Star.
London, England, 1831-06-13 00:00:00

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

In consequence of a paragraph which appeared
in a Paper of yesterday, we are requested to pub-
lish a statement from the most authentic source, of
what took place on the occasion referred to :
No. 1.
The Honourable Richard 'Watson to 31r. Tennyson.
Brooks's, June 3. i
Sut—Having a communication to make to you on the part
of Lord 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 Alr:7FennisOli at the
Board of Ordnance, at tbree o'clock on Friday, 3d of June.
/dr. 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, Westminster,
between five and seven on that afternoon.

Captain Watson called at the Ordnance Office at four
o'clock, and delivered the following letter to Mr. Tennyson :
No. 2.

Lord Thomas Cecil to Mr. Tennyson.
Sta—During the late election at Stamford, in addition to
other expressions of an offensive nature, you called my bro-
ther, Lord Exeter, an " execrable" man and a " tyrant."
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 ano
*her, 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 per-
son of your station in life to make use of with impunity to-
wards any member of my family.
I therefore take this, the earliest opportunity that circum-
stances have permitted, to require that you will immediately
retract and publicly withdraw those terms.
I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,
C. Tennyson, En. THOS. CECIL.
After perusing this letter, and some conversation between
Captain Watson and Mr. Tennyson the latter expressed a
wish that Lieutenant-Colonel Maberly, who was at the Ord-
nance Office, should be introduced. To this proposal Major
Watson assented. Colonel Moberly came in, and after Mr.
Tennyson had explained to him, in Major Watson's pre-
sence, the circumstances of the case, it was agreed that Col.
Maberly and Captain Watson should retire into Colonel
Alaberly's room, when Mr. Tennyson wrote the fcllowing
answer to Lord Thomas Cecil, which Colonel Maberly
having approved, Mr. Tennyson delivered it into the hands
of Captain Watson, saying he should remain at home during
the whole evening, in order to receive any further commu-
nication. No. 3.
Mr. Tennyson to Lord Thomas Cecil.
Ordnance Office, Friday, June 3, 1831.
Ma LORD-11 feel quite confident that the expression
" execrable man" did not proceed from me at any period ofl
the election, and that your Lordship must have mistaken me.
Had I used that expression, I could not hesitate to retract
it, as it never did or could occur to me to attack Lord Exe-
ter's private character. I might use the word " tyrant," to
characterise his Lordship's political interference by ejecting
his tenants on account of their votes at the former election.

It was for .his, and any other over-heated terms Into which
excited feelings might have betrayed me, that I publicly ex-
pressed 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 exrlanation you
might think desirable, I was entitled to imagine that what I
then said was satisfactory.
I am persuaded that this passage of our proceedings has
escaped your recollection ; but if you refer to the newspapers,
you will find it there recorded. The regret which I then felt
I resin. 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 in-
curring the imputation of motives which would affect my
character as a gentleman.--I have the honour to be your
Lordship's obedient servant,
The Lord Thomas Cecil. CHARLES TENNYSON.

The expressions of regret uttered by Mr. Tennyson at
conclusion of the poll, and referred to in the above letter,
are comprised in the following pis , copied from the re.
port of his speech on that aeraslao (3d May) as contained in
the Stamford Newsof the 6th May, and The Stamford
Champion of the 10th May:
" 1 join with my noble colleague, in imploring you to
suffer, from this moment, all party fends to subside; and
when the noble lord makes that appeal to you, lam bound,
in justice to him and to ley honourable and gallant friehd,
to admit not only that nothing could have been more fair than
the manner in which they have conducted themselves in this
contest, but oleo that nothing, on their par:, could have
been more gentlemanlike nor inoffensive (cheers). I confess,
that mine (although the noble lord has been generous enough
not to allude to an thing that I have said), I may have to
excuse myself to him and others for some overheated ex-
s uttered under the excitement of the moment; but
rrill°11:ot fighting here for myself, but for you; and as the
noble lord is again connected with you, I am sure, for your
sake, be 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 Pak-street:
No. 4.
Lord Thomas Cecil to Mr. Tennyson.
178, Piccadilly, June 3.
St a,—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 sentence :
"At the same time I believe him (meaning the Mayor) to
be a worthy, but a weak man—a poor, miserable instru-
ment in the hands of that execrable persons who has visited
you with so many afflictions." lam happy to find, how•
ever, by the letter I have just received from you, that we
have been mistaken.

I conclude that the noise and confusion whit's prevailed
on the hustings at the close of the poll, prevented my hear.
lag 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 felt myself
compelled to..make to you this morning.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
C. Tennyson, Esq. THOMAS CECIL.
In The Morning herald of Monday, the 6th June, ap.
pored the following paragraph :-
1 MR. TENNYSON AND TR, MARQUESS OF EXETII.
On Saturday we copied from the Stamford Mercury of
Friday last, a paragraph concerning the dinner given at Oak-
-1 ham on the 30th ult. to the Members for the County of Hut.
land. It was there stated that at this dinner Mr. Tennyson,
after some observations expressive of his opinion that all
election feuds should subside as soon as possible, gave the
health of the Marquess of Exeter.' This statement, it ap-
pears, is altogether erroneous ; aad we think it due to Mr.
Tennyson to copy from the Stamford New (published on
the same day as the iferetrry), that part of his speech
which relates to the matter which has been thus misrepre.
rented ; and as the editor of the News was himself present,
we cannot doubt the authenticity of the long and full report
which he has given of the whole proceedings. '
The following is the extract from Mr. Tennyson's speech
above referred to :
I " 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 this 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 res.
portable men of this county, amongst whom such a toast
must have been customary—(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
not be misunderstood; nothing shall ever induce me—
so 000 help me—to sacrifice the rights of the people to
any man, be he who he may, for a personal 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 indiffe-
rence to me, [cries of "We won'thave It at any rate:"] so far
as regards that noble house which has arrayed Itself against
the common feeling of the people of England; fee so long
as i have a leg to stand u long as I have a tongue
to speak the sentiments ortflr people, so long will I raise
my voice against that house, or any other which shall dare