The History of Duelling. Vol. 2 (of 2)Millingen, J. G. (John Gideon)
Philosophy
The History of Duelling. Vol. 2 (of 2)
Millingen, J. G. (John Gideon)
Dueling
Lord Castlereagh’s complaint was, that, they being both members of the
cabinet, Mr. Canning had applied clandestinely to get him removed from
office, for the purpose of bringing in the Marquis Wellesley in his
place. Before Easter, it was affirmed, he made this application to the
Duke of Portland, and obtained his promise that Lord Castlereagh should
be removed from office. “Notwithstanding this promise,” said Castlereagh
in his letter which accompanied the challenge, “by which I consider you
presumed it unfit that I should remain charged with the conduct of the
war, and by which my situation as a minister of the Crown was made
dependent on your will and pleasure, you continued to sit in the same
cabinet with me, and left me not only in the persuasion that I possessed
your confidence and support as a colleague, but allowed me, in breach of
every principle of good faith, both public and private, to originate and
proceed in a new enterprise of the most arduous and important nature
(the Walcheren expedition), with your apparent concurrence and
ostensible approbation. You are fully aware that, if my situation in the
Government had been disclosed to me, I could not have submitted to
remain one moment in office, without the entire abandonment of private
honour and public duty. You knew I _was_ deceived, and you _continued_
to deceive me.”
Without presuming to cast any unfavourable imputation on the well-earned
fame of Mr. Canning, it cannot be denied that, if Lord Castlereagh’s
statement was correct, Mr. Canning’s conduct was most unjustifiable,
both on public and on private grounds—both as a statesman and a
gentleman. If he considered Lord Castlereagh as unfit to manage the
important charge with which he was entrusted, and indeed the Walcheren
expedition alluded to afforded a convincing proof of the correctness of
his opinion, it was his duty not to remain with him in the cabinet one
single hour, if he could not overrule his proposals; but to coincide in
a project which he condemned, and to continue to act in conjunction with
a minister whose removal he had urged on the plea of incapacity, was an
act most unaccountable on the part of Mr. Canning, and only tends to
show, that men placed in a public situation will be guilty of acts which
they would scorn, as dishonourable, in the common affairs of life.
BETWEEN MR. GEORGE PAYNE AND MR. CLARK.
Sept. 6, 1810.
A fatal duel was fought on Thursday morning upon Wimbledon Common by two
gentlemen.
At half-past five o’clock three post-chaises were noticed passing over
Putney Bridge, and at half-past six, one of the chaises returned to the
Red Lion, at Putney, with a wounded gentleman, of the name of Payne. Mr.
Heaviside was sent for, and found that a pistol ball had gone through
the groin. The unfortunate gentleman died at half-past four o’clock the
same afternoon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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