The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-07-18 00:00:00

DUELLING.

In our last we acquainted our reader& with one of those
desperate and unhappy, offences which have so long con-
stituted the disgrace of law and the curse of society.. A
man in the prime of life, for Colonel Fawcett was but 35
a gallant soldier, for he had just received an honour for
his gallantry in the Chinese campaigns—and a husband—
has been put to death by his own relative. We are per-
fectly aware that this homicide has been committed in a
duel, according to the rules made by the clubs, military
messis, and such other high legal authorities, and that
though the law of the land condemns such acts as murder,
yet as fashion says they are useful, very gentlemanlike,
and even very necessary things, the law will not find itself
able:to do anything in the matter.; and the person who
killed the deceased will go about his proper business as
usual, unless, indeed, some similar invitation be given to
himself to go out and be killed, In the meantime a
goodly formality, is gone through, every atom of which
might as well be spared, for it will be wholly ineffectual.
Everybody on and off the jury knows that Colonel Fawcett
was shot dead at five o'clock in the morning, after having
gone to the Hampstead road to shoot at, or be shot by,
another person ; that he was killed on the spot ; and that
there is no doubt whatever that his miserable end, the
extinction, of all his hopes, uses, and services in this
world, the widowing of his wife, and perhaps the bitter
sorrows of a mother and sisters, were all inflicted in, the
space of five minutes after he alighted from his cabriolet,
by the hand of the gentleman who, also being allied to
him, came out for the purpose thus quickly and completely
accomplished.

Yet, if his antagoaist on this unhappy occasion had
shot Colonel Fawcett in his back, or at night, or is a wood,
or in a private room and alone, the case would be declared
murder, and the murderer would be hanged. Yet, what
is the difference in the result ? None that we can possibly
discover. The gallant soldier is as much lost to life as if
he had been stabbed by an assassin ; the only palliative (I)
being, that he was killed with two gentleaien looking on
and a surgeon in attendance; that he was killed in the face
of day, and with a pistol in his hand, by which he might
at the same time have killed the husband of his wife's
sister ; two individuals being thus destroyed instead of
one, and two sisters made widows at the same time.
But why waa this act of blood committed? Nobody
knows. What has it remedied ? Nobody can tell. There
has been some rumour of some words between the an-
tagonists on some money transaction. Has a bullet the
faculty of clearing up the account ? has it made the
wronging party the right ? has it cleared the character of
any one? Not in the least. It has only showed that one
of the parties could kill the other; and for this purpose
a soul is sent naked before God, in the very act of defying
his commands. Why should such things be in any country ?
Why should they be tolcratod for a nroulclll in a country
ahose proudest boast is that it holm the faith of the

Scriptures in its purity? If paganism was never guilt%
of this atrocious stain—if the bravest people of the ancien
world, the romantic Greek and the daring Roman, never
dreamed of it, as either a stimulant or a sign of nationti
courage—if it originated only in that dark and blood
superstition which, making religion the sanction of ever
vice, insulted the justice of heaven, by annexing its jude
ment to the chances of the sword, until the monk and the
hired champion settled the price of life together, and th
trade of the assassin grew out of the abominations of boti
—is it not time for Christian England to raise her voice'
against this direct insult to all justice and all humanity
Why does not the church come forward to denounce tht
crime ? Where are our bishops ? Why do they not com
mand their clergy to preach against it? Where are tht
gatherers of public meetings on a hundred purposes no,
a hundreth part so important ? Where is the associatiot
of which we have heard so much? And why are not tht
authorities of the church called upon to protest in th,
most solemn and decisive manner against a custom whicl
is a crying evil in the sight of God and man ? Why, wr
ask, are not our bishops forward in the extinction of thi:
sport of blood and misery ?—Britannia.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE,

LIVERPOOL JULY RACES.-WEDNESDAY

THE CROXTETH STAKES of 15 Soya each, 10 ft, with 30
added, for three-yr-old 4, 6st 81b ; four, Bst 21b ; five
Bst 91b • six and aged, 9st ; mares, &c., allowed 3lbs.
One mile and a quarter. Eleven subs.
Mr. Jaques's Semiseria, 3 yrs (Copeland) 1
Mr. Ramsay's The Shadow, aged (W. Noble) 2
Lord Westminster's Martyr, 4 yr 5...... (Templeman) 3
Lord Chesterfield's Meal, 4 yrs
The following also started but were not placed :—Sir
W. M. Stanley's Forester, 5 yrs (Whitehouse) ; Mr.
Megson's Vitellius, 3 yrs (Jefferson) Mr. D. Cook's
True Boy, 3 yrs. Betting-7 to 4 agst The Shadow, 3to
1 agst Semiseria, 4 to 1 agst Vitellius, and 6 to 1 agst
Forester.

THE SEFTON STAKES of 30 sovs each, h ft, for fillies
now three-yrs old, Bst 71b each. Once round. Ten
subs.
Lord Eglinton's Egidia......
Duke of Richmon's Fragrance (Rogers) 2
Sir R. Bulkeley's b by Despot, out of Acanthus
(n 3
Betting-5 to 4on Egidia. The Acanthus fillyDarli cut g)
out
all,the work to the distance and retired
THE PRODUCE STAKES of 50 soya each, h ft, for three-
yr-olds ' • colts, Bst 61b ; and fillies, Bst 31b. Two
miles. Eight subs.
Mr. Mostyn's General Pollock, allowed 31b.. (Marlow) 1
Lord Westminster's f by Touchstone, out of Maid of
Honour, allowed 3lh
General Sharpe's Messalina, allowed 31b.... (Marson) 3
Betting-7 to 4on General Pollock. who made the
running for the last mile, was challenged half way up the
distance, and after a capital race won by a head, ; Mes-
salina a good third. The first mile was a mere canter.
SWEEPSTAKES of 500 sovs each, h ft; for three-yr-old
colts, Bst 81b, and fillies, Bst 31b. Stable corner in.
Three subs.
Lord Stanley's Aquils ..
Lord Eglintoun's Aristides
.. (Noble) 2
Betting-5 to 2on Aristides, who had won his race at
the distance, but showed temper, shut up, and was beaten
by a length and a half.
THE MERSEY STAKES of 25 sovs each, with 50 added;
for two-yr-old colts, Bst 71b, and fillies, Bst 31b; the
second to receive £5O out of the stakes. T.Y.C. Se-
venteen subs.
Lord Westminster's Fanny Eden, Sister to Auckland
emleman 1
Mr Williamson's b c The Cure.. (T
. (Hespseltinej) 2
Mr. M. Jones's British Tar. „ (M. Jones) 3
The following also started but were not placed :—Mr.
Robinson's f April Noddy (Butler); Sir John Gerard's
bl c by Sheet Anchor, out of Lady Fnlford (Marson)
Mr. Mostyn's Milton (Marlow); Mr. Jaques's Advice
(Holmes); Mr. Gully's Theriacus (Nat); Sir R. Bul-
keley's f by Picaroon, out of Acanthus (Darling) ; and
Lord G. Bentinck's Best Bower (Rogers).
THE BICKERSTAFFE STAKES Of 100 EO4B each, h ft ; for
colts, Bst 71b ; and fillies, Bst 41b. One mile. Twelve
subs.

Lord G. Bentinck's Gaper, allowed 51b.... (Rogers) 1
Sir R. Bulkeley's Arundo, by Jereed, allowed 31b
(Darling) 2
Lord Stanley's c by Amurath, out of Mysinda, allowed
31b
Betting 5 to 6 agst Mysinda c, and 2 to 1 agst Gaper.
Gaper waited on the Jemima colt (Arundo) to the dis-
tance, and won easy by a length.
THE MAIDEN PLATE of £6O, for horses that never
won £5O ; three-yr-olds, ist ; four, Bst 51b ; five and
upwards, Bst 121 b ; mares, &c., allowed 31b ; the se-
cond receives £lO out of the plate. Heats, once
round and a dis.
Mr. Speed's Everton, 3 yrs .... . (Lye) 1 3 4 1
Mr. W. Thompson's Badwell Ash, 4 yrs
homson 6 1 5 2
Mr. Dawson's Merry Andrew, 3 (T
yrs (Bupmby) 5 4 1 dr
Lord Chesterfield's c by Gladiator, d by Velo-
cipede, 3 yrs
Mr. Price's Gwenderline, 3 yrs.. (J Howlett) 4 5 2 dr
Mr. Tallentire's Bat wing, 3 yrs.. (Whitehouse) 3 dr
Won easy. The last heat was run at seven o'clock.