the missionaries and came out as the champion and upholder of the view "The rights of Hindoo parents are too often invaded by missionaries in Calcutta." Duff, incensed at the injustice and unreason of the lawyer's sweeping assertions, wrote to Clarke challenging him to prove his statements. The result was a protracted correspondence between the pair, in the course of which the lawyer signally failed to establish any proof whatsoever. Just about this time Mr. Stocqueler had converted the John Bull into the vigorous Englishman and in that journal the missionary published the entire correspondence "There are," says George Smith, Duff's biographer, passages in the twenty octavo pages of Duff's alternate scorn and ridicule, reasoned demonstration, and rhetorical appeal, of which Junius would have been worthy, had that pitiless foe fought with sacred weapons, and for other than self-seeking ends. The reply of of the barrister was the mocking laugh of Mephisto. pheles, the expression of a desire to secure the missionary 'for our Calcutta Drury.' The press and all society were disgusted or indignant at the lawyer assailant to whom was applied the couplet from Younge's Epistle to Pope 66 'He rams his quill with scandal and with scoft' The defeated barrister expressed his intention of seeking "satisfaction" and went so far as to consult a friend about the sending of a challenge; but in consideration of the calling of his victorious antagonist, it was despatched. In duelling days there existed, not far from Calcutta, an institution known as the Baraset Military College, where young men, fresh from English schools, were prepared for cornetships in the Company's army. Mischief and rowdyism were the order of the day at Baraset College and many fracas took place which as often as not ended in duels. Mr Madge records the instance of one which occurred in 1808. The combatants were two cadets, Robertson and Kennedy by name, and the affair led to a Government Resolution on the subject. Robertson was shipped off to England, while his opponent's offence was overlooked owing to the provocation he had received. Further references to events of the kind are to be found in the autobiography of General Sir J. B. Hearsey. "On one occasion," says he, "a young subaltern from a native regiment was shot dead; and in another duel a young man was wounded near the ankle which caused lameness for a time." The well-known general was himself a member of the college, and, what is more, came on one occasion to be involved in an affair that might very well have ended in the exchange of shots. Writing of his life at the college he says: "I usually studied (Urdu) by candle light, as my days were passed in sport and I was often disturbed by the young men who saw me thus employed. They threw clods into my room, which frequently hit me or my moonshee, or broke the shade of my lamp and put out the light. One close night being disturbed in this manner, I ran hastily to the open venetian window, and caught a glimpse of one of the cadets, endeavouring to hide himself near the wall of the barrack. I said, 'I know who and you shall hear from me to-morrow morning.' About two minutes afterwards the door opened and a young man came smiling in and saying, 'So as usual you are studying at night.' In him I recognised the offender, and seizing the thick quarto volume of W. Gilchrist's dictionary, I rose from my chair and struck are, you him down with it, telling him to quit the room, and that I should be ready to give him the satisfaction due from one gentleman to another on the morrow. He never called upon me, for he must have known that he was in the wrong and had brought the blow upon himself." A valuable contribution to the literature of the Anglo-Indian duel is to be found in Mr. H. G. Keene's book "A Servant of John Company." In the course of an instructive inter-chapter on the subject, he gives an account of some affairs that took place in Calcutta "There is," says he, "a Bengal civilian still living in vigorous retirement, who had several scalps to his wampun ; and an officer of the days here referred to, was to be seen limping about Calcutta maimed for life by this civilian with whom he had a dispute in a ball room, which led to the latter declaring that he would spoil his dancing for him. The same gentleman had a brother in the Bengal Cavalry, and a man quite of his own kidney of which frolicsome pair a story used to be current which may be worth repeating. It was to the effect that they met at the dinner table of a certain native regiment's mess, a pair of cadets who were on their way up-country to join for the first time. These two youngsters amused, or perhaps bored the duelling brothers, by a warm fraternal cordiality and an apparent ignorance of the world, and on this they resolved to practise. After the rest of the company had left, the four with whom the story deals were playing out a rubber, in the course of which Damon and Pythias, being antagonists, got into a wrangle which the wicked seniors assured them demanded instant solution by single combat. It was faintly objected that the night was too dark, but the brothers overruled the objection with the remark that each of them would hold up a wall light. Accordingly the party proceeded to the mess compound, but on the way one of the cadets contrived to nudge the other, and they exchanged furtive but meaning looks without being observed. On reaching the field of honour, the intended combatants were placed opposite to each other with loaded pistols in their hands, at twelve paces, while their friendly advisers took up the other corners, each holding a light. The word being given the youngsters fired, a sound of broken glass was heard and each lamp fell to the ground extinguished, from the simultaneous and well-aimed discharge." Mr. Keene looks back on a personal experience of his as a good illustration of a saying of those days to the effect that the chief danger of duelling was from the seconds. He was staying with a friend at Cossipore, when one day, a man whom he knew slightly drove up to the house and requested him to convey a challenge to an officer of native infantry at Barrackpore. The nature of the offence given appeared to be neither clear nor grave, and he undertook the duty much against his will, and only because the laws of duelling rendered it imperative that he should do so. He drove with the man to Barrackpore, and leaving him at Testillion's Hotel proceeded to the officer's quarters. They were at dinner when he arrived, but the other party divining the nature of his errand sent a brother officer to interview him in the ante-room. This proved to be a jovial blade-one of those who did not wait for dinner to inspire him with adventitious gaiety, and who already, although the hour was by no means late, was clearly under the influence of refreshments. With elaborate politeness he informed the visitor that a meeting was the only satisfaction and Keene returned to the hotel very much upset at the prospect of what the morrow held. He spent a bad night, foreseeing nothing less than wounds, death, and the dismissal of the whole party. But morning found his acquaintance of the night before in a milder frame, and written explanations were exchanged, which, though they proved more satisfactory to the seconds than to the parties themselves, terminated the matter, much to the relief of the former. The details of three noteworthy duels were given a few years ago by Mr. G W. Rhe-Phillipe of Simla, who, in the course of an interesting letter to the Englishman, stated : "The Phillips-Sheppard duel took place at Calcutta under the great tree in the Kidderpore Road on the 8th October 1808, between Lieutenant Henry Phillips of the 1-26th N.I., aide de-camp to the Governor-General (Lord Minto), and Lieutenant Will Sheppard of the 2-25th N.I., aide-de-camp to Major-General Sir Evan Baillie, commanding at the Presidency. The quarrel between these two officers originated in some remarks made by Sheppard relative to the conduct of Phillips in' separating from his wife,' which was stigmatized as infamous, and resulted in the death of Phillips who fell dead at the first fire shot through the head. A remarkable feature of this duel was, that it was fought after dark and that there were no seconds, Phillips having gone to the ground accompanied only by his bearer carrying a lantern, while Sheppard was attended only by a native Christian servant, of the class, then as now, mis-styled Portuguese-one Peter D'Cruz. Sheppard was afterwards tried in the Supreme Court for murder, but was found guilty of the less heinous crime of manslaughter only. The details of the trial with all the prosy and platitude-laden speeches and addresses, made on the |