The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-28 00:00:00

THE DIPLOMATIC DUEL AT MADRID,

The following further details connected with this most
extraordinary affair we collect from various journals. They
will probably be found to contain as much of the facts as
have yet transpired.
The lifessager de Bayonne says :
" On the 15th of November, the French Ambassador at
Madrid gave a ball on the occasion of the fete of the Em-
peror. Mr. Soule, minister of the United States, was pre-
sent, with Madame Soule, and her son, aged 23. During
the fete, the Duke of Alba and the French ambassador, in
the course of a tete-a-tete conversation, made some observa-
tion, and exchanged some pleasantry on the toilet of
Madame Soule, the eccentric taste of which had
been remarked by the entire company. Mr. Soule,
jun., overheard the conversation. The following morn-
ing Mr. Perry, Secretary of Legation of the United
States, and Colonel Milans del Bosch waited on the Duke of
Alba; they handed him a letter from Mr. Soule, jun., and
said they were sent to demand satisfaction for the pleasantry
of the previous evening. The Duke of Alba was greatly
surprised, and, throwing the letter which had been given to
him on his table, explained to the two witnesses of his ad-
versary what had really passed—in fact, that it was nothing
more than a simple joke in a private conversation. He at
the same time expressed his great regret that a son should
have considered his mother offended at a remark which only
had reference to her mantua-maker • and he proposed to
write a friendly letter to Mr. Soule aremove from his mind
the error under which he laboured. The friends of Mr.
Soule took their leave perfectly satisfied. The follow-
ing morning the Duke of Alba found on his writing
table the letter of the day before, and which he had not
opened. He read it, and found that it was couched in terms
so violent, so insulting, that he considered himself bound to
send, in turn, two of his friends to Mr. Soule, jun., to de-
mand the withdrawal of what he had just read, and to de-
mand also that the letter of explanation which he himself
had written should be returned to him. Mr. Soule with-
drew the insulting expressions ho had made use of, and
asked to be allowed to keep the letter which he had re-
ceived from the Duke of Alba, pledginer .t tuo bauie time
his wnrd of honour tt,at ne would never make use of it,
and that the result of the affair completely satisfied him.
Several days after, some English papers related the facts we
have just mentioned, but they travestied them in a manner
offensive to the Duke of .Alba. Being irritated by these
attacks, the Duke of Alba sent General Jose de la Concha
to arr. g.ois, to demand reparation. He consented, and ac-
cepted the duel with 5w0.,1., 0.0 proposed, and the 12th of
December was named as the day. Subsequently, Mr. Pouk
asked that the duel should take place with the small sword,
which was agreed to. He then demanded a delay of 48 hours,
which was also granted. On the day fixed for the duel,
which was to take place at the Prado, Mr. Soule, who had
to be waited for a considerable time, under the pretext that
he was writing dispatches to the government, at length
arrived, followed by six carriages full of his countrymen
residing in Madrid. Though surprised at witnessing such
indiscreet curiosity, which made the affair resemble a cock-
fight, the seconds of the Duke of Alba consented, however,
to the Americans remaining on the ground. The two ad-
versaries took their ground, and crossed swords. Mr. Soule
was continually interrupting, and he demanded several
times a cessation, which was granted to him. At last the
witness declared that the duel ought to terminate, and that
they would only allow five minutes more. Mr. Soule, jun.,
was slightly wounded ; and he then promised, on his word
of honour, to contradict the facts recounted in the English
papers, and to cause a letter to be published to that effect
in the journals of England and America. Ho also pledged
himself to burn, in presence of the witnesses, the letter he
had received from the Duke of Alba. Thus terminated this
affair.
After the events just related, M. Soule, pere, wrote to the
Marquis de Turgot a very violent letter, telling him that it
was not the Duke of Alba and M. Soule, fits, who ought to
fight; that it was he who ought to avenge the honor of his
wife, which had been attacked by the jokes which the ambas-
sador of France had permitted himself to make. The parties
met, as has been stated, and M. de Turgot was wounded by a
pistol-shot in the knee. His wound, as I learn from a friend
of the family, is not so serious as has been stated. It is
not even dangerous, and the ball has been extracted. The se-
conds were Lord Howden, the English minister, and the
French general Caillie, a member of the boundary committee
between France and Spain, who happened to be at Madrid at
the time. The Independence Belge mentions a fact, of
which there is also private confirmation, namely,—a
third duel, arising out of the same affair, was expected.
The French Consul at Santander had high words on
the subject of the quarrel with Mr. Perry, the secretary
of the United States legation, and one of them had chal-
lenged the other. Another story in circulation, in reference
to the above extraordinary affair, is that M. de Soule, being
as unhandy with a pistol as his son was with a sword, the
Marquis de Turgot allowed him three days to practise. It
would seem from the result that the American (who by the
way is a Frenchman by birth) turned his lessons to good
account. It must not be forgotten that the reports here are
all French. Justice requires that the American statement
should be heard before judgment is formed.
T.Attprg frnm Madrid, of the 20th. state that M. de Tur-
got's situation excited much interest. The local inflamma-
tion and fever had gone on constantly increasing. It is
reported that M. de Turgot has been recalled by his govern-
ment.
M. Alfred Mercier (brother-in-law of M. Soule) has sent
the following letter to the editor of the Sieele :
" Paris, Dec. 25. Sir,—ln the version which you have
given to-day of the duels which have taken place, on the
one part between the Duke d'Alba and M. Soule, jun., and
on the other between the Marquis de Turgot and M. Soule,
sen., there are three errors. The family connexion which
unites me closely to M. Soule imposes it on me as a duty to
rectify them.
" It is completely inexact that Madame Soule appeared
in the dress of Marguerite of Burgundy, at the ball given
by the ambassador of France. My sister wore a bark blue
velvet dress, low on the neck, and trimmed with gold lace ;
she also wore a head-dress of gold lace. What is true is,
that the expression which led to the challenge from my
nephew to the Duke d'Alba was this, " There goes Mar-
guerite of Burgundy !" and which M. Soule, jun., believed
he heard uttered by the Duke de Alba, and which he at
once took up. The hostile meeting between them took
place on December 14, and after a contest of half an hour
without result, the seconds interfered, and declared that
honour was satisfied. The combat then ceased, and the ad-
versaries shook hands.
"M. Soule, sera., did not take up. again the affair of his
son, for his challenge to the Marquis de Turgot was sent
the morning of the day on which the duel was to take place
between the Duke d' Alba and my nephew. The letter to
the Marquis de Turgot, of which the following is a literal
copy, explains the motives of the challenge :
" Monsieur le Marquis, the difference which has arisen
between the Duke d'Alba and my son originated in your
ball-room. It was at your house, where my family and
myself were guests, and on the occasion of a fete, of which,
by a sort of official representation, the Duke d'Alba
could look on himself as the hero, that this latter took
the liberty of insulting Madame Soule, without anything
having up to the present time come to our knowledge to
exonerate you of the solidarity which that circumstance
throws upon you.
"' It has even been asserted that from your lips fell ori-
ginally the offensive expression, pronounced afterwards by
the Duke d'Alba, and so nobly taken up by my son.
" That being the case, Monsieur le Marquis, I have a
right to go back to the real source which places the sword
in the hands of the Duke d'Alba and of my son, to
make the quarrel my own in what regards you? and to
demand from you personally the satisfaction which you
cannot refuse me.
" Mr. Perry, my friend, and an American citizen, is
charged to receive your answer.
" have the honor, Monsieur le Marquis, to be your
very humble servant.
" ' PIERRE SOULE, citizen of the United States.'
" M. de Turgot has declared on his honor, through Lord
Howden and General Caine, his seconds, that he did not
make use of the expression imputed to him, but he refused
to give any satisfaction, for this reason, that the insult hav-
ing taken place in the ball-room of the embassy, he was
bound to make an apology to the lady concerned. Then M
Soule insisted on M. de Turgot appearing on the ground
, with him. The rest is known. Receive, monsieur, the
expression of my high consideration.
"ALFRED MRB.CIER, Rue Notre Dame des Changes, No. 31."

BANKRUPTS.

James Smith, stationer, Brighton, and King.street, Snow-
hill, London.
John Green, draper, Landport, Portsea, Southampton.
William Honey, late builder, and} licensed victualler, New
Brompton, Gillingham, Kent.
Duncan Jenkins, licensed victualler, White Hart public
house, Mile End-road, Middlesex.
John Dent, builder, Queen's-road, Homerton, Middlesex.
James Turner, cheesemonger, Whiteohapel, High-street,
and John's-row, St. Luke's, Middlesex,
William Bower, tailor, Pickering, North Riding, York.
Henry Dawber, butcher, Lincoln.
Thomas Wilkinson, builder, Openshaw, Lancaster.
Thomas Henderson, draper, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

SHARE MARKETS,—YESTERDAY.
LIVERPOOL.—The market yesterday was not charac-
terised by any animation. In truth, the holiday seemed to
have extended itself. The prices were as on Saturday.
Caledonian, 28; Lancashire and Yorkshire, 67,1; London
and North Western, 1031 4 ; Midland, 634 s ; North
British, 8 ; South Eastern Stock, 188.
MANCHESTER.—The following was the business done
to-day :—Cork, Blackrock, and Passage, x,cl. ; Lancashire
and Yorkshire, 671; London and North Western, 104 ;
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, 24-1- 4 ; Midland Rail-
way Consols, 63t, 4c; South Eastern, 181,

The BEST PATTERNS and the NEWEST STYLES of
READY MADE GARMENTS are to be had
At Wm, EARP and CO.'S, 59 and 61, LORD STREET.
Stgann.—On Monday night, a man named Ramsbottom,
of Berry's-court, Adelphi, Salford, committed suicide by
cutting his throat.