Original Correspondencè.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CEYLON MAGAZINE.

3

SIR,-The recent trial of a Peer of England has brought the question of "Duelling" once more before the public: there is scarcely a periodical either at home or in the East, but has taken up the subject and argued the pros and cons with much acuteness. There is no doubt but that the opponents of duelling are on the encrease, just as are the opponents of war, and the folly of supposing a man to be redressed for an insult by standing up to either be shot by, or shoot, his insulter is daily becoming more apparent This is a natural consequence of the spread of education and of the enlargemeat of people's thinking faculties, and the same progress of the mind has convinced us, of the present day, of the advantage of preserving peace. Yet, few will I think, allow that a nation is to be insulted and aggrieved with impunity simply because war is a bad thing! So it is with individuals. Duelling is no doubt a bad thing, and the innocent party sometimes falls, nevertheless, if a man submit to an insult one day, he may be knocked down the next, he must therefore have some protection, or society would speedily be rent to its foundation. What that protection should be, in lieu of a duel, it is no easy matter to decide; many a suggestion has been brought forward but none of a feasable nature. The last overland papers, told us that a prize of £100 had been awarded to a Mr. Macnamara for his “Essay on the best means of preventing war amongst nations." How much better it would have been had the Essay treated on the « Prevention of duelling." For that a remedy may be found, but I am confident that none ever will for war, and therein lays the great difference between them. In other respects the same arguments apply to both. They are both evils, and in both cases the injured party may fall. * Until some remedy be actually found I would suggest, that as we must have duelling, swords should be used instead of pistols. A flesh wound, a mere drawing of blood, would be quite sufficient and would prevent those sad deaths so often the result of pistol duelling. Al who have wives or children depending on them, are bound in duty to avoid the possibility of making them orphans and widows: such should positively refuse to go out with pistols and amongst the sensible portion of mankind such firmness would be respected rather than laughed at.

P. B. P.

True. But, cases of national injustice invariably create sympathy in other pations an oppress'd people nearly always finds assistance in it's neighbours and then the chances are that the oppressor is defeated. This cannot be the case in private affairs of honor where it must be man to man, and where the adept is but too often matched with the unskilful.-Ed: C. Mayazine.

PHILIP.-A TRAGEDY.

[Continued from page 443.]

ACT THIRD.

SCENE FIRST.

Charles and Isabella.

Char-Excuse, I beseech thee, my mad boldness. If I have caused thy Elvira to solicit from thee a brief audience at a late and unusual hour, an important occasion has urged me to do so, Is. What would'st thou !-wherefore dost thou not leave me to myself! Wherefore deprive me further of that peace which I do not possess why do I meet you!

Char.--Alas! Be not offended! now, now I leave thee! O eruel fate, I leave thee and return to my wonted tears. Hear me, thon hast even now dared to speak in my favor to my fatherThou hast committed a great crime, I come to warn thee; and may it please Heaven that I alone bear the penalty-He assumes the semblance of an austere companion, and he has given me pardon-ever the earnest in him of darker resentment-A heart prone to compassion is a deep offence to a tyrant. Thou most excellent didst not think of this-I come to remind thee and at the same time to admonish thee, that in him Pity is but the forerunner of every misery, a terror with which I was never before acquainted possess'd my heart from that instant-O Heaven1 kow not. His language was new to me! He showed unwon ted tenderness! Oh! never, never again speak to him of me!

Is. He first mentioned thee to me and forced me, as it were, to reply, but at my words his anger seemed completely to subside, and even before he had spoken with thee he complained tenderly with paternal affection, and praised thee in my presence-He is thy father, he is thy father in a word! and may it never happen that I shall be able to believe that an only son is not beloved by a father! Resentment blinds thee, you imagine a hatred in him which cannot have an existence-I am the occasion, wretched I, the occasion that thou lovest him not!

Char.-O Madam! thou art but ill-acquainted with us both! It is indeed not untrue that I am indignaut! still I do not hate him! I am envious of a good which he has snatched from me, and does not discern its rare value! Ah, wer't thou but happy, I should be less miserable.

Is.-See! thon turnest to thy wonted complaints despite of thee! Prince I leave thee; live perfectly assured that I shall well weigh all my words and signs, before Philip hears me mention thee. Sull am I fearful! but of the son much more than of the father

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SCENE THE SECOND.

Char-O noble heart, ill-conversant with distrust! whither bast dbou cast thyself!-but,-who comes here

!

SCENE T&E THIRD.

Gomes and Charles.

Char. What dost thou want?

Gomes.-I await the king who is coming here momentarily. Ah Prince let me enter meantime into a participation of that just joy with which the at length recovered favor of a father covers thee, Assure thyself (so much influence as I have with him) I always spoke in thy behalf. I am still ready

SCENE THE FOURTH.

Gores. Vastly insolent, but still more imprudent!

SCENE THE FIFTH.

Philip, Leonardo, Peres, Gomes, Councillors & Guards, Phil. Ho there! let none dare intrude--a few, but just and faithful, are here this day for unusual consultation! Let every one hearken to me! but what horror possesses me even before I begin to speak! What a chill passes through my veins; tears stand upoy my brow, and my feeble voice wavering tremulous, refuses as it were, to give utterance to the feelings of my heart.-Am I however obliged? yes! I am obliged. The country claims it, not Who would believe it? I seat myself this day among you чs au accuser, not a judge which I could not by any means beAnd were not I to be the accuser in a case of such guilt, which of you would venture to do it! I see you shudder already! already each one horrified, what will it be then when you shall beard me pronounce the name of∙Charles! Leo. Is it thine only son?

Per. And of what crime is he guilty R

have

Phil. By an ungrateful son my peace has been robb'd. That blessing which each of you in the bosom of his family enjoys, much more happy than me! In vain I tried clemency with him -in vain mild firmness and by turns affectionate incentives to virtue-Insensible to example and intreaties and still more regardless of menaces, he added one crime to another-and to nicked guilt, frantic audacity! Yes this day he reached the climax of every fierce excess? To-day when I had given him fresh unques tionable proofs of my excessive indulgence he gave me, to day, the last proof of unheard of impiety. Scarce had the laminary that brings us day-the bright witness of all my labours, departed to light up my other kingdoms, till with the shades of night, friendly to the traitor, another horrible conception sprung up in the

mand of Charles-To be avenged for his pardoned crimes, he mo ved towards my apartment-with a parricidal sword he dared to arm his hand-He already approached me from behind -he alrea dy raised the sword,- he already aimed it at the unprotected side of his Father when behold au tnexpected scream came upon me from a different direction. Beware! Philip, Beware! It was Rodrigo who was coming to me. I felt at the very moment as it were a blow glancing by me, I looked behind, at my feet I beheld a naked sword, and in the shadowy uncertain light I saw my son making off in rapid flight. I have told every thing. If there be among you one who can accuse him of another crime or if there be any who can clear him of this-Ah speak truly and fearlessly! May heaven inspire you to that degree This is a tremendous business! Weigh it well O judges. I look to you for the sentance of my son, and at the same time of myself.

Gomes.---What dost thou require of us O king, can we betray Philip betray ourselves. But can ve plunge a sword into the heart of a father! alas, prge us hot to a stern

measure.

Lea. The day may perhaps arise, O King, in which the truth heard will be displeasing to thee; and us, who shall have told it thee, thou shalt even wish to make sorry for doing so!

Per.--Truth cannot hurt-Truth is sought after, let it be told. Phil. The father does not hear you here, it is the King who hears you.

a

Gomes-I shall speak then first. I first will brave the anger of father!--Thou art sull 4 father-and by a purposely severe, a disturbed rather than a threatening countenance, it may be easily perceived; that it thou accusest Charles, thou acquittest thy sou-and art not willing to enumerate or perhaps knowest all the crimes of thy son. To propound a compact with the rebellious Batavians, appears in Charles a light error : now behold a letter taken from bin, a wicked letter in which he contracts for our ruin, and at the same time his infamy. He dares to treat with the French; yes, with the abhorred French-Here, here you may read that a traffic is infamously made of Navarre, Catalonia, and other ich provinces annexed to the Spanish crown by the valour of our ancestors, subsequently preserved by us with our blood and sweat. The execrable hire of execrable assistance afforded to the son against his father, so great a part of such a kingdom to go as a prey to the French and the remaining part would be oppressed with impunity by the deceitful son of a king, who in judgement and valor could rule singly not only a part of the world, but the whole-Beholdwhat a fate impended over us-Oh! dear and necessary, and sacred are thy days to us, O king; but no less necessary and sacred is the glory of the Spanish empire-Horrible desire to attempt the life of a King aud of a Father-but to betray at one and the same time his own honor, and to sell his country is (suffer me to say it) perhaps equally horrible-The first thou canst forgive; it relate

to thyself! but canst thou the other? Thou canst pardon the other also-but when I see it superadded to such unheard of excess, what else can I pronounce than death.

Per.-Death! what do I hear?

Phil.-O Heaven!

Leo.-Yet, who would believe that I should be able to the execrable names of parricide, traitor and rebel, to add others? There remains one however much more execrable, such as a man cannot, as it were, venture to pronounce.

Phil. And is there!

-

Leo. A sacrilegious lying despiser of just Heaven-Oh Omnipotent God! do thou now expressly loose the veracious tongue of me thy unworthy yet faithful servant. The day is arrived, the bour-the moment is arrived, in which thou overthrowest with one flashing tremendous look of thine, him who has been long insolent. Thon makest me rise-me the champion of Thy sublime insulted Majesty-Thon breathest a preternatural boldness in my glowing bosom, a boldness equal to the occasion. O earthly sovereign! hearken thou to that which the King of kings, speaks to thee by my lips!-The prince, whom I consider so impious that I will not dare to call him the son of my king, the prince does not cease to pour from his impure mouth words of horrid contempt with which he insults Heaven itself, not less than the minister of Heaven --the wicked profane scoff daringly is raised up against the Teinple; he reviles the worship of our ancestors-he applands the new, and if he should reign one day we should behold the sacred altars upon the ground and in the mire, trampled upon by sacrilegious feet; as much as now we do honor to them with prayers and incense! we should see what do I say? however if the thundering sword of God should delay so long I shall see nothing of it-He shall see it who will not rather dare to die. I shall not see turn'd aside the sacred veil which shades from the vulgar the truth which they do not understand but believe, nor that tribunal which represents upon earth the justice of Heaven (and renders it more mild to us) shall I behold overthrown as he has sworn! That tribunal which preserves to us unhurt and pure the faith to the shame of others; may Heaven blast his impious vow! may the horrid fiend hope for it in vain! O Philip, do thou raise thy look to the Sovereign King. Thou hast honor, empire, life, every thing from Him-he can withdraw all-if Heaven is offended and is the offender thy son-In him, In him is written the fatal sentence, read it and never binder it-Heaven throws back its vengeance upon him who disturbs it.

Per. It is not a small matter to find free sentiments in the mind under a hard despotism-Thought freely expressed is not always free, and sometimes even vileness clothes itself with pretended frankness! hear me, O King, thou shalt see what it is to speak with freedom, hear me and thou shalt see another kind of