COMMENCEMENT OF HOSTILITIES.

June 15th, 1815.

There was a sound of revelry by night,
And Belgium's capital had gather'd then
Her beauty, and her chivalry, and bright
The lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men;
A thousand hearts beat happily, and when

Music arose with iís voluptuous swell,

Soft eyes look'd love to eyes which spake again,
And all went merry as a marriage bell;

But hush! hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell!

Did ye not hear it? No; 'twas but the wind,
Or the car rattling o'er the stony street;
On with the dance! let joy be unconfin'd;
No sleep till morn when youth and pleasure meet
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet---
But hark! that heavy sound breaks in once more,
As if the clouds its echo would repeat;

And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before!

Arm! Arm! it is---it is---the cannon's opening roar!

Within a window'd niche of that high hall
Sate Brunswick's fated chieftain--- he did hear
That sound the first amidst the festival,
And caught its tone with Death's prophetic ear;
And when they smiled because he deem'd it near,
His heart more truly knew that peal too well
Which stretched his father on a bloody bier,
And rous'd the vengeance blood alone could quell:
He rushed into the field, and foremost fighting, fell.

Ah! then and there was hurrying to and fro, And gathering tears and tremblings of distress, And cheeks all pale, which but an hour ago Blush'd at the praise of their own loveliness; And there were sudden partings, such as press The life from out young hearts, and choking sighs Which ne'er might be repeated; who could guess If ever more should meet those mutual eyes, Since upon night so sweet such awful morn could rise?

And there was mounting in hot haste; the steed,
The mustering squadron and the clattering car
Went pouring forward with impetuous speed,
And swiftly forming in the ranks of war;
And the deep thunder peal on peal afar;

And near, the beat of the alarming drum
Rous'd up the soldiers ere the morning star;
While throng'd the citizens with terror dumb,
Or whispering, with white lips--- "the foe! they come,
they come !"

And wild and high the "Cameron's gathering" rose
The war-note of Lochiel, which Albyn's bills
Have heard, and heard too have her Saxon foes:---
How in the noon of night that pibroch thrills,
Savage and shrill !---but with the breath that fills
Their mountain-pipe so fill the mountaineers
With the fierce native daring which instils
The stirring memory of a thousand years.

And Evan's, Donald's fame rings in each clansman's ears!

And Ardennes waves above them her green leaves, Dewy with nature's tear-drops as they pass,

Grieving, if aught inanimate e'er grieves,

Over the unreturning brave---alas!

Ere evening to be trodden like the grass

Which now beneath them, but above shall grow
In its next verdure, when this fiery mass

Of living valour, rolling on the foe

And burning with high hope, shall moulder cold and low,

Last noon beheld them full of lusty life,

Last eve in beauty's circle proudly gay,

The midnight brought the signal sound of strife,
The morn the marshalling in arms,---the day
Battles' magnificently stern array:

The thunder clouds close o'er it, which when rent,

The earth is covered thick with other elay,

Which her own clay shall cover, heaped and pent, Rider and horse,--friend, foe,---in one red burial blent! LORD BYRON.

The advanced guard of the Prussian army under General Von Ziethen, posted on the Sambre, being attacked this day by Buonaparte, Marshal Blucher turned out his troops, and ordered them to assemble with all possible haste at Ligny and Sombrief, upon which point General Ziethen retired in the evening, followed by Buonaparte as far as Charleroi. Messengers by express were immediately sent to Brussels, to inform

the Duke of Wellington of these momentous events, and the first intimation of this actual commencement of operations was received there about 10 o'clock at night. There had been a very splendid ball at Brussels the preceding evening, which it was intended to have repeated this evening; but the important news which now arrived at once suspended all merry meetings. Orders were circulated for the troops to be in readiness to turn out; all officers absent from their posts or regiments were directed instantly to join; and expresses were sent off in every direction over the country to assemble the forces, as not a moment was to be lost. None of the grand allied armies had yet joined, and the head of the nearest Prussian column was five marches distant: not a man had yet arrived either from America or Portugal, and from the dispersed nature of the cantonments, it was not possible to assemble the troops in the country in less than twentyfour hours. All the divisions and brigades, however, had been roused during the night, and the officer who brought our orders galJoped through Schendelbeke about day

break. In Brussels the bugles sounded and drums beat to arms at midnight, and the 5th division marched out on the road to Waterloo about 2 in the morning. Our brave troops were now all hastening up by Waterloo, Nivelle, Genappe, &c. from every quarter towards the scene of operations, and were ordered to assemble at the farm of Quatre Bras or Four Arms, a house so named from its situation at the meeting of four roads, about four miles on the right of the Prussian army. Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Picton just arrived from England, having been appointed to the command of the 5th division, left Brussels in the night, and was one of the first who arrived at Quatre Bras, where the Prince of Orange with some Belgic troops, and the Duke of Brunswick with his Brunswickers, had already posted themselves.