The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1809-03-11 00:00:00

the subject at once before the House, in weber that we may be sure what vie ale übout. (Hear !) With the view, therefore, of pie:rutting ally dttfieulty of r that nature from arising in Ibis stage of our proceed.: iugs, the only proper anode will, in my rename, be, to amend the ainendineut that hai just been rend. This I would propose to doh/ reteumug the prelimi nary part of the Address propooed„ and to incorpo rate web it a proposition, upon which it will be pro per and indispensably necessary for the HOuse to say Aye or No, upon the subject in question. 'Elie point of form in this procedure will be decided by you. Sir : and from the conversieion I had the ho nour of having with you 11 1 1011 this nutter, it ap peared that the precedents of 1735 and 1;83 have not escaped your memory. Inn the usual coarse of such proceedings, therefore, the first division of the House in the progress of this great question will be that which I intend to inibinit to you in the form of an amendment upou the naricielinent of the ori- Omit Address, and upon this peint I think the t' sense of tile House may be taken this night. 'Suer, Sir, to touch upon the merits of the question itself, I must observe, that, although I appear us a sort of voluieteer in this great muse, vet I can assure you there is no indi vidual Aleinber of the House wino enters into this inquiry with more reluctance than I do, and that has attended to the progress of it eitli more real pain to hiraself.—(Hear hear!) We must give credit to our own Members, for the honourable mo tives which actuate their conduct : but L cannot help saj Mg, that after all that has passed, it ate pears to rue tlut the result of this inquiry is stanch more likely to prove detrimental than beneficial to the country.—(Hoer ! hear!) Since the ques tion has been brought forward, the House is cer tainly forced to meet it; arid having ',toile into the consideration of it, by adducing evidence ut the fear, I mu now anxious that the House should do itself honour by its proceediug. Under that conviction trust I shall nut disgraee myself in laying b e fore you what I have to propose, end I min persuaded many Gentlemen will mark their opinion of it by their vote in its favour. The general subject has been so amply discussed open the separate charges, that even had it been my Inclination to do so, 1 feel the necessity of doing it its greatly done away. I feel no tie.ire to follow tiii.we Honourable Gen tlemen who have entered igto the most scrupulous investigatiou of all the different heads of evidence. That task has been most ably and Inmitesesly performed by the Right Hose Gentleman oppo- PP site (Mr. Percival), with an ebility serpuseing any I hurt ever seen ili.pleyed inn utmost eily great cause; insoinueh so, that even if L had not been interested in it, I must iiecessarily have been induced by his eloquence ant perspicuity, to enter into the con sideratien of this qiiestiou witli the utmost atten tion to his detail of evidence. I shall do him this justice too, to say, I really think he did it with great fairness arid conecientioussiess. On the other side, the speech we heard last night from an llon.Gentle ', men near me (Ser. Whitbread) must have struck everyone ao most forcible, eloquent, mud eerlti euous. To enter, therefore, ; • a recapitulation of • into . the tedious evidence, would only tend to eau , fuse and perplex, slid should never he attempted to be practised, but ought most studiously to be unaided. Tire ituinrrolia attendance of the 'Mem ,- • hem, and the great intention they have Arid, in order to make themselves masters of the subject, entitle them to the highest credit; and 1 hope that they will now take care uot to dislnice themselves by their decision. Because the Right lion. Gentle men opposite seem to think that some of there witnesses have contradicted ' themselves, a thing winch I shall not ent‘ely deny, does it follow that their evidence would, not be received in Courts of Justice4or that it ought not to be ettentled to here, or that you are to be thereby prevented from tak ing out those parts of the evidence which are true from those parts of it which are false ? Does my Right liimouruble Friend think, that because some of the witnesses are not worthy of belief, the whole of the evidence of the others ought to be blotted , ? Are we to imagine that persons eminently choral:- tensed by good faith and honour are the only ones to be believed, or that those who are keown to tell many 'falsehoods, tell no truth in auy instance whatever ? Are we not bewail, in such muss, to sift their evidence to the bottom, estract that which is rendered true by corroborativg circumstances, and receive with caution, or wholly reject. that which is otherwise ? Most undoubtedly ise ought to do so. In Courts of Law, the rules of evidence are hi a great measure precisely defined, but even there imolai constraint Is imposed. Ilere we must act for ourselves, and attach credit to such parts of evidence as we decal worthy art it, and open the whole of it form a general opinion.— With regard to iucwy of the witnesses iii this re meta case, I may say, 1 hardly ever remember of having seen any where b 0 much truth and Use hood intermingled ; but is it therefore possible to • say, that where you suspect falsehood to resist, it is the same thing as if you had heard nothing ut all passing from the mosiths of such witnesses, or that not a word of truth hail been uttered by thieve ? . As to Mrs. Clarke, the principal witness upon this occasion, I think some ports of her testimony appear to be so stroirg, us to lie totally introit trovettible ; and theref we bring the matter home to the knowledge of his Royal Highness.— The princiisal part of the other evidence that ap pears to do so, as the testimony of Miss Ann Tay lor.—Attempts have been suede to invalidate the testimony of this young woman ; but I must con fess they have not been such as were conviucing to use, although some suspicion might attach to her, from the circumstance of her declining to answer certain questions. ldo not mean those relative to her parents, but other questions ; for the list auswering of which, it was hardly possible she could hive any reason. Attentliii4 to her evi dence strictly, and taking into view the internal evidence of concurring circiiimitaness, it is difficult for me to believe that the conversation she entitled to did not pass iihnost in the very words in which she suited it. If that conversation slid puss, I eel.. tinily think it does carry a degree of suspicion, its , ther exceediug that which my Hum Friend near ore (Mr. Bathurst) was willing io ascribe to it; •nsmdv, that sconstant iiiireserved intercourse, with regard to military promotions, took place between his Royal Highness, lend Mrs. Clarke. It Mrs been . questioned how far it was probable that this woman shouid recollect one cuuvereation with ouch accu- racy, rand not one circumstance that occurred in ally other of tile convenuttiuiss at which she was present. But let us see a little how far this hears upon her veracity and credibility.— We are to suppose, as has ken alleged, that Miss Taylor comes here us our of a conspiracy ; if so, was it, l would ask, difficult for her to have stated seine furthet consr in order to do away inch ? went to establish that the an objections ? 'fliey notes received by Mrs. Clarke front Lieute nant-Colonels Knight, Brooke and Taylor, were shetvii to the Coinmander-its-Chief; was it hot competent to have hrolight forward Miss Ann Tay lor, to have stated, that she actually was press et wheel they were so sheou to the Duke, if she laud really been a wituess disposed to conic forward to tell deliberate falsehoods Would it have been a difficult matter, wider such circumstances, for her to say she was present, and saw the note deli vered to Ludorick to change? Here, I say, was eviJence expedient, and within their own reach, impossible to have been coutroverted. Miss Tay lor, when examined as to other conversations, Mated, that he did not remember any other, than that of which she gives us the words; and I think Isar teistiinony on diet account is the more credible. There is unother part of the testimony, not oral, hut written, which, I think, is of great imitortance, and to it I shall allude. it is called the mysterious note; and I think 1 never reincinber of one more to in all my life. 1 do not think it is ibfficult to imitate any 1111 ml-writing, that credit might be given to it us C from rowdier; but upon this I must recut to the substaidial internal evidence et its not be ing a forgery, as has beets alleged. IVhere is the evislentse that this note was written by Mrs. Clarke to venni:isle Gentlemen that she had in fluence with the Commander-in-Chief, whets, from the delay ;it regard to Touyit's eppointinete, it save them reason to think she was deceit/nig hins : It was written in a manner that might persuade Gee denten of tiny thing they might think pro tier to construe into it, might make them be lieve either that Tonytes business was to rest 1111 it was, to go ou, Of to stop. la short it annonitcil to nothing at all, unless thou who re-i criaed it believed it actually came from the Cowman der-iu-Cliitl, and was written in his 61111. s riling. If this note were a forgery she lutist have been eels- Wile it was written in a style that implied nothing, and therefere could not have the effect it is alleged was intended by it, namely, to iiithice Coleuel Tortyas not to withdraw his isinney, which had been lodged for his promotion. This note may not only he understood in different walye, but it is also written without a signature. If it were forged, she had surely no difficulty to have given it it signature equally well as to have written the other part of it, and the more especially, as it appeared from her crass-examination, that imitating hand-writings was her patticular talent. Here then is a woman with no fame tine character to preserve, mat not much con strained from committing any crime of this scot, according to the opinion of dim! Right Ilonoura hle Qientleineti, forging a note, which a as evidently not sue of the sort which could convey the senti ments which it is alleged she must have inesint to convey. 1 really think it would have left Colonel Touyit in as snuch doubt as before: This note appears to have gone to lain by menus of Captain Sandell, althou , ii evidently never intended by the Duke 110 r by Mrs. Clarke to have been so deliver ed. Captain Sandell', who is deserving of no be lie; whaled to conceal this; note, beilig conscious "he haul taken it unknown to Mrs. Clarke— who, in her testimony, sheet she was entirely ig norant of it, ever having liven 111 his custody.— Did not all this tend to prove, that it, war no for gery, but was uctuully of the Royal Duke's hand writing? If; then, 1 lie asked a, to whether or not I here any suspicion of Col. Toilyn getting his tiro. tnotiots from the Duke, through Mrs. Clarke's in. flatewe and interference, I atisaer, that walling in more probable; for it is clear, that Isis Royal Highness knew of the whole circus nstance concerns tug it. This, however, was one of the question, which the Right lion. Getithatian opposite chows to involve in difficulty. I have 110 reuson to l ie g es five the gm:4Mo as to his 'luring some such know ledge of it ; although I might feel some degree of hesitation. The transaction, as to the levy of Col e Friatch, is ',tie that is also said to line preicured 1 Mrs. Clarke money, throng's the influence of the I Duke, awl with Isis knowledge; but this in some degree i negative, as there is tin proof, in my opi , Mom of any corrupt connivance or participutionou ! the part of his Royal Iliglineas. In regard to sonie of these promotions, it is evident, that eircumstaisres are proved, which spew that he must have had souse general information of them. The letter as to GenerstlCltivernig's levy of meth evidently 'thew ed, that there was a return made by the Duke to the application of Mrs. Clarke, by his stating, that the new regiments were to he nosed from the ise cond battalions, mid, although it aliewed nothing either political or judicious, yet it confirmed that general intercourse which subsisted between We Royal Highness and this individual, which has opee rated so detrimentally to Isar character. There is another part of the same letter, which relates to Dr. O'Nlestra; and why does that learned Doctor carry his credentials to Mr.. Clarke ? Is it not bet:agree this foolish end ambitious man wished, by preaching before Royalty, to elevate himself into some situation of promotion, through the medium • of Mrs. Clarke? These are points which nip pear to me to form prominent feature* in this cause, and such as are etifficient to jiistife the House in founding the result of this which I shall sotoiiit to their consideration.— It is impossible, I think, that the house 4%111 admit any proceeding of a criminal nature upon any of thnse proceedings that have transpired, and far that reason I think it but justice to his Royal Highness, as well as fairness, to thecouistry, to state explicitly, and in is cosicentrated point of view, whet is our opinion of the whole investigation that has taken place as to their great anal substantial charges. It will surely he a great cosesolation to His Majesty to kilo*, that the decision has loot the greatest pdt't of its violence against his royal offspring. by our stating that it does not appear proved that there was tiny corrupt connivance or participation on the part of the Coinmander-in-Chief. But it is impas- !bible that any °wean so clearly raculpate his Royal Highness as my Right Hon. Pliend propo.es to de by Lis amendment, fur it absolutely gives a tire to any knowledge of the whole transactions. — Even if there were no knowledge proved, 1 inn con viewed that the general notoriety of these bungee• tions, and the eoristant applications to him ue his official capacity as Commander-in-Chief, might have easily.. created a suspicion iii his Royal mind, that Mrs. Clarke must have been participatieg pecu- Mary einoltiinente iilising . frinn corrupt practicer as to promotions, and therefore it is impossible he call be entirely exculpated. I think that the corres pondence produced by Cuptaio Huxley Satiden is extremely inaterial,and particulurly that letter from Mrs. Clarke to him, Which mentioiled her jealousy as to Greenwood ; which jealousy could not have existed, if she hail out been conscious every thing hod been contillltittented to the Duke, and should they meet in the Is.' in the Opera, they might be led to talk of the levy. There is one other main point, a hick it appears necessary for me to include in the amended Address, and that is, midi regard to the immorality displayed upon Ihis occasion, which although alluded to in the emendment my Right Icon. Friend, is not is sullicielitly strong terms. This House, the guardian of the laws, con stitution, and liberties of the country, ought ako to be regurdful of the public morals, and espe cially in such times as these. It is impossible not to think that digs is a species ef immorality whick 'night corrupt the public mind, and operate us au example upon other clauses of society. It is pecu liarly necessary, fer the public example, to do away such u public scandal, and it is not sufficient there fore to say merely that we lament that such a con tiect iou should have Luken place. 'rile Address to His Majesty, upon the opening of Parliament, is generally made :Iran echo to the speech ; but was it ever conceived that such an addresses this was to lie tin echo to a letter.—/ !/ear ! hear ! hear!) — A letter, too, received under such circuinstaiices as those attending the ono sent by the Duke of York. To do so would not be making a public example to the country, aunt it would be so like an humble obedience to the dictates of his Royal flightless, that it would not convince the enuistre that we prcTeeded upon 'pure mid honest ttttt The lion. Clent Leman then concluded with moving, as an Amenilineet to the first Amendment, " That au humble Athlotsio be - presented to His •Mujesty, slotting, that co 00000 muoicittiois of very corrupt prortires pre sisoling iu regard to wring Proinotiono, having lieLa made to this Honer', rood into which this House hare exiiiuincol, we feel it our duly to state, that such corrupt pt.:Kitten sod abuses have unquestionably existed—to assure His iteilesty, Hitt there is ono ground, in any of these erucerchunt& for charging his Royal Highness the- Consonatioler.iii-Chief with persumil corruption, co tttttt ante, or paiticipatiun 'in any of the profits atelier mishit ; lout knowing the salutary rules and lehulatious established in the War-Otnee, some of which have been introduced by his Royal Ilighneos the Duke of York himself, we are ()bilged to express our opinion, that such corrupt practices. and abuses could not have a slated without c‘citing his attention aud, if so, to sulittiq whether your Majo sty can any longer cornflour his !loyal Highness in his situations of Commander-M-Chief:—Auol also to obscres, that viola practices are hurtful to the politic morals awl reli gion, and cannot fail to lours a pernicious eft et aeon dime main springs of social order in society, which it lass ever hero leis Majesty's wish to strengthen be his counsel, aud to illustrate by his et.ainple." Title Amendineet teas then read from the Chair. AI-. 'Foals said lie felt, in rising to deliver his sentiments upon the subject-matter of debate, that he was to address Gentlemen who were in the prac tice of acting as Bilagistrates and Grand Jurors; that that House ea.. the virtual and true represent ative of the people; and drat under no considera tion would they ever sacrifice their judgment to popular clamour. flefore he entered Mb) the sub ject, or expievsed his opinion, he wished to state upon whit gi . oottiols it uplo.mied to hint to stand. Ile coined, red it to be divided auto two q uestions Find, whether hi, Royal Highness had been guilty of persoird corruptien Or corrupt conativaliers i ohich beaux determilied, whether lie was innocent or guilty, would lead them to cuusider what fur ther proceedings should be taken ; and, seceudly, whether there was not sidlicient evideuce to in duce theist to determine that the Linke of York's conduct was incorrect? which would also lead theta to what proceedings ought to be had up on taut, determmetioui. An, Honourable Gentle- Mail. in the first of the pirocestifiligs, hail proposed an Address, upon which an ameedinent had bees' made by his Right Honourable Friend, to lay aside that Address, HIM titiOid Iwo Iteeolutions, for the House to come to some vote upon. This had been followed by another motion, of the Honourable Gentleman who had just spoken, and who hail set tip another Address, which, although differing much in terms from the first Address, was substantially the mime. Were it riot for his perfect knowledge of that lion. Member, or, indeed, for a general belief that no 3leintier of that House would, intentional ly, throw difficulties in the way of their proceed ings, lie should feel an inclination to uscribe to this measure a purposed contrivance to involve them in difficulties. He had avowedly proposed it to foci , litute their decision, and remove iiiirtyrictes, by pursuing the course lie did, he had actually iii creased them. 'rile Right lionouralde Member then described the elfect which the proposed measure would have, in clashing with the for mer propositions, a hieh lie declared to be so very hark:ate, that lie would have opposed it tyre' the grounds of intricacy alone, had he had no other objection to it. Ile then referred to the general matter bcfore the House, and wished to state what waa his view of the subject. It ap peared that in the rear 1804, his Royal Ilighntes &ruled unfortunately au improper action with Mrs. Clarke, which was continued for the space of two years and a half. during which tieriod, through the medium of her agents, corrupt pray . tices had been carried cm to au alarming claim,. In the airmail of May, t mei. lie found reason to at penile from her. It had heel, stated, that through the corrupt iiilluence of this abulidoned woman with the Duke of York. Emir appeititineuts haul t a ken place; rianidv, Grimed French's levy, Co lonel Shaw's, Mr. bowler's, and that of Lieute nant-Colonels Brooke *ad Knight. 'The prineipal Witness to attach this crinnizelity to the Duke of York was Mrs. Choke, to whose teetimony nu credit could be attached, miles. corroborated by other cir comstonces. lie felt it ininectereary to go over the whole evnlence, or to remark upon the chem.:ter of the several persons who load appeureil at their Der. es it haul already undergone solids ample consider ation. There was one eirciiiiistiiime, however, rela tive to Mr.. Clarke, which haul not been adverted to, but whichappeated to has. made souse impression upon the country, injurious tie the character of the • Duke of York. Many persons thought that hail been reduced fruin the arms of her luaisbitiet, debauched and ebandoned ; this, however, was not the fact, it was wholly an exaggeration. lit the course of Mrs. Clarke's evidence she had timid, that she had been intimately Herturiided with a Mr. Ogilvie, an army agent, before she vies ac quainted with the Duke. f York, or at least be. fore she went to reside in Glom-ester-plata . Pre elites to that time the had been crummiest before the Commissioners, relative to Mr. Ogilvie '5 bank ruptcy, mid lied been asked, durin g - the 1 xamina bon, whether she lived with Mr. o.:Alvie ?To which she answered, thut he had lived with hi r. jt was a materiel thing to notice this circa mutilate. for it was naturally to he inferred, trout her has iug lived with an army ogeot before she we n t to Gloucester-place, that she had prev;ously acquired a knowledge of artily jobbing. Irvin tier exami nation before the Cseninittee, she had been asked, what induced her to take up this mode of Sheanseered,herdis.ressescompell e d cif to it, sail that elle comet not odic-rein • iti, o. sap piwted her establi,lnnent. It had betas also s t u i...l y her, that it was sonic months Ott e see acid to Glotieettersplace that site ndoptee this expe dient; she supposed half a year. Elba estithliali ment hi Gloucester-place took place in Jaaiiiirv, 1804, and yet her preposal to Colgate' French was in February, 1804; and in consequence of this proposal the app oilitineut is sand to have taken place ; a letter froiu Captain 4anden's bu reau proved his statement ; so that lie was justified in asserting, that when she clone into the Ottke of York's hands, out of Ogilvie's situp, she was ini tiated into all the chicanery of army jobbing ; rind when it was lhuud that this tratisection laid com menced so much earlier than she had stated, could any one otheye that she hail spoken truth upon the subject? The letters of Coloiitt French and Captain Sandra', of the mouth of March, further .proved that she was tellini; an untruth, he at that Liar ;so that her distresses at that bind idol ap peared mere fabrications. The Huiloilvalile Cep tlianan who spoke last had considered the sub ject of Colonel French's levy the most aus picious of all ; but lie considered that the only corroboration of this story was in the conversation of Miss Taylor with his Royal Ilighners; and upon this he had a strong doubt whether such conversa tion had ever taken place; he doubted it floor the general tenor of her evidence relative to Mrs. Fa . Very ; she had lutig„known Mrs. Fuvery from her acquaintance with Mrs. Clarke; had frequently vi sited her while she bred at Mr. litlis's, and yet she said she never knew her to go by the name of Farquhar ; this, he thought, very improbable.— More suspicion again attached to her from the weakness of her memory on other point, es she could nut recollect conversations with 'maims with whom she wit, very intimate ; while, upon this par ticular point, she could speak with certainty, and yet forget every thing else connected with it. He felt it was impossible to find the Duke of York guilty upon auch evidence as this. That the Duke of York conversed with her upon military affair% lie conceived extremely probable; there was nothing more likely ; he being•always engaged in military affaire, was it at all improbdble th .t he should occasioaally converse with her upon the subject, in whom he placed so much coutidetice ? It was a fact which could hardly be denied.— But be would ask, whether that, in Can- StitUted 11 crime ? or whether the House could, consistent with humanity or justice. on entertain ing such au idea, inßict so heavy a punishment? It tile Duke of Yink had spoken at all to Mrs. Clai Se upon the subject of the levy, he was coil % weed it was not iii the way implied. A cotiversa bon might have taken place shout the time at whirl) the levy was stopped, as, from the minutes, it appears in 1005. without proceeding from ally corrupt motive. The Right !foe. Gentleman Own alluded to the 'tote which hail created so nitwit doubt us to bring the Duke's writin, ; ; and said he could tint doubt for u moment but Mrs. Clarke was equal to ally, t:Oliiiivaisce which could answer her designs. Tlw person from the Batik who had examined this note, and who had at first expressed his conviction that it was the writing of the Duke of York, yet when he saw the letters of Mrs. Clarke, they brought a doubt upotehis mind, from the similitude of the character, of its being writ teu by the came person ; and when it was consi dered that in a few (Idyl alter this letter had been given, she received Soul. and that she powsessed a facility to imitate, was it not reasonable to con clude that this daageroua woman would have re course to such a practice us readily as to fivlsehood? An Honourable Gesitleinan had hull stress on the woes upon the hills ; but @wild not the ihand which forged that letter have forged those 'totes ? Ile did not consider it necessary to say any thing relative to Colonel Shaw's case; that bail already been satisfactorily explained. As to Mr. bowler, it Wil . 4 scarcely necessary to soy any thing about him, for his evidently was seari:ely to be credited ; it was well knOwii lie Was her favourite paramour, and was it likely she sliould exact a thousand pounds from him ; lie should rather consider that it was a I:olstr:vatice to draw a tilOtistind pounds from his father's pocket, particularly• as it appeared lie was concerned with her in on which she got credit in the mouth of June, from. Mr. Parker; besides it was most likely Doo It r grit his appunitmetit through the ititerest of Sir Iltts!.. Watson. as it was in his department, nod us it lea: been proved, diet, out of five appointuieuts a Hefei took place, three had been 'downed through his recommendaticsi.—/ Hear ! Hear Thnt cir cumstance, coupled with what Alderman Collette recollected on the subject, confirmed him in his opinion. Colonel Taylor was mistaken in describ ing the expense of the levy. He lead said the men raised cost the country one hundred and fifty pounds a men; but it was proved by the pape:t recently laid on the table, that they did not cost more than 411. a man. and this was at as cheap is rate us some other levies. Ile had no thing more to say on the criminal pelt of the charge, then that 'any man who knew the Duke of York could not think him o mean as to become • cotrupt participator with Clarke. The Right lion. Gentleman then adverted to the pro posed Address; it was such as he wasconvinv:cd the House could 'fever adopt; every thing was ins stunted in it, and nothing asserted. It commenced with the first resolution of his Right Hon. Friend. 1 1 • s 1 C s • i . t I 1 • 4 1 • • 1 I . 1 -I I