After The Storm

After Waterloo: Reminiscences of
European Travel 1815-1819

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Title: After Waterloo: Reminiscences of European Travel 1815-1819
Author: Major W. E Frye
Release Date: February 4, 2004 [EBook #10939]
Language: English
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AFTER WATERLOO
Reminiscences of European Travel 1815-1819
By
MAJOR W.E. FRYE
EDITED WITH A PREFACE AND NOTES
By SALOMON REINACH

Member of the Institute of France

LONDON 1908

To
V.A.M. S.R.

PREFACE
The knowledge of Major Frye's manuscript and the privilege of publishing it for the first
time I owe to the kindness of two French ladies, the Misses G----. Their father, a well
known artist and critic, used to spend the summer months at Saint Germain-en-Laye
together with his wife, who was an English woman by birth. They had been for a long
time intimately acquainted with Major Frye, who lived and ended his life in that quiet
town. The Major's hostess, Mme. de W----, after his death in 1858, brought the
manuscript to Mrs. G---- and gave it to her in memory of her friend. It was duly
preserved in the G---- family, but remained unnoticed. The Misses G---- rediscovered it
in 1907, when it had been lying in a cupboard for upwards of half a century. On their
showing it to me I thought it was interesting for many reasons, and worthy of
introduction to the public. I hope the reader will share my opinion, which is also that of
several English scholars and men of letters, to whom I communicated extracts from the
manuscript.
The reminiscences are in the form of letters addressed to a correspondent who, however,
is never named and of whose health, family and private circumstances not the slightest
mention is to be found. So I am inclined to believe that he never existed, and that Major
Frye chose to imitate President de Brosses and others who thus recorded their travelling
experiences in epistolary form.
The manuscript--which will eventually be deposited in a public library--is entirely in
Major Frye's large and legible hand; at some later time it was evidently revised by
himself, but many names which I have endeavoured to complete were left in blank or
only indicated by initials. There are three folio volumes, bound in paper boards. In this
edition it has been thought advisable to leave out a certain number of pages devoted to
theatricals, of which Major Frye was a great votary, and also some lengthy descriptions
of landscapes, museums and churches, the interest of which to modern readers does not
correspond to the space occupied by them. For the information contained in the footnotes
I am indebted to many correspondents, English, French, Swiss, Belgian and Italian, to
whom I here express my hearty thanks. I am under special obligation to Sir Charles Dilke,
Mr Oscar Browning, Professor Novati, Professor Corrado Ricci, Commandant
Espérandieu, Professor Cumont, Professor Stilling and Mr Höchberg.

Major Frye's tombstone is in the cemetery of Saint Germain, and reads thus: "To the
memory of Major William Edward Frye, who departed this life the 9th day of October,
1858." On the same stone has been added in French: "Perceval Edmond Litchfield,
décédé le 15 Avril, 1888." About P.E. Litchfield I know nothing; he must have been the
Major's intimate friend during the last period of his life.
* * * * *
W.E. Frye was born Oct. 29, 1784, and received his education at Eton (1797-9) in the
time of the French Revolution. "The system was," he says, "to drill into the heads of the
boys strong aristocratic principles and hatred of democracy and of the French in
particular." The effect produced on the youth was the reverse of that intended. From 1799
to 1822 he belonged to the British army: here is an abstract of his services:
Ensign, 2nd Foot, 5th August, 1799. Lieutenant, 2nd Foot, 7th March, 1800. Half-pay,
4th Foot, 14th April, 1808. Lieutenant, 24th Foot, 8th December, 1804. Captain, 56th
Foot, 18th April, 1805. 3rd Ceylon Regt., 15th Feb., 1810. Half-pay, 3rd Foot, 7th March,
1816. 4th Foot, 24th Feb., 1820. Brevet-Major, 12th August, 1819. Sold out, 15th August,
1822.
In 1799, Frye took a part in the British Expedition to Holland. In 1801 he was in Egypt
with Lord