The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-11 00:00:00

SIR ROBERT PEEL ON DUELLING,

The reply of Sir Pobert -Peek° a question respecting
the propriety of introducing measures for the suppres-
sion of duelling, lately put to him in the House of Com-
mons, must have attracted the attention of our readers,
and we dare say raised in the minds of some persons a
little surprise. "I am determined " said the Minister,
" to do what I can to put down this barbarous remnant
of other times, and therefore I have refused to grant the
pension to which she was entitled to the unfortunate widow
of an officer, whose death in a duel has lately attracted the
public attention." Some people' we say, may have
wondered a little at the mode of discountenancing this
practice adopted by the Right Hon. Baronet. Poor Mrs.
Fawcett, we presume, required no extraordinary mea-
sure to deter her from affording any countenance to
duelling ; but she is to be deprived, it may be, of the
means of maintaining her own and her children's posi-
tion in society, as a warning for the future. On the
other hand, we believe the two seconds engaged in the
transaction which ended in Mrs. Fawcett's premature
widowhood, are still in the enjoyment of military
pay and rank, and it is not impossible that one or
both of them may again be exposed to hazard:
similar to those from which they have recently escaped.
For them, however, the punishment inflicted on the
helpless widow is, it would appear, to be 4 sufficient
warning. We do not mean to say that these gentlemen
ought to be dismissed from the army ; on the contrary,
we think (in the present state of opinion) such a course
would be one of great injustice. We do, however, wish
to show the monstrous inconsistency of punishing, by
the way of example, one who is not only innocent, but
who is not in a position- ever to be guilty of the offence
in question. We have received the following letter from
a correspondent, the inquiry in which we admit our in-
ability to answer :

"TO THE EDITOR OF THE DUBLIN EVENING MAIL.

Kenmare, March 4, 1844.

" Sir,—My attention has been directed to some
observations made by Sir Robert Peel, on the subject
of duelling, in answer to a- question in the House of
Commons. ,

" Poor Fawcett was my friend and comrade ; he paid
the penalty of his fault; the seconds appear to me those
most to blame ; but they escape without a penalty.
" My friend's widow is stated to be the victim for her
husband's fault or crime.
" Is this the fact ?

" Mrs. Fawcett, I believe, has an income far beyond
the limit at which the widow of an officer can claim a
pension !

" Is it possible that our present liberal Prime Minister,
for the sake of conciliating Hon. Gentlemen opposite, has
made use of a rhetorical artifice ?' Pray enlighten us
on the subject, for though I am residing here at this mo-
ment, I am yours truly. AN OLD MAJOR."—
Dublin Mail.

MR. SPENCER T. HALL'S LEC-
TURES ON MESMERISM.

The war with France, which broke out in 1756,
though it continued but seven years, added nearly
64,000,0001. to the public debt, which, at the conclusion
of the war in 1763, amounted to 138,800,0001., entailing
an annual charge upon the nation of 4,800,0001. During
the twelve years of tranquillity which succeeded the
peace of Paris, about 10,400,000/. of the debt was dis-
charged, so that at the commencement of the American
war, in 1775, the debt amounted to 128,500,0001.; during
the seven years in which this country was engaged in
war with the United States, the National Debt was more
than doubled, for although the independence of
America was acknowledged in 1782, yet loans
were raised in several subsequent years, in order
to defray the remaining expenses of the war.
It was not until 1786 that the revenue was
found to be sufficient for the expenditure ; on the sth of
January in that year the debt amounted to 268,100,0004,
including the Terminable Annuities taken at a valuation;
the annual charge was 9,500,0001. It was in this year
that a sinking fund was established for the reduction
of the debt, that constituted by 3 Geo. 1., c. 7, having
become obsolete. The Act of Parliament by which the
Sinking Fund of 1786 was was established (26th Geo.
111., c. 31) appointed certain Commissioners to carry its
objects into effect, who are continued in office by the act 9
Geo. IV.; the Commissioners are the Speaker of the House
of Commons, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Master
of the Rolls, the Accountant-General of the Court of
Chancery, and the Governor and Deputy-Governor of
the Bank of England, for the time being. The fund,
which was to consist of 1,000,0001. annually, after passing
through various modifications, was finally amended by
the Act of 10 Geo. IV., c. 27, passed the Ist of June,
1829, which provides that from the sth of July, 1829,
there shall be issued out of the Consolidated Fund only
such annual sums as shall appear to be the actual sur-
plus revenue of the United Kingdom, to be applied towards
the reduction of the National Debt by the Commissioners
appointed for that purpose ; and that the Lords Com-
missioners of the Treasury shall, every quarter, make up
accounts of the annual revenue for the four preceding
quarters, and one-fourth of the annual surplus to be is-
sued to the Commissioners for the reduction of the-Na-
tional Debt, who are to publish in the London Gazette
the sum which will be so applicable in the ensuing
quarter. —Observer.