The Sun.
London, England, 1820-10-05 00:00:00

PARLIAMENT,

TIOUSE OF LORDS-YESTERDAY.

-.........
THE QUEEN'S DEFENCE.

Mr. BROUGHAM concluded his Speech yester-
day as follows:
" Let me now remind your Lordships of what
is represented to • have taken place at Catania ;
and observe that here, two witnesses might have
been .called to this transaction, if it really did
take place, both of whom are mentioned by the
Attorney-General,. but only one of whom is
called. .64 Two maidsi" says he, Were'sitting
in the next room to that of liergami; both saw the
PrincesS come back from -that room. at
.an early-
' hour ; they both heard the child cry in the Corm-
- tesS of Oldi's 'town ;" and they both must have
knoivn all that really, took place. The Attor-
• trei;General not. only does 'not venture to call
both; but,only one ; 'but he does not venture to
state,. that those two had ever -communicated to-
gether froin that day to this upori
,a tittle Of 'What
hae.pasSed. They never' did' Communicate ; they
could'nOt communicate together ; ;nothing of the
kind'had passed.. The thing.4as false .; but Du-
mont alone is called, and what. is the story as she
tens it-?- I now pray your Lordships to attend to
it,,and let me ask yon, notwithstanding all the
'multiplied improbabilities. of this ettse‘ can there
' be any. thing 'more i'mptobable than this ? Her-
gami, nsually slept not only not near to the
'Queen's bed-room, -hut-on the other side of the
court which formed_ the, centre of the building,
while well; but ne became sick. He was seized

with a severe fever, and brought over from his
.• usual room -into another room belonging tO the
Countess.Oldi, I believe, and there he was when
he. was sick •Now is it not, my Lords., a little
extraordinary ,that the scene of this amour—l
• won't say is ordered to be, but is laid at a time
when Bergarni was in a fever, and not when he
was.in. good lietilth-? Well, there he was lying,
more as a patient than as, a lover. • And•sheis
,particular (for that is what is meant to be under-
stood) that he shoUld he placed there. And the
situation in which she wasplaced togo to his bed-
. room, is to be; sure the' niost difficult and embar-
ras,4ing that can be• well conceived, for she must
go through a room where two maids are sleeping,
before she can. by any means • reach his. The
Queen, too, slept in Oldi's room, and what had
been Oldi's room- now became her's. • The child
.was also removed, and the witness tells you she
undressed the Queen, and her Majesty went to
Bergami's room every night, and returned every,
morning. Now is it not extraordinary, that for
the accomplishment of her design, if such design
She ever entertained, she did not make an altera-
tion in the bed rooms of these maids, rather than
expose herself to the risk of discovery ? Is it
not curious that she labours under the same risk
both at Milan and at Naples? Alt she had to
do was to make a different disposition of the
rooms—to place the maids in Bergami's room ;
and then he could have slept in the room next
adjoining. It is most wonderful that all the wit-
nesses in this case would impute to her Majesty
that it was the uniform tendency of her tactics to
. multiply damning proofs against her own charac-
ter, and to destroy every happiness and comfort
which can be dear to her! This is the plot ; and
she is never to do any one act which can injure
her without providing ample proof and evidence
against her. And now I am told you can call
Mary Ann (Dumont's sister) to contradict her.
I say, she is your witness, and not ours. We are
the "defendants, the accused, the oppressed, and
you are not accused or oppressed. This is a cri-
minal-7-4 is worse than a criminal proceeding ; it
is of a nature higher, at least, in its exigency. I
say, a Bill of Pains and Penalties ought to be sup-
ported by evidence, better, if possible, than a
proceeding which is to take away life or limb.
.1 say, she is your witness, and not ours, and you
ought to call her. You have not called her, in
this overwhelming charge ; then I say, you have
1;?t proved us guilty ; and therefore, if justice
reigns here, we ought not to be called upon for
a defence. In the lowest crime known to the
• law, the best testimony ought to he adduced,
-whether on their side or ours ; and I will put a
case to remind your Lordships. Suppose a rob-
bery or murder be committed, and a man be put
on his trial for it. Suppose an accomplice, infa-
mous by his own character, a spy, degraded by
his calling—or any other witness, tainted and im-
pure, be called, while pure and unsuspected wit-
nesses remain uncalled, is it not the duty of the
pro-
secutor
to call them? I say no man who is to be put
on a trial for his life, ought to he called upon to
produce in his defence, the relations of those who
are witnesses against him. The prosecutor must
call them. But, my Lords, painful as it is to my
illustrious Client, the manner in which she has
betin oppressed and persecuted, and the means
that have been adopted treacherously to betray
leer, must open her eyes, and awaken her sus-
picions. on all hands. After such persecution,
whom could she trust ? Even -the sister of Du-
mont was corresponding (so she said) in a cypher
with her sister. I say, Ido not believe they did
so correspond. I
.say, my Lords, we ought not
to call witnesses ; your Lordships will agree with
me, that we ought not to be required to do it ; but
my Lords, we shall bring forward Dumont's sis-
ter. The Queen sees these who were fostered
by her have appeared against their mistress, and
she knows not but in still retaining Dumont's
sister in her service, she may be cherishing ano-
ther viper to sting her. Still, however, she has
never found her act improperly, and she is resolv-
...e .
dto call. her. She has been watched and spied
. .
• by- the Grnnms, the Omptedas, and the Badens,
riot; forgetting the Ornptedas oilier Own land, and
it is hard to• know who is her enemy and who her
friend:. Nevertheless, she will run the risk of
Calling- this woman :'she, knows if she speaks
the truth she will fully and flatly contradict
her sister, and she is convinced that her tes-
timony - will be annihilated. Perhaps she
may not entertain a charitable opinion of the
witnesses when she knows the manner in