Star.
London, England, 1820-06-27 00:00:00

brought to swear' *fore their Lordships, what they
had dared to assert abroad, then six weeks was the
least possible time within which they could be ena-
bled to commence their proceedings. Let it not
then be said, that zhis was the plea of one who felt
herself in guilt. No I it was dictated by a consci-
ousness of-innocence, and the more vile those calum-
nies were—the more scandalous those accusations
were—the more necessary it was that the delay be
was asking should be granted. Her Majesty's sole
object was to gain time to bring over those witnesses,
and those documents, which she knew would con-
found her accusers, and put to the blush whoever
dare come forward to slander her reputation. He
would ask their Lordships to consider the circum-
stances of peculiar hardship in which her Majesty
was placed. He need only to put the case of a woman
living in England and labouring under such impu-
tations, to shew how much more painful and diffi-
cult was the situation of her Majesty. Here the wit-
nesses would be English, and none would be received
without the greatest caution, whose principles hung
loosely about them. No one who thought lightly of
the obligation of an oath, or held any of the dan-
gerous notions by which that sacred obligation could
be violated without a crime in certain cases, and for
certain purposes, would be allowed to affect the in-
terests of tile accused in a British Court of Justice.
Here then was an advantage which her Majesty was
denied. In the next place, in the case he had sug-
gested, the woman would have another safeguard,
in the witnesses against her being her countrymen,
subject to the salutary controul of public opinion,
enforced by the moral sense of a well educated
people, and still more powerfully put in operation
by-a free Press. Let their Lordships reflect, that in
the next place, she would have the advantage of a
compulsory process, to compel the attendance of
witnesses, and neither threats, nor bribes, nor pro-
mises, could keep them out of Court, for they must
come forward ; but, in the case of his Illustrious
Client, the witnesses were foreigners, some of them
said to be degraded and infamous in their character,
and if so, high as was the integrity of their Lord-
ships, fearless and bold as they might be of all at-
tacks, and he made this observation with the great
Captain of the age before him, yet which of them
would not shrink back from such witnesses, were
they produced against his wife or daughter, though
entertaining the fullest conviction of her innocence?
He begged their Lordships to reflect, that the wit-
nesses in this case, or at least some of them, came
from Courts which had yielded to the influence of
those prejudices which existed in some quarters its
this country, and treated her Majesty ungraciously.
She had also the disadvantage to have those wit-
nesses examined in a place far distant from the eyes
of their neighbours, whose presence might be sonic
controul upon the license of their accusations ; and
the chance was a million times less that they would
speak the truth here, if they were not scrupulous at
home. What then must be the strength of that'con-
scious innocence, to demand that they should pro-
ceed with the investigation, under all these adverse
circumstances? yet such was the conduct of her Ma-
jesty, such was the proof she had given of the good-
ness of her cause, and such was her confidence of
an honourable acquittal. But it was his duty to
guard her against the risk which the most perfect
innocence incurred by precipitancy. Until be knew
more of the witnesses that were to be produced, and
. some of them ho did know, how was it possible to
cross-examine a single one of them, without know-
ing their neighbourhood, their character, and the
various circumstances which may affect their credi-
bility, and determine the value of their evidence?—
He would put the case, as was the fact, that one of
tl-e;e witnesses was a servawt, who had been turned
off for stealing 400 Napoleons from a drawer be-
longing to her Majesty. Now he could bring a Bri-
tish Naval Officer of distinguished character, for he
had bled in his country's cause, to confront this de-
graded individual ; but even he was now at Rouen.
Would their Lordships then drive him into his cause,
when he told them that, without the necessary delay,
he was unable to sift the character or the evidence
of a single witness ? If he were asking for a delay
which would be an absolute loss of time, he should
at once give ep his appeal to their Lordships, be-
cause his Royal Clieut was anxious to proceed with
• all possible rapidity ; but let the witnesses be col-
lected, and all the evidence on the spot. Then, when
they did begin, they would be mile to proceed with
order and dispatch, so as to brinfahe whole business
to a conclusion at a period quite as early as if they
went forward from the present moment. After the
character of her Majesty had been blackened all over
Europe, he would assume that no Court 9f Justice
would proceed to judgment, whether it was estab-
lished in England or at Milan, without affordipg the
delay which was necessary to collect the evidence.
He was bound to believe that their Lordships would
grant the time required ; it was impossible they could
refuse it; they must allow the delay, because in the
character of British Judges, they could do no other-
wise. If they proceeded then, they would he making up
their minds to give judgment before trial, and delay
must come afterwards, when all its uses were lost to
the justice of the case. He was only asking for that
which would be granted in a common indictment
against the meanest individual. Before heconcluded,
he took the liberty of observing to their Lordships,
that one branch of the Legislature had pronounced
that which their Lordships were about to do in this
case, " disappointing to the hopes of Parliament, de-
rogatory from the dignity of the Crown, and inju-
rious to the best interests of the Empire." He asked
them for the necessary indispensable delay in the pro-
ceeding which the House of Commons had so de-
scribal; ixl• order that a legal murder might not be
committed on the first subject in the realm.
MT.DEXMAN thee proceeded to address their Lord-
ships. He observed, that after the very able speech
which they had heard from his Learned Friend, he
should, perhaps, best consult the interests of their
Illustrious Client by abstaining from troubling their
Lordships on the subject. However, he felt it ne-
cessary to make one observation, as it had fallen to
him to bring down the Petition which had that day
been received from her Majesty. He 'gad thought
it not at variance with the forms of that House for
she Noble and Learned Lord to be the medium of
intradocing the Petition; and as he was not aware
that he was likely to refuse from any Rersonal mo-
tives, he had applied to him in the first instance, not

. .
nte;ding, that in a proceeding of this Cacao?.
could arise -anywhere. However, the Pe•
,tltion had been received; but he might observe, that,
as an the subject of the realm had a right to have
their 'Petitions presented to that House, it was not
for him to search out difficulties, but for those who
felt them to explain their nature to their Lordships.
These things were passed, and their Lordships had
now to turn their attention to the more serious part,
of the business; and here the principal difficylty be
laid to contend with, was the anomaly of those pro-
ceedings which ..bed now commenced. He might
say he was emending with shadows and clouds, for
he could not see 'where the next step would lead
them, or what would be their mode of proceeding.
He might venture to say, that however high the au-
thority to which those proceedings owed their com-
mencement, he was not able to pronounce that they
would not yet take the form of an impeachment;
that might, for all he at present knew, be the mode
eventually pursued. Or if a less awful; form was
given to the investigation, it might lirearried On to
a Bill of pains and penalties, sending the offender to
exile, to suffering, and to death. If, then, their
Lordships should• proceed by other means than thosi
already adopted, how could it be that fifteen of their
number, who would have been prejudiced by the
contents' of that portentous bag, should sit in judg-
ment upon her Majesty's life? How was it possible
that the most honourable mind could divest itself of
all influence involuntarily acquired from evidence of
the most malignant description? for such he was led
to believe was the character of the evidence in the
bag. Malignity had volunteered its testimony when
supposed to be acceptable in a certain quarter; and
how probable was it, when there was such a demand,
or supposed demand, for evidence, that it would be
supplied promptly, especially from the quarter where
this unfortunate individual had resided. How pro-
bable was it that some person, influenced by an in-
terested malignity—
" Some eternal villain;

" Some busy and insinuating rogue;
" Some togging, cozening slave, to get some office,"
might come forward to assert and to substantiate
charges of the blackest description. He might pro-
ceed to shew to their Lordships, that no delay would
be suffered in their proceedings, by allowing the
time for which his Learned Friend had applied, be-
cause, in all cases before the tribunals of this country,
all the witnesses must be present, in order that their
evidence might be sifted by cross-examination. It
was possible that suborned witnesses might be pro-
duced on both sides, but there was no danger or difh•
culty of that kind in the course which they had en-
treated their Lordships to adopt. When he looked
around him and saw the number of distinguished
individuals before whom he had to appear, and re-
collected into what feeble hands, as far as be was
concerned, her Majesty's-case. was entrusted, he felt
himself called•upon to make an appeal in behalf of
hi. Illustrious Client, in the language of Lord Bacon,
who said, that •" A Judge ought to prepare his way
to a decision, by raising the valleys, and taking
down the hills, so that when on the one hand there
was great power, wealth, and exalted station, it was
his duty to remove them, in order that he might
plant his judgment on a level foundation."
Mr. WILLIAMS then began to observe that he had
but half an hour's notice to prepare himself for the
duty he was then about to perform—when
The LORD CHANCELLOR rose and stated, it
was the practice of the House to hear but two Learned
Counsel upon the same side at their bar.
A motion was consequently made that the Coun-
sel be ordered to withdraw, which was immediately
agreed to, and the Learned Gentlemen withdrew.
Lord LIVERPOOL suggested the propriety of
taking time to consider of the arguments of the
Learned Counsel before they proceeded to determine
upon their application; and moved, " That the fur-
ther consideration of the Petition be adjourned to
Wednesday," which was agreed to.
Lord GREY said, it was not his intention to bring
on the motion of which he had given notice, that
evening, but he certainly should submit it to their
Lordships' consideration to-morrow, when he should
state the reasons which he conceived might induce
their Lordships to alter their whole proceedings in
this business. He accordingly moved, " That their
Lordships be summoned for to-morrow."—Agreed to.
The order for the meeting of the Secret Commit-
tee was then rescinded, and the meeting appointed
for Wednesday.—Adjourned at Eight o'clock.