The National Register.
London, England, 1809-10-15 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

DUEL BETWEEN THE KING'S MINISTERS

At length the precise case of Lord Castlereagh has !men
brought forward. " The following are the letters which
passed between the two Ministers of the Crown, on the
occasion of the flagrant breach of the peace which they
committed at Putney Heath.
COPIES OF TUC CHALLENGE AND ACCEPTANCE.
SIR, St. James's-square, 19th September, 1809.
It is unnecessary fur me to enter into any detailed statement
of the circumstances which preceded the recent resignations.
It is enough for me, with a view.to the immediate object ofthis
letter,, to state, that it appears a proposition had been agitated,
without any communication with me, for my removal from the
War Dewittlent ; and that towards the close of the last
Session, havh%g urged a decision upon this question with the alter-
native of your seceding from the Government, procured a positive
promise from the Duke of Portland (tbe execution of which you
afterwards considered yourself entitled to enforce), that such
removal should he carried into effect. Not‘vithstanding this
promise, by which you consider ou pronohnced it unfit that I
should remain charged with the conduct of the War, and by
which my'sithat ion as a Minister of the Crowd was made depend--
tint on your will and pleasure, you contiuned to sit in the same
Cabinet with me, and to leave me not only in the persuasion
that I possessed your confidence and support as a colleague, but
you allowed me, in breach of every principle of good faith both
public and private, though thus virtudly superseded, to origi-
nate and proceed in the execution of a new enterprise of the
most arduous and important nature, with your apparent con-
currence, and ostensible approbation.
You were 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 my
private' honbur and public duty. You knew I was deceived,
and you continued to dt‘ceive me. _ _

I rim oWare, it may he said, which I am ready to acknow-
ledge, that when you pressed for a decision for my removal, you
also pressed for its disclosure, and that it was resisted by the
Doke of Portland, and some members of the Government sup-
posed to he my fcieuds But 'I never can admit, that you have
a right to.make use of such a plan, in justification of au act af-
fecting my. honour, nor that the sentiment: of Athers (out* jai-
tif y an arciiiiescence in such a delusions's your pan; who had
yourself felt and'ittted its unfairness. Nor can I admit that the
head of •any administration, or any supposed friend, (whatever
he their motives)
.can authorise or sanction any man in such a
course of king and persevering deception. For were Ito admit
such a principle, my honour and character would be from that
moment in the discretion of persons wholly unauthorized, and
known to you to he 'unauthorized, to act for me in such a case.
It was therefore your act and your conduct which deceived Inv ;
and it is impos:.ibie for me to acquiesce in being placed in a si-
tuation ,by you, which no man of honour could knowingly sub-
mit to; nor patiently suffer himself to be betrayed into, without
forfeiting that character.

I have no right, as a public man, to resent your demanding,
upon public grounds, my removal from the particular office I
have held, or even from the AdminiAratien, as a condition of
your crintinuing a Member of the Government. But I have n
distinct right to expect that a preposition, justifiable in itself,
shall not be executed in an unjustifiable manner, and at the ex-
ponce of my honour and reputation. • And I consider that you
were bound, at least, SO avail yourself of the same alternative,
namely your own resignation, to take yourself out of the pre
dicament of practising such' a deceit towards me, which you
did e‘erciso in demanding a decision for my removal.
Under these circumstances, I must require that satisfaction
from you to which I feel myself entitled to lay Claim.

I am, &c. . CASTLEREAGH.
The Right lion. George Canning, &c. &c.

MY Loan, Gloucester Lodge, Sept. 20, 1609.
The tone and the purport of your, Lordship's letter, which I
have this moment received, of eourse preclude any other answer
ft') my part to the -misapprehensions anAmisrepreseotations with
wOich it abounds, than that.l will cheerfully give to your Lord-
b.,ip the kat Vogt ion which 70u require,
I am, &c. . . GEORGE CANNING.
A.
Lord Viscount' CoAlerearsi ►, u‘c.