The Sun.
London, England, 1832-02-15 00:00:00

DUEL ON WIMBLEDON COMNION.

On Monday evening, at right o'clock, a post-chaise, in
which was Major- General Lorenzo Moore, C. 8., in the
custody of Walters, the constable of Kine.ton-on-Thames,
and two other individuals, drove up to the door of Union-
hall, Southwark ; and the Mazistrate, Mr. CHAMBERS,
being on the bench, the General was conducted into the
offic..

Walters, having stated who and what he was, said that
the General had been given into his custody at Kingston,
in the early part of that afternoon, on a charge of wound.
tag a gentleman, named Miles Stapylton, in a duel. He
added that none of the seconds were in custody, owing to
the confusion that prevailed on the ground after Mr. Sta-
pylton fell wounded.
Mr. David Harris stated that as he was proceeding to
Godalming, on the outside of the stage-coach, about four
o'clock on Monday afternoon, on passing the road which
crosses Wirnhlettou-common he heard the report of a
Fetid, and on looking towards the spot from whence it
proceeded, he observ, d a gentleman fall. The coachman,
who also heard the report, immediately pulled up, when
witness and a Mr. Self, who were sitting next each other
on the coach, immediately alighted, and ran to the place,
which was a short distance from the road side. There
were several gentlemen together, and witness, on seeing
the gentleman lying on the ground, and blood upon the
breast part of his shirt, went towards the General, who
had a pistol in his hand, and told him that he must con-
sider himself then in custody. The General offered not
the slightest resistance, and 'mmediately resigned up the
possession of his fire-arms. During the period that elapsed
from the time the wounded gentleman fell, until witness
had the conversation with the General on the suitj ct of his
apprehension, the seconds and some other persons assisted
the former off the ground, and placed him in a carriage
which was in waiting, and immediately drove (If toward•
town. Witness and Mr. Self conducted General Moore
to Kingston, and gave him into the custody of Walters,
the constable.

Mr. Self stated that when he approached the gentleman
who fell, he exclaimed lam mortally wounded." In
the confusion that arose, in consequence of the dangerous
state in which he seemed to be, the blood gushing from a
wound in his left breast, he (Mr. Self) was so occupied in
rendering what assistance was in his power, that he ❑e-
glected securing either of the seconds, and they proceeded
off towards town at a smart pace, in a carriage, with the
wounded gen leman, as described by the last witness.
Major-General Moore, who declined saying any thing on
the subject of the unfortunate affair, was remanded, and
he Was brought up again yesterday morning, when the
following certificate, describing the dangerous condition of
h.l opponent in the duel, was read :

2, Berkeley-street, Berkeley-square, Feb. 2.
I certify that Mr. Stapyleon is in very great danger.
(Signed) .‘ G. J. GUTHRIE."
The General appeared to be affected on hearing the cer-
tificate read, but he made no remlrk. Bail to any amount
Was offered for his appearance to answer the charge, but
l‘fr. Chambers said that while the wounded gentleman re-
mained in his present condition, it was his duty to keep
the General in custody.
In the course of the day Major-General Moore was
visited at the office by Lord Nugent, and several other of
his friends.
We are gives to understand that the meeting between
the General and Mr. Stlpylton took place in consequence
of the latter gentleman giving offence to the daughter of
the General in the the ttre.

The General teac remanded until next Tuesday.

(FURTHER PARTICULARS.)
We have heard that the hostile meeting between General
Moore and Mr. Stapylton, took place in consequence of a
letter which the General addressed to his antagonist on the
subject of a young lady of great beauty and accomplish-
ments, a near connection of the Gallant Officer's, and to
whom he (Mr. S.) devoted much of his attention during a
recent sojourn of the parties in Italy. Mr. Stapylton, we
are told, on the receipt of the General's communication,
whilst staying at his seat near Richmond, in Yorkshire,
ordered post-horses, and travelled with all possible expedi-
tion to the metropolis, and called on General Moore for an
explanation, which demand, it would appear, not being
complied with, a meeting took place between the two
gentlemen on Alonday afternoon, on Wimbledon-common,
unfortunately with serious consequences to Mr. Stapyl-
ton nho received his opponent's ball in the side, and
Mr. Guthrie has not yet succeeded in extracting it.
Mr. Stapylton was conveyed in a carriage to Long's
lintel, in New Bond-street, where the proprietor is un-
remitting in his atention to the comforts of the wounded
gentleman who passed a restless night on Monday,
but yesterday he was pronounced a little better, and
was enabled to converse with his second, Major Fan-
Court, on the subject of drawing up a statement of the
unhappy transaction. In the early part of the diy Captain
ronow and another gentleman waited upon Mr. Conant,
the sitting Magistrate at Marlborough-street, and solicited
that gentleman to proceed to Long's Hotel, for the purpose
of receiving the declaration of Mr. Stapylton, who, it was
rePtesented, might not survive the effects of his wound
many hours. Mr. Conant was of opinion that if it were
tssential for the ends of justice he would at once comply
with the application, but in the existing circumstances of
the case any person could take down Mr. Stapylton's de-
e".attno, and render it of equal validity. According to
legal authorities, the declarations of a person who expects
to die, respecting the circumstances under which he re-
ceived a mortal wound, are admitted in criminal pro.ecu-
II"oa, where the death of the party is the subject of the
,
Inquiry, though the accused was not present when they
were made, and had no opportunity of cross-examination;
for it is considered that when an individual is in constant
expectation of immediate death all temptations to falsehood
Will be removed, anti the awful nature of his situation may
be presumed to impress him with the necessity of a strict
adherence to truth. Major-General Moore is, we believe,
a distinguished and meritorious officer, and he has been in-
vested with the insignia of a CAL for his services in the
field. He was Lieut.-Colonel of the 35th, or Sussex Re-
giment of foot, from 1809 to 1830, when he was advanced
to the rank of Major-General.

Among the amusements prepared for Lord
EDWARD BENTINcx, the Governor-General, during a

recent tour in the province of Oude, was to have been a
combat between a wild hone and a tiger, but which, at
the especial request of Lady BENTINCY, did not take place.
It should be added, however, that upon two previous occa-
sions, the horse in question had come off victorious.

THE BARNET IMPOSTOR.—The Lancaster
Eeruld says, that the fellow who trumped up the story of
an attempt to Burke him last week, at Barnet, played a
similar trick in that neighbourhood in 1829. lie then
called himself STANLEY, and was found tied to a gate near
Lancaster, under precisely similar circumstances to those
which are spoken of at Barnet. He told very nearly the
same story, and prosecuted to conviction two men, named
GAMES and RIGBY, and a woman, the dau4hter of
GatmEs. The men were convicted, and left for eaten-
tko ; and the woman was sentenced for transportation for
life. Suspicions were entertained of the trick, inquiry
R'ss made, and the men respited, but only within a few
,"ors before the period fixed for their execution. The re-
sult of a further inquiry was the free pardon of all.
The Tories are endeavouring, by every
'neaking and underhand means, to get up a petition
against all Reform. They are scouring the country to
catch signatures, and to entrap all honest and sensible
b 'toglishtnen by misrepresentation and artifice. They are
4t,!*rtiog with unparalleled impudence that there is a re-ac-
-1" in the country, and disguising the real extent of the
p: °n
which they have concocted. They are insulting
e farmers and tradesmen, whom they are in hopes of
iT'lt)°'ing on by soliciting the signatures of all over whom
thq have any personal influence. Instead of proving that
ere
a re-action by calling a meeting and taking the
shimse of the people on the question, they are sneaking
f With copies of the petition in their pockets, in parties
;ill three or four each. Among the gentlemen who ere
yr; trying to bring upon their countrymen the die.
et of praying for the continuance of their own slavery
'""cars air. JOHN BOND and Mr. JOHN PARKIN, Deputy
"eUtenants of the county. —Laiacaster Herald.

ri-or --\l5lllll

LONDON,
WEDNESDAY EVENING. FEBRUARY 15, 132.

Lord ALTHORP made a most important de-
claration last night, with respect to the question
of tithes in Ireland. The speech of Earl GREY
had been misconstrued on this subject, for it
now appears by Lord ALTHORP'S explanation,
that while Government are prepared to enforce
the laws when broken, yet, if extraordinary powers
should be demanded to enforce these laws, they
will be accompanied by an efficient remedy for
the grievance which occasions their necessity.

This announcement was received with loud
cheers, and will, we have no doubt, spread
universal joy throughout Ireland, where the mis-
conception of Earl GREY'S speech occasioned
much astonishment and dismay, coupled with
indignation.
Mr. STANLEY followed up the manly decla-
ration of Lord A L THoR P, by stating that Go-
vernment never would have thought of applying
coercive measures, but upon an assurance that
remedial measures were in contemplation. In-
deed the Government would not exercise any
coercive authority for enforcing the collection
of tithes, unless accompanied by a pledge that
the grievances complained of should be promptly,
substantially, and satisfactorily redressed. This
is all that an honest Government can do—and
all that the people of Ireland expect at their hands.

Mr. STANLEY, in answer to a question from
Mr. CROKER, who affected to understand that
the remedies intended by Ministers were not
meant to affect the existence of tithes, but only
to remove the difficulty of their collection,—ob-
served that while Ministers endeavoured to se-
cure the maintenance of the Protestant clergy,
their attention was also direced to the extinc-
tion of the system of tithes ! This surely
bodes well to poor, distracted, and long-
neglected Ireland.

In the House of Commons last night Lord
ALTHORP brought in a Bill to increase the
powers of the Privy Council, for the purpose of
preventing the spread of cholera.

Sir JAMES GRAHAM last night brought for-
ward his Bill for consolidating the civil branches
of the Navy and Victualling Departments under
one head—the Board of Admiralty. He pro-
posed to divide the Admiralty department into
five great branches. 1. The Surveyor-General of
the Navy. His duty would continue pretty much
the same as it was at present. It would be for him
to superintend the labour in the dockyards, the
building of ships, and the care of ships in ordi-
nary. 2. The Accountant-General. The accounts
of the Victualling Board and of the Navy Board
were not now kept ou the same principle. At
the Navy Board the principle of double-entry
had been introduced with good effect, but at
the Victualling Board double-entry had, by an
order from the Admiralty, been neglected. He
thought that, by an introduction of the system
of double-entry, one Accountant-General could
conduct the whole business. The 3d was the
Store-keeper-General, whose duties would be
the same as now—namely, the care of all the
great articles for the consumption of the
Navy. The 4th was the Superintendant of the
Victualling Department ; and the sth was the
Head of the Medical Department, who would
have the care of the hospitals at home and
abroad. These were the five heads under
which he would place the civil departments of
the Navy. He should propose that the oilicers
at the head of those departments should IRA be
Commissioners, holding their situatio:,s by
patent, and possessing co-ordinate authority with
other Boards, even with the Commissioners of
the Admiralty itself, as was the case <<r present ;
but that thay should be appointed under war-
rants from the Board of Admiralty, and that
they should retain their situations whilst they
performed their duties properly.
The adoptio❑ of this plan, he said, would sim-
plify the administration of naval affairs, while it
would at the same time do away with the jea-
lousy often manifested by the Navy and Victual-
ling Boards of the Admiralty. It would
also have the effect of producing a great
saving, for if the House agreed to his
proposition the Right Honourable Baronet
said that in three months he would reduce five
Commissioners, at 6,000/. ; 3 Secretaries, at
2,6001.; 29 superior officers, at 10,280/. ; 6 in-
ferior officers, at 1,4401. ; and 54 clerks at
11,9501. The account would then stand thus,
with the reductions of last year :—Reduced 9
Commissioners, 10,0001.; 3 Secretaries, 2,6001.;
66 superior officers, 19,7501.; 31 inferior officers,
2,725/. ; and 62 clerks, 13,9201. ; forming a
total saving, if his measure were acceded to,
upon the civil establishment of the Navy, leaving
superannuations out of the account, of 49,0001.
This reduction is highly important in the pre-
sent distress of the country ; and we think Sir
JAMES GRAHAM deserves great thanks for
his unwearied exertions in introducing so much
economy into one branch of our expenditure.
The total reduction proposed in the Naval

Estimates of the current year amounts to nearly
one million.

In another column will be found a communi-
cation headed " Infant Slavery in England,"
which deserves most serious attention. The
article is an extract from the speech of a gentle-
man named FIRTH, at a public meeting lately
held on the subject of Mr. SADLER'S Factory
Bill, and describes in forcible terms the inhuman
treatment but too often adopted towards children
of tender age, in some of our English factories.
A communication of a similar import which has
been forwarded to us from Dundee (but which, from
want of space, we are for the present compelled
to postpone), mentions that the same harsh sys-
tem towards children, which Mr. FIRTH so
feelingly exposes, prevails in many parts of Scot-
land, especially at the Dundee flax spinning-
mills. At some of the mills," says the writer
of this communication—

" The cliildr,,n labour thirteen hours twenty minutes
per day, or seventy-nine three quarters hours per week,
exclusive of the time allowed for meals, which, in some
instances, is one hour per day; and in others, it is cur-
tailed to fifty minutes, although frequently the distances
betwixt the mills and the homes of the children are con-
siderable. None labour for a shorter period than twelve
and a half hours per day, or 74 per week. This tak-s
place in Dundee, where the operatives have benefit from
occasional competition for labour amongst the masters.
But, in mills situated in solitary or thinly-peopled parts of
the country, the hours of labour sometimes extend to
fourteen and a half and fifteen hours per day, which,
when the hour or fifty minutes for meals, and the
time spent in going to and returning from work, and in
Other unavoidable avocations, are deducted, will not leave
more than betwixt six and seven hours for s•cep. But,
if time be lost by the stoppage of the machinery, or
from any of the various causes which are constantly re-
curring to occasion this, the time has to be made up; so
that the children are frequently made to labour for a num-
ber of hours in succession greater than any indicated in
the table,—it being customary in some of the mills to
keep them working till wi bin a quarter to twelve o'clock
of a Saturday night! Frequ«ntly, too, during the period
occupied in repairing or adjusting the machinery, tic
children are locked up either in the flats of the mills, or
within the walls of the establishment ; and this period is
not counted to them as one of labour. Any dispute about
odd time is generally decided against the children, on the
plea that ten minutes or a quarter of an hour is little or
nothing to them individully, but a good deal to their
masters."

After a statement of this sort, which can be
proved, if necessary, on oath, no man with a
heart in his bosom, not even a political econo-
mist, can come forward and say that the prompt
attention of the Legislature should not be drawn
to the subject with a view to furnish an efficient
remedy. The present system, it is impossible, can
continue much longer, for not only is it repug-
nant to every principle of humanity, not only
does it shock the commonest instincts of
nature, and violate the spirit of that creed
which says—" Do unto others • as you
would they should do unto you," but it de-
praves the morals of the lower orders, originates
crime by wholesale, and is the means of filling
the country with paupers and invalids. The
evil, too, does not stop with this generation, it
extends its baleful influence to to the next.
What health or spirit, or sense of decency anti
propriety, can be expected from the chil-
dren of parents, who have grown up from
youth to age in the hot, sweltering, unwhole-
some atmosphere of a crowded factory, and been
familiar with the depraved habits which such
modes of life, such indiscriminate society rarely
fail to engender ? It was not thus that our
olden English peasantry acquired that indomi-
table spirit, that high independence of character,
that robust form, and healthy, cheerful disposi-
tion, which made them the envy and the
admiration of the world. They knew not
the miseries, the privations of crowded mills
and factories, but met health :on the hills,
or among the scenes of their daily avocations,
and gave birth to a race which has raised Great
Britain to her present elevated rank among na-
tions. We would wish to see this fine old race
restored, and not be compelled to witness the
dail;, hourly decay of its energies in those
pestilential hells—the factories. Upon this
principle we most cordially approve of Mr.
SADLER'S proposal for regulating the hours
of labour among our poorer classes of ope-
ratives, and give him the full, unqualified
praise that is due to so noble and philanthropical
a plan. It does credit to the Hon. Member's
head and heart, and we most earnestly hope that
he will follow up the subject with all the zeal,
energy, and perseverance that its paramount im-
portance demands.