The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-20 00:00:00

HUNGARY.

PESTH, Nov. 19.

The Emperor has amnestied all political offenders
condemned by courts-martial, as well as such
refugees as have already returned to Hungary.
His Majesty has also ordered the total cessation
of judicial proceedings at present pending for
offences of a political character.

THE EARL OP DERBY ON THE LANCASHIRE
POOR•RATE QUESTION.

The Earl of Derby has addressed the following
reply to a letter of inquiry from Mr. R. Kingsoote :
"KNowsley, Nov. 16.
" hare the honour to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of the 13th inst., in which you inform me that a
boom-to-house collection is in progress in Pimlico for the
relief of the distress in Lancsuiliire, but that many subscrip-
tions are withheld :

" First, from an impression that the Lancashire land-
owners and manufacturers have not does their part ;
"Second, that no reliable information is afforded of the
extent of poor-ran now paid in the distressed district,.
" I regret that I am unable, in the camper of a letter, to
give a detailed answer to these objections • but I am going
over to Manchester to-morrow, and will hand your letter
over to a sub-committee, which we have recently appointed
for the express purpose of furnishing such information as
may be required from a distance.
'• In the meantime, however. I may say generally that the
amount of contribution from those locally interested can-
not sod will not ever be known ; but there is no doubt that
the sums expended, of which no public notice has been, or
will be, taken, very largely exceed the total which has ap-
peared. Ido not mean to say that some persons have not
grossly neglected their duty in this respect, but, taken as a
body. I am bound to say that the naoufacturen and em-
ployers of labour generally have, by keeping their own
people in pay, though out of work, and in other ways, mad*
individual sacrifices and paymenta in comparison with
which the largest amounts subscribed would appear very
insignificant indeed. The Lord-Lieutenant has also, on the
recommendation of the central committee, called a county
meeting for the god of next month, at which I hope to sees
very large sum locally raised, sod those who have hitherto
not given, or given inadequately, make up Its their short-
cnmin
With regard to the second point I would observe that,
though the amount of poor-rate in the pound may not
appear high, that rate mud not be taken as a test of the
severity of the distress in a district where it is universal,
where one-eighth of the population are actual recipients
of parochial relief, and where, perhaps, five-sixths of the
remainder are either living by the aid of charity or are
so nearly on the verge of pauperism themselves that
the slightest increase in the rates would convert them
from payers to receivers. To this it must be added
that the small minority who are still solvent and on
whom alone the rate falls, are themselves paying rates upon
the value of mills anal machinery which are not only yield-
ing no profit, but are actually entailing daily loss. I think
it is right to mention this, because in the south sod in
agricultural districts the universality of pressure is not
understood, and much misapprehension has I know been the
result. I earnestly hope that such misapprehension will
not interfere with your benevolent efforts in Pimlico, for I
can truly say that the extent of the distress is such as to
require all the aid that can be obtained from all quarters.
I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant.
" H. Huigscote, Esq." " DERBY.

AUTOGRAPH LETT= OF LORD BTRON.—Mesars.
Wilkioson said Hero. will offer for sale on Wednesday next,
at Robinson's Rooms, Old Bosd-etreet, at •sale of furniture,
prints, books, ko, Übe property of the late H. Smith,
and removed from South Lawn Lodge, Oxfordshire, so
interesting autograph letter of Lord Byroo, addressed to
the editor of (le
the Me/wooer. This letter is men-
tioned in the published life of the poet.
Plintr.t:UrlON or Pawnee:loa Jowerr.—We are
informed that articles are to be exhibited against Professor
Jowett in the Vice-Chancellor's Court. c
of these measures the propceition to endow the =secte:
femoviel chair, which Canoe Mobley and others had deer.
mind a bring forward in the council, has seoessarily bees
gives up. at all events for the present. Our satisfaction in
reeking these announcements r, in some degree, qualified
by the fact that the jurisdiction and powers of the Vice-
Cbanoellor's Court are in a very unsetedsetory positioe.—
&cord.

FRANCE.

TRIAL OF A DUELLIST.
(nom ous owa oninposoffirr.)

?ABA LY EVINUM, 10 O'OCK.
I have been all day at TUMID
Versailles, attending the
trial of the Duke de Gramont Caderousse, for kill-
ing Mr. Dillon, an Englishman, in a duel. The
Assize Court of the city of Louis XIV. was as
crowded as it could possibly be. The gallery was
quite filled with fashionably dressed ladies, and in
the body of the court there was not a single seat
vacant throughout the day, nor even a square six
inches of standing ground wherever a human being
could be placed without interfering with the pro-
ceedings. The bench itself was inconveniently
crowded by friends of the judges.
It will be remembered that on Oct. 22nd last,
Mr. Dillon, the sporting editor of the journal Ls
Sport, was killed in a duel fought in the forest of
St. Germain with the Duke de Gramont Caderouase,
and that the latter was challenged by the former in
consequence of a letter published in a Belgian
journal, which the Duke de Gramont Caderousse
alleged to be only 'a fair answer to repeated attacks
upon him made by Mr. Dillon in Le Sport. One
of the main causes of the quarrel appears to have
bows dames sciallia.ll...le. abate 4.11 e....
Thomas was entitled to the qualification and privi-
lege of a " gentleman rider," Mr. Dillon main-
taining the affirmative, and the duke the negative.
The recapitulation of these main facts will make
the following sketch of the trial 'intelligible.
The presiding judge was M. Flandin, of the Im-
perial Court of Paris, who appeared in his scarlet
robes, while his two coadjutors wore simple black
grown.
The five prisoners, who took their seats on the
felons' bench, were :--1. George Hippolyte Duke de
Gramont Caderousse, aged 27, attachd of embassy.
2. Artus Viscount Talon, aged 33, lieutenant of the
Ist Carabineers. 3. Charles Robert Count de
Fitzjamee, aged 27, lieutenant in the navy. 4.
Louis Robert Jean de Nod, aged 50, lieutenant-
colonel on the retired list. 5. Pierre Charles
de Mussy, aged 33, a retired military officer.
Five more gentlemanly-looking men than the
accused it would be difficult to find in all France.

The Duke de Gramont Caderousse, who bears a
distinguished name, is a tall, well-made, handsome
young man, with fair hair, blue eyes, and • re-
markably delicate complexion. He delivered him-
self in the course of his examination with the ease
and grace of a practised speaker, and maintained
au attitude alike remote from bravado and affected
penitence for an act which he justified according to
the code of morals of the society in which he moves.
Viscount Talon appeared in the blue uniform of
his regiment, and wore the Legion of Honour and
three other decorations. He has seen service in
the Crimea, and is a leading member of the French
turf.

Count Fitzjames, who wore the uniform of a
naval lieutenant, is a very handsome young man,
not apparently more than one or two and twenty,
although he declares to 27.
Viscount de Nod's appearance contrasted strongly
with that of his youthful companions. Be is 50
years of age, but looks much older, his hair,
moustache, and pointed imperial beard being quite
white. It was Impossible to look on him without
regretting that his years and military experience
should not bare exercised a conciliatory influence
upon a most futile quarrel. Viscount de Nod,
who belongs to one of the best families in France,
was a court page at the age of 13 ; at 16 he was a
lieutenant in the army, and he remained in the
service without interruption till 1858, when he re-
tired after having been for some time lieutenant-
colonel of a regiment. M. de Mussy's rank in
the army was not stated, but in the course of his
service he was mentioned in general orders for
having saved the life of his generaL
Such were the men who this day took their trial
for wilful murder, for that was the crime with
which they were charged by the indictment.
In obedience, however, to habits and customs
stronger than law, they were treated in a widely
different manner from ordinary criminals. Instead
of being seated each between two gendarmes, as is
the practice at the Assize Court, they were placed
altogether, and the guards who as a matter of
form marched them into court soon went away,
and gave up their places to company. Viscount de
Nod being momentarily indisposed during the trial,
was conducted to the judges' room to recover him-
self. It came out also that the five only surren-
dered themselves into custody yesterday evening,
so that they have only endured the inconvenience
of passing a single night in prison.
The proceedings commenced by the judge asking
the prisoners whether they consented to be tried
to-day, since they had nut been long enough in
prison for all the legal formalities which they were
entitled to by law to be observed towards them.
They one and all waived any right to appeal to the
Court of Cremation for this irregularity.
The indictment having been read, the judge inter-
rogated all the prisoners, with a view of ascertain-
ing whether they had done all in their power to
arrange what he called a miserable quarrel without
a meeting. Several of his questions were pointed
and severe. He expressed an opinion that Mr.
Dillon's articles upon the Duke de Gramont Cade-
rousse did not exceed the bounds of permissible dis-
cussion and fair difference of opinion, and that the
duke was extremely sensitive (cluiuilleur) to be
offended by them. On the other hand, the duke's
letter, published in the Belgian Journal du darns,
was really extremely insulting to Mr. Dillon. The
gravamen of that letter was a phrase iu which
the duke said, "It is curious that Mr. Dillon
should set himself up for a judge of
the qualification of gentlemen. Where could he
have had au opportunity of learning them I" By
way of defending the use of this truly provoking
language, the duke said that Mr. Dillon had for •
long time shown a systematic hostility to him, for
which he could not account, and that in Le Sport
he had satirised him as a bad rider, spoken of four
of his horses as being unable to get over trifling
leaps, and said that the only way to settle the
question of gentlemen riders to the satisfaction of
a certain "powerful coterie," was to form a club
of bad riders exclusively. The judge persisted in
considering all these attacks as mere " pricks of a
pin," not iu any way affecting the Duke
de Gramont Caderousee's honour, and not
justifying his final and bitter attack upon
Mr. Dillon. The duke, however, said (and
this was one of the strongest points for the
defence) that the offensive letter was only inserted
in the Journal du Hares in consequence of Mr.
Dillon having refused to publish any letter of his
whatever in Le Sport; that he had three times
modified and softened his letter at the suggestion
of the proprietor of Le Spurt ; and that the pro-
prietor was at length willing to insert it, but had
been prevented by Mr. Dillon.
The judge said the duke was wrong in not per-
sisting in the moderation which he had shown in
amending his letter, and ultimately publishing the
original with all its offensive passages. lie pressed
the duke very much with the question why, as a
matter of fairness and generosity, even though his
seconds bad arranged that the duel should be fought
with swords, he did not overrule their decision,
when he knew that Mr. Dillon had no ex-
perience in fencing ? To this the duke re-
plied that be was in the hands of his
seconds, and that it would have been fully in him
to have waived a right which they had stipulatei
for, more especially as he had reason to know that
Mr. Dillon was very expert with the pistol, and he
(the duke) had never been in a shooting gallery in
his life.

--- 7--
Viscount Talon took on himself the full responsi-
bility of the choice of weapons. He was very averse
to bloodshed in the matter. It was notorious that
duels with swords were lees dangerous than with
pistols. He and Viscount de Noi had arranged