The National Register.
London, England, 1820-10-29 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

scarcely to be expected, baiithat, In the dlseassioas whkh
have taken place, nad in the interlocutious that have oc-
curred, that some hasty expressintiggpould not have escaped
an Advocate, whose feelings may Mee been overwhelmed
with the importance of the cause in which he was engaged.—
My Learned Frieud, the Attorney-General, yestesday, ,
seemed to think that I was questioning his veracity, but
most unequivocally declare taut such was not my intention.
I disclaain the slightest imputation against his personal cha-
racter or his honour. It has never beets my wash to give un-
easiness, but I have felt it acutely. The Illuste Mew Client,
a hose interests have been ciailiJed to our cute, has beets the
victim of the must cruel usperviom, of the most severe and
degrading wrongs. This, any loud* we have Mt in the
whole comae of the inquiry. lint, chile I disclaim all per-
sonality against my Learned Friend opposite, I claim the
right to observe on tee whole of his conduct as an Advocaat
in these proceedings. It is my Learned Friend's misfortune
to be engaged in this ariarieciatiou, te misfortune fur whirls no
honours can compensate hies. His °thee h.is imposed on him
the duty utpioseenting the U hl of Pains and Penalties against
the wite of his &overripe, no mike n kids I would not have
filled fur any railk, lamenir., or %aridly sedvantnges it were
possible to ototain.—(The Learned Geutleenan then read
the preamble of the Bill, respecting the conduct of the
Quern to Bergaini, which Mai said Is, have brought dishonour
and disgrace on the Sovereign, and seas a scandal to the peo-
ple of England. lie then proceeded a] —I can only apply
myself in these allegations, and to the maitre of the evidence
by which they have been supported. It is true, that lit r-
genii was received into the Melee of her Royal Highness as
a menial ; that he received marks of favour; and that some
of his relations were taken into her service. We have been
told that titles were obtained for him; but no attempt had
beets de to prove that they were übtained by her MN-
vice. No other proof was given, out that her Royal High-
ness had conferred on Bergatni an Alder, which she had
cleated, it was said, without ;lute! aueliority. This, any
Lords, I deny, for several of the Nubility in France, with-
out any Sovereign authority whatever, have created Orders;
and there is at, instance of three Italian merchants, brothers,
having instituted au Order. I treat this subject seriously,
because it has been treated seriously its the Bill. But, my
Lords, I think, if a Princess goes a visit to the holy sepul-
chre, and is pleased with the saint, does what Dukes of
Boarbon timid Onke. or Orleans have dime in former time—
raised some memorial of the event in the creation of an
Order of Knighthood, there is certainly nothing criminal in
it I—Princes arc fond of toys, tometimes erecting buildings,
and at other times creating Orders. The Princess of Wales
did boils, she put wings to the Villa d'Este, and made it a
Palace, which did no discredit to her taste, though it was
toot a Pavilion I—The only question to be decided was,
whether the adulterous intercourse charged in the preamble
of the Bill land taken place, and in such a matinee as bring
dishonour on Lis Majesty, and discredit on the people of
Leal/mid ? He would refer to the Attorney-General's open-
hog speech, us the cue he was called upon to answer; he
would observe on every one of his stutements, and on the
evidence by which it had been attempted to support those
statements. The first count set forth in the indictment, or
first overt act, was what passed tit Naples the night after the
arrival of her Royal Highness there; and certainly the
statement made by the Attorney-General, on this head was
one calculated to make ten impression. Ile said that,
on former maniocs, the individual who was charged as
the paramour of her Royal Highness had slept .stes distance
from her, but that, on that night, she desired he might
be Dear her; that the boy Austin, wilts had hitherto slept
in the bet-room of her .Ruyal Highness was that night
removed to a dastaneta--that she. reaorned catty ft-um the
Opera ; that she did not occupy her owe OA, but that the
other bed had the marks of two perases haying .slept fo
it; that next morning the Princess could not be seen at
her usual hour by persons who had 'called upon her,-7
Stich was the statement of the charge inside by the Attor-
ney-Gencral,and such the facts trots which, if proved in
evidence, uuly one conclusion could have hien drawn.—
But if none of these facts prove true—if the bed-romns
are changed without the knowledge of her Royal Highs
news; if' it is considered unsafe that she should sleep too
near the garden, and that a bed is prepared for Bergaini
in the cabinet ; if her Royal Highness's Chamberlain re-
monstrates Wills her that Austiu was getting too old to
sleep in her bed-room; if it is proved diet she returned
Irons the Opera very late, and not early, that instead of
going secretly to her chamber she was accompanied by
Sir Wm. Gell ; that she rose next morning at her usual
hour, and that no persons called on her Royal Highness,
and that nothing took place to indicate that any tlaiug re-
markable had passed between her and Berganii, then the
impression must be very different indeed. He felt also, ke
must incur the hazard of being tedious to be distinct, but
he mint refer to the Minutes for each distinct tact, and
he would convince their Lordships, that the Naples charge
was not only not proved, but couipletely negatived. Si.
card negatives the charge of changing the room, and
chews, that it was his own act in placing Ben garni in the
cabinet. Mr. Craven states, that he had represented to
her Royal Highness that William Austin should not con-
teen to sleep in her room ; and Carrington swore, that
he had previunshy made a bed for Austin in other rooms,
Mr. Craven and Sir William Gell state, that they remain.
ed wills her Royal 'Renew very late at the Opera. And
from the testimony of De Mont herself you will find, that
she was not there accidentally, but was sent fur by her
Majesty, as if in order to see all that took place ; and
Sir %V. Gcll states, teat he accunipanicil her Ma-
jesty to the room. All Use charge. in the opening speech
to the Naples business, Nal to use ground ; nor is the in•
terference of the haughty conduct of Bergami, which
would have followed the adulteress intercourse, at all
proved ; on the contrary, Mr. Craven states him to have
been always obedient and respectful, whether as Classier
or Chemist Hain. Now as to the state of the beds : Du-
' moot laid said that no one slept in the travelling bed, and
that the oilier appeared &mimed and tumbled, and this,
nut for one night, but fur Iwo mouths. Now, if' an adul-
terous intercourse bad taken place, the little bed would
have been slept in, if only to veil the connexion. Ma-
demoiselle Dumoot, in her cross-exanithatitm, said there
was nothing that iudicated that two persons had slept in
the bed; but aßerwards,ou the third or fourth day of lies
examination, in answer to a qtaestiou put by a Noble Lord,
considering, perhaps, the gluey acquired by Barbara
Kresse in her precivas evidence, and anxious of a siwilar
honor Dumont stated a feet which no one could believe,
that there were stains mashie the bed, but she modestly
added she did not know what they wet e, as She had neve r
seen any latch before! It was there the ungrateful Da.
MOM LlOll4lll proper to fix the crime on her illustrimis
mistress, lint, admitting all Disinusit said to be true, so
far as rebated to facts of which site alone could have

knowledge, yet, when she was refuted in every fact Ilia
could be known to another, it was impossible to believe
her in any. Surely no case had ever failed so completely
in evidence as that charge against her Royal Highness
ss ;deli related to her conduct at Naples? The ;mint rows
witnesses which had been called, the numerous charges
which had been made, and the indefatigable efforts to
retorter those charges available had, it was impossible bnt
to perceive, produced an impression upon their Lordships'
minds %%hick it would be difficult to remove. Here the
Learned Coninel quoted a passage from the Quarterly
Review, which, he said, was extremely applicable to the
ease. It was the comparison of an edifice to a reputation ;
and it described the almost insurmountable diffictilty of
repairing the inttaties of either; asserting, that nothing
short of a miraculous demonstration could operate in re.
pairing the amanita upon a female's character. Unforito.
nately the Queen's case strongly exemplified the truth of
the Roman maxim—" Colltomniando semper "tat."
The infamous calumnies vented against her had produced
their effects ; and though the tiihnual before which she
appeared should deride that they were base fahri-
Cllll6llS—yet they wont(' leave ; *sloment and suffering
behind, and a set of feelings would be raised to the pi e.tu.
dice at the ceased, which neither time nor circumstances
could everTfface. _

The Learned Counsel then adverted to that part of the
statement against her Itlajest; , which accused her of
having rotninitted adultery, and having continued in an
tiluillerollll intercourse with flagaiiii. Although this story
had been most completely refuted, still an impresOim
remained which he could not regard without the utmost
horror. The story of the masked ball, is ako given as
very strong ) resumptive proof of guilt. Of that there
codld exi-t no doubt, if the describer tells the truth, hr
it was said, that her Royal flightless bad retired for a
considerable time to her room with Bergaini, and in his
presence exchanged the drers she wore, for one of the
most indecent description. But, that a woman under
such circumstances, should have retired from the hall
unobserved was utterly impossible; and if the had wished
to retire for the purpose of indulging in indecent familia-
rities with a man it was not all probable that she wolikl
have thought of I lacier, her female attendant im an adjoin-
big room to a inlet's her depravity. Dun 1111 l t herself had
declared that nobody but herself was there, with the
exception of the two whom she thought proper to accuse.
The story then was beyond the possibility of confirmation;
and thus, upon the evidence of this abandoned tvi.mati,
the Learned Counsel for the Bill had looked upon nue of
the most desperate charges as established. To expect that
it became the duty of her Majesty's Como el to cross-
examine such a witness inure closely, was absurd. A
person like this, wit was determitied to give false evidence
—began with a determination to use the most itigetil,lls
arts of deception, and the more eager was the ir.q, icy
after truth, the more skill was called into practice to bottle
the fruitless spec illativll.
It was not likely that, after a digestion of the neces-
sary plan for the iniquitous deviations from crown, a study
of three years could have disqualified the false witness
from the power and inclination of adding falsehood to
falsehood ; and if a further cross-examination had taken
place, nothing could be expected less than an addition to
the first statement, for the purpose or adding to the ge-
net al effect of her testimony. An anecdote came to
recollection which bore npon this point. He had heard
a circumstance, which he communicated tea friend, oho
took the opportunity to make smite additions of it very
extraordinary nature. When some surprise was matiilest-
ed at the additions, his friend said, he certainly had a
tight to know the matter better than his (Mr. Denman's)
informant, because lie bad nut only given the intelligence
to that informant, but had actually made the stoiy!---tA
laugh.) Delmont was the fabricator of this story, and of
course she must have been better acquainted with the
particulars than the Attorney-General, who hail receited
it at second hand, and she could embellish it, for tho
amusement or service of those to whom she looked ler
approbation. The more facts it appeared necessary tor
her to draw into action, the more copiously she drew loin
the sources of her polluted invention. Trite indeed it
was, as Sir William Gell believed it lie, that her Majesty
had a ,multitude of enemies. The Lei/rued Conned theta
alluded to the assertion of Dumont, that Bergami had
returned from the masquerade apparently mortified, and
that her Royal Highness had in rain endeavotireti to pre-
vail upon him to return. This part of the evidence was,
lie said, completely overturned by the testimony, that
Itergami had been, on the very night on which this cir-
cumstance had taken place, employed in waiting tre.lt
the other attendants npon the Princess's guests. lie litt'o
called their Lordship's attention to that part of the evi-
dence of Dmilout, which described the Princess ewe
walking aria iu arm with Bergand in the garden, and
compared it with the statement of the Counsel for the
Bill, who had said flied her Royal Highness had repeat-
edly degraded herself by thus associating with her me-
nials. This, he said, proved that they had not unlyto
contend against the vilest descriptions, but to deal s%ltii
a witness whose principal artifice was to engraft falsehood
upon until—the must dangerous sort of enemy ?—lt was
DUIIIOIIt that had placed them arm in ants together. 'h is
fact was true that they were in the garden. Her Royal
Highness found it necessary to have Itergand in the gar-
dee, to give diretions to the workmen, with whose
language site was unacquainted. What did Sir Rotel t
Gehl so 7—That they were in the garden, as IllitilleSs all I
servant r that he regretted it, as he bail heard that site
had enemies, and that the garden was open to the view.
of all.'Thus, this matter turned out to be the history of
a Lady walkiiig in her garden, with her servant bellied
her, employed to give directions to those who were
engaged in working. Could any misrepresentation be
wove dreadful ? Yet, this is the evidence of one of those
who were considered the most efficient props of the vast
fabiie. His Learned Friends had declared that they had
no anxiety upon this subject, but that whirls anise from
their anxiety to perform their duty. Ile had, at the com-
mencement of this case, supposed that the whole pro-
ceedings would he coodueted, as far as regaled hit
Learned Friends, with the utmost fairness, and that tier
at titude of the conflict, which was at Bost such as justified
an expectation of that kind, would he maintainedto the
1161. But what was the fact t. How hail the promise been
ftilfdled ? The must atarving attorney that ever appeared
before an indignant Jury, to obtain a recompeoce for an
assault committed npon himself, never exhibited more
matiagement or usanotuvviog than had been betrayed on
the part of the Crown. He did not blame the Attorney"
General. the cause which had been put into hi., II init.
was Ma a good use, he could not help it. 1 t was the abo-
minable witnesses who were deserting of exectetion, ;tett

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