The Strangest Of Duels

Perliaps the mostremarkabie cmeievei fought took place in 1803. It was peculiarly French in its tone, and could .; hardly have occurred under any other tban a French state of society. M. Ie Gnindpre and M. le Pique had a quarrel, urifiing ont of jonlousy couceruinfr a lady. They agreed to iight a duel to setüe their respective claims ; and, m order thnt the heat of angry passion should not interfere with the pohshed elegance of the proceeding, they postponed the duel for a month, the lady a"reeing to bestow her hand on the survivor of the two, if tne other Was killed ; at all events, this was inferred by thetwo men, I not actually exprossed. The itelists were to flglit in the air. Iwo bftlj 1, )on.s were constructed exaotly alike. l m the dav denot(-d Le GrimJpiv and hls second' entered the car of min balloon, L.e Piqie and lila second tüat ot tno :ther ; it vs in the garden of thn fuüeriee, auiid an immense concord of spectators. TÈë gentlemen were to lire, uot at each other, but at each othei s balloon, in order to bring them down by the escapo of gaa ; tuid, as pistols might hardly havo sorved this pui-poc, l'licn aeronaut took i blnnderbuas in lus car. I At the giwn signal the ropos that re tained thfe cars were ent, and the balloona ascended. ïhe wind was moderute, and kept the balloons at about their original distante of eighty yards apart. When half a milo above the 'emèbeSi the eartlu apreconcerted signal for firing was given M. le Pique fired, butmisaed. M. Ie txraiulprefired, and sent a buil throngh Le Pinue's balloon. The balloon collaped, the car descended rith frightful rapidity, and Le Pique and his secondwei-e daahed to pieces. Le Grandpro continued his ascent triumphantly, and terminated his aerial voyage successfully.