Pitt (left) fires his pistol into the air; tierney (right) fires straight at pitt, saying, "missed him! by g. " each has a second pistol in his left hand. Pitt, in profile, says: "the only explanation i give is this! there! - that's to shew you, that i bear no personal enmity! - but that no consideration of my own safety, shall deter me from doing my duty to king & country!!! - so fire away!" his second, dudley ryder, stands behind (left) holding a sheathed sword; he adds: "no nor unsay any thing which we know to be true, neither. " tierney faces three-quarter to the left; in his belt, inscribed 'egalité', are two daggers dripping blood; a tricolour cockade decorates his round hat. Behind him (right) and on a smaller scale than the other second is george walpole, both fists clenched, a pair of large pistols under his left arm; he says: "missed him? - o lord! its worse than ye morroon business! o lord! o lord! - if he had but been popp'd off, how nicely we might have popp'd on, - o lord! o lord. " he wears a very large cocked hat and, unlike the others, is caricatured. (he is described as leaping over the furze-bushes for joy at seeing the duellists still erect. Rose, op. Cit. ) behind tierney is an empty gibbet inscribed 'abershaw', placarded 'this old iron shop to left'. On it sits a crow with the head of burdett in profile to the left. The scene is a plateau of grass and sand, with st. Paul's and london spires in the distance. In the middle distance is a coach; a man holds the door open, watching the duel, as does a postilion on the (nearer) off horse. See bmsat 9218, &c. 30 may 1798
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1798. Dimensions: Height: 260 mm; Width: 369 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Jerry Abershaw. Collection: British Museum. The Explanation (BM 1868,0808.6744)
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