Star.
London, England, 1809-03-18 00:00:00

could come up to the meaning of the word charge,
but such an. accusation as might be the subject
of an impeachment, or of further proceedings of•
a criminal nature—he would say, for himself, or
in, rAplanatien of his own meaning, that when he
called upon the House by this Resolution to say, not
gully; of cori-uption or criminal connivance, he
meanteinitling more than to state that there was no
-ground upon wbicbthe House would be justified in con-
victing him as guilty: He did not mean to express that"
he was not guilty, but to say that the House could not.
find him guilty. In such cases he would refer to an old •
maxim of law, "De nca amareutibta ci ups exi‘teaasu
raclem tst ratio." The Noble Lord had said, that the
passing this Resolution would lead to an Address to his
Majesty to continue the Duke ofYork in his situation of
Commander in Chief. He would declare, that by this
Resolution, he meant no such thing ; and the House
would be perfectly at liberty to take what other mea-
sure they might think proper. This Resolution would not
at all touch the question which had: been started, of
the 1)t ke's permitting an undire 'influence to be
used. The Noble Lord had asked.. Can I say, after
the cases of Doctor O'Meara and Major Tonyn, that
there, was no corruption or criminal connivance ?
To this it might easily be answered, that those cases
neither Fared corruption not connivance, although
in the opinion of some Gentlemen they wouldt
considered sufficient to establish the fact of his Royal
Highness allowing Mrs. Clarke. to use a* improper
in pence. He might allow, that an impro
in-
terference had been permitted in the cases of •
O'Meata, General Claming, and Major Tonyn, and
yet this (altho' highlY Improper) would not go to eon-
v et the D okapi el thet
,Cortnptinn or coimitaace. .As
tot!te distioctian which had been attemptedoe.bit drawn
I: e ween direct corruption and corrupt connivance,
lie could dot admit it. 'lle one Was as base and as
infamous as the other. If by connivance was meant
the definition which was given in the dictionaries of
that word, ". a .vuluntary blindness," this came quite
up to theidra of -corruption. He, therefore, could not
thank thoflouse Orr an acquittal, on. the ground of per-
sonal Corruption,. if they foend the Duke guilty of this
cennivance. Indeed, if either of
_those crimes were
suppoled to be worse than the other, he sheuld con-
ceivesonnivanceee be_ thewtrrst,inasyntich as hypocrisy
is one of the most odious of vices.' If the. Duke, under
the parade of regulations for the good of the-army,
was edoniving at, practices directly contrary to the
spirit •and
_meaning of these regulations, he would
hare been guilty not onIT of c-orruption, but hypo.
crisy. He, therefore, should not be satisfied with
any acquittal that did not 'clear
.him of both these
crimes. After the House had cleared his Royal.
Highness of .those charges, which he did hope they
would, hibekged it might be perfectly understood,
that he considered that it -was, completely:open to
theta to resolve as they thought proper upon the ques-.
tion of undue influence, or to bring up whatever Ad-
dresi they thought .proper to .t. fie foot of the Throne.
'l4e 'should be very sorry indeed if by any imperfection
• in his mode of expressing his sentiments on the. tiro-
..lution, he should fail tohave his Lordship's vote in
acquitting his Royal Highness of the base criminality
which had been imputed to him. • If there. was any
Gentleman in the House who considered his Royal
. Highness guilty of personal corruption, or conni-
vance at money taken by Mrs. Clarke for his in-
teiesti he could not ask such Gentleman for his vote,
as it Wordd disgrace him to give it. He would Con-
fess, howeier, that in his opinion, the happiest termi.
nation of the case- would lie, if it termirested in
.the
-cbritiiiifanee of the services of bis Royall Highness. In
the opinion of all who acquitted his Royal Highness
from the charge of personal corruption, the case
villas Was before the House was a case supported by
falsehood (for personal -corruption was .what Mrs.
Clarke meant to prove); It would then be much to
be regretted, if a case supported by fitleehood, and
avowedly aimed at his destruction, should be crowned
with complete success as to, irs object. He conceived
that the Resolution woulibeettezuded with some in-
conveniencics and mischief, not merely- from the pri-
vate immorality which it would have to notice, but
from the great inconvenience that the ;votary must
have suffered, in consequence of all other business
having been postponed for this long protracted dire
cussion. All those public inconveniencies ought to be
.traced up to -their proper source. The qusition at
-present before the 14onse and which was the only
question, was, whether the Duke of York was guilty
of personal corruption, or connivance to the corrupt
practices of others ? The Resolution did not imply
a denial of improper influence having been permitted.
It dia, however, deny the infamy that would be at.-
tached to personal corruption or connivance. This
was all that it meant to deny, and he hoped it would
have the support of all those who really did not be-
lieve the Dike either personally corrupt, or conniving
at corruption in others.
Mr. WHITBREAD differed from the Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman (the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer) in supposing th it direct corruption and conni-
vance were crimes of equal sragnitude, or, if any
thing, thee connivance was the worst, as including:
hypocrisy. Now it appeared to him, gest direct or?
personal corruption was a crime so base and so
meat, that' it could 'never admit•-of any excuse or
palliation ; but he could. conceive It very possible
that a man, under the infatuation{ and madness that
the Duke might be:supposed to be, from his love to
Mrs. Clarke, might connive at wery improper things,
and yet not be capable of the baseness personally to
commit them. .In the one case 3. man's character
was retrievable—hi the other, nos. The- Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman had said that' the House was at
perfect liberty, whether they hegatived this Re- So-
lution re. not, to go up to the Throne With an
Address, grounded upon the idea of. nn improper in-
flitence having' been exerted. The House., however,
must be -aware that the Right Hon. Gentleman only
intended these Resolutioes as 3 step to something
farther. The Right Honourable Gentlenian had in-
formed the House that in his opinion, the )3ttke of
York was a fit person to command the array. This
conclusion was in fait'tire point to which his Resolu-
tion tended. He now had asked - the 1-3nuse would
they lend themselves as instruments to Mre.blarke ?
Mrs. Clarke,. hoWever, was not the . accuser, but the
witness. The accuser. was hit Hon oureble Friend
(Colonel Wardle). A RighrHououeable Gentleman
had said the other day tht his.HOnourabieFriend was
• the reluctant instrument of an abeodonedlunto. As
. to the situation of a publie accuser, he thought that
at the present time,• it ought to be cherished as the