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London, England, 1809-03-14 00:00:00

thing that can lead your judgments in the evidence
übtaily before us.—(Hear! Hear 1,1 Upon the
whole, it is in usyniiiiil the most weak and inju-
dicions Weasels that could possibly be set up for
arty individual. The Ilea. Member below•me,
who moved the Amemsinent to the Address, has, I
think, taken s most injudicious blue as a Member
of t'arlimuctit ; for le.• was giving up that which its
perfectly tenable as that which was untenable.—
This, 1 think, is impossible to agree to, as no one
can shut his eyes against the corrupt influence and
crinsinul eolinsvance stated iii the evidence. They
have brought no evidence whatever to rhea that
Mrs. Clarke is Hot to les believed. although the
Duke of York leis had one of the most able and
experienced solicitors in Loudon, Mr. Lerden, who
has used every 1111.411 N to bring witnesses Irma
every quarter, until lie found it impossible to tiring
more, against the testimony of this IVittiess. An
Ibis. and Learned Gentleman opposite (Mr. Bur-
ton,) has said, that Nina Clarke has contruilicted
herself uo less than eh times, an assertion which is
merely made to supply the deficiency of witnesses
to do so. It is surely, (lieu, a very different thiug,
whether untie-asks do contradict themselves, or are
contradicted by others—for in the former case it is
evidence as it were point blase, while in the latter
the witnesses themselves may be mistaken. The
alleged colitrailictious in her evidence as to the ease
to which 1 have alluded, err as tow Nether a note was
a lout, note, or a 2001. note, which she sent to be
changed ? and %el:ether the trameacrion was to
he kept only a semi from the Duke, or from
the poi tic ? Illit hi this Mrs. Clurke's state-
ment id susi•ly as plausible as that of Mr. Knight,
and there can he no reason to disbelieve her more
than the other. The same attempt. have been
made to discredit the testimony of Mier Taylor,
merely because she did wit aish to divulge sit first
the residence of her father road mother, suer the
place where she was born. This is the must absurd
simile of discreditiug a witness that ever 1 heard.
'there was an • Hon. Member who spoke early in
this debate. I beg pardon, I must call him a
Learned Gentlenom, ler lie is !Its Majesty's At-
torney-General, to whom I Wetted with Use
greuteat attention; and although I never had an -
opportunity of knowing him, 1 did expect that lie
would have stated some luminous points. SOME eln-
fellation of the ease ; but how have we !wen ilis-
apooiiited ? Sir, I reineinlwr having heard of a
great Lawyer, a Mr Duetting, who, on 'wing asked
by a Client to tee mend him to a Counsellor the
most proper fur his case, asked him " a hat is your
case ?'"l'lie person applying answered. " it is a
tt.4 bad case." If so,' said Mr. Dunning,
)on had better take the worst Counsellor you
rout get; for if yon employ a man of genius he will
be hampered with it, but a had Counsellor will not
stop upon imy point, for lie will go on without
ceasing, and by using many words, have the op-
presence of making a greet defence." Hear! hear!)
.dud so, in the ',resent iestauce„ the defence made
by that Learned Counsellor opposite has, I confess,
given me a very strong impression as to the depth
of his understanding; and it puts nee in mind of
an am, who will reject the choicest fund for the
sake of enjoying a feast upon thistles; or of Chris-
tian in The Pilgrim's Praereas, who, when lie was in
the slough of Despowl, had to leave litsfraielling
corupattion in the mud, as the Leoriled fileatFe-
man had left his client, the Doke of York, and
out of which all the Anti-Jacobins in the laud.
would not be elite to extricate him. Wear! hear!
'war !,1 That same Learned Gentleman, to-
wards the conclumou of his speech, *pie:tiled to the
compusaimiate fielicar of the House. Now. Sir,
althoogie this is not the time for preying attention
to such considerations, yet it did fix us my mind a
strong impression' of the complete aud invertible
eviikowe otteinling this case in every putt. He Jid
not stern at all to be uppraling to the full extent
of the Shit( meat of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, for lie seemed disposed to give up a consi-
derable pert in orals r to save the rest. He seemed
to express a great doubt as to the hand-writing of
the note about Captain Toliyis ; tor, after it had
been proved by the best of evidence, the worst am
brought forward to rebut the hest, and he boldly
cults it a tin-eery. because Mrs. Clarke hail stated
that she could write very like the Duke of
York. Why, Sir, this is hot melancholy testimony
against such a weight of evidence its has been
brought forward upon this particular point, stud it
makes it appear that nothing lint tireindice colud
actuate any one to make such en essertion. With
all those talents, and that genius, which are aserili-
' ed to Mrs. Clarke, it should seen) that the utmost
she hurl dour was to raise a sum of motley in the
Mite's name, and not even for her own bAll/Or•
She has turned her talents to no account whatever ;
and what is still more extruordinery in her
transactions is, that there should have been
such unnecessary fidelity in her dealings with her
employers, as well as towards her creditors.—She
made nothing for any purpose of her own, for it
was to pay the tradesmen's bills. and to satisfy the
poor people's demands, who had sold goods for the
use of the Duke of York. I should be sorry to
speak disadvantageously of his Royal Highness's
conduct, but I must say. I think what he is said to
hair allowed Mrs. C. has beret exaggerated. Mrs.
C. comes to your Bar under such disadvantageous
circumstances, as, I think, should have prevented
any generous or well-ihroossed mind from inking
advantage of her. Net evils hare justice has been
done to her; although, with respect to the sit-
u called in ',draft of the Duke, all the milk
of human kinduess has been 'hewn to them by the
Right Honourable and Learned Geollenian op.
liosite. The Hun. Member for Cambridgeshire
stated arguineuts, which, I think, ere also very extra.
ordniary, in order to prevent your coming te.a fair
conclusion open the consideration of the (softener,
which conclusion the House must ultimately ensue
to, if it act fairly and honourably towards the
country. If Mrs. Clarke hail no truth in lwr, she
has had at least the singular faculty of extracting
truth from others, who were brought for the pur-
pose of contradicting her. arid chnisging the
ultimate decision. Captain Sandell, amongst
others, is said not eta be worthy of belief, be-
cause he prevaricated 11l one lustaiwe, as to toe
letter of the • Duke's handariting ; but the fact
is, that witnesses are the more to be believed
upon some points, whim they come to conceal
the truth as to another puha ; for their evidence,
wheu corroborated by others, is more lorrible thou

SirliethteoYldwr atrtutaDllyoillitorivtaiguilwttrwuldadreduyitaitafilemaket, 47,1
lie did deny it ; hut it was afterwards extrecelii
from him. In short, Mts. Clarke has alwaysgiviii
you the mewls of extracting the truth froin others,
and their evidence has uniformly tended to nor.
roborate hers. This is really doing nothing but
justice to Mrs. Clarke, and I wish equal justice to
rbe done to both aides. But, Sir, putting all the
positive evidence out of the question, I say that the
eircuusstautial evidence is of itself so idiom; as to
jsstify the House in passing u decisimi in maim's.
sty with the Address. It is amid' a nature, that,
in a Cuuyt ofiustice, with a very slight degree of
poestive evidence, it would be sufficient to con-
demn any individual tried for his life. But what
is most extraordinary iii this place is, that the legal
_gentlemen of this House seen, to lose all those uhi.
litres which they display elsewhere. (Near! hear!)
lo fort, all three witnesses, although brought for
the purpose of contradicting Mrs. Clarke, yet ea.
pealed to Mr. Attursiev-General not to be anti.
cient, and he. at length, thought Mrs. Clarke sle
solutely best itched, and, as it were, gave up the
trial to get rid of her. How is this to be accounted
for, when they say, at the revue time, that Mrs,
Clarke is possessed of such talents amid Online',
that nobody is like her. .uirl that she is equally
powerful as an enchantress > In suck a defeuce,
appears they can do nuthilig, but have recourse to
ramie marvellous expedited., in order to get the bet-
ter of Mrs. Clarke's evidence. It is like applying
a piece of red doth to the teeth of the viper, in order
to extract the venom. (Hear, hear!) 111, however,
the parole testimony be doubted, there are written
documents on your table that cannot admit of a
charge of falsity. Here we hove the Duke's uwu
letters ;inn! it is a painful thing to find t hut we Lave
the Duke's honour pledged to the contrary of what
moist necessaiily Le concluded from his own hand-
writing. Are we to be told that Mrs. Clarke's evi-
dence IS not to be believed, because here is the wont.
of honour of II person of his Herd Highness's omit
mid character, to subvert it ? We have the evidsine
too sof the particular friend of the Duke of York, iu
direct contradiction to his Royal Highness; and eau
then believe, flow die general character of the
Duke of York, and the honour of a Princa,that these
thugs are not possible. or that it must require mole
thin ordinary evideinse to convict hint of crimes
ai:tl misdemeanor.. ? This is really argumentuat
ad absurdnee, for it has been said that the Duke of
York 'could not do ull this, as it was coinrary to
eoninrion sense. 1Y hy, Sir, I own that the whole
of these tninsuctions are contrary-ecompletely so.
Colonel GIIAOII 11.111 been called a very able evi-
dence. Ido not understaiiil the meaning of this
expression, for 1 know nothing of witnesses except
as to how far they tell truth or falsehood. They
env that his evideuce cannot be .cootrarlicted by
that of Mrs. Clarke. Mark iris situation iii respect
to the Duke, and observe how he concludes ut-
most every answer with en exception. as is (love
hi mei chants' areouuts. nuich /vernally conclude
with errors reeeptcd ; end contrast his meaner a ith
that of Mrs. Clarke, in order to juils.e which of
teir testimonies is tnost to be credited. Colonel
Oordon's evideuce has bee., in ide the grand stalk-
hig horse upon ail occubions; and it is argued from
it, that.nocorruption roc .I take place, as orscial
Inrins were absolved. [lime the Hon. Aileiniet
made some allusion to the evidence of Watteau
and Sander:, and also to the raise of Samuel Carter,
bat the nature of ohich we could nut distiuct-
ly hear.] It wag attempted to set the ease of
Carter off to great arleatitege in favour of the
Duke of York; but if it amount to any thing,
he thonglit it should rather le construed us aim
act of generosity is Mts. Clarke. it was singular
that this woman was broneht to the Ilse with every
prejudice against her testimony, and yet (send he)
the more you learn of her, the more y ei have
*Neon to mitigate the had opinion you eaten:ailed
of her. Then we come to seine eases that are said
to hese nothing at all to do with Mrs. fluke ; but
I think they evidendy chew to what an extent
Mrs. Clarke's, mil uence wrist. 1. weighed heavily
upon the Duke, and adieu* • picture of hypocrisy
and profligacy united. (hear ! hear ! hear !) It
is truly revolting to propriety and decelity. lam
very sorry at observing the hoe of detain e that has
been adopted for his Royal Highness, stud wish his
advocates had adopted that in, de lel ich was
proposed by my Hos. Frieutl, who b: ought forward
these charges, by shish the character of the Duke
of York would not have been so soon exposed.—
Since it had come before them in this shape, ho-
nesty and justice required them to nicet it, and the
evidence upon it is trimly of as heasy a nature as
can well be coma" ved." The How Baronet then
alluded to the roc of Colonel Shaw, whose letters,
he thought, proved what were the general feelings
of the army. es In the case of Major Turner too, it
appeared that Mrs. Sinclair Sutherland had also
been in the habit of asking favours of the Duke, ill.
though it had been stated by the Secretary at War
to amount to nothing, ar Major Turner's reshot'.
I tion had not beets accepted of, on account of Stole
See.berlaud's representing to Col. Guelon, that lie
had believed ill to a lady. Ile knew net what
military roles apply to such cases, but he begged
the House to lime to the conduct of his Royal
Ilighnese the Duke of York !firma. It was evi-
dent the Doke felt no remorse in shaking her ofr,
and exposilig her to poviity and to infamy. Styli
conduct (said Sir Francis) makes a man'e blood
✓un cold. The evidence of Mrs. Clarke is a nudge-
chilly commie with the honour of a Prim e. She
offers to give up her annuity to pay ber debts, hut
that annuity, when applied for, was refused by the
Duke. although formerly promised. And 011 what
grounds was it so refused ? Why, he states, that
altliongh a bond had loreu promised, yet no bond
had been given ! There is the Honour of a Prince
for you!!! I think the evidence adduced may
she* clearly that the honour of a Palace is nut at all
to be relied upon. His !Royal Highnen.'s desire
to procure motley by soy means, or from ally quer.
ter, was also eminently cuii‘iiii•uoits. The trans-
action with Kennet. was one which even alone
should call for the iiiterference of the House, se
it Mewed that the Duke of York was capable of
recommending a worthless character to a place
under Government, in the hopes of obtaining die
loan of a large sum of money for it.—Da you not
all this corruption ?—Corruption and money are
said to be synnos ~,,, us terms; and bemuse the Lhc
had out receieed c 11.,: money iu band, the Chalices