c;w3vaaw- uavo
r yam;
`Q`_lj~iJ V' 0
[The following beautiful lines, by one of the
rxs t gifted of the daughters of song, will, we
'sive no doubt, be read with pleasure by every
m d er of the Reporter. They have a touching
ud sviniiing sweetness and beauty about them
w hichTharacteriies all the writings of Mas.
1,0 „:_.._ We are enabled to present them, by
:be kindness of one cf the citizens of our bo
:40 •—E u • REPO R R.]
taltcceiving a Beautiful Lock of flair in
a Letter.
Mil
DT DRS. M. ST. LION LOtD
Before me lies, like a bright sunbeam,
IA beautiful ringlet of golden gleam ;
may I gaze on its silken sheen,
'"fine as a gossamer's thread I timer', •
'.tnd dream that no mortal brow might wear
clustering wealth of that sunny-hair.
A blessed.vision of childhood bright,
riihed with that ringlet =was my sight ;
A fair young boy, with a cheek whose dye
finals the roses of sprang, and eye
If starry light, ere the taint of sin
Hadshllied the depths of the fount %%Rhin.
And Lore, the purest, the best of earth, -
: ,, .?tarding that jewel of priceless worth;
II a Mot!zer's arms are around her boy, ••
Xnd her boson] thrills with a trembling, joy,
she murmurs while smoothing_ his ringlets
wild—
Oh:, the light of home is a fair young child
al a Father gazes with hope and pride . '-
t h e sc ion springing his path beside; •
ie olive plant that shall bless his home
'i:11 Wont and beauty in years to come;
'ealtti—honors—oh, what were the world to
those bright locks in the dust were dim. [him,
t time will pas -5, and his solemn wing
iil sweep o'er that young head, silvering
curls that cluster around his brow,
e gleams.of the sbnbeam sunlight now :
Afar from the shaile of'his own roof-tree,
I'4 storm and clouds may his pathway be
t now love on--etc the dark days come;
lole ye share toge'ther one happy home.
nky he gladden your hearts and hearth,
11;1 tii, smile of‘,light and his voice of mirth
11 when life's sorrows and cares arc past,
ly ye dwell in one blissful hothe at last.
Cott:v.Bl:s, R. F., Jr:). 2, 1845.
From the New Monthly Magazine.]
The Duelist's \row.
IMMMliiiii
[commtinEo.]
As . jsnla ly happens in such cases,
P. 2 coolness of the Spaniard increased
foltl the heat and irritation of his ad
rory, who, losing all command of
Isell,Jitterallysturtered and foamed
41 passion.
"Vous meld:, Monsieur l' Espag
'." shouted he, in a voice rendered
nlihy fury. ••• You lie, you lie. It
1 yourself and no, other. Pauline
.eyries est votre--' 9
Ea was interrupted in his ungentle
1. ravings by the persons present,
)crowded round him, and insisted
tlis moderating his language, and
'RI the uproar he ,was making:
''lranwhile, the object of all this vio
, remained perfectly cool and col
`d. Larrille became a little calmer,
-ir himself sullenly into an arm chair,
Ihen.all eyes were turned on Leon,
e how he would treat the gross in
that had been offered to him. The
'lard's lips, were compressed, and
as,a degree - paler than usual, but
oilier , sign cf ediotion was visible
'Otis grave, composed features.
Now that you are cooler; Monsieur
"is," said he,' alter a short pause,
' , el persuaded that you will retract
tifensive expressions which you
'ss'aiready regret having used."
never retract, sir," replied Lay-
With the surly; dogged manner of
who knows that he is wrong, but
; sufficient courage and - good
to acknowledge his fault.
vertheless, let me hope that you
'late from .your rule -in this in
,"
returned the Spaniard. "Your
may easily have been mistaken
ling tile identity of a man whom
imperfectly saw, and I will
lur admission of that possibility
irale:nt to a retraction o'f what
•ords yotr have uttered offensive
lemoiselle Duveyrier or my-
tract nothing, and I admit no
eturned Lavrille, sulkily. If
Pt satisfied, you can take your
You know who I am, and
find me."
in case," said Leon, calmly,
only to repeat what 1 have al
!serted that mv aCqualutance
temoiselle Duvevrier has ne-
,
ceeS:
•
ril4t,Sfor
y. 0
- /
0
ver, in any, degree, overstepped the
limits of the strictest propriety that I
never left her .house at the tithe men
tioned by Monsieur Lavrille, or at any
other undue hour. I pledge my honor
to the truth of these assertions, and I
trust that the gentlemen here present,
will not think it necessary to doubt my
word thus solemnly given."
Having thus spoken, he bowed
gravely, and left the club.
Leon's departure was the signal for
f an animated discussion of the scene that
had just passed. All united in blaming
Lavrille for his intemperate conduct,
but opinions were more divided as, to
the manner in which Leon was likely
to resent it. Frenchmen generally
have rather a contemptuous idea of
Spanish courage, and the majority of
the persons who had been present at
the dispute, inclined to the opinion that
nothing more - ivould come of it, an
That Leon would content himself with
the explicit contradiction he had given
at parting to the assertion of Lavrille's
friend, and would overlook the insult
that had 'been offered to himself. Three
or four only were of a contrary opin
ion, and at the head of these was Cap
tain de Tioncevalles,who vehemently
combatted the notion that things would
remain as they were, or, that the aff‘ir
could terminate in any other way than
by a duel.
Upon. the following afternoon those
who believed in the war-like intentions
of Leon were greatly surprised and
disappointed when' they learned from
Lavrille that he had as yet received no
message from the Spaniard. Never
theless, the partizans of the latter still
maintained that the delay, was easily
accounted fur by the arrangements
which a man far away from his own
country rritalit have to make before
risking his life in a personal encounter.
That evening, however, after the thea
tre, when Leon was seen as usual at
the club engaged in his customary game
of chess, and without having taken the
steps which all deemed necessary for
the vindication of his honor, his warm
est advocates found their faith in him
somewhat staggered, and on the second
day no one any longer doubted that the
matter would remain where it was, and
that the Spaniard had shown an unde
niable white feather. 'Leon on his part
continued : to visit the club neither more
nor less than he had hitherto done, and
either did not observe, or thought fit
not to notice. the frosty glances and
averted faces, of those with whom lie
had previously been upon a cordial
footing. His own manner, always
grave and 'distant, had, perhaps,•ac
quired an additional shade of reserve,
but in no other way did he show him
self ill at ease or aware of the altered
light in which he Stood in the estima
tion of Ins acquaintances.
Captain de Roncevalles was the per
son who appeared most annoyed by the
turn the affair had taken. In propor
,tion as he had pinned his faith upon
Leon's courage, was he vexed at his
having been found wanting, and the
friendly sentiments he had hitherto en
tained towards the Spaniard were con
' verted into a feeling of contempt and
'disgust at what he termed his unparal
leled poltroOnry. Himself exquisitely
sensitivein alt such matters, he had
had numerous duels, and if his encoun
ters of that kind had latterly become
less frequent, it was because his con
summate skill in the use of sword, pis
tol, and sabre; and his known readiness
to take offence, had rendered people
particularly cautious in their behavior
towards him. During the week suc
ceeding the dispute between Leon and
Lavrille, he was more than once an
the brink of a quarrel with.some of his
intimates, who bantered him on his
lack of penetration, and on the readi
ness with which lie had maintained the
chivalry of the unworthy countryman
of the Cid,. Doubly irritated against
Leon, on account of his cowardice anti,.
of the persiflage to which he had taut
himself open by expressing confidence
in his courage, De Roncevalles took no
further notice of the Spaniard, scarcely
even returning the saltitations_aplr,lssed
to him by the latter when they chanced
to meet.
It was late on the seventh evening
after the scene at the dub, and nearly
the same persons. wereassembled there.
who had been witnesses of the insult
ofTered to Leon. The conversation
had againturned on the cowardly be
havior ofille-,_Spaniard, and all were
loudly condeu t itling_tt, when the object
of their blame-entered - the room. Hither
to it was by look and manner alone that
Leon had been made aware ciNke con
tempt in which he was held{
this occasion•Dellioncevalles, who was
speaking when he entered, continued
121
ReirareVesi of Denunciation from any Quarter.—Gov. PORTICII,
viIOW,LIZat. 9 31E1.11U - Liadffd CgMTSITTZ9 aLo.9 EfM3' LtialE2l2' AC39 EG36ESc,
his angry anirnad4ersion without re-.
gold to the presence of their object.
"1 repeat;" cried he, " what I have
already said more than once in the pre
,
sence of all but one of the personsnow
here assembled. The man who can
sit down under an insult when the way
'to avenge it and vindicate his honor is
plain and open before him, is unworthy
to associate with gentlemen. I allude
to a person who has been admitted into
this society, who is even now present
in the room, but who will do well to
'withdraw both from the one and the
other."
And then, as if he had been collect
ing the votes of the assembly, he asked
each person for his opinion.
" How say you. De Coney, do you
think as I do? And you De Visme,
and yocr, Victor?"
Each person present distinctly and
in furn declared his adhesion to De
Roncevalles' opinion. There was then
a momentary pause, and all gazed. at
Leon, who had been a calm observer
of this scene. as if they had expected
that he would at once depart from
amongst those .to whom his presence
was evidently obnoxious. Instead of
doing so, however, he addressed De
Roncevalles in a voice of which the
tones were firm and clear, althotighi
somewhat sad.
- "Am I the person, Captain de Ron.
eevalles," he said, 1 to whotn allusion
has been made in what ltaq just pass
ed,?"
The officer bowed slightly, while a
contemptuous smile curled his lip.
Will you oblige me by statin g dis
tinctly whether the insult offered me
by yourself and these gentlemen had its
origin in what occurred a few days agn
between Monsieur Lavrille and myself,
and in my not havinuesented the in
solence of that person-'s conduct towards
me ? I can only suppose that to be
your motive."
" You are perfectly correct in your
supposition, sir," replied De Ronce
valles ; " but I really cannot conjecture
what you are driving at."
" That shall soon be explained. I
may not have been disposed to take
notice : of Monsieur Lavrille, but I am
perfectly prepared to resent that of
Captain de Roncevalles. I presume
the latter will not object to give me a
meeting to-morrow at such an hour,
and with such weapons as may be
agreeable to himself.
There was a pause of breathless as
tonishment in the room. For nearly
a' minute the buzz of a fly might have
been heard. That the man who had
pusillarimously shrunk from an en
counter with the clumsy sot, Lavrille,
whom the least expert duelist would
have 1tc.;,1 rs cheap bargain, should cool
ly provoke so formidable a sab.rettr as
De !oncevalles, was an enigma not
easily to be solved. De Roncevalles
himself was for a moment thunderstruck
by the Spaniard's temerity, but imme
diately recovering his presence of mind,
he replied in a tone of greater courtesy
than he had hitherto ; dopted.
" I might refuse your challenge, sir,
and perhaps ought to do so, upon the
ground that you have submitted patient
ly to a former insult. But you are a
foreigner, and one of whom I formerly
thought well, and I will waive the ob
jection I might fairly raise. Captain
de Vismei" continued he, to an officer
of huzzars who was present, will you
be good eirugh to arrange matters with
the friend whom Senor Leon may think
proper to appoint ?"
Leon named the Count Vermejo as
his second, and then left the house.
In a pleasant and secluded mellow to
1 the right of the road from Toulouse to
Albi, five persons were assembled will:-
in six hours of the scene last narrated,
at five o'clock on a brilliant July morn
ing. The sun was shining as it is
wont to shine from the first to the last
day of,the glorious summer of-Langtte
doc, the hedge-rows and coppices were
er.ainelled with wild floWers, the lark
sang merrily aloft, the cuckoo uttered
its sweet but monotonous note in the
distance. and a streamlet rippling under
the shadow of some venerable oaks.
added its refreshing .tinkle to the con
course of pleasant sounds. Amid • the
lovliest of God's works, two human be
ings were met to deface his image. -
, The weapon fixed upon was the
:small sword, which had been proposed
by Captain de Visine, anti accepted,
without hesitation, by the other second.
The preparattons for the duel were.
soon completed ; the doctor retired to
a short distance, and looked to his in
struments ; the seconds who had alrea
dy agreed on all the-conditions of the
combat, placed their men, and de'ivcred
to them the ,long slender swords with
which hey were to bring their quarrel
to an issue. Leon was, as usual, ra
fectly cool and collected ; De Ronce
valles the same, only on his counten
ance might be read a feeling of uncer
taintyra doubt what he ought to think
of the man who, after shrinking from
the contest with one opponent, gave
such indications of calm courage on be
ing placed face`coface with a far snore
formidable foe:
The swords were crossed, and at a
given signal the fight began, cautiously
at first, each combatant being evidently
desirous of ascerta;ning the degree of
skill possessed by his antagonist. De
Roncevalles was the first to take the
offensive by a feint and a lunge that the
Spaniard parried with ease. Several
passes were then made, but Leon show
ed a disposition to keep on the defen
sive, while his opponent. on the other
hand, excited by the clash and grinding
of the steel, became each moment more
fierce and dangerous in his attacks.—
After some rapid passes, during which
the swords flashed and played round
each other like lines of light, blood was
seen to flow from Leon's shoulder.—
The seconds stepped forward, but the
wounded man waved• them off. The
hurt was trifling, and the combat c.)n
tinned.
In few countries are so many good
swordsmen to be met with as in France;
and De Roncevalles was remarkable
even -amongst Frenchmen for his skill
in fence. On this occasion, however,
he had met his match, or. as the look
ers on thought, , more than his match.—
The seconds were of opinion that had
Leon chosen to exert the skill which
he evidently fiossessed, he might have
terminated the contest in its earlier
stage, in a manner fatal to his adversa
ry. De Roncevalles got vexed, and,
heated by the obstinate resistance he
met with, he became less careful, risk
ed more, and once or twice laid him
'self open in a manner by which Leon
might easily have profited. But the
Jailer neglected doing so, until at last,
taking advantage of a violent and im
prudent assault made by his antagonist,
he brought his forte in contact with
De Roncevalles' faille, and the sword
of the French officer flew into the air,
leaving its owner disarmed, and at the
Mercy of his adversary. Leon let the
point of his weapon fall on the ground.
"If Captain de Roncevalles," said
the Spaniard in the;same calm tones,
and with the same e.:;quisitely courte
ous manner for which he was at all
times remarkable ; if Captain de
Roncevalles is satisfied that I am not
the poltroon for whom he has for some
days taken me, my object in seeking
this duel has been attained, and I am
sincerely glad that it has been so at
such trifling expense of bloodshed."
The Frenchman stood fora moment s
struggling bet Ween. the Letter feelings
of his nature, and mortification, not un
mixed with anger, at his defeat. The
former prevailed, and he held out his
hand to Leon. I
" After what has passsed," said he,
" it would be as absurd in me to doubt
your courage as your skill and
,gener
osity. I cannot divine your reasonii
for submitting to the - impertinence of
that shabby dog, Lavrille ; but what
ever they may have been, I at least
have no right to question them. Un
der all circumstances, Senor Leon,
Gerald de Roncevalles is your friend."
"My motives for acting as I have
done, are easily explained," returned
Leon, smiling ; but with your per
mission, I will defer disclosing them
until to-night, when those who witness
ed what they considered my pusillani
mity, will be present to listen to its
justification."
The slight wound in Leon's shoulder
was now dressed, and the parties left
the ground.
Upon the eveningof the day on which
this duel took place, De Roncevalles
and the other young men who had been
present at Leon's dispute with Lavrille,
were again assembled at the club. The
banker alone was absent. He had
heard of the occurrence of the morning.
and had not thought it advisable to put
himself in the way of the man Whom
he had offended ; end who, now he bad
got his hand in, might, he thought, per
haps-call him to an account. De Ron
cevalles, with eager crenerosity, had
made it his business to tell every one
who could possibly have heard of the
insinuations circulated against Leon,
how well the latter had proved himself
a man of honor and courage: It was
with extended hands. and smiling coun
tenances, and manifold excuses for past
slights, that the Spaniard was received
upon entering the elub.. After these
effusions of good feeling - had
Leon addressed - himself to De Ronce•
valles.
"I promised you this morning," said
he, "that I would explain my . motives
for overlooking Monsieur Lavrille's in
solence, and, what was far more diffi
cult for me to submit to, his unfounded
insinuations against a lady for whom I
entertain the highest respect. In order
to do so, I must go back to an early
period of my life, when I was residing
at the Havana, in which colony my
boyhood and youth were passed. From
the age of seventeen up to my return
to Europe, which took place about
eight years since, I belonged to a so
ciety of young men who passed a large
portion of their time in fencinglooms
and pistol-galleries, and most of whom,
consequently, became first-rate swords
men and admirable a1i0... After a
time, weiry of snuffing candles with
bullets, and marking each other with
the chalked buttons of the foils, some
of the more restless and hot-headed
among us began to covet opportunities
of displaying our prowess in a more
serious manner. Skill in the use of
arms, however ornamental, and often
useful an acquirement, has a tendency
to make young and - theughtless men
quarrelsome, and under the' influence
of a West Indian sun, the blood easily
becomes heated, and the temper irrita
ble. We were twenty in number, all
about twenty-five years of age ; all pos
sessed of quick eyes, nervous arms,
and that supleness of limb and muscle
which a tropical climate gives. In nu
merous duels with officers of the gar
rison, with those of various ships of
war lying off the island, with foreigners
and with natives, we came off victori
ous; and soon. encouraged by our suc
cess, and cherishing a sort of absurd
pride, in the notoriety it grre us, we
made it almost our busin sto seek
duels, and scarcely a week passed with
out one or the other of our number
having an affair of that nature upon his
hands. Loa Veinte, as we were called,
in allusion to our number, soon became
the terror of the HaVana, and the 'Ha
bannera, ladies trembled when they
saw their sons, husbands, or brothers.
repair to a cafe, theatre, or other public
place, where they were likely to come
in contact with members of our dread, d
society.
Although we were thus, as it might
be said, almost at enmity with our fel
low-citizens, the most perfect good un
derstanding existed among ourselves.—
We we were all young men - compe
tent fortunes, without any occupation
in life save that of amusing ourselves.
We were in the habit of dining togeth
er, three or four - times a week, either
at a fonda or at one or other of our
houses, and the utmost harmony and
good feeling always reigned at these
repasts. The dinner hour was early,
and after the meal, card-placing and
conversation, the cigar and the siesta
filled up the- afternoon in the most
agreeable manner.
We were dining one day at the
house of a young Valencian, named
Luis Villabella, who had just received
some choice French and Spanish wines,.
which he was desirous we,should taste:
The weather was exceedingly hot, and
the dinner had been laid out upon ta.
bles in the patio, or inner court of the
house, under a thick green awning that
effectually excluded the rays of the
sun. The repast was excellent, the
wines deliciously con!, and we all of us
drank enough, some-of us perhaps too
much. Cards were then produced, and
several of the party sat down to play.
For some time everything went on
pleasantly and quietly, until, on a sud
den, a dispute arose at a table on which
a game of tresilio was played. The
four players were all .s exceeClingly inti
mate and attached friends, two of them
were cousins of the name of Rodriguez.
At first no one took notice of their dis
cussion, but at length it became so,vio
lent, that we interposed to check it.—
They fiercely, rejected our interference,
and continued their quarrel with greater
vehemence than before.
A dispute. between mere acquain
tances is often easy to arrange ; a slight
concession on either side may do it;
but when bosom friends quarreWt is
another 'matter. They know each
other's weak points, and where to
strike, so as to give the greatest pain
and leave the most rankling smart. It
was so in this instance. The quarrel,
which had had its origin in some slight •
misunderstanding about the cards, be
came envenomed ; allusions were ex
changed, especially between the two
consins,unintelligible to the bystanders,
but which seemed to stimulate to the
utmost the rage of the persons to whom
they were addressed: At last, in an
access of unbounded fury, one of the.
Rodriguez hurled a pack of cards. at
his cousin's head, at the same, moment
[Oa al E 34 64COLaaeal a aorm,
that one of the other disptitants, incent.
ed almost to madness, spat contemptu
ously on the ground, and applied tbhis,
adversary the most insulting epithet
that the - Spanish language possesses.—
Then, as ii exhausted by this display
of ungovernable passion, the aggressors
threw themselves, pale, and panting,.
into-their chairs. The two others ap
proached the-master of the house, and
asked for his swords.
A feeble attempt was made to patch
up the quarrel, but we all saw that it
would be in vain. Things had gone
too far. The tables were cleared away,
and dust was sprinkletrover the marble
flags of the patio, to prevent the com
batants from slipping. Villabella had
only one pair of swords. The buttons
were snapped off a pair of foils, the
points hasiily filed, and the four gladia
tors post,..d themselves opposite each
other, rage and deadly determination on
their pallid countenances.
I have seen many duels, but I shall
never forget that one. Such fiendish
fury and blood—thirstiness ! They
fought too fiercely for the contest to
.;st long. In the very first passes, all
were more or less wounded, but they
persevered, although the pavement soon
became slippery with blood. We more
than once tried to interfere, but were
repelled at the sword's point. In less
then a quarter of an hour, two of the
combatants lay corpses upon the ground,
a third was desperately wounded, and
the fourth, the younger Rodriguez, was
lying upon the lifeless body of Lis
cousin, tearing his hair, and cursing
himself, in a frantic paroxysm of grief
remorse.
" I sailed for Europe soon after that
sad event," continued Leon, after a
short pause ; `• but before I did so, our
society met once more to register a vow,
which I for one have strictly kept.-
-With joined hands, and heads uncover
ed, we swore upon the cross never to
provoke a duel, except under these cir
cumstances, namely when we should be
insulted on account of a previous act
of forbearance. Thus my oath pre
ven. d me from resenting the offence
offered me bv Monsieur Davrille, but
as soon as a third person insulted me
for not having noticed it, I was at liber
ty to call him to an account for so do
ing. I know not whether such A-sys
tem, or any modification of it, May be
susceptible of general application, but
it is perhaps not ,altogether unworthy
the consideration of those who ate de
sirous of doing away with the argument
Of the sword. That duels can ever be
entirely abolished. I much doubt, but I
am fully convinced that means might
be found of rendering them of far less
frequcnt occurence.
On a bright and cheerful morning
about a fortnight after the duel between
Leon and De Doncevalfes, a long fine
of equipages was formed -before the,
church of St. Catherine, at Toulouse4--_
Presently a brilliant bridal party began
to issue from the church-door ; gay
uniforms, nodding plumes, silks, jew
els, and flowers ; dashing officers, dap
e.:•r civilians, and.lovely women, the •
dark-eyed sons and daughters of south
ern France, were there. 'Between De
Roncevalles and his sister,. a charming
Parisian belle, came the Spaniard Leon,
supporting on his" arm the graceful form
of Pauline Duveyrier. He shook his
former antagonist heartily by the hand„
Mademoiselle de Roncevalles kissed
Pauline on both cheeks, and then Leon
,ianded the latter into an elegant travel
ing carriage, on which a coat of arms.
surmounted by a coronet, was embla
zoned. The horses' heads were turned
southward, and amidst bright smiles,
and waving kerchiefs, and countless
good wishes, the Marquis of, Leon y•
Caceres and his bride set off for Mad
rid.
BOSTON CITY ELECTION.-...Another
trial to elect 21 Mayor for Roan took
place on Thursday, with the following
result—Horner, Dem., 1508; Parker
Whig, 3841; Davis, Native, 4414;
others 46. The whole number of
votes 6 . 9809, and Mr. Davis, the Na
tive American candidate, who has tho
highest number of votes, lacks 982 of
a clioiee, some three hundred votes
further feonian election than at the last
trial.
CAUTION.—The Glizetie informs, us,
that counterfeit hills on the' Yates
County Bank are in circulation atElmira.
They can easily- be detected, from the
coarseness of the engraving. The names
arc, sowell eicetited . that it wnuld be
difficult%) detect them in that way.
WOG Off! O