The National Register.
London, England, 1814-02-27 00:00:00

LAIC INTELLIGE!•CI.

COURT OF KING'S lIENCI-1, Tituitsrmy, FILL 1-1.

LADY PERCkWAL'S ACTION.
• THE xlt V. MITI7OI-t1).

Pt,

This WAS an indictment against the defendant, John Mitford, Eq.
at the instance of Lady Perceval, for perjury. The perjury as ai-
leavd, arose out of a transaction which env readers may recoueet„
as it has caused considerable sensation. In the month 61 A pill last
year, three lettt rs appeared in the Newspaper called " News,"
edited by Mr. Phipps, purporthig to be a correspnodetwe betwetn
the Claucellor and Secretaries of State, and Lady Anne
on behalt of her Royal Iliahness the Ptinee,s of respectii,g
an increased estahli,hinent of her Royal Highness's honsrlioltt.
These letters Mr. Phi; ps asserted, he had received from Mr. Mit-
turd, who said he had brought them from Lady Percev;tl fnr in.er-
As soon as the letters appeared, Lady Pt rceval denied that
itford had ever' received them from her, and asserted that they
were forgeries,. She sent for Mr. Phipps, anti wi:lied him to state
that they were forg,eries, without any further explanation, That he
insisted that he would state the maimer in which he became pos-
ses,el of them, lie xecordim.7ly published in his paper a statement
of the transactious between liimseir and Mr. Mitfold respecting
these letters. For this statement, Lady Perceval, in Trinity Terns
last, applied to the Court of King's Bench for a criminal Molars-
tion, and upon sliming cause again t that rule, Mr. Milford nuide
affidavit, that on or about the 31st of Match last, Lady Perceval
sent for him, and told him tint she had letters of great conselptePre
to .puldidt, and that she thotc:ht Mr. Phipps the tit 111411 for it ;
that it was a dangerous experiment they were about to make, but
that ,omething must be done to rouse the spirit of John Bud,
which begat' to to compel their to give the Princess of Wales
an increased establislant nt—that she farther asked him, whether,
if the wA.st came to the worst, he had any objection ta go to a
mad-house for a short time, as he must be out of the way alter their
publication? to which he consented. Site added, that the reason
forthis was lest he should- be called to the Bar of the Hoti.e, which
womb' be very inconvenient as lie knew PO 11111d1. Upon chewing
caase :ntainst the rule, and upon Leading this affidavit—rule was dis-
charged.

The I►regent indictment was•now. preferred against Mr. Milford
for tl►is affidavit ; and the allegation of the indictment averred tl►e
whole of this statement to be false.

r. Iloit, having opened the nature of. the prosecution, with
obseivatiuns nu the nattitc of the evidence, to he called iu support
of it,

Perceval wa' produced a% the first witness She stater) thit
Mr. Mitrord ‘r.t,i a relation of the Lundy; and that she was cinica-
voitring to procure him a sitnation. She flog) most po:itivviyde-
ilk(' that she had evur citipluyed him to carry t! n: ietters in (Int.*lion

Mr. Phipps for publication, or that she ever saw them be ore
hvy ‘'ere start to her in the new spAmr. She then seta for Mr.

Phipps, and endeavoured to persuade hir.i to contradict
w; ihuut any detail of cireamstauces, alto wished to save the name
of )1i; rad from auy disgrace.
On cross-examination by Mr. Ailey, site admit tea that Y1::' WM.!
au(l•sent to the newspap-rs many paragraphs in resvect ta the af-
fairs of the Princess of Wales—that Mitford was her agent for that
•piirpose. Several letters were then put into her hando, whichtine
admitted to be her hand-writing. They were read, and by them it
appeared that her Ladyship was a must active and bold writer far
the newspapers ; that .he bitterly envei4herl against the squeamilli-
ness of the Editor of the Star, because he was afraid to Mscrt her
articles; wit' she deplored that her lettera be mutilated, a:A
that " the snake MIOHM he cot asunder wi.eit the venom would have
stung ,o effectually where they intended without beimt trio !loos."
'ln other letter' slie insisted that her letters shied(' antler no nuyila-

tion, but Amin he incerted such as she gave it, except such eye
pres!ions. ai. were strieily libellous. It.a!so appeared, that after the
'allegol forgeries were published, that bite wrote a letter to r,lr.
'Phipp-, desiring, to see trim at Pcreeval Lodge, as by a little e:4.11-
,41ch:01 communicaljunt the rectification tnizht. be hest effected. In
'the iirii r, if is with Mr. Phipps, she denied that she uaid he the
) !•av ioor of herself and familv, and that in a few years her sore %rook;
, .
Trooailly be in office, siciittii Mr. Phipps should have his reward.
A Air..SpeeehlyandMr. Ilardeastle, together with Mr.
biett
Pcrceval,lt
'stated, that alley the publication of the. f,rgvd letters, they
Ntittnyd's lodgings to bring him to I.rack.ficat!l; grit at first he
'denied having given thg letters to Phipps, but that afte;wards
tie
half Steen bribed by Colonel Bloomfield ti do it.
Mr. Aliey then addressed th Joey WI LChilif of the defcnd-mt, in