The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-03-14 00:00:00

bring hint though all stomas and dangers. He was
told, that if he failed in making snit those charges
and aCCUOUtIOIIS, it iinl^must attach to his charac-
ter ; and it wiereven at the Same time stated, by
Right Honourable Secretary, that he had placed
himself in such a dilemma, that, upon the decision
of that question, hie character and reputation must
bang. I trust, that iii this stage of the business,
and .iffier the long and protracted debate, in winch
so many attempts have been made to do away the
effects of the evidence adduced, it at least caiinot
now be said, that any the smallest discredit or itifa-
my can attach to that /lon. Geut. who brought this
:natter forward.—(Hear ! Hear ')—l t' therefore
the Right Hon. ( 4'lo. opposite, (the Chancellor
of the Exchequer), must still sienewhere attribute
hilianay in these transactions, he must consent to
let it rest upon his own shoulders. His speech has
been said to be most ingenious and able ; but, if
so, I think I must also state, that it has been so
snehistical, and so unuandid, that it appears rather
to have been the defence of an advocate, than, as it
ought to have been, the summing up of the eii-
dance before a court. It was evidently deficient of
all candour or admission, (pi the one side, and ex-
celled in sterling difficulties upon the other; and
indeed was, upoe the %%hole, the iiiree injudicious
defence that Learned Gentleman could possibly
have ivade. Ail the evidence adduced at the Bar
eeislil not induce him I. come to nay other
conclusion, thau. that this woman, Mrs. Clarke,
hall no influence whatever upoir the mind of
the Duke of York.. I believe, however, lie will
stand alone he that ceuclusion ; hut it proves that
his mind was so blinded by some circumstance or
other, kis impassible what he said could have iiiiy
influence whatever upon the decision of the House
upon this great mid important question. He could
not see the plainest object iii the 61-mutest daylight,
and yet. he appeared able to pick up the most
trifling particles even its the most utter darkines.—
The principle hitherto has been to attempt doing
sway the evidence of • Airs. Clarke. Now, Sir,
when we consider what has been the evidence of
that inslividuel, how long she has berm under exit-.
minatium and how many boars site his beau sifted,
by lawyers, in order to produce !something trout
her owu mouth, attaching agaiest lu:rselfscveu fr '
her cradle 111:110St up tut lie time she appeared Mt the
her, we must be astonished zit the truly consistent
manner in which she gate her e+ideiice. Sine stands.
Sir, in this prtdieameut, that you saw the worst of
her at the brat ; for she appeared before us under
the most unluvoureble impressioas, and all that has
coine out from her first appearauce to the close of
her examination, has produced impreseimis ufgnite
a different nature and tendelicy. She came, iii-
deed, smiler such poi titular &sit:leant:tees, in point
of her kiwis"' character slop situation in life, that,
uielnubteilly, very little utteetion was prod to her
evidence; but its you went on, other circumstances
came forward, the rendered it imposeilde that city
such evidence could have been given by any out,
but upon that most simple of all inteutions, that
of telling the plain mad honest truth (Hear! hear!)
It so happened, however, tied ul l these alto en-
deavaured to entrap her, or to make her discredit
herself, found theuiselves constantly foiled. Hislla-
jesty'is Attorney-General eitainincil her bier after
hour, and was continually defeated hut if he hail
succeeded iu the slightest degree, 'he would have
endeavoured to overturn the 14kt:taller testimoily.
Hypothesie' hurt been raised upon hypothesis, sur-
mise upon surmise, and inference upon inference,
cud Mow,, when all of them had failed, Mrs. Clarke
was to be raised by them into the Leciitest prodigy
that ever existed ; and, its short. it has been
stated, that no withers ever WA, examined that
'sovietised abilities, understanding, and cimiiing,
equal to ,lrc. Clarke. If I thought her capable
of rearing up that drama that has been exlebited,
I too emild certainly unite with them in saying.
she ass unc °rase greatest geniuses; fur she would
be surely us eapeble of writing the tragedy of
RiarlfretA, as .11r was capable of trumping tip such
a store. %Ye- should consider, however, that the
grand connecting link its her evidence is her COW.
uesion and influence with the Duke of York ; and
whether. under all the eircuinstunces, yeti have not '
the best evidence that the nature of the ease can ail-
init.—You hive reason to believe, that the MlN-
ante. of itself, was a corrupt iiifluenee with the
Comennieler-iii-Chief, and that he had reasoia
to snap ect that such a corrupt influence esisted ;
in any cominon case, this would be acknowledged
tine best evidence, and why not sirens it such in
the preeeit instance? Shama! of hi; Royal High-
nese '—for, I urn sorry to say, that the very defence
which has beets made, must appear, iii anytime es
disgraceful. The Learned Gentleman begau with
stating, what is very usual with Gentlemen of the
Long Robe, that other people were mistaken in
laying down erroneous premises, and drawing false
conclusions ; and his conclusion was, that the
evidence of Mrs. Clarke was not at ull
I do not agree with either Isis premises ot his con-
elisions, for I think the evidepce of Mrs. Clarke is
certaiidy,to lie adinitted, but with due suspicion.
When, however, we And her evidence corroborated
by that of Miss Taylor, in regard to fact*, it muy
rather lie thought wonderful that there can be such
strong and convincing proofs produced OpOissueh
a anitject,wd have been tieon this occasion. Itul it
been a fabricated evidence, she met have known
11101 e than she stated. Nothing is more colaruon
then for Judges to state to a Jury the grounds of
credit, as well as the grounds of discredit; Nutt had
this Brent done fairly by ant, atilt Right Honour-
able Geatlemen in this ease? With reepret to Miss
Taylor, there is not the smallest seism' to doubt
her; and vet merely because she
.ap:icars to he a
relation of Mrs. Clarke, they supeose that all this
is nothing but an infamous scheme of these two
V/01110U to discredit and defame the Duke of
York ; but even were this the ruse, the manner in
which they have gone about it would not only shew
waist of ingenuity, but would exoose themselves,
as being the boldest women that ever existed. If
the emit• as to Colonel Freni•h, for instance, be a
trumped up story between these two persons.
surely Mrs. Clarke cannot be that genius diet the
Rielit lion. Gentlernaii states her to lie, for she
certainly would have taken rare to make it so
strong a clue. that no doubt could possibly exist.
'fee Rielat lion. Gentleman's airgismelits here
d. -tresael one !mother; all his 1611,positiont have
• cell ianfnended and hisser niers the inerecliiineras
e cud hypotheses of his owu brain, leaving out every