MISCELLANITIES. 
them on with his hat, they march- 
ed at the point of the bayonet, to 
come to close action with the Im- 
perial Guard. But the latter be- 
gan a retreat, which was soon 
converted into flight, and the 
most complete rout ever exhibited 
by soldiers. The famous route 
of Vitturia was not even com- 
parable to it.” 
The General then adds several 
reflections on the importance of 
the victory, and in enumerating 
the loss sustained, says :— 
*-Of those who were by the 
side of the Duke of Wellington, 
only he and myself remained un- 
touched in our person and horses. 
The rest were all either killed, 
wounded, or lost one or more 
horses. Whe Duke was unable to 
refrain from tears on witnessing 
‘the death of so many brave and 
honourable men, and the loss of 
so many friends and faithful com- 
panions, and which can alone be 
‘compensated by the importance 
of the victory.” 
Report of the Committee of the 
House of Commons on Parish 
Apprentices. r 
The Committee appointed to exa- 
mine into the number and state 
of Parish Apprentices, bound 
into the country from the 
parishes within the Bills of 
Mortality, and to report the 
same, with their observations 
thereon, to the House :—Have 
examined thematter tothemre- 
ferred, and agreed upon the 
following Report :— 
Your Committee have to ob- 
serve, that the attention of Parli- 
amenthasforsometimebeen called 
597 
to this subject, and that so long 
ago as tle session of 1811, a bill 
was brought into the House to 
amend the laws in respect to Pa- 
rish Apprentices, and to make 
certain regulations with the view 
of ameliorating their condition; 
but was withdrawn, in order 
that some information might be 
procured which was conceived to 
be wanting. 
A committee was in conse- 
quence appointed, which set on 
foot an inquiry. This inquiry has 
since been prosecuted with as 
much perseverance as was requir- 
ed by asubject of so much im- 
portance to the happiness and 
well-being of a large class of the 
community, though hitherto but 
little made an object of the at- 
tention of Parliament. 
It would have been obviously 
an impracticable task to have at- 
tempted to ascertain the number 
of parish apprentices bound, from 
various parts of England, to a 
‘distance from their parents ; and 
the Committee were therefore 
under the necessity of limiting 
their inquiry into those points 
which were capable of being as- 
certained till the parishes, which 
are comprehended in the Bills of 
Mortality, would afford a toler- 
able criterion to enable a judg- 
‘ment to be formed, as to the 
comparative number of parish ap- 
prentices bound near home and at 
a distance, andasto theadvantages 
or disadvantages resulting from 
the latter plan. 
This was the more practicable, 
as by the act passed in the 2nd and 
7th years of his present Majesty, 
some humane regulations were 
made ‘in the management of Pa- 
rish Apprentices in those parishes; 
