The National Register.
London, England, 1809-02-26 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

HOUSE OF COMMONS,

alonday, Feb. 20.

A new Writ was ordered to be issued for the Borough of
St. Mawes, in the room of Lord Vi6count.Ebrington, who, since
his electiou, had accepted a commission in his Mtijesty's Forces.
Mr. Sturges Bourne brought up the Report of the Donegal
Election Committee, that Sir Henry Cunningham Montgomery,
Bart. was duly elected, and that the Petition waa not frivolous
and vexations.

General Tarleton pretented a Petition from Liverpool against
the Cam Distillery Prohibition' Bill.

DUItE OF YoRX.

Dr. Medealf being nose' culled to the7fler, informed the Com-
mittee that Mrs. Clarke 'could not attend the summons tif the
House from indisposition.
Mr. WICARTON.—How long do you imagine that this indis-
position may so far continue as to iticapacitate her from attend-
ing this] Committee?
1)r. Medcalf-7--Two days.
(Dr. Medcalf was here ordered to withdraw.]
Mr. Johnson examined by the CHAffeELLOR of the Ex-
en EQUER.--Q. In what situation are you, Sir? A. An Inspec-
tor of Franks in the Yost-office, it is my duty to make ex-
aminations.---A). Look at the small paper, and look at the let-
ters, and then answer, whether they are all of the same hand-
writing? A. The hand-writing in the small note so exactly re-
sembles that in the letters, that 1 really think they are written
by the same person.
Mr. Serie ealled.-r-Q. What is your situation, Sir? A. A De-
puty Inspector of franks—Q. 1S teat is your opinion as to the
point, whether all the letters are in the hand-writimr of the
one person? A. 1 have examined them all very carefully, and
my opinion is, that the note and the letters are written by the
came person.
_ _

Mr: Nesbit called.—Q. What are you, Sir? A. I am in the
Letter of Attorney Office in the Hank—l have to examine from.
forty to one hundred letters daily, I have looked very atten-
tively at all the papers, and more particularly as to the note,
and.afteeltaving examined them all very particularly,. and the
note almost letter by letter, my opinion is. that they were not
written by the same person.—Q. What are the grounds of that
opinion ? A.. The note is in a murk neater band ; every letter
m ,reover, seems mere laboriously formed and stiffer. The ge-
neral character of the note is, that it is a smaller, in a neater,
and in a more formed hand than the letters from Sandgate and
Weymouth. Ido not hesitate to say that I do not believe the
note to be in the hitad-writing of the same person who wrote
the letters.

Mr. Bateman examined by the Arro RN ry-fiEN ER A L.-Q.
In what business are you ? A. lam employed in the Bank of
Af.ngl:ind to examine powers of attorney, first as to the regula-
rity of them, and then as to the signatures.—Q. Have you exa-
mimed those two letters and the note, for the purpose of ascer-
twining' whether they have been written by the same person or
Dot ?A. I have.—Q. in your judgment, were they written by
the same person ? A. There is a very corresponding similarity
between them.

The next witness called in, was Mr. Bliss, Inspector of Forg-
ed Bank Notes in the Bank of England.
Q. Have-you examined the notearmi the two letters now put in-
to your hands, for the purpose of discovering whether tliq-vvere
written by the same person or not ? A. I have.—Q. Accord-
ing to the best judgment you can form, are they or not written
by the same person ? A. I should suppose they were.
General Ciavering was, at his own desire, called into cor-
rect part of the evidence he had before given, he stated, tbat he
bad never any personal communications with Mrs. Clarke, on
the subject of army promotions, and that he was convinced Mrs;
Clarke had no influence over the Duke of York.
The witness then underwent a very long examination by Mr.
Ward, Mr. Whitbread, Mr. Wynn, Sir Thomas Tortoni and
Aber Members, in which he acknowledged the letters to be his,
which were produced by Mrs. Clarke. He denied that he ever
made more than two •applications to Mrs. Clarke, and both of
*bleb be made under.a c4liviction that she had not influence to
other was not
;MK to her if
;imeut: and the
which he could
relative to the
was placed upon.l
Niko w ing rAir

FEB. 26.

he was appointed Brigadier-General, but shortly after to his
surprise, he Was reduced to the rank of Brigade-Colonel. This
circumstance appeared to him so extraordinary, that he wrote
to Mrs. Clarke for law motion, as a person more likely to
communicate speedy intelligence than through the medium of
the war-office. Mrs. Clarke only informed him, that the oc-
currence arose from a mistake, but she could explain no further..
The witness was then interrogated very closely by Mr. Whit-
bread as to the motive which had induced him to apply to Mrs.
Clarke, when he wag so confident she had not sufficient influence
with the Duke of York ti 4 obtain his objects.
Mr. Greenwood and Colonel Gordon were again examined, as
was Mr. Adam, who corroborated his former statement respect-
ing the note supposed to be destroyed by Sandon. Benjamin
Town, who taught Mrs. Clarke to paint on velvet was again
examined, and stated she had declared she was in the habit
of • forging the Duke of York's hand-writing. Mr. Par-
ker, the pawn-broker, was questioned as to goods pawn-
ed by Mm. Clarke, and bills discounted, which he admitted,
and said the hills were ultimately paid by a draft of the Duke
of York, antedated three months. —Adjourned.

Tuesday, Feb. el.
C A D ETS H
Mr. Bankes reported from the Select Committee, appointed
to enquire into the corrupt practices in disposing of writerships
and cadetships in the East Indies, that .101 in Annesley Shee had
been guilty of gross prevarication before the Committee, and that
he he, fur the said offence, committed to the custody of the Ser.
jeant at Arms, which motion was agreed to.

CONVENTION OF EIINTRA.
Lord 11. PETTY rose to call the attention of the House to the
conduct of Ministers in the expedition to Portugal. The Enquiry
he must contend to be ; the tribunal before which it
took place was incompetent, and inconsistent with all the known
forms of law and equity on military subjects. The Court of En.
, • quiry had decided, that no farther military proceedings were vie.
cesSary, but it became this House to enquire how an expedition,
the commencement of which had been conducted with valour and
skill, had ultimately terminated in mortification and disappoint-
'neut. Sir A. Wellesley was appointed to the command of the
army destined for the support of the Spaniards; and certainly
this was a selection that formed no part of his complaint, but, on
the contrary, must have met the universal apprcrhation of the
country. But if the mere possession of Lisbon aml•Portagal was
the object, it was certainly one of doubtful policy ; for till the
French were expelled from Spain, such possession must always
remain insecure ; and of all the calamities that could nillict a
country, that of merely reconquering it, while we cannot retain
it, was one of the greatest. Still, however, there were other le-
gitimate objects which called our attention to Portugal; there
was a French army shut up without The immediate hope of re-
lief; there was a Russian fleet cooped up in the pert of Lisbon?
The FrenCh army was cut off from external assistance, and sur-
rounded by a hostile people. Ministers had selected a•Comman.
der in Chief of tried abilities; they had entrusted' him with full•
discretionary power ; was it not hence rational to conclude that
he would have been continued in the chief command till the ob-
ject wasaccomplished? • But no sock thing—Sir Arthur Wel-
lesley had not left Cork three days, when Sir H. Burrard•was
sent ono supersede him in the command, and uo fewer thausia
• Generals, all superior in rank to the gallant Officer who 'nos
originally entruSted to • the command, were sent to the same des-
tination. • Sir Harry Iltirrard was to succeed Sir 'A. Wellesley
:and the former was as speedily replaced by Sir H. Dalrympie.;
Was t not in the recollectiou of the II ouse, that in Aina. MT the
Noble Lord had boasted that he had transports for4ooo cavalry;
-and yet, when perpetual demands of cavalry were made in Po rtu.
gal,t herecould only be found transports for 710. The •artillery
horses were also in the worst possible state : we qad froin Co).
Robe's report, that they were mostly either sick, !lame, blinds
or cast olf (a &ugh). It bad even been said. that there was uo
occasiOn for good horses in Portugal. Wilh re,gard to pro-
' visions for the army, the Noble Lord trusted to supplies from
Portugal. •a country where, as Sir A. Welles)), had said? •no
supply of bread could be had, and which ralsed•cdrn for only
seven 'months of its own consumption. One General was
appointed to commence, a second to conduct, and a third to
cotiplete the expedition. The Noble Lord then. proceeded to
consider the Articles of tile Armistice, and Convention of Gintra.
From the procee4iiip sari the Luqoiry, it seetnq to be the (viz.
nion of the General:, that ttttse arttats were defensible; from the

obtain them. The one he dicliot,;ict;i;;;Tth,'
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