The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-16 00:00:00

TIIE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS TO LORD PORTMAN.

" Donington Park, March 14, 1839.
"My Lord,—l have the honour to acknowledge the re-
ceipt of your letter of the 12th of March, and I think you
cannot wonder at my not being over anxious to speak to
Lady Portman after the line of conduct she had pursued.
At least she must herself have been conscious of having in
some measure acted very unfairly to my sister, or she would
not have sought the forgiveness of one whose character had
been stamped with infamy and disgrace by one of the basest
calumnies that ever disgraced a British Court. What
particular part Lady Portman took in the business still re-
mains to me a mystery. If her sorrow for what has passed
be sincere, she has now the only opportunity she ever will
have of making atonement for the deepest injury which
could be inflicted on a guiltless woman, by giving up the
name of the originator of this monstrous and villanous tran-
saction. Put yourself for one moment in the painful posi-
tion of (,ne of my family, and I only ask you to look at the
garbled statements and the lies which daily fill the papers,
and answer me as a man of honour and a gentleman (and,
though a stranger to ycu, I have every right to think I am
addressing tooth the one and the other), whether I have
not a perfect right to inquire into Lady Portman's conduct on
this occasion: or all Ito remain suffering the taunts and false
statements of the world till April, perhaps then only to be
told by Lord Portman that she is sorry for what has passed,
and no more ?

" The same ,feding which prevented me from meeting
Lady Portman in London acts still more strongly now in
forbidding me to put my foot under your roof; and Ladv
Portman roust remember that I stated to Sir James Clark
at the time my reason for not meeting her Ladyship, at
sev.'n o'clock in the morning, at Buckingham Palace. I
did not ask the interview, but her Ladyship was pressingly
anxious to explain her conduct; and I now say she has
still the opportunity, and ought to do so; and I demand it,
as an act of common justice to my sister—not as one of
cuurtesy. I ask no more isolated questions. I ask for
the whole truth, and nothing else, in explanation of that
line of conduct which her Ladyship thought it her duty to
pursue; and, if I do not get it in this shape, I must resort
to the only means then left in my power.
" I have the honour to be, my Lord, your obedient servant,
" HASTINGS."
LORD P.iRTMAN TO THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS.

" Bryanston, March 17, 1839.

"My Lord—l have this day had the honour of receiving
your letter of the 14th, and am very sorry to find that ou
have chosen to express yourself in so unfair a manner to-
wards Lady Portman, who has had hitherto no reason to
suppose that her conduct, in the discharge of her duty, has
subjected her to the slightest suspicion of having acted un-
fairly towards your sister, and whose part in the business
still remains to you a mystery.' lam willing to attribute
to your wounded feelings the undue warmth of your letter,
and have, on calm consideration, decided to lay aside my
personal feelings on its perusal, in the hope that I may be
informed by you hereafter that you are satisfied that Lady
Portman has done only her duty.
" I will, under the conviction of this ultimate result,
admit that, while you entertain your present feelings to-
wards Lady Portman, you are justified in declining to see
her here; and still further admit that, if I was in your po-
sition, I should desire to know the whole truth from her.
I have, therefore, requested her to draw up a statement of
such facts as are within her knowledge connected with the
discharge of her duty ; and I enclose it herewith, taking
leave to add that she has not lengthened it by minute de-
tail, but given the general and essential substance of all
that relates to her conduct. If, however, any more parti-
cular statements have been made to you, upon which ex-
planation may be fairly required by you, Lady Portman
will be happy to afford it, so far as may relate to herself.
"I have the honour to be your obedient,
" PO RTM AN."