The National Register.
London, England, 1813-02-14 00:00:00

POLITICAL DIS 2U

THE PRINCESS OF WALES's LETTER,

AND
4, THE BOOK."

Those writers who, if they can but elude the laws, think
it no disgrace to rob their countrymen, while condoling with
them on the general d.stress, and affecting to commiserate the
burdens impostA upon them by the State, have long been in
the habit of pi( king the pockets of their readers, by talking
of " The Book," and pretending to disclose Royal secrets,
(commonly printed R--I "*"") of which they knew
nothing. The shallow gulls who have been weak enough to
pay the* money for the unmeaning and unintelligible trash,
which has thus been spread abroad by a few scurrilous im-
postors, have long been in expectation of seeing the work
which they have so often heard of, under the title of " The
Book." In this, however, they have been long disappointed.
Though about a dozen of the patriotic writers, who were
always mentioning of it, had each of them the only copy extant,
for certain important reasons, its substance was never given
to the world. It was spoken of as a work containing much
information, which it was the interest of the public to be ac-
quainted with; yet those who had the means (if they were
entitled to any credit,) of imparting that information, always
thought proper to withhold it. Some of these gentry, by
pretending to have- it, were weak enough to think it would
be their good fortune not to be brought to trial ; and others,
when such an idea could no longer be cherished, still thought
by noticing " The Book," as if they knew something about
its contents, they might have a chance not to be called up
for judgment. These, unluckily, reckoned without their
host. They forgot, whilst talking of that of which they
knew nothing, that instead of imposing on those they wished
to intimidate, as they did on the senseless rabble they had
been accustomed to delude by a display of extraordinary
knowledge, they only make their ignorance apparent, and
their pretensions ridiculous. Their expectations were
baulked; and, instead of being permitted to swagger at
large With impunity, they found their boasts, their menaces,
and their supplications insufficient to save them from trial,
conviction, and punishment.

It was impossible for a rational being to contemplate these
things without being led to conclude, that the writers al-
luded to, were strangers to the contents of " '1 he Book ;" or
that " The Book" contained nothing of that important nature
which many had been led to believe would he found in it.
While Mr. PERCEVAL lived, howev,-
some use. Its having been written, pr;
by him, enabled the party scribblers
ter with some slyny of reason. His col
was certainly ettginatical, and of course
V.T. No, CCLXVIII.

that g change of conduct must necessarily involve a derelic-
tion of principle. Their candour could not extend so far as
to suppose, that it might he perfectly consistent with virtue,
for actions to vary with circumstances, and as the Premier
despised the slanders that were abroad, too much to reply to
them, it was affected to be taken for granted, by those from
whom they proceeded, that as they were unanswered, they
were unanswerable. It never entered into their contempla-
tion, that what they wished to believe inability, might be
contempt.

With Mr. PERCEVAL " The Book" seemed to die. The
Royal Secret gentry were as much confounded, as the nation at
large was shocked, by the lamentable event which unhappily
closed his life. They hailed his murderer as a patriot, be-
fore the tears of his family had ceased to flow on his mangled
remains; but even they, though estranged from sensibility
as from honour, could but feel some regret arising from the
apprehension that the bubble of " The Book" would serve
their purpose no more.

From that period little had been heard of this mysterious
Book. Within these few weeks, however, the former ru-
mours and insinuations were revived, and, with these, a.
report of a letter having been wiitten by the Princess of
WALES to the PRINCE REGENT (which letter was reterned
unopened) got into circulation. This report has, unfortu-
nately, received confirmation by the publication of the letter
and now for the first time we have it on respect Able authority
that ,‘ The Book" is likel} to appear.

The course of this letter (which will be found in another
part of this day's paper) is described to have been as fullows:
" It was transmitted on the I.lth ult. to Lord Liv Eit POOL and Lcrd
ELDON, sealed, by Lady CoAaLovre CAMPBELL, as Lady in Wait-
ing for the month, expressing her Royal Highness's pleasure that it
should be presented to the PRINCE REGENT ; and there was an open
copy for their perusal.
" On the 15th, the Earl of LIVERPOOL vmsented bis compliments
to Lady CBARLOTTE CAMPBELL, and returned the letter unopened, as
we have stated.

".On the 16th, it was returned by Lady CHARLOTTE, intimating,
that as it contained matter of importance to tint S;P,e, relied on
their laying it before his Royal Highness. It was aga:n returned un.
opened, with the Ea►l of LIVERPOOL'S tromp!illenti to L 4.1 C HAR.
LOTTE, saying that the Prince saw no reason to depart from his de-
termination.

......
" On the 17th, it was returned in the same way by command abet
Royal Highness, expressing het confidence, that the two Noble Lords
would not take tti.on theirFelves the responsibility of not communi.
eating the letter to his Royal Highness, and that she should not be the
only subject of the empire, whose Petition wai; ant to be permitted to
reach the Throne. To this an answer was given, thatthe
CON TENTS
of it had been made known to the Prince.
" On the 19th her Royal Highness directed a letter to be addre,sect

however, " The Boole was of, to the two Noble Lords, ()miring to know whether it had been n~j lc
ritten, printed, and suppressed known to his Royal Highness, by being read to hiin, and to know his
bblers to arra:gii his charic- Pleasure thereon.
" No answer was given to this letter, and therefore on the 2.5 th she
His conduct in this respect di rectod air :ter to be written, expressing her surprise, that nu answer
of course his enemies assumed j Ilia been givin to her app an iota whole week.
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