Lord Byron, in reading aloud the stanzas of Mr. Scott,

  “For high, and deathless is the name,
  Oh Hougoinont, thy ruins claim! 
  The sound of Cressy none shall own,
  And Agincourt shall be unknown,
  And Blenheim be a nameless spot
  Long ere thy glories are forgot,” &c.

he exclaimed, striking the page with his hand, “I’ll be d——­d if they will, Mr. Scott, be forgot!”

SIR WALTER SCOTT.

Sir Walter Scott visited Brussels about the middle of August, 1816, when I had the good fortune to meet him at the house of Sir Frederick Adam, who was prevented by a wound from joining his brigade, though he was able to do the duties of the small garrison there.

Mr. Scott accepted my services to conduct him to Waterloo.  The general’s aid-de-camp was also of the party, Mr. Scott being accompanied by two friends, his fellow travellers.  He made no secret of his having undertaken to write something on the battle; and he took the greater interest on this account in every thing that he saw.  Besides, he had never seen a field of such a conflict; and never having been before on the Continent, it was all new to his comprehensive mind.  The day was beautiful; and I had the precaution to send out a couple of saddle-horses, that he might not be fatigued in walking over the fields which had been recently ploughed up.  The animal he rode was so quiet that he was much gratified, and had an opportunity of examining every spot of the positions of both armies; and seemed greatly delighted, especially with the Farm of Goumont, where he loitered a couple of hours.  In our rounds we fell in with Monsieur Da Costar, with whom he got into conversation, though I had told him he was an impostor.  But he had attracted so much notice by his pretended story of being about the person of Napoleon, that he was of too much importance to be passed by:  I did not, indeed, know as much of this fellow’s Charlatanism at that time as afterwards, when I saw him confronted with a blacksmith of La Belle Alliance, who had been his companion in a hiding-place, ten miles from the field, during the whole day; a fact which he could not deny.  But he had got up a tale so plausible, and so profitable, that he could afford to bestow hush-money on the companion of his flight, so that the imposition was but little known, and strangers continued to be gulled.  He had picked up a good deal of information about the positions and details of the battle, and being naturally a sagacious Wallon, and speaking French pretty fluently, he became the favourite cicerone, and every lie he told was taken for gospel.  Year after year, until his death, in 1824, he continued his popularity, and raised the price of his rounds from a couple of francs to five; besides as much for the hire of a horse, his own property; for he pretended that the fatigue of walking so many hours was beyond his powers.