The Sun.
London, England, 1809-03-10 00:00:00

that this was the shot entered n the credit side of ,
Mr.Birkett's account ; for Mrs. Clarke had beige t
,declared that she was not in debt when she went to
,Gloucester-place, although she pretended, that the
Duke of York knew this 5001. thus paid to Birkett
was the identical sum obtained from French's levy.
If so, what had become of the other five hundred
pounds which she received from his Royal High-
'nes ? He would proceed' to make a few observe-
flops on the, rate of expence at which Mrs. Clarke
had lived in Gloucester-place. On this subject he
had been authorised to make, and had made, a
statement to the House; but witliotit placing any
reliance on that statement, if the House would re-
fer to the documents they would find that that state-
ment was borne out nearly to its full extent by the
testimony of Mrs. Clarke herself. She had allowed
that all her furniture and all her wine bad been paid
for by his Royal flighness, In page 250 of the, mi-
nutes, Mrs. Clarke would have .been found to have
stated, " that once or twice his. Royal Highness.;
gave her small bills for three or four hundred pounds ,•
they were to get her a necklace, or something in that
Way, from Parker's in Fleet-street." Here was an ac-
knowledgment, that in a single instance the Duke
of York had furnished Mr's. Clarke with 3 'or 4QOI.
Unquestionably it was in this case to take some of
her things out of pawn ; but that made no difference
in the case, as she must have expended- the money
which she received for those things on pledging them.
Mrs. Clarke stated, that her lawyer had got 44001.
for her house when sold ; a sum which was sufficient
to pay-all the debts she had contracted. She also
stated, that when-she had complained to the Duke
that wool. a .year was an insufficient .allowance, he
said, rs he would make some future arrangement,"
To a subsequent question (page. 263), Mrs. Clarke
, replied, " that the Duke: of York bad given her a
hill 'of 4001, 'once, and something also to pay to
Parker." This statement was .:corroborated
Parker's books, When these various sums were
added together, they would be found to amount
nearly to the sum stated„hy him on the authority of
the 'Duke of York, as having been giveu by .his
I Royal. Highness to Mrs. Clarke, exclusively of bet
annuity ; a faa .which completely destroyed. the in-,
ference attetnpted to be drawn, that his lloyal High-
nets must have known that suchatn, expensive esiae
blishmeet as that of Mrs. 'Clarke's could not be sup-
ported but by corrupt means; 'BefOre he deka his
!observations, he could not avoid remarking on the
extraordinary manner in whiCli- Mrs. )Every had been,
brought to the Bar of the House. By the evidence,
Mrs. F. appeared without doubt to be Mrs. Clarke's
half-sister; the daughter of Mr;FarqUhar by a former
' wife. By a variety of 'evasions she hid endeavoured to '
conceal this circumstance, and among the rest she
stated, that she had lived with one Ellis, a earpen-'
ter,-who was always running about; and whose pre,
sent place of residence she could not,exaCtly point
out. Afterwards, however, the called on Mr. Ellie.
to- make her peace with him for this misrepresents-
tion, which she attributed to her anxiety that be
should not be 'brought forward, when, in fad, to
this very misrepresentation alone, was owing the ne-
cessity of calling on Mr. Ellis to give his testimony.
Mr. Ellis's testimony completely falsified both that
of .Mrs.' Favery. and that of Mrs. Clarke. Mrs.
Clarke declared, that she never knew Mrs: Fayery
by any other name. Mr. Ellis stated, that be lend
ltil:e she was with biro, Mrs. Clarke visited
received her into his house in the-name of Farquhar,
and on the recommendation of M. Clarke ; and
hmat while
her under circumstances of apparent and peculiar in,
acy
~ihrerhsiositfeoatturie)eoopfle evidenceiiouse hdad to
istittaly
sheweddo
with in this ieqUiry. There had been no regard to
truth whatever The-witnesses. had not been con-
tented with individual and independent falsehoods,
but had combined 'to tell the same story, although
ie some instances they had, by a kind of miracle,
been diteeted. He would not take up the time of
the Howe by dwelling on the presumption that hitt
Royal Highness bed ,connived at the transaaions in
Which Mrs. Clarke Vas engaged,'or he would not
have surrounded himielf with 'sonic of the 'most.
honourable charaeters of which, the army -could
boast. General Calvert and Col. Gordon were two
individuals of 'that description. But his lion.. and
Learned Friend behind him bad impressed this part
of the subieet too Imply to render it necessary for
him to say prey thing more' upon it.. 'I have
now," gilded the Right Bonattrable -Gentleman,
" pee through the whole of this extensive case,
case, and have made the various observations which
• have occurred to me en the different' point* con-
,..
needed With it. These observations. might .urtquea-.
'tionably be extended to a much greater length; but
I trust have said 'enough to induce the House to
do their duty • and to chew them; that with such a
case, and under such eireuMstaeoes as, those which
attend it, they must. give a decided opinion, aye or
no, on the question before them. Atter that: deci.
lion 'has been made, it will be for the House to con-,
shier, what will be. their next expedient step. If
the House.should, adopt the Resolution which I have
proposed, they must then enter into a comparison of
the. Addre3s which I ,have submitted to them, and
that submitted to them by the Hon. Gentleman.,--
After making this comparison, I will confidently
assert, that the House must prefer mine; for wnat-
ever may be their ulterior proceeding, I am per-
suaded that they. will not so debase themselves as to
shrink from a declaration Hof their opinion on the
whole case; and ie. I am correct in this persuasion,
they must necessaiily abandon the Hon. Gentle-
man's Address, which is fouUded on this alternatite,
namely, that whether his Royal Highness the Duke
'of York is guilty or not guilty, the same same re-
sult omit ensue. The. Address proposed by the
Hon. Gentleman is fonnded on the assertion, that
vial-praaices haVe existed, and that their existence
!Oust have been-known to his Royal Higheess. But
whether 'or not, his Royal Highness has himself
been guilty of corrupt practices, is immaterial to the
substantive measure proposed by the Hon. Gentle-
man. Lek that be as it may ; in eithUr ease the
.saute course is to be taken, Now, Sir, it the Hon.
Gentleman had so framed his ovigieal charges against
the Duke of York, and
.bad so couched the speech
whielethose. charges were. Opened to the FIQUStIi
as. 10 lay hia .Thayal• Highness's corruption nut ethie
View;.-then, indded, the question before the House
would be of a different eompleion. !. But. the Bight
flow Gentleman has out doneallis: ,From the‘nrat
to the last lie hes .alleged corrupt pratiees against
the Duke of Yolk'. I trtea, theieloie, thet. the
flouter will do their duty ; and before they wound

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i ec

the paiernal ears of his,Majesty with any-. :station
of the nature and amount of that corruption, that
they will say, whether or
.not his Royal Highness is
guilty at all of any corruptions. awl, if not giiilty,
that they will adopt, the Address which I -shall have
the honour of proposing to them. . When the
House, with judicial feelings, shall have disposed
of the
.judicial question before them, the other
question, a question not dependent on judicial feel•
ings, bat on consideratioes of general ;policy and
expediency, will remain to be.decided. Sir, lam
far from desirous of maintaining the opinion thst
political considerations ought to exclude all moral
and religious considerations. But if moral and re-
ligious considerations should induce us to take any
step declaratory of our titlfavourable sentiments,
with reaped to the couch:4oi his Royal Highness,
I trust, that in makiug thift4eclaration we shall not
forget what we are ourselves, I trust, Sir, that our
moral feeltee will not allow us to be inseo,ible to
our owe frailties; and that our- religious feelin
will induce us to be charitably indulgent to others,
however severe we may be to ourselves. lam con-
vinced that the House must be aware 'of :much in
the chara&er and condos of his Royal Highness the
Duke of York, which will make them deeply regret
the. necessity (if,- contrary_ to my opinion, -aucll
such
necessity should be thought to exist) of taking Pact,
stepsas may tend to remove his Royal Highness teem
d situation for wihich 1 coliceit,e'liiiii
elfdlarly qua-
HO. If there be a man who thinks, that, cleric%
the fourteen or fifteen years that that Illtistriens in-
dividual has possessed the Chief Commend, the army
has prospered in an unexampled rummer; that he
has introduced regulations of the most wise and be-,
• neticial nature; that he has consulted the iaterest 01.
r
the officers, and the comfort of the soldiery; that
he has promoted merit, wherever it has disploel.
itself; that he has improved the general cletraCter ot
the army, and reformed its discipline ; that he ifs
Watched, with parental _care, over the interests
up
:the troops, by the establishment of charitable insti-
: tutionsfor their families, and of schools and colleges
for the purposes of military education 3—.. it there to
a man who thinks that-any other arrangemenewou'd
probably be iufinitely less advaetageaus to the oral
3 ter
and to the country.;--chat it would afford a gre
latitude for the exercise of party feelings ;--that it
might create an endless variety of petty jealousies;"
.thaeit would in all human likelihood opeh a dour for
:every description of improper interfereoce ;—that it,
would-produce-a change of-system which i.Tonsidere_d
Mite& as a change; must give 'birth to great ev tiils; .
there free man who thinks all this, that man, Sir.
will -see
_with the deepest regret . any necessity that
may be supposed ..to exist tor ' adcptiqg suss"'" es
leadibg to the dismissal from 'office or the prtlen!
illustrious Commander in' Chief. I 'cannot 'hut f 0
Sir,.that in the course of theobservations withwhiele
1 hive trespassed on the patience of, the Heuer
much haw been'oniltted. ' Which ''l stay it.1:441)1/
haYe. railtalier :.epportuoity of. supplying. I.eaneot
however refrain from making a few remarks on
something that fell from the Hon. Gentleman or;
site, at the close of his speech. He told ''', Sirs
. ‘)3,
the country will decide on the condut °I fimic,
madder in Chief, and on the condtta 01 the ,
of Commons."
merely to state, that the eharatter of this lio,nisde
with the public is art important consideratiout
iglia
that properly to estimate and justly to deserve V' . •
opinion, was t' insure to ourselves theeneani el bt:l!.l,f,
serviceable to •our country, I entirely ai;ree v'',.."
him. But if, with this proposition, the Hon. Gent'"...l:.
man intended to couple the idea, that to any opittlq,
if the Hon. Gentletnan mean,.
formed by the public, qr a part of the public, Pit
garbled extracts of the evidence, and circuital)
throughout the kingdom with malicious industry*,
the House is to pay. the deference of submitting 06
own Judgment, exereisedun its own views.' of 06
subject, against-such a ptiaciple, I must enter ill
strongest protest. We must hope that what coat
will be duly appreciated by those fiir whom W' le'.
gislatee , that 'the enlightened understanding of this
people at large 'will give credit to their Reereseant-
tives for the faithful discharge of the trust reposed. .4,
theni; and that they will correEl any erroneous ii.t-
.pressions which the efforts of interested and unpile-
cipled individuals may have endeavoured to prodta-',
If these be not the sentiments by which. the House"
govern themselves.
I say that our Uharaaer is lose--
1 say that- we had better at once, sutreeder otirselet!g
and our country to the fury of a . wildderttecoq.re;_ '
I am-firmly confident that the House will Itikl= I 1.
part which becomes their dignity.; that they u"l
tut put out of their consideration every, ire' ptesslen boil
that which they may
on the table ; that they will coma to a decision tio'
influenced by any of
those publications, the tendency
of Which is so dangerous,and
have received frism the et idettets
to which I have hefera
_ alluded. I feel confident that the House will do theie:
dutY, ►hy representing to the Throne she innoceocelL
his Royal Highness, as far as' his 'charmer )las been
. submitted to our investigation. In conunon with evert
man, I entertaiu a high respect liar eitablic opnli"
1 trust I do not arrogate too much to myself
eserve whcri.
I assert, that the interest which I have la
;
pr
jog public opinion is not less than .that of the Hot'
Gentleman ; and that in the-whole" pregnl eti' 'lg.
inquiry .1 have evinced the respect which ',4-,-i, 10,
difficult • choice; and in no case 0100
it. In many iostances the course. exPewee.„-,ehe
be adopted, has presented alternative of extr-1,,
than at the very outset of the business, whe:l/201'4!
The advice which I then gave, nothing perticulay.:
House had ,to determine, whether 111,4 ,inve‘i'g,",t-t
shonld be public, or referred to a Silica CuLlte": gei'lr
teas act:err-r
t.o make me repent. Isdo think, that it the ththc lid
dilated, will be infinitely
York is to be acquitted, as I ee' nfidently tnist t
t will-be, of the foul charges preferred again" bin's thlt.•
I ;he public mode in winch the inquiry has been clie.j.
Royal /li,.;liness, the flott,e, and the country, o'3ll
i if it had proceeded he a more private nonner.--'4,
I'Chat the latter would, in twine teepee:he !rise.
men the more advantageous method, 1 ens fiati.W9 ,
; but thet the ineoeveniences and es its would ;,l'ivO'
. preponderated, lam completely convinced. "Csr lie'
ther, however, that ' course was the' better or tor!'
more sattstaettny to eie
when once adUpted, it was highly desirable thar,dlcv
I benefit* whicle it. was anticipated the ,ptibite Yo'7
derive. from it should not be wit itheld, , I e ,r, 1 lo''
' fore anxious, that be tio*exclusion of testimony rllll,
suspicion or, jealousy mettle part et the public 'ilit'uk- '
attach to our proceedings.- .• Throogle ut the whole,'
case, tliereftni:,l have retommeuded the admissioo
ef every deScription of testimony, and hale peib.,t)
in thia-respe& gone beytind what was my stiia iiiio