Star.
London, England, 1809-03-11 00:00:00

more strongly to the testittony of Colonel Gordon. On
the first day he was examined, he did not say a word
about the pencil marks which had been written on the
official document respecting the exchange of Colonels
Knight and Brocke. This most important fact was
only discovered accidentally, when he was ordered
several nights after to produce other documents.-
Colonel Gordon, at the early part cf his examina-
tion, declared, that it was an invariable rule, that in-
ferior officers could never rise above their sitperiors
in the same reigment. It afterwards, however, turn-
ed out. that this invariable rule had been oftentimes
broken. Colonel Gordon had said, that he never knew
an instance of a person being promoted to the rank of
aptain without service, and when he was examined
on the charge resp&ting Captain Maling, this evidence
appeared most conclusive. The charge appeared to
have so completely failed in the proof, that his Right'
Hon. Friend wished to withdraw—(No, ! however,
resounded from the other side of the House).—The
friends of his Royal Highness triumphantly state, that
this charge having been once brought, must be dis-
posed. It happened that a question or two more put
to Colonel Gordon, proved that there was another
Captain Maling, who had been raised to that rank
without seeing any service, and with whom Colonel
Gordon was intimately acquainted, on meeting him
every day in his office ; and with respect to whom the
Charge did apply. The mistake which his Honourable
Friend had made, was only about Christian names,
and yet Colonel Gordon never chose to say any thing
about the other Captain Maling, to whom he knew
the charge did apply, without a direct question was
accidentally put to him, which he was of course ob-
liged to answer. Did not this conduct in Col. Gordon
look like a wilful suppression of facts most important
in the case ? Colonel Gordon had also represented
• at first, that it was impossible that the Duke of York
could. expedite the exchange : and that every attempt
of that sort must be extremely futile, and would not
expedite it one half minute. From the' evidence, the
naturel impression would be, that the Duke could not
have interfered, as his interference would have been
futile ; and yet, afterwards, this word futility was exe
plained away, and made only to apply to the days for
laying military papers before his Majesty. He 'found
him-self also obliged to make some observations (he
hoped it would be without offence) on some contradic-
tions in the testimony of an Honourable Member,
(Mr. Adam). In the first place, that Honourable
Centleman had stated, ‘, that he was for a long time
erfectly acquainted with the pecuniary transactions
• of his Royal Highness, who stated to him all his em-
barrassments with the greatest accuracy ; and he
could take it upon himself to say, that Mrs. Clarke',
account of loans negotiated for the Duke of York
was untrue." Afterwards it appeared by his own
evidence, that he only knew a part of the Duke's pe-
cuniary arrangements ; and it had been proved by
Mr. Connie, that Mr. Adam himself did know of a
negociatien for a loan for 10,0001. ; afterwards it ap.
peard by the evidence of written dccuments, that he
did know of, and was applied to by Kennet, who
proposed to negotiate a loan for the Duke of no less
than 70,0001. to he secaeed by annuity. There ap-
peared another very great contradiction in the evi-
dence of Mr. Adam. Ile had stated that he recol-
lected from the investigation he had se on fort, that
the cause of separati'm between the Duke and Mrs.
Clarke was something about a bill and goods de-
livered. In this he ,:ppeared to be contradicted by
the men who conduced tile investigation, as nei-
ther Mr. Lcwter. nor Mr. confirmed'
this statement. The Poc.oarable Member als,,'
asserted on the part of his Royal Highru!ss, that
the Duke had assured him that he seld;:ni, or he
might say never, perrnizted Mrs. Clarke to speak to
Lim about military maters. That assertion, how-
ever, had been most completely disproved by the
Duke's letters. Now, when it was shewn that both
Coloo.el GoRDON and Mr. ADAM had fallen into those
inconsistencies in their evidence ; when it was re‘ol-
lected that those Gentlemen had been examined with
all the tenderness and respect clue to their rank in
life, anti that Mrs. Clarke, on the contrary, had been
examined in a hostile way, and for a much greater
length of time ; it would not be surprising that she
should have fallen into sonic contradictions on le:aer
points, when those Gentlemen had fallen into con-
tradictions on essential points. ( Ilear ! hear! hear!)
It would he recollected that Mrs. Clarke had been
examined eight times, fir near three hours at a
time ; that she experienced np favour, but, on
the contrary, was examined on every subject which
it would be most i...intul for her to answer on;
and some of goose contradictions, which had bf.en
relied on, had come out at the end a 1
long and harrasing examination, that contraiii-
tionsl
might naturally be expected. Considering all
the unfavourable circumstances under which she was
examined, he really thought that she was as good and
credible a witness as ever attended at the Bar of .hat
• House, (bear, hear !)'When the twelve Judges of the
land hadlaid ;t down, that an accomplice, if con-
siderd a credible witness, was sufficient to pr •'e a
case, even where the life of a subject was at seike,
he should say. that believing Mit. Clarke to lae in
- every recpeet, a credible witness, it was his firm epi-
nion, that, by every principle of law and reason, he
Duke should be considered guilty pf the great..st
corruption—that the case did not rest on the wai-
t-a-my of Mrs. Clarke alone, for never wa: the ev,-
dence of any accomplice more hilly corroborated.
The first strong circumstance of corroboration was,
the expeece cf the establ,shment in Gloucester-place.
1-Te was surprised, shat the Learned Gentleman, (Mr.
Lraen), had travelled out of the record, and
argued upon things merely asserted, as if they had
been proved. What sort of a story was that whip h
Fad been told about the Duke's manner pf drawing I
nn his bankers If the Duee wanted 2001. and meant •
to give 1001. to Mrs. Clarke, is it credible that
he would have takce the 'trouble to draw two drafts
instead of one ? If Mrs. Clarke had the. sums
She had received, it would not he wonderful, as she
was known to be a thoughtless woman, of dissipated
and expensive habits. Mrs. Clarice, however, did'
not forget, but stated particulars, which could not be
contradicted. She had said, that in her establish-
ment in Gloncester-place, she kept six or eightborses,
two carriages, eight or nine men-servant-a, man-cook,
&c. ; that she entertained expensively, gave clam.
papa, and lived in the highest style in town ; and
pia she had bes'cles, a country-house, whete'two or
:here sere ints were always kept. Now, Whitinti, O'a
Duke allowed her one- thou-.
aand a-year, or two tlxo-
- -

sand, it was evidently insufilcient to sopptit steli to
establishment. It appeared to him that less thus
RlO,OOO a.year would not have done it. He was sere
that he could not keep up such appointments under
£lO,OOO a-year, but he should suppose that a thought-
less ♦woman would have expended above double that
sum.- That the Duke did not allow her money suffi-

cient to support this establishment, was a thing that
was highly probable, when it was considered that
the Duke was at that time a most distressed

man. The loan that he was negotiating with Ken-,
net at that precise time shewed that he was a very
distressed man. It appeared that in consequence of
this negotiation abotft a loan, Kennet was recom-
mended by the Duke of York to a high situation ;
and it was contrived that Sir Horace Mann should be
applied-to support this recommendation, in order to
make it appear more regular. This Kennet was
known at the time to be a man of the worst character,
and afterwards stood in the pillory. Now if Kennet,
instead of 'applying for himself, had happened to
have had a son a Captain, whom he wished to be
promoted to a Majority, could any body doubt but
that it would have been done for the corrupt el:inside..
ration of the loan that was to be negotiated ? Who
would then believe that the Duke, being ready to ree
commend Kennet, or any body who would negotiate
loansfor him, being distressed as he had been roved
ta be, having a woman whom-he loved so passionate-
ly, and whose wishes he was so unable to gratify (a
laugh), he could have refused to allow her to receive
some money for -her interference in the disposal of a
few commissions. Before he concluded, he could
not avoid paying his tribute of admiration to the
firmness which had been displayed by his Honourable
Friend (Colonel Wardle) in bringing forward these
charges, and in the investigation ivhich bad so long
occupied the attention of the House. He had had to
struggle against the authority and influence of the Duke
of York in the plenitude of his power, and at the head
of an army more extensive, and regulated in a more
arbitrary manner than at any former period. He bad to
contend against Ministers, who took upon themselves
the situation of Advocates for his Royal Highness,
rather than his Judges. He had been impeded in his
invevigatiun by .wiwilling witnesses, from whom it
was almost impossible to extract the truth. After
his Honourable Friend had first brought forward his-
charges, Some persons had the insolence to threaten
him with a vote of expulsion— (Hear, hear!)—and
yet, notwithstanding all these obstacles and difficulties,
he had come forward manfully to his case, and had
proved it, as he conceived, to the perfect satisfaction
of every unprejudiced man. It Was to be recollected
also that a threat of intimy had been thrown out by
a Right Hon. Secretary (Mr. Canning) against him,
lin the most Offensive•manner. The Right Hon. Gen-
tleman well knew how to assume the most offensive
manner.--CA cry of Order, and the Speaker reminded
the Noble Lord that he spoke too pc.rsonally.] —He
would say that he did not believe that the Right I-lon.
Secretary meant to apply this term to that conspiracy
which had been talked of, (as his meaning was endea-
voured to be explained away by some of his friends,)
but- that he did mean what he said, that infamy was
to attach either to the accused or to the accuser, and
he had repeated the word accuser every time he had
opened his mouth since. The evidence was read
aver, and his Honourable Friend had not only proved
his charges, but had proved a great deal more than
he had stated, and yet the Right Hon. Secretary had
not yet had the cis:l4y to retract that expression. If
then the Right Honourable Gentleman should not
express by his vote that the iefrimy attached to the
person accused, and did not withdraw the expression
with respect to the accuser; he thought that if in-
famy must attach somewhere, it :lota(' remain with
him who had used the expression. This threat ap-
peared to be thrown out with no other view than to
damerthe zeal and exertions of his Honourable Friend.
Another Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Yorke),
who at first talked ef a Jacobine conspiracy, had the
manliness to disavow any intention of applying the
term in any degree to his Honourable Friend. This
was a degree of manliness which he hardly expected
to meet -from the Right Honourable Secretary.
Whatever might, however, be the opinion of that
Right Honourable Gentleman, he was sure in the
opinion of the public, honour, instead of infamy,
would attach. to the conduct of -his Honourable
Friend. Wherever he went, be would. be accom-
panied by the love and gratitude of his fellow-
countrymen, and by their admiration for that match-
less and persevering resolution with which he had
been enabled to surmount so many and such great ob-
stacles. Publicity was what the friends of his Royal
Highness affected to court; the publicity that they'
had demanded had been obtained. He thought it ill
became them now to complain of the public mind
beine led astray by misrepresentations in newspapers.
He did not know what misrepresentations were al-
luded to ; but, for his part, he was quite astonished
at the accuracy with which he saw those things de-
tailed—(hear, hear, hear.) Belo: e he sat down, he
could not avoid saying, that the House had now an
opportunity of retrieving, what he believed they had
lost in public opinion. He could recommend to them
nothing better than to recollect that prayer which was
always said before the House entered upon busi-.
mess, imploring the LORD " to enable them to lay
aside all private interests, prejudices, and partial af-
fections." If they did so, and came to the vote as
Judges, and not advocates, he had little doubt of the
result. His feeling was for a resolution much stronger
than what was proposed (hear, hear, hear) ; lie should
however give his vete most sincerely in favour of the
Resolution, which had been 'proposed by his Honour-
able Friend (Colonel Wardle.)
(The Noble Lord was incessantly cheered diiring
the whole of his speech, and sat down amidst loud
cries of Hear ! hear ! hear !)•
Mr. ADAM felt himself called upon (in conse-
quence of what fell from the Noble Lord) to deny that
he had been guilty of any prevarication in the evi-
dence he gave before that House. He read extracts
from the minutes of his own evidence, and . argued
from them, et full length, that he had not been guilty
of any inconsistency. He then went into the evidence
at large, and contended, that no case wes proved
ageinst the • Duke, and that his conduct to Mrs.
' Clarke had been on all occasions correct and 4o4pur-
Ole: He did not think lier evidence ought to it duce
the. House to propptince Rich a person. ae the Duke
of York guilty of corrupt practices. He should, there-
fore, support the Resolutions of the Chancellor of the
Exchequer. • •