"AFFAIRS OF HONOUR"

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 123, 20 November 1926, Page 20

"AFFAIRS OF HONOUR"

REVIVAL OF THE DUELLIST,

Paris reports a renaissance of duelling among the Fascists and anti-Fas-cists of her large Italian colony, writes '.'A Fencer" in the "Daily Mail." Quite often, it appears, two enthusiastic partisans adopt this method of deciding whose political views are the sounder. Duelling is in no danger of dying out in the Latin countries so long as editors continue to exist. To challenge the editor to a duel ia a common method on the Continent and in South America of expressing one's resontment at something one has read in the paper. ; „ , „ Of'recent years "affairs of honour have been planned between M. Aymard, editor of "La Liberte," and M. Herliot, ex-Prime Minister of France, and Sienori. Bandi and Gualni, editors respectively of the "Nuovo Giornale, ot Florence, and the "Idea Faseistica," of Pisa. And the editor of a London literary and political weekly was chal longed not so long ago by a nery Eeyptian who objected to his remarks about Mr. Howard Cartel's treatment in Egypt. ■ -■ , It is less than a century since the last fatal duel in London was fought. In 1843 Lieutenant Munro killed Colonel Fawcett, his brother-in-law. The contest took place in Maiden lane, Holloway near the Brecknock Arms. As recently as 1822 tho Dukes of Buckingham and Bedford fought in Hyde Park, »na if was there that John Wilkes was •wounded severely in fighting-. Samuel Martin. About the same time a clergyman named Green pulled the nosp of Captain Douglas in a coffee house for ■neering at Wilkes's supporters. They fought a duel in the park to settle the matter. Battersea Fields was another favourite duelling ground, and it was there that the Duke of Wellington fought the young Earl of "Winchilsea for slandering him. On Putney Heath a Prime Minister himself, William Pitt, fought Tierney with pistols; and near the Obelisk of Putney took place the famous encounter between Canning and Castlereagh. . ' Tavern duels were numerous. In tne Adelptii Tavern, in the Strand, an eccentric editor of the (i Morning Post" fought one of his military critics with both swords and pistols. Both men ■were wounded. A famous duel between a, Duke of Hamilton and Lord Mohun was planned in the Bose Tavern, Covent Garden, and fought in Hyde Park. In another Covent Garden tavern, tho Castle, Sheridan fought Captain Matthews over tho beautiful Miss Linley, to whom already he was secretly married.

Pp to Dr. Johnson's time swords were the favourite weapons. Then, pistols came in. They were a blessing to the great majority of duellists, who never fought to kill. It was soon found to be much easier to look fierce and miss with s bullot than to bluff, in safety, with a sword—so pistols speedily became popular.