New Version of a Historic Story

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 209, 9 January 1894, Page 3

New Version of a Historic Story

Dirers yersions are enshrined in Iho history of the circumstances uuder which old Nathan Meyer Rothschild, founder of the tamilj, obtained the earliest ex elusive information of the battle of Waterloo. One of the favourite stories is that he accompanied Wellington's forces disguised as a sutler and as soon •s the fortunes of ihe day were decided, polled off to London and maae the best of the markets. One of his grandsons, partner in the London house, tclU me (writes Mr H. W. Lucy in the Sydn-y Morning Herald) the true story, which he adds, has never been published, ilis grandfather, who settled in London (whilst his eldest brother Ansel m remained at Frankfort, aod his second brother Solomon opmed a branch of the bank at Vienna), had eatablished relations with the English Government, acting as their agent in buying gold, much reeded to carry on the campaign against Napnleou. For the purposes of his business Nathan Meyer had in his pay a swift SHihng logger, which kept him in correspondence with his brothers and other friends on ihe Continent. One d&y in June, 1815, the captain of the lugs<r called upon Bothschtld fresh from a trip across the Channel. He had, in quite a casual way, put in his pocket a Dutch newspaper. Looking it over Rothschild found f.n account of the battle of Waterloo, brief, but so unfaltering and evidently authentic, that he straightway went on 'Change and bought Consols by the bucketful. They were on this particular day beaten down lower than ever, the last news from the seat of war not coming down later than an account of the affair at Quatre Bras, represented as a check to Welling ton. When, later, the Government received official despatches describing Bonaparte's rout, the funds went up by leaps and bounds, and the fortunes of the house ot Rothschild were established on a princely scilf.