LORD GEORGE BENTINCK. 



a challenge which he was obliged to accept. This 

 incident is thus recorded by a contemporary : ' We 

 alluded, in the early part of our sketch, to Lord 

 George's detestation of duelling. Nevertheless, he 

 was once obliged to go out, and his opponent was 

 none other than the redoubtable Squire Osbaldeston. 

 The quarrel originated in a betting transaction 

 between the parties at Heaton Park. At Newmarket 

 Craven Meeting, Mr. Osbaldeston, riding up to 

 Lord George Bentinck, said : " Lord George, I want 

 £400, won of you at Heaton Park." To this the 

 reply was : " You want £400 that you swindled me 

 out of at Heaton Park." Such a rejoinder hardly 

 admitted of an apology, and after the usual pre- 

 liminary arrangements, they met to fight a duel. It 

 fell to Lord George's lot to fire first. His pistol 

 missed fire, whereupon, without any appearance of 

 excitement, he said to his adversary : " Now, squire, 

 it is two to one in your favour." " Is it ?" said his 

 opponent. " Why, then, the bet's off," and dis- 

 charged the contents of his pistol in the air.' 



With all due deference to the writer, my impression 

 is that this unpleasant affair originated, not at Heaton 

 Park, but at Croxton Park, when the squire was beat 

 on one of his horses on the first day, and riding the 

 same horse on the next day, Avon, when he had taken 

 Lord George's £400 to £100 that he would do 

 so. But surely there is nothing that could be called 

 swindling about such an occurrence, which we may 



