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

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

MARCH 12.

and palpable mode, which appeared to be the most efficient and
just. in the animadversions he had made, he did not once
advert to the evidence which was examined on the subject of the
Orders in Council during the last Session, nor did lie quote one
line of the two hundred folios laid on the table of the House
on the same subject. The trade of England was certainly in a
great measure gone, but it was from the Decrees at Berlin, and
not fr in the Orders in Council. It was necessary to resussitate
the commerce, and Ministers were obliged to take measures fur
that purpose. The trade of England for the two years preced.
ing the 10th of October, 1807, was certainly but nominal. On
the passing of the Orders in Council, however, instead of a
further continnance of so disastrous a calamity, the trade pro-
gressively increased, and the prophecy to which the Honourable
Gentleman alluded, instead of failing, was fulfilled to the utmost
extent of the expectations of Ministers. The Orders in Council
became therefore a measure of utility, and of general benefit.—
He showed, from the history of the reign of Phiiip 11. of Spain,
that measures similar to our Orders in Council had been exe-
cuted by the Dutch Government, which were acq6iesceci in by
that monarch and the other potentates of Europe ; and from
hence he argued, that the assertion that this measure of ours was
unparalleled, was untrue. He thought that the propositions of
America were illusive and inoperative. We did not want to
drive America to a war with France; that was a mistaken no-
tion entertained by the Hon. Gentleman, all we wanted her to
do, was to abstain from trading with France and other countries,
as long as they interdicted her trading with us. The Honourable
Gentleman, concluded, by observing, that the Orders in Council
were measures of retaliation, perfectly consistent with the ho-
nour and dignity of this country, and compatible with the duty
of his Majesty's Ministers; and with this impression on his
nautili he could never consent to the Honotwable Gentleman's
&notion, in as much as the rescinding of those Orders was the
chief object aimed at by him in bringing forward the subject be-
fore Parliament.
On the question being put, there appeared, for the Address 83,
against it 145—majority 6'4—Adjourned.

Tuesday, March 7.
MUTINY BILL.

The Order of the Day for taking into further consideration the
report of the Mutiny Bill having been read,
On the motion of the S t CAETARY at `VAR, the Bill was or-
dered to be, and was forthwith recommitted.
Several amendments were proposed by the Secretary at War.
The first was, to exempt from billetting those canteens which
were not fit for that purpose. Another amendment was, to
exempt waggons emploved in ir,i;itary purposes from the opera-
tion of the Act of Parliament by which the relations of weights
and the number of horses were adjusted. The next amendment
was, to coniirm the penalties existing in Ireland before the
Union, on those publicans who should refuse to take in soldiers
billetted on them. The succeeding amendment related to the ab-
sconding of recruits. The next amendment was, to inflict on
those Commissaries who should fraudulently misapply the public
money, a penalty of WO/. and to render them ineligible to serve
in any other public situation, civil or military.
Several other clauses, among which was one to give a power
to transfer men who had enlisted, into any regiment, and were
found unfit for service, to any other regiment that might be
thought proper, were then proposed by the Secretary at War,
and agreed to.--Adjourned.

Wednesday, March 8.
Lord Fo Licsro NE gave notice that he should, on Monday
?e'ilight, bring forward some farther Charges against His Royal
Highness the Duke of York.

165

mast ever claim my warmest thanks. To my Honourable
Friend (Mr. Whitbread) I owe much ; at the moment I felt my-
se! f a good deal overpowered at an earl N stage of the business, he
stepped forward, and I was mulled to proceed unt;sr his
shield. At an early period of this ins sstigation, I had the mis-
fortune to lose, from ill health, my Ilonourable Friend, who
took so conspicuous a part in the commencement of these pro-
ceedings (Sir Francis Burdett). To ms N (role Friend (Lord
Folkstone) L owe much. —My Nook Friend stepped for-
ward, not only to assist me, hut he placed himself in the same
situation to act with me as the accuser of his Ito) al Highness the
Duke of York. Tl.,e conduct of his Alajests 's Ministers upon
this occasion, must convince the world, that as long as any thing
could be done, they had given very great credit to the conduct
of his Royal Highness. Yet it is the duty of this House to
maintain the Rights of the People, as it is the duty of his lat-
jesty s servants to maintain those of the Crown. And I think
the event of this Inquiry will be developed in the strength of the
ca.,ei I have to advert to, upon which 1 rely, to prove the
Charges with which 1 set out to the fullest e %tent. I have brought
forward the exchange between Cols. knight and Brooke. It ap-
peared that some delays and impediments had taken place in that
exchange, and that a sum of 200/. was offered to Mrs. Clarke to
expedite the exchange. This is proved in the first place by the
evidence of Dr. Thynne, who stated, that he had applied to
Mrs. Clarke respecting the exchange of Colonel Knight and
Colonel Brooke; and for the purpose of inducing Mrs. Clarke
to we her influence with the Commander in Chief to expedite
the exchange, he offered her the sum of WO. in order to remove
those impediments and those delays. Dr. Thynne is corroborated
by Mr. Robert Knight, who stated, that he had authorised Dr.
Thynne to offer Mrs. Clarke that sum; and that this sum, upon
the exchange being effected, was paid to Mrs. Clarke; that ap-
plication had been made to the Duke of York in the regular
way, and the usual official answer received; that great delay
had taken place, and that in order to expedite the business, he
had applied to Mrs. Clarke to use her influence on the occasion.
This evidence is further corroborated by Mrs. Clarke, who
stated, that in consequence of the application of Dr. Thynne,
she had applied to the Commander in Chief upon the subject of
the exchange; that she gave his Royal Highness the Duke of
York, a slip of paper; that the Duke asked her if she knew
the parties, to which she answered she did not, but that they
were to make her a compliment; and that she afterwards re-
ceived the sum of two hundred pounds. Mrs. Clarke goes on
to state farther, that upon mentioning the subject to his Royal
Ililorhness, he said he knew the subject very well ; that they had
been trying about it for some time ; and it appeared from the
documents on the table, that Mrs. Clarke could obtain this infor-
mation through no other person but his Royal Highness him-
self. Mrs. Clarke also states, that she shewed the VOW. she
had received from Colonel Knight to his Royal Highness., and
that the day after she received it, the Duke left tow n for Wey.
mouth. Colonel Gordon corroborated his Royal Highness's go
ing out of town for Weymouth on the 31st of July. Mr. It.
Knight spoke of his having paid the 'IOW. early on the day
after his brother had been gazetted. Mrs, Clarke further ;IyFi,
that the note was changed by one of the -ersaats of his Rim) at
Highness; and Pearson, Mrs. Clarke's butler, states positively,
that on the night before his Royal Highness went out of town,
she received a note, which was changed at Mrs. Bridgeroates, the
pastry-cook's, and Mrs. Bridge titan corroborated this fact.
There appeared a great confusion in part of Pearson's testimony,
where his recollection was imperfect; but from the positive tes-
timony of Mrs. Clarke, and from the recollection •,f Mrs. Bridge-
man, that the man came to her to get the change, I do still say,
there is every reason to give some attention to the facts in this
part of the evidence. Mrs. Clarke asserted, that there was only
two or three days from the time of the application for the ex,
change, and the time of gazettieg. But Dr. Thyane and Mr.
Knigt spoke positively that there was a fortnight or three weeks,
for Mr. Knight went three times to the Gazette Office. There
was very little doubt that Mrs. Clarke made the applica-
tion to his Royal Highness immediately after Dr. Thynne had
spoken to her requiring her dispatch. Acid after this, is the
Duke of York to be held forth us being wholly ignorant of
these transactions) and can it he supposed, after this, that Mrs,
Clarke could be so anxious to 'keep these transactions a secret
from the Juke? I wilf sbews 'freets.ine documents on the Table,
that it was in consequence of blkstiOarkess influence that thi
exchange was expedited; foil ff. e entries at cox and Gres
wood's, it appears that Cottrel ooke's exchange wvith C 4
Knight could not he acceded tom...onel Gordon in his ovule's
says that this Wry uteaut outhint more than a stoppap 6)