakeningtheir centre. Complete success attended the attack. Napoleon, who, fromthe elevated position which he occupied, saw the attack, instantlyperceived the reason for the delay, and the brilliancy of the movement,and riding up to Soult, complimented him in the presence of his staff,who, but a few minutes before, had seen him angry at the supposeddisobedience, saying, 'Marshal, I account you the ablest tactician inmy empire!'
"'After the battle of Eylau, Napoleon was very much discouraged atthe loss he had sustained, and wished to fall back, so as to form ajunction with the other corps of his army. Against this resolutionSoult warmly protested, telling the Emperor, that from what he hadseen, he expected the enemy would retreat during the night, and thusleave the French army in possession of the field. Napoleon compliedwith the Marshal's advice, and every thing took place just as he hadforetold. So that it was to the sagacity of Soult that the French armyowes the honour of the victory of Eylau.
"'In 1808, Soult, now Duke of Dalmatia, was entrusted with the commandof the army in Spain, and his first movement was to pursue the gallantSir John Moore in his memorable retreat towards Corunna. Under thewalls of that town he engaged the British army, but, after a sharpcontest, was completely repulsed. The British general, however, waskilled in the action, and was buried in the citadel, his corpse wrappedin a military cloak, and the guns of his enemy paying his funeralhonours. Marshal Soult, with that noble feeling which can only exist inminds of true greatness erected a monument to his memory, near the spotwhere he so nobly fell.
"'To the Duke of Dalmatia Napoleon entrusted the command of the army,when the defeat of the French at Vittoria had placed the Peninsulaat the mercy of the Duke of Wellington. After a series of conflicts,which covered the British army and its able general with glory, Soult,finding the cause of his imperial master hopeless, gave up the contestand returned to Paris.
"'Soult afterwards fought at Waterloo, but without that distinctionwhich might have been expected from his old renown. After this battle,which for ever stamped the fate of Napoleon, and showed Wellington thegreatest general of the age, Soult retired to the country, and livedfor some years in seclusion. He was however recalled, and created apeer of France by Charles X.'
"Such was Major Meadows' account of this celebrated man. To PeterParley he was an object of great interest, because his presencerecalled the remembrance of some of the spirit-stirring events inwhich he had been a participator; not that Peter Parley is an admirerof military genius or delights in military renown. He would rather dohonour to the humblest benefactor of the human race than the greatestgeneral that ever lived. With him the glory of James Watt, the inventorof the steam-engine, far outshines the lustre of a Soult, or a Ney,or an Alexander! and he would rather be the author of the WaverleyNovels than be crowned with the blood-stained laurels of a Napoleon ora Wellington!
"Peter Parley is one of those who hope the time is now come when thesound of war will be heard no more, and nations, instead of wastingtheir energies in deeds of blood, will strive to rival each other onlyin the peaceful pursuits of commerce and the arts."
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"Peter Parley must now bid his young friends good bye! When he meetsthem again he hopes to find them all equally willing to be pleased andas patient and attentive to the tales which he tells them, as they havebeen to his 'VISIT TO LONDON DURING THE CORONATION OF QUEEN VICTORIA.'"
FINIS.
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LIST OF PLATES.
I.--THE CORONATION OF QUEEN VICTORIA. II.--HER MAJESTY LEAVING BUCKINGHAM PALACE. III.--MARSHAL SOULT'S STATE CARRIAGE. IV.--HER MAJESTY'S STATE CARRIAGE. V.--THE PROCESSION APPROACHING WESTMINSTER ABBEY. VI.--HER MAJESTY LEAVING HER PRIVATE APARTMENTS IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
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Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
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