THE DUEL QUESTION.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.
have read with great satisfaction the whole of your remarks sug- gested by the recent duel ; but there is one point upon which you have not touched, and which I think deserves notice. I aUude to the contrast presented by Sir ROBERT PEEL'S indifference upon this subject and his conduct when under the apprehension of personal danger from the attacks of monomaniacs. The Judges were then hastily called upon to define the law, with a view to its rigid enforcement; and there can be little doubt, that if their definition had not been sufficiently comprehensive, a new enactment would have been framed with all despatch. Now I do not blame a man for being more anxious about his own life than his neighbour's, but I am surprised that a tactician like Sir ROBERT should have suffered this anxiety to become so glaringly apparent by his course on the present question. Moreover, he should remember that al- though his feelings may naturally prompt to a more active interest when per- sonal preservation is concerned, his duty as a Minister requires him to bestow at least equal attention to the preservation of the lives of others.
Previous page
