imposing in appearance, and was used by the cruel Alva as a Bastille or political dungeon. The Museé Wertz contains a collection of pictures of that eccentric painter. Brussels boasts of a line Botanic garden, and the Bois de Cambrai, a part of the old forests of Soignes, is to Brussels what the Bois de Boulogne is to Paris.
From Brussels to the battle-field of Waterloo is only 40 munites by rail, and no tourist who comes to Brussels leaves it without seeing that great battle-field. That great battle has been described a hundred times, not only by military authorities who are entitled to speak on the subject, but also by tourists who are like myself profoundly ignorant of the science of war, but who nevertheless when standing on these undulating fields cannot help recalling the events of the memorable day of battle. I will then follow this favorite practice, and note down some events of the day in order to explain the sites which I visited.
The battle was not fought at Waterloo but further southwards. The allied army under Wellington had its centre at Mount St. Jean over a mile to south of Waterloo village, while Napoleon had his centre at Belle Alliance, another mile further south, but his army was disposed in a semicircle, almost surrounding the allies in the east, south, and west. Wellington had 68,000 troops, only 24,000 of them English, 30,000 Germans, and 14,000 Netherlanders. Napoleon had 72,000 troops. Napoleon therefore was stronger in his forces until the Prussians came from the east and changed the fortunes of the day.
