The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-03-21 00:00:00

as to the Conduct of his Royal highness the Duke
of York, - • •
. The CHANCELLOR of the Excimouita rose, and
-spoke smarty as follows :—"Before the House pro-
ceed to the Order of the Day for the further cou-
sideretion 'of the Minutes of the Committee, I
think it necessary to communicate a fact; sand I
take this opportunity of doing so, as I apprehend it
is possible it may influence au Hon. Gent. opposite
(Mr. Bathurst) nut to bring forward his motion.
L have, Sir, to couununicate to the House, that I.is
Royal Highness the Duke Of York did, upon the
meriting of Saturday, after the House had come to
their decision, of his spontaneous accord, tender
his Resignation of his Office of Commander-in-
Cilia, and which His Majesty with reluctance has
accepted. The motives and metope which induced
his Royal Highness taking that tome to tender that
resignation, instead of an earlier period, appear to
me so honournble and so proper, that I am per-
suaded, when they are known, they will give much
satisfaction to the House. I shall therefore state,
us shortly us I can, what those motives were, and
in the manlier his Royal Highness himself wishes
they should be communicated. After the laborious
investigation of the iniautes of evidence, awl when
the House had pissed a Resolution, declaratory of
his Royal Highners's innocence, the Duke of York
thought he might approach His Majesty, and teuder
his Resignation of the cumunand of the army, when
he could no longer he thought to be shrinking froths
inquiry, but might he supposed to have mit the
accusation against him, from* honavions feeling of
intioceuce: (Here Mr. Percevel occasionally re-
ferred to a paper which he held in Ills hand, and
which we presume was a copy of the imininituicu-
tion from his Royal Highness the Dike of York,
to HIS Majesty.) From that communication,
(continued Mr. Perceva!,) it appears that the aan-
tives which actuated his Royal Hichtiem io doing
so, arose front warm Olictlint to His Majesty, and
a convictioa of the attentios His Majesty had al-
ways suewn to the hoaour end welfare of his Crown,
iu pursuing those measures, to which, us an indul-
gent father, avid .list gracious Sovereign, he (the
l take of Yr Ik) owed every thing. These feelings
.ton- wou!.l have mane his Royal Highness forego
all consideration of personal interest in regard to
him elf, for it sehld not, he thought, have become
hint, to retain, tinder existing circumstances, that
aituetiou in which Ilia Mejesty's confidence and par-
tiality had pi:ay(' him; and the duties of which he
had discharged wits the utmost fidelity for the space
of 14 years ;• how-far wilts merit soil assiduity His
Majesty is beet able to deuide. This communhei-
: tiou of his Royal Highness's feelings being made
. to Ills Majesty, his resignation has been accepted
hy His Majesty, but with the greatest retuctance.
leave it, therefore, to use Right Hon. Frit ad, to
state whether he now feats it necessary to gofer-
titer iii the prosecution of his intended inotiuu ?"
Mr. BATItURST adoressed the (louse iu words to.
the following purest :—" In rising to express my
sentiments upon the motion of which I had given
previomi 'imam, it becomes me to bestow peculiar
intention tiro.' the coinumnicittion which hes just
now beau ismde by that Right Honourable Gentle-
man, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. That, Sir,
ench he has Mittel for the citesidenitictie of the
House, is undoulmedlyst feet of a most important
;ware ; which at came inchiuce ate to otter a few
observations oh the esiletet so long under diseus-
siam There is uo persei, its the country more sm.-
sihle of the remise-Inciters likely to toisu:t from this
event ; there is no perish more than I sun of
the.litee which the politic will ex ,ea ace nod submit)
by his Rue al Highness the Dui._ of York relish lig
from the command of the army. Cite many emelt u-
tient which he WIIS Astrumetatal iiiemoinencing and
prontotioge and the regulations which he thought
proper to adopt, have produced many salutary
Peewits ; and is hat still mire increases the import-.
mice of that Illustrious Personage's swim, and
made it more vtd.i dde to_the t.:09.1 of the cnuntry,
• was, by his possessing the high rank which iu-
'dtviduelly belsweial to Inns, lie was more ciiithled,
bet:sums lie possessed more authority than any sub-
ject of inferior degree, to curry every proper :Ilea-
!sure and every due regulation into its full effect.
At the same tune it is my wish to cull the atten-
tion of Gentlemen; to the observations . which
I made a former eight, during the discus-
sion, on the evidence contained iii the Report of
the Committee, and to bring their recollection to
what I theta stated to lie the grounds of my props-
sing certain resolutions to be laid before you, fur
der consideratiou or this House. The sane remora
which actuated me at that time, does not cease to
urge me at present, to petiole the same line or e0n-
,1,0, t and the same principles which I was
then disposed to adopt; such a mode of procedure
soil' remains unafrected, by the communication of a
fact just erne alludes' to by the Right lion. Gen-
dent Ili. The principle, Sir,• impost which I have
previously assigned my intention to propose a Re-
solution, by which the Home might conic to tan
ultunnte decision on the question, is not at all
altered, though I am ready to allow the grounds
upon which I intended to have acted have become
iii same degree narrowed, in consequence of what
has transpired 'you the present occasion. In re-
rerthse to the sentiments delivered during the de-
bate, 1 may venture to declare, I never thought
there was any- proof of corruption, or critninul
connivince at corruptinn, against this Illustrious
Personage, and I may still further venture to aMrm,
although his Royal Highness, amidst those who
have defended itim from such an accusation,
has had advocates of great eloquence, and of su-
perior ability, lie has not met with a more sincere
opponent to these charges of eorriiption than my-
self. So far has been my mind from forming an
nnfivourable opinion on this part of the subject,
whereby corrupt practices have beau imputed to
this Illustrious Personage, that I can assure the
(louse, I did net harbour even a lurking suspicion
of any criminality which could prevent hint from
Kiting forth into the world with clean hands, and
free from the charge of Roy foul imputation. The
Rome must still bear in recollection, how the
rpteetion respecting the conduct of the Duke of
York was 'weight Irfore their consideration ; and
they will also recollect how I crime to brine forward
any distinct motion on the subject. An Honour-
able Member, who was the original mover of these
proreedings, thought it his duty to propose am
Address to His Msjeety, which went at once to
implicate this Blustrioas Personage in the mot