The National Register.
London, England, 1809-02-26 00:00:00

t FEB. 26,
~........................ _ TH E REGISTER.NATIONAL- --.,-- ,-
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To Mrs. Clarke, Southampton, Oct. 21,1806. (corr.) " Horse Guards, Feb.`23, 1809.
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" It is totally out of us) power to wive you ;he heassistance you
b y " Stn,-1 have wailed with the greatest anxiety until the Cum- i'.
seem to expect. • • mittee appointed by the House of Commons to inquire into my
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. To Mrs. Clarke, Gloucester-place. conduct, as Commander in Chief of his Majesty's .1 rmy, had closed
your . its examinations, .1(1
. • " I enter full v into your seuterieuts with respect to and 1 now houe that it will not be deemed int-
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children, whose interests you, of course, ought to consult. With proper to address this letter, through you, to the House of Cum- ii,
regard to the liouse at Weybridge, think you had better remove °am"'
your furniture from the house, and em y plo the person you di- " I observe with the deepest concern, that in the course of this
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. remit to take the house to give it up regain." Inquiry, my name has been eouplid with transactions the most iv,
Air. NV it Irßlt E A 0 believed there was some Honourable Gen- criminal and disgraceful, and I must ever regret and lament. t
ilemitt: ill the House who could ideality the hand-writing of that a connection should ever have existed, which has thus exposed 1'
intie.. tieneral Clavering. lie was answered in the ntiirmative. The mcharacter and honour to public aniniadversiou. t
1 1 Letter wits then shown to the Honout able Member, a lio declared With respect to my alleged offences, connected wit h.the dis-
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,he the hand-writine of Geacrat Clavering. charge of my ollicial duties, 1 do, in the most solemn manner,
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The letter was as follows : upon my honour, as a Prince, distinctly assert my innocence, nut
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only by draying alleorrupt participation in any of the infamous
fe Mrs. Clarke, Westbourne-place, Sloanerslreer. r
twsactions which /.aw appeared in evidence at the Bee of the
" Miner's Hotel, Conduit-street. trouse of Cumulous, or any connivance at their existence, but also
"My dear Mrs Clarke,---I have just heard you have it con- the slightest knowledge or suspicion that they existed at all. t.
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*ern plat ion to sub pante me to attend before the House of Com- "My consciuliAness of innocence leads me couliden‘ly to hope,
!imps. But I particularly beg you w ill not mention my name, that the House of Commons will not, upon such evidence as then 1, •
its lam most aux ioos I should nut be brought before the House; have heard, adopt any proceeding prejudicial to my honour and
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1 b!itit:: a family man it might be attended with a serious result, in character; but, if. on such testimony as has been adduced against
giving rise to the idea of a connection between : us, which, al- use, the House of Commons can think my innocence questionable, f
though not existing, all the arguatee.ts en the universe would not claim of their justice., that I shall not be condemned without trial,
prove to the contrary," or be depricrd of the bear/it and protection which is aprded to
Alr. Lawton was them called is end examined by several every Briliqh Sab;rcl, by /.'ruse sanctions under which alhitc cvi- c;
Memberi on both sides of the House- The substance of his dence is received in th.; ordinary administration of the law.
evidence was as follows : that he was V. S4licitor. and hail been " J am, Sir, yours, . .
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employed by the Duke of York, in a toutidential manner, to . 66
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make some inquiry respecting the character, connections, and , " To the Speaker of the House of Commons." Pi.
mode of life of Mrs. Clarke; that (luting that inquiry he hadOn the motion of the CuCii ANC E L Loa of the Fx Cll EQUEtt, the
discovered no part of the conduct of Mr-. Clarke which reflected letter Obis Royal Highness was ordered to lie on the table.
dispace on his l loyal Highness front bet having obtained money
The SPEAKER 063CrVed, that the proper course was, that the
, iii the Duke's name ,z.nd that he reported the result of his tn. letter should lie on the table for the inspection of every Member.
quiries to his Royal Highness. That he knew Mr. Williams,
EA ST lliDl~ cOMNIITTEE.
who was formerly examined at the Bar of the /louse, wad believed .
him to be insane; that General CAaverine had stated to him he Mr. R. DUND A S rose for the purpose of moving the re-ap- i
had some evidence to give, w hizis wauia materially invalidate pointment of a Committee to examine into the affeirs of the East
411111 Z the testimony of Mrs. Clarke. , India Company. lie observed, that notwithstandine the labours „;
eoa
Miss Taylor said, she clever remembered any other conversa-
of the i
lion relative to military appointments, except the one respect- , ast Committee, various points nected with the affairs ;
of the Company remained to be considered ; in particular, the
ihg Colonel French. 'The witness was positive as to the words i finances and the trade of the Cumpauy had not yet been so •
spoken by the Duke relative to this affair, She knew of nu thoroughly investigated as the necessity of the case required.
other business of this kind. She had Rot known Mrs- llovenden , The selection of the Members to form the preceding Committee i .
for two years. Mrs. itovenden 'then lived in South Moulton- f was such as he bkould now recommend to the House to adopt,
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street. She did not know where Mrs. Hnwenden lived now. In . with the exception of Mr. Grenville amid Mr. Hobhouse, not from -.
• i her cross-examination, by the Solicitor General, she stated that. any disrespect to these Gentlemen, but really because their ether ..
she could not remember the date when ate Puke spoke the , avocations had not permitted Meta to attend the business of the
Avords alleged. She did not recollect what Mrs. Clarice said to former Committee. In their room, he should propose Lord ',l
keg* when she asked her whether she recollected the words ; Temple and Mr. Addington. lie then concluded with moving, - ~t
spoken by the Duke relative to Colonel French's levy; believed that a Select Committee of twenty-one Members he appointed 1,
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' she mereay asked the question; no one was present. to examine into the affairs of the East India Company,. and to
a Mr. Ye to now entered into a course of examination of all report the same front time to time to-the House.
the Genera Officers present, relative to the state of the Army
under the Commander in Chief. They all bore testimony to The question was put and carried.
The Co AN C I'. I.LO R of the Exert EQU En moved the order of
the excellent administration of the Arinv as far as respected its the day for the blouse going into a Committee on the Corn
internal management. Their evidence, however, was so pre., Distillery Prohibition Bill ; but before going into the Committee,
cisely the same as that of Colonel Gordon, that it is unnecessary
to detail it. he moved that it be given as an instruction to the Committee, to
admit a clause into the Bill, empowering his Majesty to prohibit,
Mr. %Vitae:roe then resorted progress of the „whole pro- by Proclamation, the distillation of spirits from corn in Ireland,
ceedings ; and the itepoit was ordered to be taken into cuu- how and w hen he should think lit.
sideratiou on Thursday next.--Adjourned.. •
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Thursday, Feb. 23. port was ordered to be brought up to-morrow.—Adjourned.
• Mr. FY NES presented a Petition firom the Curates of Henry
the M.'s Chapel, praying public aid for carrying on the re-
Friday, Feb. 2.4,
pairs of the sans.
After a few words from Sir . If tee, who deprecated the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council, praying that a Bill
idea of making any alterations in that venerable edifice, which , A division took place. For the Bill, 40—Against it, 37
Majority, 3.
The Bill afterwards went through a Committee, and the Re
The Sheriffs of London presented a Petition from the Lord ~
might he brought in for the better Recovery of Small Debts
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were replied to by the. Chancellor of the Exchequer, who nh- within the City. . ,
served that the object was not to alter but to repair, the Yeti- Mr. BLACK BURKE presented a Petition front the cotton ma-
lion ..
was ordered to lie ou the table. nufactures of Lancashire, praying for a regulation iu the price 0 . .
of Pages. Ordered to lie on the table. ~
LETTER ER.OM TUE DUKE OF YORK.
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After a great deal of private business had been gone through, DUKE OF YORK‘S LETTER. . .
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the SPEA.KaIt addressed the House in the .follow ing fermi:— Mr. Wri ITBR EA D rose, to call the attention of the House to
" I have to acquaint the House, that since I came to the a matter wore deeply affecting the ptivilegee of the House chew
House I have received a letter from his 'Royal Highness the any he ever remembered to have occurred since he had had the
Duke of York, the contents of which relate to the Inquiry now honour of a seat in Parliament. IN alluded to the Letter ic,an
pending before the Committee of the whole House. With the his Royal Highness the Duke of York, addressed to the z..peal“lr,
permission of the House, I will read the letter." and which liad been read from the Chair. lie must confess, i'.4-
' The Speaker' thia read the letter, which. was as follows: one, that he was taken by swimse oft the oceasitni, otheiv,i,a
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