PRINCE METTERNICH AND COUNT MONTEBELLO.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4207, 14 September 1874, Page 3

PRINCE METTERNICH AND COUNT MONTEBELLO.

The Paris correspondent of the New . Yorh Herald gives the following account of the late duel between Prince Metternich and Count de Montebello, which has been alluded to in our European telegrams : The duel between Metternich and Montebello was rather a funny affair. In the first place it was a new thing to fight about a lady’s talk, and the seconds wanted to get up a riot. Count de Montebello, however, would not hear of that, and he said, very properly, that he had no dispute with Prince Metternich on any subject but that which he had put forward, nor would he commence a needless quarrel. Then the seconds could not make up their minds as to which was the offending party. Prince Metternich having personally done nothing to displease Count Montebello, and the question as to which of them was the offender was important, because it involved the choice of arms. The Frenchgentlemannaturally took the French view of the case, and wanted to skewer his antagonist as though he were a fowl intended for the spit; the German probably not being very dexterous in the use of the foils, and having no intention to eat his foe, thought that if there was to be a duel at all it should be a heavy serious thing, with a leaden bullet in it; so the seconds took to writing those odd official letters which are in favor among the Continental duellists, and ultimately decided that there should benofightat all. This was a great comfort to the poor little Princess who had let her tongue run so fast, and was now half "wild with fright. But, unfortunately, Frenchmen can never do anything quietly, and after having written the prudent documents above mentioned, they published them in the morning papers, because as much notoriety as possible is invariably given to all proceedings of a trial by combat in France. Prudence, somehow, seems to look funny in print; and when it appeared that some extremely fine folk had been making much ado about nothing, all Europe burst out laughing. A Prince and a Count could not be expected to stand this, so they went to war this time in grim earnest- A hostile meeting was soon arranged, and the next morning Prince Metternich nodded kindly to his wife, and told her he was going to take a walk before breakfast. He told her nothing else, but shortly afterwards she learned that he had ventured a very pleasant existence for her sake, and had luckily scratched Count Montebello with a sword, because she had affronted him. So the thing ends; and it is to be hoped that she will recollect another time, “ that sweet words do best become a woman."