The National Register.
London, England, 1813-03-14 00:00:00

VIE NATIONAL REGISTER.

autreirticated, be again transmitted to me, and. that I might also be
Furnished with the Copies of the written Declarations, so reterred.to
in the Report ;• and my humble thanks are slue for your Majeaty's
compliance with my request. On the 20th of August, I received in
Consequence the attested Copies of those Declarations, and a
Narrative of his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent ; and a few days
afterwards, on the 3d of September, the attested Copies of the Exa-
mhtations which were taken before the Commissioners.
By the copy of the Commission, a warrant which .I..have received,
under which the inquiry has been prosecuted, it appears to be an in-
strument under your Majesty's sign manual, not countersigned, not-
under any seal? It recites, that an abstract of certain within decla-
rations, touching my conduct, (without specifying by whem those
declarations were made, or the nature of the matters toughing which
they had been made, or even by whom the abstract had been pre-
pared,) had been laid before your Majesty, into the truth.of which it
purports to authorise the four Noble Peers, who are named in it, to
inquire, and examine upon oath such persons as they think fit, and
report to your Majesty the result of their exam cation.
• By referring to the within Decd 'ration, it appears that they contain
allegations against me amounting to the charge of high treason, and
also other matters which, if understood to be, as they seem to have
been acted and reported upon by the Commissioners, not as evident:
confirmatory (as they are expressed to be in the title) of the principal
charge, but as distinct' and substantive subjects of ex,-mination,
cannot, as I am advised, be represented as in law amounting to
crimes. How most of the Declarations referred to were collected,
by whom, at whose solicitation, under what sanction. and before what
persons, magistrates, or ethers, they wire nude, does not appear.
the title, indeed, which all the within Declarations, except that
of Sir John and Lady Douglas, bear, viz. " That they. had been
taken for the purpose of confirming Lady Douglas's statement," 't
May be collected, that they had been by her, or at least by Sir John's
procurement ; and the concluding passage of one of them, I m an
the 4th Declaration of William Cole, strengthens this opinion, as it
represents Sir joint Douglas, accompanied by his solicitor, Mr.
Lowton, to have gone down as far as Cheltenhatn for the examination
of two witnesses, whose declarations are there stat^d. I am. how.
ever, at a loss to know at this moment whom I am to consider, or
whom I could fix upon, as my talse accuser. From the cirettm-
Stance last mentioned, it. 'night he inferred that Sir John Douglas, or
One of them, is the accuser. But Lady Douglas, in her within De.
claration, so far from representing the information which she then
gives as moving voluntarily from herself; expressly states, that she
gives it under the direct command of his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales, and the Papers leave me with information from whom '
any communication to the Prince originated, which induced him to
give such commands.
Upon the question how far the advice is agreeable to law, under
which it was recommended to your Majesty to issue this warrant or
commission, not counter-signed, nor order seal, and without any of
your Majesty's advisers, therefore, being on the face of it responsible
for its issuing, I apt not competent to determine. And undoubtedly,
that the two high legal authorities, the Lord Chancellor and the Lord
Chief Justice of the' King's Bench, consented to act under it, it is
with the greatest doubt and diffidence that I can bring myself to ex-
press my suspicion of its illegality. But if it he, 'as I aim given to
understand it is, open to question, whether consistently with law,
your Majesty should have beets advised to command by this warrant
or commission, persons not to act in any known character, as Secre-
taries of State, as Privy Counsellors, as Magistrates otherwise em-
powered, but to act as Commissioners, and tinder the sole authority of
elicit warrants, to inquire without any authority, to hear and deter-
mine any thing upon the subject of those inquiries, into the known
crime of high treason, under the sanction of oaths to be admit istered
by them as such Commissioners, and to report the result thereof to
your Majesty. If, I say, there can be any question upon the lega.
lity of such a warrant or commission, the extrem,• hardship with
Which it has operated upon me, the extr me•ptejudice which it has
done to my character, and to which such a proceeding must ever ex-
pose the person who is the object of it, oblige me, till I am fully
convinced of its legality, to forbear acknowledgtng its authority, and
.with all humility and deference to your Majesty-to protest against all
proceedings under it .-IEOG. •

The following admonition was recommended on the 25th
of January, 1807, by the undermentioned persons; who
had been commanded by his Majesty to re-consider the
iwhole subject, and to say; whether the circumstances which
had been originally brnught before them, were of such a
natui eto order any further steps to be taken anon ihetn. •
The LORD CHANCELLOR, I Lord Vi•coinit HOWICK,•
LORD PRESI DEN r, I Lord GRENVILLE,
VY SEAL, Lord ELLEN i:aIt.OUGH,
ER, I Mr, Sec. WINDHANI,
•
t A, I Mr. T. GRENVILLE.,
PETTY,

MARCH 11.

MESSAGE FROM THE KING,
TO HER ROY AL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS Or WALES.

44 The King having referred to his confidential Servants 'the pro..
ceedings and papers relative to the written Declarations which had
been laid before his Majesty, respecting the conduct of the Princess
of Wales, has been apprized by them, that after the fullest consider-
ation of thei examinations taken on that subject, and of the observa-
tions and affidavits brought forward by the Princess's Legal Advisers;
they agree in the opinions submitted to his Majesty in the oriAinal
Report of the four Lords by whom his Majesty directed that the
matter should, in the first instance, be inquired into ; and that in the
present stage of the business, up( n a mature and deliberate view dr
this most important subject, in all its riarts and bearings, it is tl.eir
opinion, that the facts of this case do not warrant their advising that
any further step should be talc, it in the business by his Majesty's Go-
vernment, or any other proceedings instituted • upon it, except such
only, as his Majesty's Law Servants may, on a reference to them,
think tit to recommen,t for the prosecution of Lady Douglas, on
those parts of her deposition which may appear to them to be justly
liable thereto.
In this situation, his Majesty is advised that it is no longer ne-
cessary for him to decline receiving the PiNincess into his Royal pre-
sence.
" The King sees with great satisfaction the agreement of his Confi-
dential Servants, in the decided opinion expressed by the four Law
Lords upon the falsehood of the accusations of pregnancy and deli-
very brought forward against the Princess by Lady Douglas. On
the other matters produced in the course of the Inquiry, the King is
advised, that none or the facts or allegations stated in preliminary ex-
aminations, carried on in the absence of the parties interested, are to
be considered as legally or conclusi"ely established. But in those ex-
aminations, and even in the answer drawn in the nameot the Princess,by
her legal advisers, t herehave appeared circumstances on the part of the
Princess,which his Majestvcotild never regard but with serious concern.
The elevated rank which the Princess holds in this country, and the re-
lation in which she stands to his Majesty and the Royal Family, must
always deeply involve both the interests of the State, and the personal
feelings of his Majesty, in time propriety and correctness ot•her con-
duct ; and his Majesty, therefore, cannot forbear to express, in the
conclusion of the business, his desire and expectation, that such a
conduct may in future be ohserved by the Princess, as may fully jus-
tify those marks of paternal regard which his Majesty always wishes
to show to every part of the R.iyal
" His Majesty has directed that this Message should be transmit-
' ted to the Princess of Wales by his Lord Chancellor ; and' that copies
of the Proceedings which have taken place on this subject, should
also be connnunicated to his dearly-beloved Son, the Prince of
Wales."

The Ministers, by whose recommendation the preceding
" Admonition"was sent to.the Princess, shortly afterwards
went out of office their• successors then reconsidered the
original charges, minutes of evidence, &c. and came to
the following very opposite conclusion on .those circuin-
stances of conduct on the part of the Princess, which gave
his Alajesty such serious concern :

MINUTE OF COUNCIL, Aratz. 22, 1807.
YRISENT,
Lord Chancellor (ELDON) I Earl BATHURST
Lord President (CAMDEN) Viscount CASTLEREAGF
Lord Privy Seal (WESTMORE- Lord MULGR AV E
LAND) F Mr. Secretary CA NN I NG
Duke of PORTLAND I Lord HAWKESEURY.

Earl of CHATHAM I •
" Your Ivl.ljesty's confidential servants, iiave, in obedience to your
Majesty's commands, most attentively considered the original Charges
and Report, the minutes of Evidence, and all the other papers sub.
mittea to the consideration of your Majesty, •n the subject of those
charges against her 'Royal Highness'the Princess of Wales.l--In the
stage in which this business is brought under their consideration, they
do not feel themselves called upon, to give any opinion as• to the pro.
reeding itself, or to the mode •of investigation in. which it has been
thought proper to conduct it. But adverting to the advice which is
stated by his Royal Highness the Prince of \Vales to have directed his
conduct, your Majesty's confidential servan.s are anxious to impress
upon your Majesty .their conviction, that his Royal Highness could''
not, under such advicci, consistently with his pUblie'duty, haVe done
otherwise than lay before Yout Majesty the StateMenis and Examina-
tions which are submitted to him upon this subject.—After the most
deliberate consideration, however, of .the evidence which has been
brought before the Commissioners, and of the previous examirP.tions
as well as of the answer and observations which have been.submitted.
to your Majesty upon them, they feel it necessary to declare their de.
cited concurrence in the clear and unanimous opinion of.the Com.
missionefs,. cnitirmed by that of all your Majesty's late contidetrial
servants, (hit the two main charges alledged against, her Royal High.
nes., the Princess of Wales, of pregnancy and delivery, arecompletely
disproved; and they further u 'nit to your Majesty their unaniinotti

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