The National Register. — London, England, 1813-03-21 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL ItECISTER. MA RCH 21 most atiOrions, wicked, and inhuman, she reached her it would seem, and the result was, she made two drawings with a pen and ink, and sent them to Us by the twopenny post, representing tne as having disgraced myself with his old friend Sir Sidney Smith. Tle..y ate of the most indecent nature, dr:lwn with her own hand, and words upon them in her own hand-writintr. Sir John, Sir Shi rley, and myself, NM a!l swear point blank without a moment's liesi tatieo ; and if her Royal Highness is a sitbjict, and amenable to the laws of this country (and I conceive her to be so) she ought to be tried and jurLed by those laws fi►r doing thus, to throw firebrands into the bosom of a quiet firmilv. - My husband, with that cool good sense which has ever marked character, and with a belief in my innocence, which nothing but . facts can stagger (for it is founded upon my liavit; been taitlifid to him nine years before we vete married, and seven years sluice,) as well as his long aequaint• ;ince with Sir Sidney Smith's character and dispoAtion, and having seen the Princess of WaLcz,':i loose anJ vicious character, put the let. tees in his poc:- et, and went imstantly to Sir Sidney Smith. Sa: ;ley %vas as much astonished as . %% - e had been. Sir John then told Mtn, he put the question to him, and expected an answer such as all officer and gentleman ought to give to his friend: Sir Sidney . knitit gave- Sir John his hand, as his old h lend mtl companion, and ac,sared him in the most solemn manner, as Oust - Reel . and gentleman, that the whole was the !nag aMiacions and wicked calumny ; and lie would swear to its being the hand-writing of the Prinees Of Wales; and that he believed Lady Douglas to he the same virtuous domestic woman he thought her, when Sir John first made him known to her. Sir Sidney added, '' I never said a word to you. wife, but what you might have heard; and hail I beta so base as to attempt any thing of the kind under your roof, I should deserve for on to shoot me like a mad dug. 1 run ready to go with Lady Douglas and yourself, and Jet us ask her what she means by it ; con front her." Accordingly, Sir John wrote a note to the Lady Waitieg, which .was to this itket : " Sir John and Lady Douglas, and Sir S;dney Smith, presents their compliments to the Lady in Waiting, and request she will have the goodness to say to her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, that they are desirous of having an audience of her Royal Highness immediate7y." We received no answer to 64 note; but, in a few days, an answer was :;ent to Sir Sidney Smith, stating, that her Royal Highnes the Princess of Wales was much indisposed, and cold not see any one at present. This was directed to Sir Sidney Smith, at our house, although he did not live there. This was an acknowledgment of her guilt : she could not face us ;it was satisfactory to us all, for it said—l am the author, let me oft ; but to make one's satisfaction upon this the snore perfect, and to warn her of the danger she runs of discovery, when she did such flagrant things, I wrote the under written note, and put it into the Post Office, directed to herself: " MADAM, " I received your former anonymous letter safe; also your two last with drawings. " I am, Madam, your obedient servant, (Signed) " CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS," It appears evident that her Royal Highness received this safe, and felt how she bad committed herself, for, instead of returning it in trio old style, she sent for his Royal Highness the I)nke of Kent, and requested him to send for Sir Sidney, and by the post Sir Sid. mey received an anonymous letter, saying the writer of that wished for no ciril diasentions, and that there seldom was a difference, where, if the parties wished it, they could not arrange matters. Sir Sidney Smith brought this curious letter to show Sir John, and ‘ve were all satisfied it was from her It gal Highness, who, thinking Sir Sidney and Sir John might, by this time, try cutting each other's throats, ?ent very graciously to stop them ; in short, she: called them civil disseuGons. His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, being cm employed to negociate, sent for Sir Sidney Smith. and aequainted him, that he was desired by her Royal Highness to say, that she %%Mild Sir Sidney Smith in the course of a few days, provided, when he e.:.ne to her, be avoided all disagreeable discussion; what: • amigp.dern scever. His Royal Highne.e the Duke of Kent then soutit from Sir Sidney an explanation of the matter ; Sir Sidney Smith then gave the Duke of Kent a fall detail of eircumstanees, and ended by saying, " We all could and would, swear tire drav i ingA and words contained in those covers, were writ ten by the Princess of Waters ; for, as if she were fully to convict herself, the had scaled one of the covers with the ii!enticAl seal she had used upon the cover, when she sittnmonei! John to luncheon it Aiontatzue Ih,use. llis Hopi it; u ) eps toe Duke of it rt!. !Indiomt whit a scrape she had entan i tied Levi& in, eitelaTmers minable ! ! to be sate; but Sir Sidney Smith, as this nitdldt, ff it m!l;es a roue, may disness his Majesty, and be injtiriotit to his hsall h. I wish So. John and Lady Douglas would (at least for the I;resen.) try t.) f •rgct it ; and if try making them a visit would be agree 'tar, and soc,the their minds, I will tt o with all my heart, thou am not .st with them, I will speak to l% to the Princess of ‘Vairs. and point out to her the danger of doing such things b .t, at all events, it %could he very injurious to his Majesty's health, if it came to his eats just now." Upon this Sir John Douglas is represented to have suspend ed for the present, making the disclosures which he wished to make, and here this ridiculous statement ends. The minute details which it contains, and which we have passed over, are for the most part as irrelevant and insipid, as the extracts we have given are malevalent andabsurd. On such a production further comment were folly. DEPOSITION OF MRS. LISLE. I, Hester Lisle, am in the Princess of ‘Vales's tinnily, haste been !so ever sieve bur Iteyal Highness's marriage. I was at South End With the Princess; was at ltlaekheath with her in I'n-!, but am not perfectly sure as to datei , . am generally a month at a time, three month; in the }ear, ith her Royal Highile, , y, in April, Atentst, and December ; was so hi Angirt, 1802. • I did tint ob serve any alteration in her }oval Highliess's siiiepe which gave me my idea t:::11 she was or:gmcit ; during my atten lance scarcely a day passe , - -.itimat my seeing her. She could not be tar advanced ire pregnancy without my knowin; it ; I wa- at East Clitte with her Royal Highee3s, in August, 1803; I saw Captain M: nby only once .tt East Cliffe, in August, 11103, to the best of niy recollection. he mielit have been oftener; and once again at heel Castle ; Capt. Manhy landed there with some boy.; the Princess takes on charity. I saw Captain Manhy at East Chili one mot nine:, not p4rtit u. tity early. ldo not kilo NV of any Fesentswhich the Princess made Captain Manby. I have : , een Captain 'Manby. at Blackheath oue Christmas ; he used to come to dine the Christmas before we were at Ramsgate. It was the Chi istmas alter Mrs. Austin's came. Ile always went away in my presence. I had no reason to. think he stayed after we ctlie Ladies) retired. He lodged on the Heath at that time I believe his ship was fittiag np at Deptford. He was there freqamitly. I think not every day. Ile generally came to dinner there three or four times a week or more. I sun. pose lle nti:ht be alone with her. Bat the Princess is in the hal it of seeing Gentlemen and tradesmen without my being present ; I have seen him at luacheon and dinner both ; the boys came with fiim, not to dinner, and not generally, not above two or three times ; two boys, I thing. Sir Sydney Smith came also fre quently the Christmas Infi:re that, to the best of my rectiPer tbin. At dinner, when Captain Manby dined, he always sat next her Royal Highness; the constant company weir M:s. and Miss Fitz gerald and myself; we ad retired with the Peasc&s , atnl ;sat in the same room; he generally retired about eleven o'cl;a ;he sat with us till then. This occurred three or four times a week. or more. Her Royal Highnosti, the Lady in' Waiting', and her Page, have each, a key of the door from the Green-house to the Park. Cap tain Mashy and the Princess naed, when we.werP together, to be speaking _together separately, conversing seo4rattly. iJut not in a room alone together, to my knowledge. He was a persoa with whom she appealed to have greater pleasure in talking than to the Ladiel,. She behaved to him only as any woman would do who likes flirting. I should not have thought any married worean %timid have be haved properly, Nt ho should have behaved as her Royal Highness did to Captain Manhy. I can't say whether she was Lttneiied to Captain Manhy, only that it was .t flirting c. n‘atet. Neier saw any gallan tries, as liasing tier hand, et- the likt I was with, her Royal Highness at Lady Sheffield's, last Christ mas, ill Stissex. I inquired what company was there when I c She &lid; only Mr. John Chi ster, who was there by her Royal Highness's orders ; that she could get no other company to ieeet her, on account of the roads and season of the year. Ha dined and - ,