Holograph diary of a stay in Brussels and France after the Battle of Waterloo. Many of the author's observations reflect the recent battle; she reports, for example, on the celebrations in Brussels when its inhabitants receive news of Napoleon's surrender; provides news about various acquaintances in the military as well as other military news after the Battle of Waterloo; and describes Paris as "a military camp for all the nations of Europe." She also makes numerous comparisons between French and English culture, as when she views a play at the Theatre Francaise and comments on the lighting techniques in French playhouses as compared to those in England. Elsewhere, she views as statue of King Henri IV and comments on his reign; vists the porcelain manufactory at Sevres; and describes acquaintances she makes in Brussels. The diary concludes with her road journey from Boulogne to Calais, where she meets several friends, and then to Dover, At the end of the volume is a table of inns in which the author stayed, and The work is the second volume of a set; see Osborn d186 for the first volume in the set. The author's diary was published in 1817
Description:
In English., Title from title page., Autograph on flyleaf: Jane Waldie., Written inside front cover: No. 118., and Binding: quarter red morocco.
Subject (Geographic):
France, Great Britain, and Belgium
Subject (Name):
Eaton, Charlotte Ann (Waldie), 1788-1859., Henry IV, King of France, 1553-1610., Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821., Waldie, John, 1781-1862., and Watts, Jane (Waldie), 1793-1826.
Subject (Topic):
Theater, Travelers' writings, English, Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815, Women authors, Description and travel, and Social life and customs
Manuscript, in a single hand with many corrections , excisions, and pasted-in additions, of a diary recording a journey to Belgium coinciding with the Battle of Waterloo. The author, traveling with her brother John and sister Jane, as well as Sir Neil Campbell, Knight of Elba; Major Wiley, aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington; and Mr. Littleship, an English merchant, records her journey by steam packet from Ramsgate to Ostend on June 10, 1815. She describes their difficulty convincing the sentry to allow them to enter the garrison of Ostend; praises their hotel once they arrive; visits Ghent; and finds Brussels "new and amusing." She breakfasts with Major Llewellyn in Brussels two hours before the Battle of Waterloo, and the remainder of the diary consists of a description of her experience during the battle, including her and her companions' efforts to dine and sightsee without mentioning public events; their attempts to obtain information about the battle's progress; the exodus from Brussels by "masters and servants, ladies and stableboys, valets and soldiers"; and reports of the battle's outcome and After the battle, she is evacuated to the Netherlands, where she comments unfavorably on the character and habits of the Dutch inhabitants. Several weeks later, she returns to Brussels and visits Waterloo
Description:
Charlotte Ann (Waldie) Eaton (1788-1859) was a writer. In June 1815 she visited Brussels, the headquarters of Wellington's army, with her brother John and sister Jane. Her account of the battle was first published as Circumstantial Detail By a Near Observer in The Battle of Waterloo (1815). In 1817, her family published a more extended account based on her own experiences titled Narrative of a Residence in Belgium, During the Campaign of 1815, and of a Visit to the Field of Waterloo. By an Englishwoman. In 1820, after a visit to Italy, she anonymously published the popular and acclaimed Rome in the Nineteenth Century. Her other published works include The Days of Battle, later published as Waterloo Days; Continental Adventures; and At Home and Abroad., In English., Written on page removed from volume: Journal of Four Months' Absence from England, in the Summer of 1815: including a Tour in Flanders, Holland, and France., Written on title page: Narrative of a few days' residence in Belgium, in June 1815. and of a visit to the Field of Waterloo. by an Englishwoman., Pasted on flyleaf: Lubbok Bookbinder St. N. C. Yd. Newcastle., Bookplate of Charles Edward Thynne Eaton and signature of Wilfred Eaton, 1897 on the title-page., Marbled endpapers., and Binding: half morocco over marbled boards; gilt decoration.
Subject (Geographic):
Belgium and Netherlands
Subject (Name):
Eaton, Charlotte A. 1788-1859. (Charlotte Anne),, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821., Waldie, John, 1781-1862., and Watts, Jane (Waldie), 1793-1826.
Subject (Topic):
Travelers' writings, English, Waterloo, Battle of, Waterloo, Belgium, 1815, Description and travel, and Women authors
