O' Meara’s Voice from St. Helena. 
France,” continued he; “ with \four 
times? the extent of territory, and four 
tines tlie population, I never could have 
raised one halfof your taxes. | How the 
ling lish popolazzo bear it, 1 cannot! con- 
ceive Phe French: would not have 
suffered) one fourth of them. Notwith- 
standing) your great successes,” conti- 
naed hey }which are indeed almost in- 
credible, and to. which accident, and 
porhaps) destiny, have much contri- 
buied, I do not think thaf you are yet 
ot of the serape: though you have the 
world ‘at’ command; I do not believe 
that you wilhever he able to get over 
your debt, » Your’ great) commerce has 
keptyou up pbut that will failwhen you 
will’ no! longer be able to undersell the 
manufacturers of other nations, who are 
rapidly: improving. » Av few years: will 
tell if L am right. 
OUR ARMY /AND ‘NAVY. 
-©The worst: thing: Bngland-has ever 
done, was that of endeavouring to make 
herselfia great military nation. ~In at- 
tempting that, England mast always be 
the slave of Russia, Austria, or Prussia, 
or at Jeast subservient to some of them ; 
because you have nota population suffi- 
eichtlymumerous to combat on the con- 
tinént with -Pyanee, or with any of the 
powers L have named, and must conse- 
quently hire men from some of them; 
Whereas, at sea, you are so superior; 
your sailors are somuch better, that you 
ean always command the otliers with 
safety to yourselves and with little com- 
parative expense. Your soldiers have 
not the requisite qualities for a military 
nation. ‘They are not. equal in address, 
activity, or intelligence, to the French. 
When they get from under. the fear of 
the Jash, they obey nobody. In a re- 
treat, they cannot be managed; and if 
they meet with wine, they are so. many 
devils (¢anti diavoli ), and adieu to subor- 
dination. I saw the retreat of Moore, 
and I neyer witnessed any. thing like. it. 
It was impossible to collect or to make 
them do any thing. . Nearly, all, were 
drunk.» Your officers depend. upon, in; 
terest. or money for promotion. Your 
soldiers are brave, nobody can deny, it; 
but it was bad policy to enconrage. the 
military mania, instead of sticking to 
your marine, which is the real force of 
your country, and one which, while you 
preserye it, will always render you, pow- 
erful, Inorder to have good soldiers, a 
nation must always be at war.” 
Bi, WATERLOO. _ , 
“If you had lost the battle of Water- 
Joo, what,a state would England haye 
~Montu ty Maa, No. 370, ~~ 
633 
been in? The flower of your youth 
would have been destroyed ; for nota 
man, not evem Lord Wellington, would 
have escaped.” I observed here that 
Lord Wellington had determined never 
to leave the field alive.» Napoleon re- 
plied, “he could. not retreat. He 
would have been destroyed with his 
army, if instead of the Prussians, 
Grouchy had come up.” Lasked bim if 
he had not believed for some time that 
the Prussians who bad shewn. them- 
selves, were a part of Grouchy’s corps. 
He replied, “‘ Certainly ; and 1 can now 
scarcely comprehend why it was a 
Prussian division and not that © of 
Gronchy.” L then took the liberty of 
askiog whether, if: neither Grouchy nor 
the Prussians had arrived, it would not 
have been a drawn battle. Napoleon 
answered, “the English army, would 
have been destroyed. They. were de- 
feated at mid-day. But accident, or 
more likely destiny, decided that Lord 
Wellington should gain it. I could 
scarcely believe that be would haye 
given me battle ; because, if he had. re- 
treated to Antwerp, as he ought to haye 
done, I must have been overwhelmed by 
the armies of three or four hundred 
thousand men that were coming against 
me. By giving me battle, there was a 
chance forme. It was the greatest folly 
to disunite the English and. Prussian 
armies. They ought to. have. been 
united ; and [ cannot conceive the reason 
of their separation. It, was folly, in 
Wellington to give me battle in a place, 
where, if defeated, all. must haye been 
lost, for he could not retreat. There was 
a wood in his rear, and but one road to 
gain it. He would have, been destroyed. 
Moreover, he allowed himself to be sur- 
prised by me. This was a great, fault, 
He ought to have been encamped from 
the beginning of June, as he must aye 
known that I intended to attack him. 
He, might have lost every thing. But 
he has been fortunate ; his destiny has 
prevailed; and every thing he did will 
meet with applausc. My intentions 
were, to attack and to destroy the Eng- 
lish army. This I knew would produce 
an immediate change of ministry, The 
indignation against them for having 
caused the loss of forty thousand of tke 
flower of the English army, would have 
excited such a popular fecling, that they 
would haye been turned out. The peo- 
ple would have said, “What is it to us 
who is on the throne of France, Louis or 
Napoleon; are we. to sacrifice all our 
blood in endeavours to place on the 
wale: a throne 
