Star.
London, England, 1809-03-14 00:00:00

PPP'
rites, much less that he participated in any of the
profits arising from them. It was not upon Mrs.
Clarke's general demeanour that he discredited her
evidence, but upon the proof of certain indisputa-
ble facts. It was notorious, that from the year 1804,
she began the business of an army-broker, and that
she carried on after her separation with the Duke of
York ; during the whole of that period, she was en-
gaged in that traffic, and the whole of her stock in
trade consisted in lying and deception. The whole
of those engaged with her, all the witnesses on her
side, Sanden, Donovan, Corri,&c. contributed to con-
firm the same notion and character of her dealings. The
evidence of Mrs. Clarke alone attempted to establish a
privity and connivance on the part of his Royal High-
ness; nor did tbedocumentary evidence produced afford
any corroboration of her testimony. Every thing on the ,
contrary tended to shew that Mrs. Clarke, instead of
being a reluctant witness, as she had been represented
by some Gentlemen, was a witness instigated by re-
venge, and prepared by design. Up to the very
znornent of the present inquiry, she was known to
be collecting matters of charge against his Royal
Highness the Duke of York, which she offered to ,
deposit in the hands of other Gentlemen, before she
entrusted them to those of the Hon. Mover of this
Inquiry. Witness her letters to Mr. Adam : witness
her repeated threats against his Royal Highness: yet 1
after all these proofs of an hostile intention, of long ,
premeditated revenge, some Gentlemen will continue
to describe her as an unwilling and a reluctant evi-
dence. The Learned Gentleman next took a retro-
spect of Mrs. Clarke's transactions from the time she
opened a shop for the sale of commissions in 1804
down to 1806. She pretends to have carried on that
traffic during nearly the whole of that time, with a
view to raise a fund to enable her to defray the ex-
pences of her establishment at Gloucester-place ; and
that during the whole of that period the Duke of
York had suggested and was the contriver of the
system she was carrying on. Yet we have in con-
tradiction of this assertion, the evidence of Colonel
Gordon, whose accuracy, whose correctness it was
impossible to impeach. The very .sale which his
Royal Highness is accused of conniving at and pro-
moting, he himself in conjunction with Col. Gordon
had taken measures to prevent in 1804, when measures
were taken to prevent or regulate the sale of Commis-
sions, to frustrate not to favour the traffic for which he
is now accused of participating. Besides, if the Duke
of York had ever been conscious of participating in
or conniving at such abuses, would he ever have se-
lected a man of Mr. Adam's principles, of Mr. Adam's
character and integrity, to whom to disclose his af-
fairs ?—most improbable. The Learned Gentleman
next set forth the resolution and firmness with which
his Royal Highness had dismissed Mrs. Clarke, up-
on finding she had made an improper use of his
name in money transactions. The consciousness of
his innocence enabled him to set her at defiance.
The same consciousness of innocence impelled him
for the most public inquiry into his conduct, for the
most minute and impartial investigation of every
charge that was brought against him. Yet, with all
these proofs of innocence on his part, is Mrs. Clarke
to be believed against him, instigated -as she evi-
dently is by a spirit of revenge, and upon an evidence
uncorroborated by any other witness ? The Learned
Gentleman concluded by vindicating his Right
Honourable Friend from the imputation of having
treated Miss Taylor with unnecessary rigour and
harshness, where nothing more was done than was in-
dispe.:sable to the detection of the truth. He had
only to remark that the same tenderness was never
manifested by the Gentlemen opposite him, for the
witnesses in favour of the Duke of York, which they
wished to be observed towards the winesses against
him. He had only to exemplify the manner in which
Mr. Nicholls, of Hampstead, had been treated by an
Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Whitbread), who ac-
cused Mr. N. of having acted basely, dishonestly,
and corruptly, only because he had refused to deli-
ver up Papers to Mrs. Clarke, which were only called
for after the present investigation ,had begun ; and
which Mr. Nicholls might justly have thought neces-
sary to detain in case they might be called for during
the course of the inquiry. Upon the whole of the
cases, he saw no reason which could induce him to
vote for the Address of the Honourable Gentleman.
Lord FOLKSTONE and the ATTORNEY and
the SOLICITOR GENERALS offered a few words
in explanation ; after which
Lord CASTLEREAGH rose, and moved that
the House do now adjourn, giving notice, at the same
time, of a Bill for increasing the Militia force of
England and Ireland, which he intended to bring
forward on Wednesday.
The House then adjourned till this day, at four
o'clock this morning.