64 FAMOUS EACING MEN. 



veterans speak of Lord George without being impressed with the 

 conviction that he was a man of no ordinary calibre, who might have 

 succeeded in any career had he thrown his whole soul into it, but 

 whose misfortune it was to vacillate between politics and sport, and 

 consequently become nothing more than a brilliant failure in iDoth. 

 The brief sketch of his life, which we purpose giving here, will, we 

 think, thoroughly bear out this estimate of his career, both as a states- 

 man and a sportsman. 



Lord William Greorge Frederick Cavendish Bentinck, who was 

 always known as " Lord Greorge " on the turf, was born on the 

 27th of February, 1802, at "Welbeck, and was the second son of the 

 Duke of Portland, himself an excellent sportsman. His mother 

 was Henrietta, daughter of Major Greneral Scott, and sister of the 

 Dowager Lady Canning. Lord Greorge Bentinck early chose the 

 profession of arms, and about the year 1819 entered the army as a 

 comet in the 10th Hussars. Dm'ing his short service as a cavalry 

 officer. Lord George had an unfortunate misunderstanding with his 

 superior, Captain Kerr, which led to the cashiering of the latter, and 

 brought considerable odium upon his lordship, for the captain was 

 an extremely gallant and popular officer. It seems that Ken- 

 imagined Lord George to be deficient alike in his duty as a subaltern 

 and in due respect to his colonel, and said on parade, publicly, " If 

 you do not make this young gentleman behave himself, colonel, I 

 will." His Lordship retorted just as audibly, that " Captain Kerr 

 ventm-ed to say on parade that which lie dared not repeat off." On 

 this a challenge was sent from the captain to the cornet. The former, 

 a Yorkshireman, and as brave as he was cool, suggested G'alais as the 

 trysting-place ; but, on Lord George failing to meet him, Kerr 

 " posted " his lordship, and received sentence of dismissal from His 

 Majesty's service in consequence. Poor Kerr stood, as he expressed 

 himself, " between two fires," being liable to be " sent to Coventry " 

 by his brother officers if he hesitated in sending the message, after 

 receiving the retort on parade already mentioned ; and being, on the 

 other hand, in danger of being cashiered by com-t-martial if he de- 

 manded an appeal to arms. Lord George always had a deep detestation 

 of the code of honour which sanctioned duelling, and openly expressed 

 his feelings on the subject, declaring that nothing would ever induce 

 him to fight a duel. This was his excuse for not accepting Kerr's 

 challenge, and the latter considered himself ill-used in having been 

 made to suffer so severely through adopting the only com-se then 

 open to a military man by reason of the mistaken conventional rules 

 of the service. Not long afterwards Captain Kerr died in Paris, 

 stricken down by the cholera ; and it is said that, on hearing of his 

 death. Lord George expressed remorse and regret for the part he 

 himself had taken in the matter ; for had he withdrawn the offensive 

 word " dared " a reconciliation might have been effected. Upou the 

 appointment of Mr. Canning (his uncle by marriage) as Governor- 

 General of India, I^ord George received the nomination of military 



