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

STATEMENT OF LADY PORTMAN.

" A few days after I had entered upon my attendance at
the Palace, in February, I was informed of the existence of
suspicions that Lady Flora Hastings must have been pri-
vately married. This informatinn, which was not given to
me by or from the Baronesss de Lehzen, drew my attention
more particularly to Lady F. Hastings's appearance, and I.
then formed the opinion that it was necessary, for the honour
of the Court, and for the character of Lady Flora Hastings,
that all doubt should be removed upon the subject.
" A few days afterwards Lady Flora Hastings's medical
attendant communicated to me, as the Lady in Waiting, his
suspicion's that Lady Flora Hastings was privately married,
and asked my opinion upon the subject, which I gave only
as connected with my observation of her appearance. Sir
James Clark subsequently informed me that Lady Flora
Hastings had denied to him her marriage, and that he bad
requested her to select another medical adviser to consult
with him upon her state of health.
" It then became my duty to communicate to her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent that until those doubts were
removed Lady Flora Hastings should not appear in her
Majesty's presence. Subsequently, at the request of Lady
Flora Hastings, I was present at the consultation of the
medical men, who communicated to me, in medical terms,
their opinion, explaining the opinion by which I, as well as
others, had been misled. I communicated to her Majesty
the result of the consultation, and I soon afterwards had an
interview with Lady Flora Hastings ; and, having discharged
the duty then imposed upon me, I expressed my own feelings
towards her, and explained the course which I had felt it to
be my duty to take and I left her with the impression on
my mind that she did not think my conduct attributable to
any other motive. I remained in the Palace some days longer
than I should otherwise have done, in case any information
should have been required of me, as the Lady in Waiting
during this painful investigation ; and on the evening before
I left London, having understood from Sir James Clark that
he had suggested to Lord Hastings an interview with me,
I wrote to Sir James Clark, saying that if Lord Hatings
wished to see me I would delay my departure for a few hours
the next day ; but that if Lord Hastings did not wish to see
me I should be glad to know it at an early hour in the
morning, that I might not be detained. I received a note
the following morning, saying, '.I have just received Lord
Hastings's reply, which is, that under. resent circumstances
he does not wish to see your Ladyship.
" I then felt myself at liberty to return to Bryanston.
" Bryanston, March 17,1539, E. rowri44N,"

[After this the Marquis of Hastings found it necessary to
take the opinion of counsel, as to the best mode of getting at
the truth by a legal process ; but, finding that all his efforts
for redress were ineffectual, he wrote the letter to Lord Mel-'
bourne, which we published in the Standard of April 19.
Theh follows the corespondence between the Marchioness ofd
Hastings and Lord Melbourne, which was published in the
Standard of April 23. The Marquis of Hastings then pro-
ceeds.]
In this state of things it was determined to let the matter
rest whilst my sister remained at Court, which it was judged
necessary she should continue to do for some time longer, to
protect her from calumny.

Some time afterwards my sister's illness again manifested
itself to an alarming degree. Even the public manifestation
of sympathy with which she was repeatedly greeted produced
so bad an effect upon her that it was judged right to keep her
as quiet as possible I need not add more than that she became
rapidly worse, and all medical aid proved unavailing against
an illness of long standing, and much INCREASED by the
anxiety of mind her wrongs produced, and which at last hur-
ried her to an untimely grave.
I think it proper to state some further facts which have
been verbally communicated to me (and for which I so far
vouch), that occurred on the occasion of the barbarous and
indelicate investigation to which my sister was exposed, al-
though written documents to substantiate the whole of them
are not in my possession.
Some questions having been put to my sister, and answered,
it was suggested that the inquiry ought not to proceed further,
and that they might now feel quite satisfied. Sir James Clark
objected, and stated that the ladies of the Court would not
be satisfied without the strictest examination, and that, if
Lady Flora knew her own innocence, she could have no rea-
. son to oppose the most complete scrutiny.
It has also been stated to me, and corroborated to the ful-
lest extent by a deposition sworn before a magistrate of Ayr-
shire by my sister's maid, who was present at the examination,
that while the whole demeanour of Sir Charles Clark during
the painful and humiliating scene was characterised by kind-
ness, the conduct of Sir JAMES Clark, as well as that of Lady
Poitman, was unnecessarily abrupt, unfeeling, and indelicate.
This deposition I withhold, as it contains much that is
WHOLLN. unfit for general perusal.
I subjoin the following documents in further elucidation of
the subject :

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF THE LATE LADY FLORA
HASTINGS TO MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY.
TO THE DOWAGER MARCHIONESS OF HASTINGS.

" Buckingham Palace, March 1, 1839.
‘,` She (the Duchess of Kent) shrunk with horror from the
idea of my submitting to the test demanded, but I urged her,
for my sake, for that of my family, and for her own, for I felt
it right towards her to allow me to meet the charge in the
manner most convincingly and instantly to refute it. 1 was
strong in innocence, and I felt my courage equal to any en-
durance."