394

LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.

round,” I would either have driven him into the ditch ormy sword through his body. He was a capital fencer, so Iwas bound to caution ; however, at last I passed my swordthrough his right arm near the shoulder, and then theseconds put a stop to the alfair. My second who was thePrince Ferdinand Colonna Stigliano, took the jumping-back as a good joke, and said tlffit he thought too lightlyof my adversary to forbid the timely interposition of hissecond’s sword. He afterwards allowed that he had beenin error, which he certainly had, and gave my opponent anundue advantage. On a subsequent occasion I was secondto Colonna, when he triumphed I may say, mainly throughmy assistance.

Murat again repaired to Paris in order to assist at themarriage of the Emperor with Maria Louisa of Austria ,which was celebrated on the 1st of April, 1810. During hisabsence some heartburnings took place between French andNeapolitan authorities and officers of rank. For instance,the French Colonel Durand having been ordered toorganise a regiment of Cuirassiers was allowed, undercertain regulations of agreement, to pick a number of menout of other cavalry regiments. In selecting some menfrom a regiment commanded by the Duke of Roccaromana,the latter thought himself aggrieved,—an altercation ensued,which ended in a challenge. Some how or other, it wasagreed that the Duke and Durand should fight in fulluniform on horseback, with sabres only, no fire arms to becarried. I was intimate with the Duke, and especially withhis only son (a fine young man, who was afterwards, (in1815), killed by my side before the face of his father), andI was acquainted with the place and hour fixed for thecombat, which was not to take place for several days afterthe challenge. During this interval, I several times accom-panied the Duke and his friends to the “ Campo Marte,”