Star.
London, England, 1809-03-10 00:00:00

what might have heen tepeeted4rora human power*
in that House. If the Duke of York failed after so
great a display of talent in his cause, such a failure
could not possibly even be imputed to the want of an
able and acute advocate to defend him. He gave
the Right Hon. Gentleman credit for his assertion,
that throughout this business he had been actuated by
a conscientious sense of his duty, and in animadvert-
ing on what had fallen from him, he would so chas-
tise his feelings as not to say any thing painful to him,
while he pointed out the errors of his reasoning, or
the falseness of his deductions. The Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman had begun and ended his
speech with an attack upon his Honourable Friend
(Mr. Wardle). In the latter part he had certainly
no right to suppose that his Hogourable Friend, in
the expressions that fell from him had meant any
thing unconstitutional, or any thing more than what
was well grounded in fact and in reason ; that it be-
came the Members of that House to look to the ge-
neral sense of the people whom they represented.—
The observations on this head came with a strange
effect from the Right, Honourable Gentleman, who
had himself mounted into power by an appeal from
Parliament to the People. As for what he said
respecting garbled extracts and libels, he had only
to call on his Learned Friend on his right (the At-
torney General), not to suffer such illegal proceed-
ings to go unpunished. For his part, as far as he
had been able to form an opinion, the comments,.
that had appeared in several publications, were as
gross and partial on the one side as on the other.—
There was another part of what had fallen from the
Right Hon Gentleman which he could not pass by
in silence—it was where he told them, in terrorerd,
that if they removed the Duke of York from the
Chief Command of the Army, 'they could not get
another able to supply his place. This threat, how-
ever, gave him no alarm ; for, so far from thinking
that it was absolutely necessary to have a personage
of that illustrious birth at the head of the army, lie
considered that, exteris parllnis, it would be better to
have a person less illustrious by birth in that situa-
tion. However Gentlemen might sometimes say in
that House " let us deal with the Duke Of York as
with any other individual," it was Perfectly well un-
derstood, that it was utterly impossible to treat the
Duke of York in the same manner as an individual of
less illustrious birth would be treated. Would it be
said, that if such a mass of evidence had come out
respecting the conduct of any private individual in
that situation, that he could be permitted any longer
to retain the command of the army ? (Hear! hear! )
If it was most notorious that any individual, not of
the Royal Family, would be displaced from his
command on such things appearing against him,
it was absolute nonsense to say, " Let us,deal with
the Diike of York as with any other individual in
the empire placed in the same situation:" He
did not mean to condemn the Duke merely on the
score of immorality ; for what man would be justi-
fied in condemning a public man for any private
immorality which was only between himself and his
own conscience ? All men might be conscious of suf-
ficient deviation from this strict morality in themselves
not to be very severe in attacking the deviations from
morality in others— (Hear, hear! J—lt was not of pri-
vate immorality that he complained, but merely of that
sort of immorality which affected the State, and the
department over which he presided. Such immorality,
however,if it had appeared in evidencepubliclyagaihst
any other Commander in Chief, would have removed
him from his command. But it was not his wish, to
catch at every thing as a ground for his removal, un-
less the matter in proof was sufficient to induce the
House to think that step necessary. The Honoura-
ble and Learned Gentleman (Mr. Burton) had told
them, that he entered upon this inquiry with his mind
prejudiced against the Duke of York ; for his part he
did not enter upon it with such a feeling, but certain-
ly with a high sense of the honour and courage dis-
played by his Honourable Friend (Mr. Wardle).—
The Right Honourable Gentleman had said that he
did not believe the Address was produced by his Ho-
nourable Friend, but that in framing it he had mixed
with cooler heads than his own. if the Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman meant no more than he said, he
certainly had had no reason to think his Honourable
Friend so intemperate as to require the aid of cooler
heads, but if on the other hand he meant to say that
he had lent himself to designing men, who had ob-
jects in view beyond his own, it was false to say so.
His Honourable Friend was neither weak nor wicked
enough for such a line of conduct. Such as his Ad-
dress was, lie would vote fcr it without the fear of
having any such motives ascribed to him. Before en-
ter ing upon the merits of the case, he had torefer the
House to the commencement of these charges, when
allegations of conspiracies, conspirators, and secret
advisers were so freely made, at the moment when it
was generally thought that all proof had failed and
the matter must drop. He justified himself from this'
allegation if meant for him, and declared that he had
only been in company with Mr. Wardle twice during
the last two years, and had only one conversation with
him on the subject now before the House. In that lee
had pointed out to him the heart burnings to which
he would expose himself, and the danger of failing in
his proof; seeing it was derived from such sources, but
lie had told him at the same time, that if he was deter-
mined to bring the matter forward,hewould vote forits
being referred to a Conunfttee, and was sure no Member
of the House would oppose him. He had heard that in
his absence last night, his Honourable Friend had al-
luded
to him in commendation for his aid, he thanked
him for this compliment, but he had done no more for
him than he would for any other man in the same
situation: he had °illy stood by to see him bavetair play,
and there had been occasions on which it was neces-
sary for his Friends to stand forward in his behalf.
The Right Hon. Gentleman had accused his Ho-
nourable Friend of flinching, but this was not the
fact. His Honourable Friend had stated distinctly,
that the Duke of York had cognizance of the corrupt
practi►es carried on, and it was only a proof of his
Honourable Friend's temperance in approaching the
throne, that had been construed into an abandonment
of his chaiges. It he had acted otherwise, the House
would have heard enough of the cruelty of wounding
the feelings of a father, Lly a strong representation of
the misconduct of hii son. In this then, his opinion
exactly coincided with that expressed by -his Ho-
nourable Friend ; and that if he could have said the
Duke of York was innocent, he should have done it.
in short and concise terms ; but if he was in some de-
tee guilty, he ought to express his opinion mildly in