The National Register.
London, England, 1809-03-19 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.'

i ;tat grounds was it so refused ? Why, he states, that although
a bood had been promised, yet no bond had heen given! There
is the honour of a Prince' for you !!! I think the evidence ad-
duced may she clearly that the Honour of a Prince is not at
all to be relied upon. His Royal Highness's desire to procure
money by any means, or from any quarter, was also emi-
nently conspicuous. The Gentlemen opposite would make the
House believe " Paradise was regained, that the golden
age of truth was revived, that all were actuated by the most
pure amid disinterested motives." 13ut there was something that
these Gentlemen had quire overlooked. With them corruption
and money seem to have no distinction. It is true, that when
any of the Members of that House had the honour of dining
*Hit the Speaker, they did not find mohey under their plates.—
They eirs,a,h: and bribe now in another way —they give some
athee, or the like. W nea those Gents: then are talking about
corruption, and that the Duke is no way guitty, they mean that
money was not actually put into his hands. But the way they
were to know whether there was- corruption or not, was for
them to look at the motive—at the manner in which the influence
was exercised. He would nest turn the attention or the Ilouse
to the circumstance of his Royal Highness's eadeavouring to ne-
gociate a loan with a man who had lately been a bankrupt,
through the medium of Mrs. Clarke's Soliciu,r ; and for which
bankrupt he applied to Mr. Pitt for a place. lie, applying for
a loan, who was so much better provided for than either of his
Roval Brothers? He, for whom the country had done so much !
Ile, whom his Majesty had not forgotten ! But the circumstance
of the Duke's applytt)e to raise money through the medium Of
Mrs. Clarke's Solicitor. shews his dhsire ii' mahiog stall appli-
cations by her influence. The striking feature throughout the
whole business was the grasping at air thing for momentary as-
sistance. He could not this inc what inei'ziblc something it could
be that directed the Learned Sieialeman to bring forward mere
nothings to rebut such an ocean of evidence, to bring forward
Trifles, light as air,
Are to the jealous confirmations St rong
As proofs of holy writ."—
Let the Learned Gentleman look—there has not been any
business so important to the country—uothiog that has so epsaged
its attention, since the Exclusion Bill engaged that house's de-
liberations; and he most sincerely hoped that the' remembrance
of those who did their duty on that occasico, would induce them
not to do injustice in this. However high the rank of the ac-
cused 14, it is bat a small consideration on illy Mind, for the case
is the justice of Eng:and.— (Hear ! ) The Commander
in Chief has offered the honour of a Prince : hut I be leave to
State, that the honour of the King, the honour of the Crown, the
fountain of justice, is at stake, and these are not to he turned
aside Dy that which is now offered to your notice. Unfortu-
nately, upon this hubjeci of honour, there is alwa:".s a contrast.
I would wish you to put in opposition to it the hollour of that
witness, who has been painted in such infamous colours at your
bar, every etiort to discredit whom has always redouaded to the
coni•usina of those who brought it forward. Mr. Few, a wit-
ness, tins proved to you, that having sued Mrs. Clarke for a
deb;. w bidi site bucceeded in resisting. this woman, who has keen
st. mud so is -.estaeful, nevertheless, thought proper most hothiur-
abl...to pay him. In short his Royal Highness's honour rises out
d.seoss.oo like Baoquo'sghost,
" With twenty mortal gashes on his head,
" To posh us *front our stools."
It is hnpovsible, Sir, that, under all the circumstances of this
Case, the Duke .if York ian retain the sit nation he now holds at
the head of the arm, —( ileor ! hear ! ) for I have nothiug to:do
is what may be the cohsequence of this q:iestiun being so de-
cidi.d. a t. is only to be deteriniaed by the evidence before yon.
h.o. come :u surh a vote, let the cotiseqaence he what it may,
with no oi her considetation but that of
,justice. The Peo-
ple of England had at vb •.,s been rerairked it, history for their
extr...me to, of
.11,,tire. They looked for that, they desired
that. If the Housh w ishc.l c impletely to convince the people
of their deterinioat too to do just ce, he knew one way of doing
so; and if all the ";eottenten who sat on the Treasury Bench, all
who have any emolualeots under the Crown, were to walk out
of the House at the tio:e whet, the livision took place, and leave
it to the vet-. w a teve: that decisisn might be, he was convinced
the people would bn -roi•fiedi The lion. Baronet concluded an
anima:en speech, th.•ble ;LA he appeared to he, ( for he went into
the :warted bs crutches) of ino hours length, by ex
pr.sn In his opprohation of the origioal Motion.
The M Asl en. of the Ro this eninmenced, by prat iroz the
niinciutable Baronet's ingenious speech, though he could net

MAACII

agree with him in some of his conclusions. Here seemed to him
to be two questions for their COllA;demtion. Whether dr.).
should come to any definite opinion as to the personal guilt of
the Duke; and if they did, what that opinion should be, and
how worded. He then observed upon a variety of modes Or
forms by which they might deride. The House had not called
for the test of evidence which all ages had adopted—the
test of oath. in examinations, there was generally something
left to surmise; hut Mrs. Clarke's evidence came home
to the Duke; there was nothing to suggest. She told the
House that his Royal Highness authorised anti approved of all
she had done ; that he encouraged her; and that in fact he
made her the mere instrument of his extortions. Anti he could
not but express his surprise to find the Addresl so worded, as
not to rely on the evidence of Mrs. Clarice—" It is presumed."
There was no necessity for them to know that her evidence was
untrue; it was if they had reasonable doubts. They ought not
have a witness tinder the influence of malice; and as to Mr,.
yarke's evidence, on the w hole, many gentlemen were of opi.•
mon that it ought to be set aside; but he thought the: re were
gome parts that seemed to have some truth. It had been proved
toat she had had some influence over the mind of the Duke. As
to Mi:.s Taylor's evidence, it went to confirm the corruption of
the Duke. There certain! v was nothing- to impeach her CA idence,
but it had struck him as rather extraordinary, that her memory
siiould be so correct as to wl:at had passed four or live years
since, and that it should -o fail her as to what had occurred a
few days before her examination. It was in proof that three
or four cbtained from the Duke of York the object of o. (etch
they were in search. Ilut v. as that ten argonient that she
had hat undoubted influence nn his 110 al Ilightleo- 1 The
numbers of instances of that effort being. so few, the presumption
certainly was weak, that she had any influence over the Duke at
;111. The Honourable aml Learned Gentleman then pro-
ceeded to point out in what respect the evidence of Mrs. Clarke
was such that it did not deserve credence.. 'I he first observation
AV Well occurred to him on her evidence was, OW she did not
commence this traffic until her distress began. In this assertion
she was directly contradicted by the ease of Colonel French's
levy, the negotiation of which it appeared on the minutes, had
conuoenced so early as the month of March ISO 4, being six
months antecedent to the period Mrs. Clarke stated herself to
have comiaenced this kind of traffic. With regard to the cir-
cumstance of her having stated that the Duke was in great dis-
tress, and that it was a matter of great difficulty that she obtain-
ed from him lOW. he was at a loss to reconcile such statement
with truth. It was clear that Mrs. Clarke had met
with absolute delays and obstructions. Even in the earqe where
she calculated with most certainty on success, namely that of
Alajor Ton ..'s. how long was she kept out of the desired re-
ward for her suppioed influence? It was not denied that the
1)0,e allowed Mrs. Clarke to speak and write to him on the
suOject of army promotions. He certainly did to a degree con-
descend to hold with her communichtions of that sort, but he
contended that his Royal Ilighness was not. convicted, by any
evidence before the Howe, of having permitted that degree of
interference in many promotions which constituted the alleged
ground of blame against him.
Sir S. 'MCI. H.051114.1' felt it a duty, painful as it was, to
consider this ease in a very different point of view front eery
other Member vs ho was of that profession to w hick he had the
honour to belong. In the first place it was impossihle for him
to assent to the proposition of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
" That there was no ground to charge his It oyal llighness either
with corruption or with connivance." Ibis great objection to
the amendments offered to the original proposhions before the
ilouse was, that they did not call upon the House to pronotmee
any judgment on the guilt or innocence of the DuLe. 'Flint
letter which had been addressed by his Royal II igloo r, to this
!louse, so far was it from ratting upon them to decide, that his
Royal Highness not only deprecated a decision It the House,
but told them very candidly to acquit him, but that, if he vs
not acquitted by the House of Commons they should refer
the matter to some other tribunal (!Hear ! Hear ! ) 'l'lr.t
letter he thought the very worst of councils that could he
given to his Royal Highness. Ile had only to observe,
that he would to God it was in his power to expunge the
setter altogether from the proceedings, or that he could etface
the recollection of it from the memory of the House. ( Hear !
braze ! helle !), Such, how ever, as it was, he should submit,
that it at present remained for the House to decide, oo:y is ho-
t her there was any ground to impeach his It al Highness's ei,fl-
- ? In the first place he could net say that he disbelieved
the evidence of Mrs. Ciatke ; he knew there. were many straol