Star.
London, England, 1809-02-08 00:00:00

expressed a wish, that the Honourable Gentlemen. formed me that he was to give. her 500.gninras.—.Q.
would not put any questions from whiCh deductions What further? A. I understand he was to give her 500
might arise out of the answers.—(Loud laughing 1) guineas..-..Q. Do you mean to say that was .allsthe
The question was then waved by Mr. WARDLE, agreement made with Mrs. Clarke upon the subject ?
who on the witness being called in again, continued A. I will not tile upon .me to say what Colonel French
the examination. might have agreed upon widi Mrs. Clarke. That tile
Q.Who gave you the information respecting the per- only thing I know.—Q. Did you enter into any agl ee=
son who had the interest to promote your application ? . meet with Mrs. Clarke ?A. No.—Q. Are you of.
Who took you first to Mrs. Clarke ? A. Mr. Cock- your own knowledge aware of any other bargain with
ayne, my attorney, told me, as I was a military man, ; Mrs. Clarke, but with respect to the 500 guineas ? A.
that if I had any thing to do at the War-Office, or in I was not, before Colonel French went to Ireland. Pre-
the Office of the Commander in Chief, he-would re- vious to his departure, he desired me, if Mrs. Clarke
commend me to a person who had interest to serve .should want money, to advance it to her.—Q. To
me.—Q. Did he introduce you then.to Mrs. Clarke ? Vhat amount ?A. As far as five, six, or seven hun-
A. He introduced me to her agent.—Q. Who was fired pounds.—Q. Do you recollect any application
her agent ? Mr. Corti, the music-master. having been made to Mrs. Clarke for an alteration of
The witness was then ordered to withdraw, when the original letters of service ?A. There were various
Sir GEORGE HILL wished the Hon. Gentle- • alterations in the original letters. The recruiting
man to confine his course of examination to points bounty had been raised to 19 guineas. We recruited
immediately connected with the subject of the charges at first at thirteen guineas bounty, and as we thought
before the Committee. This circuit through Mrs. ourselves entitled to the addition, we applied to Mrs.
Clarke, Mr. Cockayne, Mr. Corti, or any-other third Clarke, that we might get the enlargement, as we
person, ought not to be admitted, because such a could get no men at thirteen guineas, whilst the line
chain of evidence could not possibly lead to any direct, was recruited at nineteen guineas.—Q. YQU did not
fair, or reasonable result. get the nineteen guineas till you applied to Mrs.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER Clarke ? A. All the recruiting parties were in
thought that the Honourable Baronet %yds rather pre- the same situation, and we conceived we had a right
mature in the observation which he had made on the to the increase. There had been an order from Go.
nature and tendency of the examination pursued by; vernment, that every recruiting party should have
the Honourable Gentleman. If the evidence were the 19 guineas bounty, and as men could not be got
to be at a close, there might have been some ground at 13 whilst that was the case, we applied to have
for the observation ; but as the evidence was only at our bounty raised also.—Q. To whom did you ap.
its commencement, and it would be necessary to , ply ? A. To the Commander in Chief, of course.—

trace it through a great number of persons, he was i 2: Did you not apply to Mrs. Clarke ? A. There
of opinion, that the Honourable Gentleman should i• was ne occasion for it.—Q. Did zon ever apply to
be permitted to proceed with the examination. in his Mrs. Clarke upon any other occasion ? A. Relative
own way. I to the Levy.—Q. As to the boys ? A. You bring to
Witness was again called in, and examined by Mr. : my recollection the circumstance of the- boys ; we
WA RDLE. .
. were allowed ten boys in every hundred men. It
Q. Did Mr. Corti introduce you to Mrs. Clarke, I will appear by the letters of service better than I can
or was it through him you had an interview with state it.—Q. Do you mean to state, that no altera-
Mrs. Clark ? A. Ido not recollect.—Q. When had j tion was made nor applied for relative to boys ? A.
you the first interview with Mrs. Clarke ? A. I saw i Not after the letters of service had been granted.—
Mrs. Clarke a long time ago ; it may be about a month I Q. What alteration was made relative to boys in
after the letter of service-had been granted.—Q. Can I the letters of service ?A. We were allowed ten
you recollect what passed at that interview ? A. No- I boys in every hundred men. I cannot take upon me
thing particular passed; every thing had been pre- : to say what alteration may have taken place on that
viously settled and arranged.--Q. For what purpose, . head, as the whole bit :iness., had been finished and
then, had you the interview with Mrs. Clarke, if every i settled by Col. French.—Q. Do you recollect ever
thing had been arranged before ? A. Colonel French i having waited on the Commander in Chief, in con-
wished me to see the person to whom we had been I sequence of any commission or message sent by Mrs.
referred, and when I went to Gloucester-place, to my I Clarke to Lyon's-Inn ?A.I do not recolect....2.
surprize I found it was a female. [4 laugh.]— IDo you know Mr. Dowler ?A. I once' saw him at
Q. Had you seen Mrs. Clarke before ? A. Most] Mrs. Clatke's.—Q. Do you recollect what passed ?
assuredly.—Q. When ? A. I do not know.—Q. Was I A. Not a word.—Q. Did Dowler call on you at
it before the letters of service had been granted ?A. I Lyons'-Inn ?A. Never.
I think not. The letters of service had been issued I Q. Did you ever, at any time, wait on the Com-
before. —Q. Then do you know when Colonel French mander in Chief with a message from Mrs. Clarke ?
I saw Mrs. Clarke ? A. No ; Colonel French was going A. I once waited On the Commander in Chief with
to Ireland.—Q. Do you recollect what passed when, Colonel French, to thank him for having granted the
you saw Mrs. Clarke ?A. I really do not recollect.—' levy:—Q. What sum or sums were given to Mrs. Clarke
Q. Was the subject of the levy mentioned ? A. No ; i by you, or to your knowledge by any other, in com
-- e-
I do not know.—Q. Do you recollect when Colonel quence of this levy ? A. At various times, I paid to
French mentioned or when you mentioned the levy Mrs. Clarke 8001. it might have been 8501. but not
to Mrs. Clarke ? A. No.—Q. Does he of his own more.—Q.D2yourecollectanycheck uponaMr.Grant
knowledge know that Colonel French did not mention in favour pilr. Corti, which was given on account
the levy to Mrs. Clarke at the interview ?A. I can't say. of thiglevy ? A. Perfectly. It was not a check, but a
Nothing material had been introduced.—Q. When did draft at two tuOnths,#hd not given on account of the
you first speak to Mrs. Clarke upon the subject of the i levy, but to Mr. Corri, asagent toMis. Clarke with Mr.
levy? A. I really do not ltittlr. The business haat been i Cockayne.—Q.. Do you recollect any thing of a loan
settled between Colonel French and Mrs. Clarke.—Q. I of .50001 that was to be advanced by Colonel French
State the terms upon which the business had been ;to the Commander in Chief ? A. I never knew Colo-
settled between Colonel French and Mrs. Clarke ? I nel French to have had 5001. in his life ; and
A. Ido not know. The terms had been settled be- 1 therefore do not know how he could advance 50001
tween Colonel French and Mrs. Clarke.—Q. What 'On our account with our agent, we are in arrear
passed between you and Colonel French upon the 1 3000 i. on account of this levy.—Q. Did you not hear
subject ? A. Of course we wished to get the levy, I any mention of this advance of 50001. by Colonel
and to obtain the letters of service.--Q. What means I French ? A. Most assuredly not.—Q. You stated
did you take to get the point carried, so as to pro- I that :,00 guineas were first advanced, and afterwards
cure the letters of service through Mrs. Clarke ? A. ' 8501. can you state that the payment of this b5Ol.
I understood from Colonel French, that he had en-
arose out of any particular agreement of so mach
gaged to give Mrs. Clarke a certain sum .of money. per man, or in what proportion it was to be paid ?
—Q. What passed between you and Colonel French A. The agreement was general. If the levy should
I
upon this subject ?---- succeed, we were to pay Mrs. Clarke a couple
Sir ARTHUR P 1 GOTT objected to the question, !of thousand pounds. There was no. explicit agree-
and wished the Honourable Gentleman to shew how i meat, but that was understood. The levy has failed,
1 and Mrs. Clarke is the only one that has gained by
any conversation, which had taken place between the
witness and Colonel French, could be evidence against i it.—Q. How was Mrs. Clarke paid ? A. Generally
the Duke of York. in Bank notes.—Q. Did she receive the money in
Mr. BERESFORD, as the question had been large sums at a time ? A. Two hundred pounds
asked, wished it to be answered. was the largest stilt I believe she received at any one
The ATTORNEY GENERAL had not wished time.—Q. I wish you to call to your recollection, or
t
to interrupt the examination or the course of evi-
to endeavour to recollect, whether Mr. Dswler did
dence pursued by the Honourable Gentleman ; but I not call upon you at Lyons Inn from Mrs. Clarke,
as an objection had been taken by his Learned and whether 'he did not say to him, that he owed
Friend, he must say, that the evidence was irrelevant. her no money, and that he had no money for her ?
Lord FOLKSTONE; notwithstanding the legal A. No, Sir, he never called upon me with that mes-
opinion just pronounced, thought that any con-rersa- 1 sage.—Q..Dil Colonel French never state to you the
Lion between the witness and Colknel French, relative I exact original bargain' he made with Mrs. Clarke ?
to the means of obtaining two letters of service,' A. I understood that 500 guineas were first to be
ought to be received as evidence upon the charge paid to her, that 2001. were to be given to Mr. Corn,
against the Duke of York. and that if the levy succeeded, Mrs. Clark was to
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. ob. have 20001.
served, that the Noble Lord's argument did not ap.
- Q.d (by Mr. Lirrz.zrox.) I wish to know what
.asse
ply to the case, because putting Mrs. Clarke out of between you and Mr. Coni ? A. He was to
P have for his introduction to Mrs. Clarke ; no-
the question, and supposing the witness and Colonel
French to have conversed upon what passed between
thing more.—Q. Did that pass before the letters of
the Duke of York and Colonel French, his statement service ?A. The £2OO were paid after.—Q. Did
witness only apply to Mr. Corn for an introduction to
of such conversation would not be evidence. If they
Mrs. Clarke, without stating what your object was ?
Were to have what passed between Col. French and
the Duke of York, they must have Col. French him-
.i A. We certainly did not inform Mr. Corn, the music
self. He had not objected to the course of his ex-
mast! r, what we meant to do with Mrs. Clarke. I
amination, because the Hon. Gentleman having had
I recollect that Mr. Cockayne knew of our object when
notice not to proceed to the charge respecting Col. I he mentioned Mr. Corti to us, but Mr. Corn knew
French's levy without Col. French, ought to have
i nothing of_ it.—Q. W. I
know not. hat passed between Mr. Cockayne
been sufficiently prepared, when he did enter on it, and Mr. Corn ? A.
to go through with it. Besides, it would have been Q. (by a Member.) How often had you seen Mrs.
unpleasant to the house, that the Hon. Member
, Cl.. Abarke.out fifty times.—Q. Was any direct applica-
in the course he was pursuing. duri_gn the whole negotiation of the levy ?
should, under such circumstances, have been stopped , 'll
1 tion made to the Commander in Chief on the sub-
Mr.l jest of the levy ? A. From Colonel French and my-
YORKE agreed with his Right Hon. Friend, , mu; of course, in a regular manner.—Q. Was it
that the course of the examination ought not to be in- • then subsequent to this application to the Corn.
terrupted, because it was desirable that the matter : mander in Chief that you applied to Mrs. Clarke ? A.
ought to be sifted to the bottom. Though he did
I cannot say : Colonel French had raised two levies
not think that would rest with the lion. Gen- . _ _
tleman, yet he was convinced there was something
foul in the transaction, and that it would be found
that bribes had, been given to witnesses on this sub-
ject. It was.the duty of the house to enquire into
the matter, to the bottom.
... •
The examination den proceeded.
Q. by Mr.WAunt.s. What passed between you and
ttled every this 4 with /dra
Colonel French on that subject ? A.:He told me when
I saw him, that be had se
this alai A. Yews be itt-
Ciarke.—Q. Do ion bow

•

Chief ? A. It Was not refused ;we never hal a re-
fusal. We had no reason to think it would be
refused. We had done nothing improper; an 3 why
should our application be refused?—Q. Had you rea-
son to think it would be refused ? A. I ask why?
Q. I ask, if he thought it would not be refused,
..why be, made application to any person beside the
Commander in Chief; or why he had promised any
sum of money ? A. To facilitate the letters of service
when we should apply.
Q. (Sir THOMAS TURTON.) How long was the ri 0 0
guineas promised before the letters of service were
granted ? A. Near two months or ten weeks after
the first proposal.—Q. What reason had you to ad-
vance the 7or 8001 ? A. No particular reason. We
thought it better to give the sum.—Q. Had you any,
and what reason to believe that your application would
be expedited by Mrs. Clarke ? A. My own private
opinion was that it would not. She appeared to me
to have very little influence with the Commander in
Chief. Q. Had you any reason to 'believe that thcDuke
of York was privy to the payment of the money to
Mrs. Clarke ? A. N.)ne in the world ; I never could
have had any idea of it.—Q. What grounds had you
to suppose that the influence of Mrs. Clarke was very
small? A. From the length of time that passed in
obtaining the letters of service.
Q. (Mr. YORKE) Had you any conversation with
Mr. Cockayne upon the subject ? A. The letters of
service ! Oh no, he was barely to introduce us to
the person who had the interest with those in power,
to forward our application.—Q. By whom was you.
informal respecting thisiperson who bad influence with
a great personage ? A. By Mr. Cockayne and Mr.
Corri.—Q. What conversation had you with Mr. CO3 Ti
with reference to this transaction? A. We applied to
him in consequence of his having said to Mr ,Cock.
ayne, that if he knew any military man, who had busi-
ness at the War-Office, or in the Office of the Com-
mander in Chief, he could introduce him to a person
who had great interest to promote his application.---Q.
What conversation had you with Corti or Cockayne
upon this subject ? A. Nothing mere than I say. t
saw Corti but once or twice.--Q. Did the proposal
come from you to Corri, or from Corti to you ? A.
; Mr. Corti had made his proposition to Mr. Cockayne,
who mentioned it to me, and then I had an interview
with Mr. Corti.—Q. Then you had an interview
with Mr. Cockayne ? A Yes, he introduced me to
Mr. Corri.—Q. What part did Cockayne take in the
conversation ? A. Barely to make the introduction.
Q." Did you go to seek Mr.Cockayne, or did Mr. Cock-
ayne come to seek you upon this subject ? A. Mr.
Cockayne was Mr. Corn's Solicitor, and was also
mine. I went to him updh other business, and he re-
lated to me what I before stated.
Q. (by Lord FOLKSTCYNE.) —Was your interview
with Mr. Corti, and your promise to paw him 0200,
.previous to your application in the regular way to the
Commander-in-Chief ? A. No : I believe not. We did
not mention any thing of the 8200 at that time.—
Q. When was it mentioned ? A. After the letters of
service had been granted.—Q. Why did you give the
£2OO to Mr. Corn at all ? A. He previously expec-
ted something.—Q. Was the application to Mr.
Corti previous to the regular application to the Com-
mander-in-Chief ?—A. No, certainly.—Q. Had you
your first interview with Mr. Corri before your appli-
' cation to the Commander-in-Chief? A. Assuredly.
—Q. Did he state that he could introduce you to a
i person who could do you service in your application ?
A. Yes.—Q. Was the offer of the 500 guineas made
with the knowledge of Mrs. Clarke ?—A. Yes.
Q. (Colonel Wool)). Did you ever mention to
Colonel French, that Mrs. Clarke had no influence
with the Commander in Chief ? A. Repeatedly.—Q.
What did Colonel French say ? A. Let us see what
she will do.—Q. Did Colonel French say that you
were to keep this transaction a secret ? A. Certainly.
Q. Do you say that Mrs. Clarke required it to be
kept a secret ? A. Most undoubtedly. She required
that upon all occasions, her name and that of the
Commander in Chief should be kept secret.—Q.
From whom kept a secret ? As. From all the world.
Q. Did Mrs. Clarke ever menion that she wished it
to be kept secret from the Duke of York that she had
received any money? A. Assuredly : she desired that
it might never escape my lipS to any body.—Q. Have
you reason to suppose, that she kept it a secret from the
Duke of York ? A. Ido not pretend to say. Ido
not know what Mrs. Clarke may have done with the
Duke of York.—Q. Do you think that she concealed
it from the Duke of York ? A. I believe she did.
Q. (Mr. GRENFEL) Was any money paid to Mrs.
Clarke 'before the levy was completed ? A. No.
Q. (Sir THos. TURTON). Was the Duke of York
ever privy to Mrs. Clarke's having received this money?
A. Never.—Q. In the fifty times that you saw Mrs.
Clarke, did she tell you he was ? A. Never.---Q.Was
the money solely Colonel French's, cr your own ? A.
It was from our joint stock.—Q. Why, when you
supposed Mrs. Clarke had no influence with the Duke
of York, did you throw away your 8501. upon a
person who had no interest ? A. I can only say
that she persuaded us to the contrary, and said, she
had a great deal of influence with the Commander in
Chief.—Q. I understood you paid Mrs. Clarke the
8501. subsequent to the time when you supposed she
had no interest, why did you consent to throw away
that sum of 8501. ? A. That was my opinion, not
Colonel French's.
Q. (Mr. BSRESFORD.) Do you recollect the date
of your application for the letters of service ? A. I
don't; that will'appear from the original document.
Q. (Colonel Slam.) In what sums were the 8501.
paid ? A. In various sums of 1001. 15Q1. and one
of 2001.
The witness then was ordered to withdraw.
Mr. CORRI was then examined by Mr. WARDLL
Q. Does he know Colonel French, and Captain
Sanden, and did he know them previous to the
letters of service ? A. He never saw Colonel
French, and had some conversation with Captain San.
den.—Q. Did he introduce Captain Sanden to
Mrs. Clarke ? A. As he believed, Captain Sanden

er
:non
did,
'ke
Telicel •
D4ei

_ .
Q I cannot say : Colonel French had raised two levies I Mrs. Clarke ? A. As he believed, Captain Sanden 1. 1
1" in Ireland, with credit to himself and satisfaction to the I introduced himself.—Q. What was the substance a'' , 1 ,
A
. Commander in Chief, and when he came to town, he of the first conversation between you and Captain 1,, .;
I .1
*I i applied to me to assist him in a new levy.—Q. For Sanden ? A. Captain Sanden told me, he under-
what . .
Or ..,
i . h purpose did you give the 500 guineas to Mrs. stood that I could propose the matter to a person
to ,
Clarke ? A. When the music-master undertook to in- very high in power. I told him I could ; and so I did,
1 , 1
1 troduce us to a person high in power, we thought it —Q• You mentien,ed the business to Mrs. Clarke ?
better to give the 500 guineas for the assistance of A. I did : she told me it was a matter of great difi, l
id . such a person, whether male or female ; and then we pulty, and begged that nobody would be ream., l'! f
!a applied in the regular way to the Commander in mended that was not perfectly qualified.—Q. Doss
.s. Chief.—Q. Had you reason to believe that your sip- the witness remember the bargain that was stand to
11- plication would be refused by the Commander in have been made respecting this levyby Carpel rre34
' ; -, •
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