The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-11-07 00:00:00

In come to the conclusion, thet there was ample proof'of
the mufti-int charge ; that the etilisostatial charge of an :Mill-
terons intercourse at, or near the time, soil with the person
•Ilegrel, had been more than inefficiently and fully proved
Many Noble Lords hail bail them, as he should tell them,
that they thought themselves discharged from the . etv
of examining the doithifnl points of the evidence•••• 11411111114.,
discharging thane from view, there unfortuamely reasoned
enough of evidence to grimed n verdict on, not only USII ohs.
'wowed, bat not even &Kiel. If coy thing still mule eaiuful
than she present result could have happeueil, and such case
miles, he 'opposed, it would be Chia—that the proved or ad.
misted facts were wholly tyke,, out of it, amid the verdict was
to be pronounced on Otiose feels only which were involved
doubt, and wily afforded ground for suspicion or preewmp-
toa. If three latter only were left, he slid nut ray what she &-
cleann of the wow ought to lie, for be had homed no cou.
elusion upon them is his own mind. If in ileciitseg on the
•siestam of guilty or not godly all the admitted facts were
fats& nerey,and the allthi(11".11.1111tIdonbifill once only !clients
ll
giving the accused all the advantage of she humane principle
of English-lap, the full benefit of all doubt, there would re-
mein quite enough to make it a mallet of grave de-
liberation whet judgment ought to he given. Ilut by
those admitted facts they were enabled, at least Ise
was enabled, to ground a verdict oa that ease, whirls
was clear and undisputed. That vise, he needed harshly
to tell their 'Lordships, was the case of the poi 'ere.
Hut it was not to be separately enneide.red, but to lie
coupled and taken in emus-mon silk the other unitieonted
Tact, he meant the extraurdismry and sapid elevation of a
person from the situation of a menial servant to is place isf
grebt tenet and dignity, to rank, wealth, and humour, and to
bs theconstant and almost sole companion of the person en
Malting lion, that person being a Princeso.--(fecor.)-es
With these things were, in his judgment, to be coupled (for
he knew not how they could separate that part of the orb.
deuce which had not bees. attempted to he confuted, and
neaiust which, therefore, there was mu presumption) the tee.
timuny of *Assesses to the number of 7 or 8, speaking to
minions acts of moot gross and iiideceus familiarity. He was
one of those who thought that these facts were cosifirnied by
a compel Mon with the circumstances arising un board the
polacre. His Noble Friend (Earl (Trey, we presume) brut'
had a fuller opportunity of explaining that which appeared
to him to have been not a little involved in confusion in the
discussions on this subject. It was mopiest• My true that
confirmation of suspected evidence to whatever degree could
'never alter the nature of that evidence; but with respect to
circumetantial evidence the case was exactly the revere.,
for in every case it was to be decided on circumstances. ased
it consisted in an accumulation of *event facts, all concur-
ring to the same fart, slid leading to the same CIACIII6IOIII.
The attention of the public had hive of late years directed
to several horrid case of murder; and convictions hail taken
plate on aCCIIOOi of them, tonloolitedly to the setifaction
isaiikiiid, though in every case on circumstantial evidence:
II was trite observation, hut nut the lees trite, that cir-
cuanotantial ,widener messing from a variety of circumstances,
all tending the some way, and pointing to one conclusion,
was frequently stronger than even the ennourence of posi-
tive testimony; because positive tettimony. however coo-
firmest, might be gruunded on fatsekennt; but the other spe-
cies of testimony was the natural reigll of events, mid could
tart be the effect of any concert or cosespiracy. Let a case
be put, that a man were forint] after a murder teserimittedi,
with a bloody knife in his pocket, of the same rise with the
wound, that would be a circumstance of SillpiCloll, bust it
would be only one ; that hi. garments were Moody, wutel4
he toroth ; bat it could not be denied that the concurressee
of both these was consistent with the perfect innocence of the
rams. But, if you add to them that be WAS observed to be
from home at a very unusual t at the very timeline
bloody deed was pl'essetrated, these are fre.h reasons fair
surpiciun ; farther, if you add to all the rest, 'that the lade-
iidnal iu whom all there circumstances concurred, lord been
traced either to the very spot, or 'sear the spot where the
murder had been committed, it unquestionably might
happen that that individuel wire imiocent ; hot in a Court
of Justice such ass ecesimisertioir of eietieci fees would he
'considered full and complete testimony. It had been nil-
shined that this individual, with *hum the adulterous
intercourse had been charged, had kers made the intimate
friend of her Majesty, the companion of her meals,
'the sharer of bee secrets, with the almost exelnsive
enjoyment of her society. If this wet the only fact in the
case, it might be said to he * strange instance of caprice,
but no more—that it would he the neurotic of guilt to con-
strue this circumstance of itself ihto guilt. Ile admitted.
that it was barely possible to believe this, though certainly
very difficult; when, in addition to this, they found the
same person who hail lavished sockfsvinirs, sleeping for the
space of live weeks smiler the same tent with the adulterer,
the tent excluding all other preemie-4111d also than the per-
stens who accidentally went within that place, suddenly with-
drawine themselves from a place forbidden to them—it
ins difficult to bring the mind to any oilier conelesiore
than that these cirrnmstances wit. a proof of adultery.
As far as he hail ever heard that was she precise ground on
DMA actiters of this natere were judicially decided. la
the cohabitati )))) under the tent, there wee a total absence of
ill excuse ; iii, excuse set up, be would ?ciliate to say,
could be satisfactory to any isideriduel who had addressed
their Lordships. But he admitted that if there was any
ground on which they could snake to themselves a doubt on
the subject, they were hound to give the Queen the benefit
of their doubts. God forbid he should act so as to incur the
charge of his Noble Friend (FeirlGrey), take all :he presump-
tions on hand, and exclude all those on the other ! But
having given she fullest ciessideraf 'to every thing which
had occurred on both sides, and having particularly attended
to what haul been said by his Nuibte Friend on the stsbject of
the tent, what he was compelled to confess did not carry any
weight to NM, he had come to the conclusion whieb he
had staled. Suppose two other persons had been found in
the same state of private enlosibitati 4444 how would a person
attempting to make a definer fur them set about it ? He
woutil wiy, if the rhan was a person on whom the lady had
as vet. bestowed any masks of favoureind if the lady had always
'comported herself towards him as a lady of rank ought to
have done, there would he circumstassei • front which inno-
cence might be nuferved. But who was the person in this
case ! That very individual who it was in proof had received
proofs of partiality awl attachment almost u•precedented.
The Noble Lord, after isome farther observatinns in support
of his argument, expressed his belief that if the eireum-
slithers its this case were not held to he sufficient
ground of that real presumption whirls arose from
powerful concurrent cirrumetaintial evidence, this must
be determined, that in no future institute where a
Court should be called on to say whether adultery had
been proved or nut, could such Court hold it was, unless it
were estatiliated on °enter testimony—a proof which was
impossible to be hail in 99 out of 100, nay in 999 out of
1,1)00 of the isms undisputed cases of adultery. With re.
sped to the ;lineation of expediency, the invemigation have
ing been guise through agreeably to the declared seise of the
House, he knew no other cosiese which eould now be fol.
lowed than to proceed with the Bill. Though he had re-
peatedly cast his mind on the consideration of the subject,
be was nut aware that there was any tither course opens
which wonlil he satisfactory is their Lordship.' own minds,
or consonant to 'lse miser of parliamentary proceeding,.
No man rustle honestly vole foe the Bill except with the
fell and judicial sense of with neon lii. mind ; with that
conviction it was perfectly compatible with their judicial
amid legislative duties to support the second reading, reserv-
ing to themselves the right of itolgisig of the extent of guilt,
and the measure of penhiliment which that guilt alsorik
rd. In the Committee that miestion wonted be best di".
(ermined ; out by individual opinion, hot by such an
upiu ttttt , upon the nieninsre of guilt and punishment slue
to it, as 'lmola he formed by a majority of the Committee.
His lordship mede some further remarks upon the CK-
prdiesicy of proceeding, reserving Site consideration of the
• Divoi ce clause and oilwr que•tions for the Cnsniniltee, and
concluded by declaring 'lest great as was the danger. to the
cosiutry f the (Actions and seditious hosts who were put
into action by this nwasere ~,it of doors, there was has
danger to be apprehended by firmly and fearlessly pressing
the Bill through to the second reading. The conclusion of
his Lordship's speech was cheesed loudly as he sat down.
The Earl of Rosslyn rose 'mishit WWI cries of P Quer-
non !" He gave the highest credit to the able and mini.
'Depletive speech of his Noble Friend ; it Was impossi-
ble but that the aigumenti of Friend tenet bare

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