The Sun.
London, England, 1831-06-13 00:00:00

STATEMENT OF THE AFFAIR BETWEEN
LORD THOMAS CECIL AND MR. TENNYSON.

In consequence I,f a paragraph which appeared ika
paper of yesterday, we are requested to publish a stateMt
rrom the most authentic source, of what took place on the
,ceasion referred to :

No. 1.

The Honourable Richard Watson to M. Tennyson.

Brooks'., June 3.

a communication to make to you on the
part of Loid Thomas Cecil, I request that you will be
good enough to inform me at what hour it will be most
convenient to you to receive me.
I am, Sir, your very obedient servant,
R. WATSON.

The above letter was received by Mr. Tennyson at the
Board of Ordnance, at three o'clock on Friday, 3d of
June. Mr. Tennyson immediately replied that he should
be happy to receive Captain Watson at the Ordnance Office
before half-past four, or at his house in Park-street, West-
minster, between five and seven on that afternoQn.
Captain Watson called at the Ordnance Office at four
o'clock, and delivered the following letter to Mr. Ten-
nyson :

No. 2.
Lord Thomas Cecil to Mr. Tennyson.

SlR,—During the late election at Stamford, in addition
to other expressions of an offensive nature, you called my
brother, Lord Exeter, an " execrable man" and a " ty.
rant."

I am willing to make allowances for words uttered at a
period of unusual excitement; but no man at any time, or
under any circumstances, is privileged to use towards an-
other, who never by word or deed offended him, expressions
calculated to injure his character as a gentleman and a man
of honour.
The expressions above alluded to were uttered by you in
my presence, and they. are such as I never will suffer• any
person of your station in life to makes use of with impu-
nity towards any member of my family.
I therefore take this, the earliest opportunity that cir-
cutnstances have permitted, to require that you will imme-
diately retract and publicly withdraw those terms.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
C. Tennyson, Esq. THOS. CECIL.
After perusing this letter, and some conversation be-
tween Captain Watson and Mr. Tennyson, the latter' ex-
pressed a wish that Lieut.• Colonel Maberly, who was at
the Ordnance-office, should be introduced. To this pro-
posal Major Watson assented. Colonel Moberly came in,
and after Mr. Tennyson had explained to him, is Major
Watson's presence, the circumstances of the case, it was
agreed that Colonel Maberly and Captain Watson should
re.ire into Colonel Maberly's room, when Mr. Tennyson
wrote the following answer to Lord Thomas Cecil, which
Colonel Moberly having approved, Mr. Tennyson delivered
it into the hands of Ciptain Watson, saying he should re-
main at home during the whole evening, in order to re-
ceive any further communication :
No. 3.
Mr. Tennyson to Lord Thomas Cecil.
Ordnance Office, Friday, June 3, 1831.
DIY LOILD,I feel quite confident that the expression
" execrable man" did not proceed from me at any period
of the election, and that your Lordship must have mis-
taken me. Had I used that expression, 'could not hesi-
tate to retract it, as it never did or could occur to me to
attack Lord Exeter's private character. I might use the
word " tyrant," to characterise his Lordship's political
interference by ejecting his tenants on acccunt of their
votes at the former election.

It was for this, and any other over-heated terms into
which excited feelings might have betray ed me, that I
publicly expressed regret in my speech at the final close
of the poll.

As no appeal was made to me by your Lordship at this
favourable opportunity for any further explanation you
might think desirable, I was entitled to imagine that what
1 then said was satisfactory.
I um persuaded that this passage of our proceedings
bas escaped your recollection ; but if you refer to the
newspapers, you will find it theme recorded. The regret
which I then felt, I retain. I might, had I been called
upon at that period, have strengthened my expression of
it ; but I am sure that upon reflection your Lordship will
feel that I could not now make any public statement, such
as you desire, without incurring the imputation of motives
which would atE ct my character as a gentleman.
I have the honour to he your Lordship's obedient servant,
The Lord Thomas Cecil. CHARLES TENNYSON.

The expressions of regret uttered by Mr. Tennyson at
the conclusion of the poll, and referred to in the above
letter, are comprised in the following passage, copied from
the report of his speech on that occasion (3d May), as
contained in the Stamford News of the 6th May, and the
Stamford Champion of the 10th May :
(. Ijoin with my Noble Colleague in imploring you to suffer,
from this moment, all party feuds to subside; and when the Noble
Lord makes that appeal to you, I am bound, in justice to him and
to my Hon. and Gallant Friend, to admit not only that nothing
could have been more fair than the manner in which they have
conducted themselves in this contest, but also that nothing, on
their part, could have been more gentlemanlike nor inoffensive.
—(Cheers.) I confess, that on mine (although the Noble Lord
has been generous enough not to allude to any thing that I have
said), I may have to excuse myself to him and others for some
overheated expressions uttered under the excitement of the mo.
ment ; but I was not fighting here for myself, but for you ; and
as the Noble Lord is again connected with you, I am sure, for
your sake, he will forgive me.—(Cheering.)
" I have also to assure your respectable Chief Magistrate, that
I entertain the highest respect for him, and regret that anything
which may have transpired should have wounded his feelings."
About eleven o'clock in the evening of the 3d June, the
following reply to Mr. Tennyson's letter (No. 3) was de-
livered at his house in Park-street:—

No. 4.
Lord Thomas Cecil to Mr. Tennyson.

178, Piccadilly, June 3.
Sta,—The impression on my mind certainly is, that
you used the term execrable man, or execrable person, as
applied to Lord Exeter.

Several of my friends, who were standing near me at the
time, were of the same opinion; and on referring to my
short-hand writer's notes, I found the following sen-
tence:—...“ At the same time I believe him (meaning the
Mayor) to he a worthy, but a weak man—a poor, mi.
serable instrument in the hands of that execrable person
who has visited you with so many afflictions." I am
happy to find, however, by the letter I have Just received
from you, that we have been mistaken.

I conclude that the noise and confusion which prevailed
on the hustings at the close of the poll, prevented my
hearing the extent of your public expression of regret for
the overheated terms into which you might have been
hurried during the election. I understand that it only
referred to expressions which had been made use of by
you towards the Mayor and Corporation—otherwise I
should not have troubled you with the communication
which I fe't myself compelled to maketo you this morning.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
C. Tennyson, EN. THOMAS CECIL.

In the Morning Herald of Monday, the 6th June, ap-
peared the following paragraph :
"ME. TENNYSON •ND TILE MARQUIS OF EXETER.--011 Sa-
turday we copied from the Stamford Mercury of Friday last, a
paragraph concerning the dinner at Oakham on the 30th ult. to
the Members for the County of. Rutland. It was there stated
that at this dinner Mr. Tennyson, after some ,oabservations ex-
pressive of his opinionthat all elktion feuds should subside as
soon as possible, gave the ' Health of the Marquts of Exeter.'
This statement, it appears, is altogether erroneous : and we think
it due to Mr. Tennyson to copy from the Stamford News (pub-
lished on the same day as the Mercury), that part of his speech
which relates to the matter which has been thus misrepre-
sented; and as the Editor of the News was himself present, we
cannot doubt the authenticity of the long and full report which
lie has given of the whole proceedings."
The following is the extract from Mr. Tennyson's
speech above referred to :
~ Now, Gentlemen, before I sit down, I must observe that
there is one toast which, perhaps, from a delicacy towards my
feelings, was omitted on t'llis occasion ; it was not, I am sure, an
inadvertent omission in a meeting of this description, which is
composed of many of the most prominent and respectable men
of this county, amongst whom such a toast must have been cus-
tomary.—(Disorder and expressions of surprise.) I allude to the
toast of the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Rutland. Now,
Gentlemen, I entreat that I may rot be misunderstood; ncthing
shall ever induce me—so God help me—to sacrifice the rights
of the people to any man, be he who he may, for a personal
ot
shht roeseasroiwwhich
whichin:
sh_
object.—(Cries of "We won't have it, Mr. Tennyson.")
Let me assure you, as the Member, for regenerated Stamford,
that, so far as I am personally concerned, the toast is a matter
of indifference to me, so far as regaghrotdousstseht:antodrnonabpoilieynh_o,
has arrayed itself against the common feeling of the people of
:t .sentiments of the people, long,r, g
will I raise my voice et
haatie
theagainst
grights of the people. Yet
shall dare to invade
EI
haveng l anai
t; 0 forngu seo
to longspeaask Itahliinea
personal the toast was omitted, I will give it, not in
delicacy to myself,.
which you have usually heard it, but..
hostility to any man, and understanding that,' onugt no
the simple terms in ,
' Prosperity to
received—(Cheers)—learn to respect the
• the House of Cecil, and may they, profiting by
the lesson they have rec_
ners.
and
cries
of
' Good !" Noble,'
rights of the people'—(Ch
mingled no, we can't drink it.') But when Mr.
Tennyson sat down, the sentiments he had uttered were acknow_
lodged
with
bytrc ' N
tremendous
duou,s
cheering.
'jun?in consequence of Mr.
by business at the Trea-
been .
he did not arrive at the Ordnance
Tuesidiaayv,intglie 7th of June,
sury arid elsewhere,
he found upon
Tennyson O:'
Office until half-past font'
"immediate."
marked
his table the following letter
when
r o'clock,

No. 5.
Lord Thomas Cecil to Mr. Tennyson.
178, Piccadilly, Monday Evening, June 6.
SIR,—I regret so short a time should elapse since our
correspondence took place on the 3il instant, in which in
the handsomest manner you denied having made use of
certain expressifins daring the late election, which were
obnoxious to me, but having teal a paragraph in this
Morning's Piper,
wherein you accuse myself and family
of having " invaded the ri4hts of the people," and also