The National Register. — London, England, 1813-05-30 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. a Cur Sing, Constitution, anD taint. PUBLISHED AT NO. 11, NEWCASTLE-STIILET, STRAND. No. 2433. SUNDAY, MAY 30, 1813. PR ICE Pd. •TIDE DUKE OF CUAIBEPL4ND'S SECRET EXPEDITION. The departure of his Royal Highness the Duke of CUM ERI. AND for the Continent, has given rise to a great va. riety of reports,, and to a still greater number of conjec tures. At first it was not unnaturally concluded that the object of his Mission, was to present himself to the rising llanoverians, to heighten and consolidate the spirit of insur rection which had manifested itself . about that time. It vas thought that he was going out on the supposition, that that loyal people, struggling to burst the shackles of France, would have felt inspired with new ardour in their glorious cause, when they saw at their head a Prince of the Blood of that Sovereign, under whose sway' they bad so long happily lived, and to whom they still remain fondly attach ed. This conjecture was so rational, that it obtained im plicit credence, and though certain Journals seemed disposed to indulge their usual levity on the occasion, by sneeringly speaking of the vast benefits which might be expected to result to the common cause, from sending out so able and" accomplished a General as the Duke of CU:ABEM AND, the prevailing sentiment was greatly in fa vour of the measure. About the time of his departure, The Morning Chronicle took occasion, on the sale of his Royal Iligbness's wines, to endeavour to throw an air of mystery on the circumstance of his quitting England. We were told that his Royal High ness's absence was likely to continue for years; and to this story, it was endeavoured to give a higher colouring, by ob serving, that wine was not understood to be the worse for age, leaving it, of course, to he inferred that, from its sale, it might be conjectured that Prince had no intention ever to return. The Papers next informed us, that his Royal Highness had left England for the Continent, " equally prepared f o r love or war ;" and it was more than insinuated that a ma trimonal connection between him and the sister of the Em peror of Russ] A was on the mph. While it was supposed after this, that the Royal lover was vigorously pursuing his suit ; while all were in expectation of a new alliance being formed between England and her August Ally ; while all the poets of the day were preparing to slur the loves of CUMBERLAND and the Archduchess of RtmtA, a new account, big with mystery, appeared in the intelligent Morniv Chronicle. Recurring to the subject in its usual way, it mentioned that it had been intimated to the Duke of CUMBERLAND that he was not expected to iwnor the head-quarters of the Allies with his presence. This inuendo was evidently intended to convey, in the strongest planner, a belief, that his Royal Highness bad been directed Vol. U. No.CCLXXXIII. to keep away. The Allies were represented to have said they wanted no volunteers ! A strange declaration this l and one, that it requires more than common ingenuity to reconcile with any principle of reason. The meaning, however, of the whole paragraph seemed to bar, that the Allies having heard some report unfavourable to the chaff aster of the DUKE, d d not wi•h for his company. This was the view taken of it by the leading Ministerial print, and on- this supposition it proceeded to idler some ani madversions on the language held by The Chronic'e. The latter Journal is not in the habit of degrading itself by any thing like ingenuous acknowledgement of error. On this occasion it did neat so far compromise its character as man fully to retract, or fairly to explain. Instead of doing so, it threw out another inuendo equally mysterious as the fo , men, and without asserting any thing, it inquired what The Courier would say if the intimation given to the Duke Of CUMBER LAND from the head quarters of the Allies, should prove to be but an echo of one received from this Country. The notice which has been taken of the mysterious death Of SELL IS, for which the Proprietor of a Newspaper is now suffering under the sentence of the law, seems to us hardly to convey a stronger reflection on the character of his ROYAL HIGHNESS than the devourers of Royal Scandal may extract from this. If such insinuations are justifiable, more ought to be stated. It were better to keep the Public in tit , ter darkness, that to give them that glimmering of light which may lead 'cam astray but cannot guide it. That time may be differences in the Royal Family after what, in a re cent case, has been unhappily witnessed, cannot be denied, but nothing short of the most flagitious conduct on the vat t of the Illustrious Personage whose' name has been so often mentioned, Could have called foi th a hint from the Govern ment of this Country, that his ROYAL HIGHNESS was not a person who could, in prudence, be suffered to approach the head-quarters of the Allies. Yet this is that which it should seem The Chronicle would have us believe has actually taken place. We hope shortly to be - erabled to explain the whole of the circumstances which have been thus mysteriously brought formatd. In the mean time, if Pie Moruin,ct Chro. niche can justify the line of conduct it has putstien, let it fairly state facts. Let it not blast character l,y insinuation and impute treason by inuendo, but for once speak ut. If the Duke of CUMBERLAND is what these would make him ar,pear, our deference for his high rank would not mtke us wiia to screen him from the law, in a country whose boast it is, that equal justice is admini•tered to the Prince and the I•eas.ints Innocent, he ought not to be aspersed in his absence on such grounds as cannot be avowed in the face of day, by means a a daubtf'al paragraph or hoodwiuked query. fiat Justitia rua "Clam.