Star.
London, England, 1809-12-12 00:00:00

Clarke prepared for her winter campaign ; and :titer
this was the character of a proud and honourable man

reviled by base conspiracy I It would be again asked
of the Learned Counsel, why he proceeded further in
his case ? It had been said that it was not natural for

Francis Wright to give credit to Mrs. Clarke, because
she was already indebted to him 4500 or .0600. This
deduction might do very well for boys ; but it would
not hold with men of the world. When a tradesman,

in those days of speculation, became embarrassed,
what was he to do ? Suppose he went to a next door
neighbour, a friend and associate of his, one who had
" grown with his growth, and strengthened with his
strength," and told him that to-morrow he bad a bill
of £5OO to pay, what would be most probably his
answer ? would say, and " twas true, 'tis
and pity 'tis 'tis true." " I wish to do every thing
in the world to serve you ; but I have only yesterday
overdrawn my own banker, and have not a guinea
in the world." The best way then for him, would
be to apply to those in whose books he was al•
ready ; they had lent him money for his original
speculation, and were interested with him for its
success. " We see you are an honest man, and to
enable you to pay us what you already owe, will lend
you £5OO more." In the same way, Francis Wright
said, " Here's this miserable woman owes me £5OO,
and unless I put her in a way to get more than that,
she'll never pay me even that. I'll not trust to the
casual pittance which she may pick up as a street•
walker, her only resource ; I'll once more put her
into a well-furnished house." This was the answer

which the Learned Counsel gave to those who raised
this puerile objection. He did not mean to impeach
the reasoning of their manly minds who offered it to-
day—they were driven to this resource, and adopted
itz because they had no better. He would now intro•
duce the Jury to the period when Colonel Wardle
became acquainted with Mrs. Clarke. On the 18th
of November he was introduced to her, in consequence
of an enquiry he was furthering in the House of
Commons ; and upon which the Learned Counsel
should abstain from saying a single word. Co-
lonel Wardle took Mrs. Clarke to different places

4 order to prosecute this enquiry ; and, among the
rest, he and Major Dodd agreed, on the Ist of De-
cember, to call and take her to one of these places
with them in a coach. While they were out, she said •
she wanted to call at her Upholsterer's, in Rathbone-
place ; a courtesy which man to man would have
granted, much more man to woman. They did call,
and Mrs. Clarke begged the Gentlemen would alight,
and see same specimens of furniture, which-she point-
ed out to their notice. In particular, she sheaved them
some curtains, which she had had in a former house,
which Wright furnished for her, and which were
going to her new house ; and some chairs, the bot-
toms of which she had painted with het own hands.
The Gentlemen, of course, felt themselves bound to
admire their beauty ; and the parties left the shop,
without either Colonel Wardle or Major Dodd, di-
rectly or indirectly, giving their credit for Mrs.
Clarke's furniture to Wright. On the 2d of Decem-
ber, Colonel Wardle only went with Mrs. Clarke in
a coach to Mr. Donovan's, of whom some inforrna.
tion was wanted ; And was again requested to stop
ete carriage at W:ight's shop. When they alighted,
Francis Wright had received some accident, and was
in bed ; and Mrc. Clarke begged Colonel Wardle to
wait in the shop while she went up stairs to speak to
him. In the interim, the defendant, Daniel Wright,
entered into conversation with the prosecutor, talking
about his brother's accident, and, different other things,
and sheaving him some articles of furniture to amuse
Colonel Wardle, and to shew off his goods. Amongst
other things, Colonel Wardle was particularly struck
with the beauty of a sideboard, the price of which, as
a matter of curiosity, he asked ; but he would tell the
Jury, that neither directly nor indirectly did he order
it to be sent to Mrs. Clarke's. These were the only
two visits which the prosecutor ever made toWright's
shop. if this were not a true account of those visits,
let the defendants call their shopmen. He challenged
them to do it. Colonel Wardle and Major Dodd
would tell die Jury, before GOD, that neither of them
either did or said any thing, directly or indirectly,
which the defendant, Francis 'Wright, could construe
into a responsibility for the payment for Mrs. Clarke's
furniture. Front the 2d to the 16th December, this
was what happened—Mrs.Clarke applied to Mr. Gle-
nnie, and told hint the great distress in which she was,
for that the \Vrights pressed her very hard for .1:500,
a sum of which she begged Mr. Glennie to request the
advance from Col. Wardle, as she would be enabled
to repay it in three months, from the profits of a book
she was about to sell for publication. Mr. Glennie
replied, a No ; I know Col. Wardle will not make him-
self responsible for your debts in anv way whatever.
She pressed her petition again and again, until at
last Mr. Glennie said, that if she were sure she could
repay it in three months, he would try what he could •
do for her. He did ; and Colonel Wardle would
give his answer to Mr. Glennie this day on his oath :
he said positively, a No, he would not advance her a
single, guinea, nor accept a bill of any sort for her."
Mrs. Clarke, however, knowing her value to Colonel
Wardle in his public enquiries, went to him herself,
and received the same answer. She was not to be
easily put of, however, and went again ; and here
was acted as wieked a scheme as ever came into the
head of man or woman to devise. While Mrs. Clarke
was begging and imploring Colonel Wardle to assist
her, and threatening herself with a prison if he did
not, in came Daniel Wright and joined in her re-
quest ; his house was in great distress, and £5OO
they must have. a No, (said Colonel Wardle) I
will not do any thing, di: e:tly, or indirecdy, to au-
thorise you w say 1 made mys.tlf responsible for Mrs.
Clarke's debt." So when a youth, raw from school,
had been entrapped by the wily blandishments of a
first mistress, after parting with every guinea he had
or could raise for her, just in the nick of time in
comes a tradesman, who threatens her with a preten-
ded arrest ; she falls on bet knees to her paramour,
weeps, and he becomes her security. Even thus did