communicates no gratuitous particulars for the gratification of inconvenient curiosity. The laurels acquired by one error, he takes care not to endanger by another. His papers, therefore, are burned, or consigned to the most obscure corner of his bureau, and the world is left to form its own estimate of his services, and discriminate as best it may, between merit and good luck. Under such circumstances, the decision, as might be expected, is all in his favour. England rings with his praises. He receives the thanks of Parliament-is invested with stars and ribbons-and when he is gathered to his fathers, St Paul's is graced with a monument to his memory, in which Chantrey represents him resting on a cannon, with the true lineaments and bearing of a majestic warrior. It is probable that the sketch we have just drawn savours somewhat of caricature. At all events, we wish merely to state, that whatever peril in ordinary cases may attend such disclosures, by the publication of the present work we are put in possession of every document which can illustrate the public life of Wellington. It cannot fail to be regarded as a remarkable and memorable circumstance, that the man whose aristocratic contempt for popular opinion has been made the subject of invective by every Radical newspaper in the kingdom, should thus voluntarily place himself at the bar of the public, and demand judgment. He says, "in the first enthusiasm of triumph, you bestowed honours on the man by whom it had been achieved; I now, after a lapse of years, afford you the means of judging whether these honours have been merited." There can be no reason, therefore, why the final award on the services of Wellington should not be delivered. He acknowledges the authority of the tribunal. He challenges the fullest investigation of his claims. There exists no doubt as to the authenticity or validity of the evidence adduced. If the reputation he enjoys be founded on a false and hollow basis, he has himself furnished ample means by which the imposture may be detected. He voluntarily subjects every action of his public life to the most rigid and unsparing examination. He asks no favour, and will accept of none; he demands only that which is the birthright of every Englishmanjustice-and where is the man who would deny to Wellington that which is accorded to the meanest criminal? It is inconceivable that such an appeal should have been made by a man already in the evening of life; covered with honours; satiated-if ever man was-with applause ; with no remaining ambition to be gratified, unless from the proud consciousness, that there was nothing in his past life that demanded either colouring or concealment. No man has been more the object of malignant abuse. Mobs have assailed his life, and mob orators his principles and character. And what is his answer? The proudest ever made by a great man to his calumniators. He lays open the record of his services, he discloses every particular connected with them, and lets in the broad light of day, that every transaction in which he has borne a part, may be seen by all, in its true colours and proportions. This is Wellington's reply. How nobly does it befit the man! The work, indeed, might, without impropriety, have been entitled, “ Memoirs of the public life of the Duke of Wellington," for from its contents alone, might be compiled a biography far more authentic and minute, than we can ever hope to possess of any other warrior or statesman. There exists no man whose life is so completely historical, so thoroughly and inseparably interwoven with the great events of his time, as that of Wellington. The part allotted to him has not only been uniformly great, but played on a great stage. In tracing his career, therefore, the reader has not to wade through a mass of uninteresting details, such as are usually necessary to illustrate the progress of subordinate merit to distinction and reward. To his noble birth, and the political influence of his connexions, Wellington was perhaps indebted, in the first instance, for the opportunities of distinction he enjoyed; but for the manner in which he turned these opportunities to account, he was indebted to no one but himself. Under no circumstances is it conceivable, that talents like Wellington's could have failed in raising their possessor to the highest distinction. But even in the commencement of his career he owed nothing more to patronage, than does the sculptor who is employed on some high work of art. The marble may be found by others, but it is to the skill and genius of the artist that we are indebted for the statue. Had Wellington been deficient in those great qualities which raised him to pre-eminence, no private or family influence, however powerful, could have retained him in those high and responsible situations which he successively held. The interests at stake were too vast to be trifled with, and the certain consequences of failure too disastrous to admit of the most important powers being confided to hands incapable of wielding them with ef fect. Lord Wellington arrived in India at the moment of a great crisis. The fate of our whole possessions in the East depended on the issue of the Mysore war. Among the native powers, Lord Wellesley could discover only virulent enemies, and lukewarm allies ready to become enemies on the first symptom of weakness or disaster. Such were the political circumstances under which the public life of Lord Wellington may be said to have commenced. To the developement of talents like his they were highly favourable, but not so to the advancement of imbecile mediocrity. It is in tranquil times, and in sheltered places, that the latter most flourishes, and spreads its tiny blossoms to the sun. On the mountain top it is uprooted by the first storm. Notwithstanding the unquestionable interest and importance of the work, we fear it is impossible to expect that it should become popular in the ordinary acceptation of the term. To understand its contents, and follow out the inferences to which they lead, the reader must bring to the perusal a very considerable degree of knowledge. He must possess accurate information of the geography of the seat of war, its difficulties and resources, and bear in mind, not only the relative position of the different portions of the army to the enemy, but to each other. All that part of the documents which relates to military movements, necessarily presupposes such knowledge in the reader, and it is of course impossible to form any judgment of the qualities they display without thoroughly understanding the circumstances under which they were writ ten. To acquire information so extensive, however, and continually to bear in mind the very numerous details which press on the attention in reading these volumes, is a task which by few men will be found easy, and by many, one demanding more labour than they have leisure to bestow. The work, too, is voluminous and expensive, and though its claims, arising both from the author and the subject, are too powerful and peculiar not to secure for it a place in every library, it is impossible to expect (unless the march of pocket should keep pace with the march of intellect), that its contents will ever be very widely diffused among that numerous and increasing portion of the community, yclept "the reading pub It shall be our object, therefore, in this, and many other articles by which we intend it shall be succeeded, to obviate, as far as possible, the difficulties to which we have alluded, and furnish such a commentary as may fully illustrate the import of the copious extracts which we shall lay before our readers. Regarding the subject as one which should be held sacred from party feeling, we shall avoid, in the execution of our task, touching on any matters merely political. It is only through his military career-which may be considered to have terminated with the second expulsion of Napoleon— that we propose to follow him; and we trust that in contemplating the triumphs of our common country, and rendering justice to the great mind by which they were achieved, men of all parties will for a time cast aside their prejudices, and forgetting that they are Whig or Tory, remember only that they are Englishmen. Before entering on the task we have undertaken, we think it will not be found uninteresting to take a short review of the circumstances of Wellington's early life. Commencing, therefore, ab ovo, be it known, that Arthur Wellesley, the third son of the Earl of Mornington, was born on the first of May, 1769. At the usual age he was sent to Eton, and being intended for the army, was subsequently removed to the Military Academy at Angiers in France. In 1787, he received his first commission as ensign of infantry, and rose by rapid steps to the rank of colonel. In 1794, he sailed in command of the 33d regiment to join the army of the Duke of York in the Netherlands. The issue of this unfortunate expedition is well known. The Duke retreated, followed by the enemy, and several severe encounters took place. The campaign terminated by the re-embarkation of the troops in the spring of 1795. During the retreat, Colonel Wellesley commanded a brigade, and on several occasions was engaged with the enemy. During these inglorious operations there were of course few honours to be gained; but his conduct was such as to attract the applause of Sir James Craig and several other generals of distinction. The fact is interesting, as it enables us to discern the first dawning of that reputation which subsequently filled the whole horizon with its light. After his return to England, Colonel Wellesley did not long remain in the enjoyment of inglorious ease. The 33d regiment was ordered to the West Indies, and sailed with that destination. After being six weeks at sea, however, the fleet was driven back by tempestuous weather, and the regiment relanded. In a few weeks it embarked for India, and, with its commander, reached Bengal in February 1797. It is evident, we think, from the facts above narrated, that from the very commencement of his military life, young Wellesley devoted himself with zeal and ardour to the duties of his profession. He was no holyday soldier; he did not belong to that numerous, and, we fear, increasing class, who seek in the army merely an agreeable mode of passing a few years, and quit it whenever they are ordered to an unpleasant station, or succeed to fortune by the death of a relation. Such men regard the service as a pastime rather than a profession. Their lot is not permanently cast in it, and they look upon its duties as things to be performed when necessary, and avoided when possible. Very different from that of such men was the course of Wellington's early life. He entered the service with the true spirit of a soldier. We have seen that in Flanders his zeal and exemplary conduct were conspicuous: That he embarked for the West Indies, and subsequently accompanied his regiment to the East. It thus appears that even at an age when the love of pleasure is predominant in most men, he did not shrink from the dangers or hardships of the service, but was determined to seek distinction whereever it could be found. When Colonel Wellesley arrived in India the Company's territories were in a state of profound peace. But the peace was treacherous, for never were our Eastern possessions in a state of greater peril than at that moment. Lord Wellesley, who arrived at Calcutta in the spring of the following year as Governor-general, fortunately possessed not only the sagacity to discover the secret machinations of the native powers, but the wisdom and decision to disconcert them. It becomes necessary that we should here briefly advert to the political events which gave rise to the second Mysore war, in order that the reader may fully understand the military services to which his attention will subsequently be directed. The war of 1789, though it had greatly diminished the power of Tippoo Sultan, had neither converted him into a safe friend, nor deprived him of the power of becoming a formidable enemy. He had been compelled, it is true, to cede nearly one half of his territories to the Company and their allies, but he still ruled with absolute power over a country nearly two hundred thousand square miles in extent, with a revenue and population equal to maintaining an army of 150,000 men. Tippoo was a man of bold and martial temperament, though not of high talents, and the blow which fell on him at the termination of the former war in 1792, seems to have irritated him almost to madness. From that time his whole soul was occupied with schemes of vengeance, and he waited only for a favourable conjuncture to employ all his great resources His terriin attacking the British. tory was most favourably situated for the hostile purpose he entertained. The Mysore country occupied a central position between our settlements, and might be said to command their communication by land, while by a sudden irruption into the Carnatic, he could at any moment place Madras in a situation of great peril. Judging by the contents of the papers which fell into our possession by the capture of Seringapatam, this was the favourite project of Tippoo, and to promote its the sculptor who is employed on some high work of art. The marble may be found by others, but it is to the skill and genius of the artist that we are indebted for the statue. Had Wellington been deficient in those great qualities which raised him to pre-eminence, no private or family influence, however powerful, could have retained him in those high and responsible situations which he successively held. The interests at stake were too vast to be trifled with, and the certain consequences of failure too disastrous to admit of the most important powers being confided to hands incapable of wielding them with effect. Lord Wellington arrived in India at the moment of a great crisis. The fate of our whole possessions in the East depended on the issue of the Mysore war. Among the native powers, Lord Wellesley could discover only virulent enemies, and lukewarm allies ready to become enemies on the first symptom of weakness or disaster. Such were the political circumstances under which the public life of Lord Wellington may be said to have commenced. To the developement of talents like his they were highly favourable, but not so to the advancement of imbecile mediocrity. It is in tranquil times, and in sheltered places, that the latter most flourishes, and spreads its tiny blossoms to the sun. On the mountain top it is uprooted by the first storm. Notwithstanding the unquestionable interest and importance of the work, we fear it is impossible to expect that it should become popular in the ordinary acceptation of the term. To understand its contents, and follow out the inferences to which they lead, the reader must bring to the perusal a very considerable degree of knowledge. He must possess accurate information of the geography of the seat of war, its difficulties and resources, and bear in mind, not only the relative position of the different portions of the army to the enemy, but to each other. All that part of the documents which relates to military movements, necessarily presupposes such knowledge in the reader, and it is of course impossible to form any judgment of the qualities they display without thoroughly understanding the circumstances under which they were written. To acquire information so extensive, however, and continually to bear in mind the very numerous details which press on the attention in reading these volumes, is a task which by few men will be found easy, and by many, one demanding more labour than they have leisure to bestow. The work, too, is voluminous and expensive, and though its claims, arising both from the author and the subject, are too powerful and peculiar not to secure for it a place in every library, it is impossible to expect (unless the march of pocket should keep pace with the march of intellect), that its contents will ever be very widely diffused among that numerous and increasing portion of the community, yclept "the reading public." It shall be our object, therefore, in this, and many other articles by which we intend it shall be succeeded, to obviate, as far as possible, the difficulties to which we have alluded, and furnish such a commentary as may fully illustrate the import of the copious extracts which we shall lay before our readers. Regarding the subject as one which should be held sacred from party feeling, we shall avoid, in the execution of our task, touching on any matters merely political. It is only through his military career-which may be considered to have terminated with the second expulsion of Napoleonthat we propose to follow him; and we trust that in contemplating the triumphs of our common country, and rendering justice to the great mind by which they were achieved, men of all parties will for a time cast aside their prejudices, and forgetting that they are Whig or Tory, remember only that they are Englishmen. Before entering on the task we have undertaken, we think it will not be found uninteresting to take a short review of the circumstances of Wellington's early life. Commencing, therefore, ab ovo, be it known, that Arthur Wellesley, the third son of the Earl of Mornington, was born on the first of May, 1769. At the usual age he was sent to Eton, and being intended for the army, was subsequently removed to the Military Academy at Angiers in France. In 1787, he received his first commission as ensign of infantry, and rose by rapid steps to the rank of colonel. In 1794, he sailed in command of the 33d regiment to join the army of the Duke of York in the Netherlands. The issue of this unfortunate expedition is well known. The Duke retreated, followed by the enemy, and several severe encounters took place. The campaign terminated by the re-embarkation of the troops in the spring of 1795. During the retreat, Colonel Wellesley commanded a brigade, and on several occasions was engaged with the enemy. During these inglorious operations there were of course few honours to be gained; but his conduct was such as to attract the applause of Sir James Craig and several other generals of distinction. The fact is interesting, as it enables us to discern the first dawning of that reputation which subsequently filled the whole horizon with its light. After his return to England, Colonel Wellesley did not long remain in the enjoyment of inglorious ease. The 33d regiment was ordered to the West Indies, and sailed with that destination. After being six weeks at sea, however, the fleet was driven back by tempestuous weather, and the regiment relanded. In a few weeks it embarked for India, and, with its commander, reached Bengal in February 1797. It is evident, we think, from the facts above narrated, that from the very commencement of his military life, young Wellesley devoted himself with zeal and ardour to the duties of his profession. He was no holyday soldier; he did not belong to that numerous, and, we fear, increasing class, who seek in the army merely an agreeable mode of passing a few years, and quit it whenever they are ordered to an unpleasant station, or succeed to fortune by the death of a relation. Such men regard the service as a pastime rather than a profession. Their lot is not permanently cast in it, and they look upon its duties as things to be performed when necessary, and avoided when possible. Very different from that of such men was the course of Wellington's early life. He en tered the service with the true spirit of a soldier. We have seen that in Flanders his zeal and exemplary conduct were conspicuous: That he embarked for the West Indies, and subsequently accompanied his regi ment to the East. It thus appears that even at an age when the love of pleasure is predominant in most men, he did not shrink from the dangers or hardships of the service, but was determined to seek distinction whereever it could be found. When Colonel Wellesley arrived in India the Company's territories were in a state of profound peace. But the peace was treacherous, for never were our Eastern possessions in a state of greater peril than at that moment. Lord Wellesley, who arrived at Calcutta in the spring of the following year as Governor-general, fortunately possessed not only the sagacity to discover the secret machinations of the native powers, but the wisdom and decision to disconcert them. It becomes necessary that we should here briefly advert to the political events which gave rise to the second Mysore war, in order that the reader may fully understand the military services to which his attention will subsequently be directed. The war of 1789, though it had greatly diminished the power of Tippoo Sultan, had neither converted him into a safe friend, nor deprived him of the power of becoming a formidable enemy. He had been compelled, it is true, to cede nearly one half of his territories to the Company and their allies, but he still ruled with absolute power over a country nearly two hundred thousand square miles in extent, with a revenue and population equal to maintaining an army of 150,000 men. Tippoo was a man of bold and martial temperament, though not of high talents, and the blow which fell on him at the termination of the former war in 1792, seems to have irritated him almost to madness. From that time his whole soul was occupied with schemes of vengeance, and he waited only for a favourable conjuncture to employ all his great resources in attacking the British. His territory was most favourably situated for the hostile purpose he entertained. The Mysore country occupied a central position between our settlements, and might be said to command their communication by land, while by a sudden irruption into the Carnatic, he could at any moment place Madras in a situation of great peril. Judging by the contents of the papers which fell into our possession by the capture of Seringapatam, this was the favourite project of Tippoo, and to promote its |