The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-09-17 00:00:00

ABSTRACTED FROM A DIARY KEPT BY THE LATE LADY

FLORA HASTINGS, IN HER OWN HAND WRITING.
With one exception, an inquiry after Lady Forbes's chil-
dren, her Majesty showed Lady Flora no notice from the 24th
of March, the date when Mr. Fitzgerald's letter was pub-
lished, until the 9th of June, when her Majesty sent to ask
how she was.

COPY OF CERTIFICATE IN SIR J. CLARK'S HANDWRITING.

" Buckingham Palace, February 17, 1839.
" We have examined with great care the state of Lady
Flora Hastings, with a view to determine the existence or
non-existence of pregnancy, and it is our opinion, although
there is an enlargement of' stomach, that there is no
ground for suspicion that pregnancy does exist or ever has
existed. (Signed) " CHARLES M. CLARKE, M.D.
" JAMES CLARK, M.D."

My heart sickens at the repetition and recollection of the
scenes I have so lately witnessed ; but whatever may be the
opinion of those interested in calling for silence on this sub-
ject, I could only regard that line of conduct on my part as
the most cringing submission to the most atrocious injustice.
I have therefore now performed not only a very obvious but
a very painful duty, by laying this statement before the pub-
lic ; and I shall henceforward seek in the bosom of my family
that consolation which alone remains to me, namely, the
feeling of having done the utmost in my power (under cir-
cumstances without parallel or precedent) to wrest from
infamy and disgrace the character of her who is, alas ! now
no more ; and whose unostentatious piety and meekness might
have shielded her from such wrongs, and with the world I
now leave that painful subject for ever.
(Signed) HASTINGS.

FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE MARQUIS OF
HASTINGS AND LORD MELBOURNE.

We are authorised by Lord Hastings to publish the follow-
ing correspondence between himself and Lord Melbourne,
relating to the tone adopted by the latter in his final reply to
the Dowager Lady Hastings :

SECOND CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE MARQUIS OF

HASTINGS AND LORD MELBOURNE.
TO VISCOUNT MELBOURNE.

" Burlington Hotel, June 19, 1839.
"My Lord—l have allowed the interval which has elapsed
since the date of my last communication with your lordship
to pass, in the expectation that a sense of justice towards
Lady Flora Hastings would have led to a reversal of the
decision that no satisfactory apology or atonement should be
made for the cruel insult which had been offered to her feel-
ings and honour, and, through her, to the honour of her
family.
" I have abandoned the hope of this act of justice with
regret, because I have felt that it is impossible for me; under
existing circumstances, to take any steps publicly to enforce
it, nor can I make any one personally responsible to myself
for the outrage of my sister.
" But, my Lord, your Lordship's letter of the 17th -of
March to my mother, Lady Hastings, is of a different cha-
racter.

" That letter I have a right to consider as of a private
nature; and I have only been deterred from requiring you
to make an apology to the Dowager Lady Hastings, for the
offensive and insulting terms in which it is couched, by the
consideration that if I had done so at an earlier date, I might
thereby have precluded the possibility of that ample and
public reparation being offered to my sister which I had a
right to expect, and that my demand for an explanation of
the, language in your private letter to Lady Hastings might
have been misrepresented, and erroneously considered as
applying to those letters which were written by her Majesty's
command.

" This difficulty has now ceased ; these considerations are
no longer applicable ; and I have now only to require your
Lordship to offer such an apology to my mother, Lady Has-
tings, for the language in which you have addressed her in
your letter of the 17th of March, as will be satisfactory to
her feelings, and be such as I, consistently with my own
honour and my duty, can advise my mother to receive.
" Lord Rosslyn, who will deliver this letter to you, is
fully in possession of my sentiments upon this very painful
subject, and has undertaken to receive and carry to the any
communication which you may do me the honour to make
to me,—l have the honour to be, &c.,
(Signed) " HASTINGS.
" To the Viscount Melbourne, &c., South-street."

VISCOUNT MELBOURNE TO THE MARQUIS OP HASTINGS.

" South street, June 20,1839.
"My Lord—l beg leave to acknowledge your Lordship's
letter, which I received yesterday evening from Lord Rosslyn.
" The greater part of that communibation I pass by as irre-
velant and immaterial.

The reasons which have induced your Lordship so long to
delay the demand which you now make, are for your Lord-
ships consideration, and not for mine.

`1 Notwithstanding the peremptory language which your
Lordship thinks proper to employ, if I could either feel or be
convinced that my letter of the 17th of March last, addressed
to the Marchioness :Dowager of Hastings, was couched, as
your Lordship expresses it, in offensive and insulting terms,
'I should be not only ready but anxious and eager to offer
every reparation in my power.
" Your Lordship demands that a satisfactory apology should
be made to the Marchioness Dowager of Hastings for the
language in which I have addressed her Ladyship in my letter
of the 17th of March. If any expression can be pointed out
which is disrespectful, I am ready at once to retract it ; but
with respect to the substance, meaning, and import of that
letter, I thought it my duty to write it, and I am prepared to
abide by and sustain it.
"'I have the honour to remain, my Lord,
Your Lordship's faithful and obedient servant,
(Signed) " MELBOURNE. '
" To the Marquis of Hastings, &c. &c.”

THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS TO VISCOUNT MELBOURNE.
" Grosvenor-place, June 23, 1839.
"My Lord—l have the honour to acknowledge the re-
ceipt of your Lordship's letter of this date, delivered to me
by Lord Rosslyn.
" I
will admit that your Lordship is the best judge of the
propriety and expediency of the substance and import' of
the letter which you thought it your duty to write, and I can-
not believe that you could entertain any deliberate ' meaning'
to convey offence and insult to a lady.
" But I must be permitted to repeat that the lair'mage of
the latter part of your letter, of the 17th of March, to the
Marchioness Dowager of Hastings, has been considered so
offensive in its general tone, and has unavoidably been so
painful to the feelings of my mother, that I felt it to be my
imperative duty to call your attention to it, and I have done
so in the full confidence and expectation that you will *not
hesitate to offer to the Marchioness Dowager of Hastingsthe
only reparation in your power, by retracting the language
complained of, or distinctly explaining that the expressions
which have been so deeply wounding to the feelings of my
mother were made use of with no intention to offend.—l
have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed) HASTINGS,
" To the tiisce4nt IVlelbome,"

N ^44%

.

\ it_ . I.C.

"VISCOUNT MELBOURNE TO THE MARGLUIS OF
" South-street, June 20, 1832.
"My Lord—l have the, honour pf acknOWledging your
Lordship's letter of this day. ' ,
" Your Lordship has not poiiited out OpPyreeise expres-
sions :M
.nly,letter which' your _Lordship considers to have
been 'Offensive, nor haVe you%-staed thevibwon why you so
consider them.

" If I were to retract these expressions without substi-
tuting others I should leave my onettning imperfect; and I
protest I know not Where tolitid4oilriswhich, in my opinion,
would be less liable to objection, than those which I have
employed. .
• !But the second alternative whiellyOur Lordship proposes
to me I embrace without difficulty or hesitation, arid rrequest
your Lordship to assure-the afarehirme!trilmmgerettirPtingl'
that nothing was further from my intention than to offer her
Ladyship any Offence, or to treat her Ladyship otherwise than
with the feipect due to her station, rank, and ch aracter, and more
particularly due to.,the..p*ft*circuP444l444&44;igtkiph
a. 'that correspondende te lave thelonour to re-
main, my Lord, your Lordship's faithinl- .and obedient
•serkant, • - • • -
(Signed)
•
" To the Marquis of Hastings, Lc: '43,:e. &c."

THE .MARQUIS CF ."STINGS TO -..ISCCUNT Mr:T.110,"71N1.:.
" GrOSITeiIC.C.I)IIOe,4I.Ir:C 21, 18!;').
r My' .LOrd—l have to acknowlea'ge -the receipt of your
send letter of yesterday.
Whilst yOur Lordship aaheres to the language of your
letter of the 17th March, you request one to express to the
Marchioness Dowager of ~I-TaStings that it was not your in-,
terition to offer to her Ladyship any offence, or 'to treat her
wich the slightest disrespect.
`,` I shall immediately communicate your evpl a-
nation to my mother, to whom, I trust, it' i,factory ;
at the same time I cannot but regret that the
Mirchioness Dowager of 1-11StintfsT;
haie made use of terms and:exiireSsions without the
as4uranee yon have now afforded me that no disrespect or
offrnce was contemplatell, *wind & in toy opinion, tuid in that
of 'all whom I have consulted, 'justly warrant the opposite
conclusion.—lhaTethehonpur te be lour Lordship's, &e.
• - (Signed) "
" To the Viscount Melbourne,•&e.

VISCOUNT MELBOURNE TO THE MARQUIS -01 e IT.TINGS

" i)owning-street,-June 21, 15:39

,
"My Lord—l have the honour of ack.nowledging your
Lordship's letter of this day, and remain, my
„Ldrsl,•yoltr
Lordship's raithful servant, - i
• . ... . (Signed) " ?.._l7,l4dunNE,..
" The .Marquis of Hastings, &e. &c. &c." . ,