DUELS AND. DUELLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 218, 14 September 1929, Page 18 (Supplement)

DUELS AND. DUELLING.

POLITICAL QUARRELLERS. HISTORIC ENGLISH INSTANCES STERN MEASURES TO SUPPRESS PRACTICE. To English-speaking people, duelling is so much a thing of the past that the idea of Mr. Philip Snowden, Chancellor of the Exchequer) being challenged to fight by M. Cheron, one of the French delegates to the Reparations Conference at Tha Hague, creates amusement. Mr. Snowden described as "grotesque" and "ridiculous" some of the figures quoted by M. Cheron which proved that Great Britain's monetary sacrifices in regard to her share of C4erman reparations have not yet been large enough to awaken gratitude in the French nation. Seconds were sent on behalf of M. Cheron to Mr. Snowden at his hotel, to demand satisfaction, and a compromise was arrived at which satisfied French honour without Mr. Snowden being called upon to defend his life.

Duelling has? not entirely died out in France, but the French duel is usually a very harmless affair. Of course, accidents will happen; and there have been occasions in which one of the principals in a French duel has been injured; but as a rule honour is satisfied without any real danger to life or limb. Mark Twain ridiculed the French duel 60 years ago, and expressed the opinion that it was much more dangerous to be a second in a French duel than a principal.

Duke of Wellington's DueL But in England duels have been fought between political opponents for reasons quite as trivial as that which caused the sensitive. M. Cheron to demand satisfaction from Mr. Snowden. A hundred years ago the Duke of Wellington, who was then Prime Minister, fotight a duel with the Earl of Winchelsea. In this he followed the bad example of an earlier Prime Minister, William Pitt, who in 1798 fought a duel with a political opponent, Mr. Tierney, whom he had accused in Parliament of desiring to obstruct the defence of his country because Mr. Tierney had opposed Pitt's effort to pass through all its stages in one day a bill for the more effectual manning of the navy. In 1809 Lord Castlereagh, Minister of "War in the Duke of Portland's Government, fought a duel with a Ministerial colleague, Mr. George Canning, Minister of Foreign Affairs, whom he regarded as the head of a conspiracy to oust him from the Government. Charles Fox fought a duel in Hyde Park with Mr. Adam, who had deserted the Opposition in the House of Commons, and gone over to the Ministerial side, and had given as liis reason that, although the Ministers were not very competent no persons more competent were to be found among their opponents. Fox ridiculed .the honourable member, and on refusing to apologise, was called out. Lord John Russell,

in his "Life of Fox" gives the following description of the duel:—"The meeting took place in Hyde Park at eight o'clock in the morning of November 29. After the ground had been measured, Mr. Adam desired Mr. Fox to fire; to which Fox replied, 'Sir, I have no quarrel with you. Do you lire. , Mr. Adam fired; Mr. Fox then fired, without effect. Upon this the seconds Colonel Fitzpatrick and Major . Humbertson, interfered, asking Mr. Adam if lie was satisfied. Mr. Adam replied, 'Will Mr. Fox declare he meant no personal attack upon my character?' Upon which Mr. Fox said, 'This was no.place for apologies,' and desired Mr. Adam to go on. Mr. Adam iired his second pistol without effect. Mr. Fox fired his remaining pistol in the air, and said that as the affair was ended he had no difficulty in declaring that he meant no more personal affront to Mr. Adam than he did to either of the other two gentlemen present. Mr. Adam replied, 'Sir, you have behaved like a man of honour.' Mr. Fox then mentioned that he believed himself wounded. On opening his waistcoat it was found that Mr. Adam's first ball had taken effect, but that the wound was very sligh/t. The wits of the Opposition said that Mr. Adam had used Government powder, notorious for being deficient in strength. No men were greater friends in after life than Mr. Fox and Mr. Adam."

First Duellist Hanged. Duelling continued in England until the 'forties of last century, despite the growth of public opinion against it, and the existence of laws for its suppression. It was stamped out in the British army after the death of Colonel Fawcett on July 3 1843, from wounds received two days previously in a duel with, his brother-in-law, Lieutenant Munro. As the result of a public agitation after this tragedy, the articles of war were amended so as to provide that any officer who participates in a duel as principal or an accessory or does not do his best to prevent a duel, shall be cashiered. This regulation is still in force. But long before this the participants of a duel in which death took place were liable under English criminal law to be tried for murder or manslaughter. The first case of a duellist being hanged for killing his opponent occurred in 1808 as the result of a duel between two officers of the Royal North .British Fusiliers—Major Alexander Campbell, and Captain Alexander Boyd. The duel took place in Newry, Ireland, when their battalion, was quartered - there. A trivial dispute occurred between them at the; mess table about drill, Avhen they were both inflamed with wine. They fought with pistols in a small room at the barracks, when no seconds or witnesses were present, and Captain . Boyd, was killed. Major Campbell fled, but was arrested about a year later in Scotland, and , sent back to Ireland to'stand, his trial. He was found guilty of murder, and- was executed, despite the efforts made to prevent the sentence being carried out. George 111., who hated duelling:,, declined. ,to, accede . to, .the jury's recommendation to mercy, as he regarded the case as a particularly bad one, which provided the opportunity of giving a long-needed example to army officers who were ready to waste their lives in drunken brawls.