The National Register.
London, England, 1809-03-12 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

the command of his Royal 11igitness, and felt it their duty to
express their full and entire approbation of its present and actual
bi:,l•;C, and to impute that tiouriAling state to his Royal highness.
But that the ilouse most humbly submit to his 111aiesty, that un-
der all the circumstaoees et the ease, from the unbecoming. and
ohappy comae% lion into which lii. Ito% al Highness had fallen,
and from the direct wound which would lie given to the public
morals and religion of the 'Kingdom, it %vas impossible that his
Jto at Highness should co:alone any longer in the command of
the army.

The Spea having read this Address, which was proposed
as an Amendment,

• MR. Soar: t: conceived it his duty not to Suffer the proposed
Address of the Hon. Gentleman to pos,, without stating; his most
decided objection. Of all she sourees proposed, it appeared to
him most objectionable. The flit. Gentleman had proposed
ith the avowed purpose of simplviliog the case before the
'Muse, het to his opinion it went to confound and perplex what
before was perp'exed and confused enough. it was quite
Impossible with holy justice, he thought. to the Duke, that
the House could take the step recommeoded in the first pro-
position of the Address, couched as this Address was, because
there was eo distinct general proposition contained in it. Every
thing was insinuated, hut nothing asserted positively. Scope
was therefore afforded for the p:esumption that all the calum-
nies and criminal charges laid against the Doke, were substan-
tiated. For his own part, if he could believe him guilty
Of one half the crimes attributed to him, he would be the first
'to carry a Bill of Exclusion to the Throne; but feeling that
the grounds of imputation were utterly false, it was quite im-
possible he could consent to the proposition of addressing hi 3
'Majesty for the purpose of depriving his Royal Highness of the
command of the army. With respect to the imputation of an
'undue influence used by Mrs. Clarke over the Duke, he contend-
ed, that the, paucity of the cases brought before the Ilouse was
a concurring proof that such influence did not prevail to any ex-
tent. It would hecome the House of Commons of Great Britain
to avoid failing the dupes of a popular cry, (Bear! hear!) and
by discarding from their consideration the merits of so faithful
:trervant to the Public, commit an act of injustice as undeserved
sis it was unnecessary.
Lord Fo eteseom 6, in a speech of considerable length and
energy, expressed his intention to support the original Motion,
proposed by Mr. Wardle. It had been endeavoured, by several
l Hon. Gentlemen, to invalidate the testimony of Mrs.
('hl ke, by calling in questiln the leeality of her evidence, on
the groom' of her heiug a party in a foul conspiracy against his
Roxal litghness. It hail been allowed, however, by the ma-
jority of the Members of the House, that as a witness, she was
pcifectly admieshle and satisfactory, and upon a consideration
of her eb Okla e there did not appear to exist a single dllbity or
suspicion ii, the troth a:td correctness of her statement. The
Noofe. Lord then viten into a detail of the evident e adduced in
p ripr t as the coaree part iculeri;:i oe these facts, in w hich the
reuilm.o a: it aetioni of Mrs. in coo, ceeion ith t!; Duke,
aid the se..eral neeocia:ions 10 Waich was concereed, were
moo conspicuous, from which, after an elaborate and able nrgn-
•tiirat he observed, that she was both a competent and a credible
wituese. lie also adverted to several other parts of the
te;ridence, which from our limits we are unable fully to state.
The Noble Lord asserted, ;hat there bed beeu as many con-
ft.‘eiie;ions fa the ex ;dein e of Colonel theolon and Mr. Adam.
as there bad been in that of Mrs. Cia;ke, and that cousiderne2-,
the disadvantages under which Mrs. Clarke laboured, the length
yf tier examinations, and the little indulgencies which had been
ihexin her, it was only wonderful her testinemy had !mien so free
hf coinradiciions and lois-statement. I pot' the whole he felt
ritorouchlv convinced o: the ahsoltne guilt of hi.s Royal High-
eess, ilitoourahie Friend had, at the outset of his endea-
%ours and meritorioos task, for w hie!' it was to be we-hod he
'w old have the gratitude of the Country, was threatened in un-
qualified terms, that if he failed in his assertions, that most ieno-
minions infamy %shield he the re,mit, And the Right Honour-
able Gentleman who ha' made that threat. had not, Fine(' the
period of its utterance, although tit ro‘vn out in the most otVensive
manner, made atingle attempt to apologize for its irregularity.
lie trusted, however, that it' the rtiellt ifonourable (ieottenian
did not retract hi- words the intame ss ould fall on himself: The
Noble Lord concluded 1,) e% pressing he, determination to give
bis rote in support of the original Addrue.
Mr. ADA t defended his conduct in relation to the Duke of
York : and concurred in the course of peoceediegs recernutttittca
by the Charctl!•:”. cf the F xeltequer,

MARCII I.

Mr. W. SMITH thought, that from the facts which had beeu
proved, it would not be prudent to continue his Royal Highness
in the command of the army.
At four o'clock the House adjourned to Monday.