Star.
London, England, 1820-10-04 00:00:00

Ntr ,I+r.:; 10.487.

TRIAL OF THE QUEEN,

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HOUSE OF LORDS, OCTOBER 3.
DEFENCE-FIRST DAY IN CONTINUATION.

Do- The following is a more detailed Report of the latter part
'or Mr. BaouctrAm's Speech, than our limits, and want of time,
permitted yesterday evening ]

My Lords, it is now my duty to state to your
-Lordships the nature of the evidence which has been
adduced in favour of the Bill, and I shall begin with
the evidence of Majocchi, one who has acquired a
celebrity which will not be lost as long as those
words (which I shall net now use) which he has so
often used in the practice of his art shall be remem-
bered—words which will ris-J to the imagination at
the mention of his name. He is a witness of great
importance—a person accompanying her Majesty in
all her journies—a person whose testimony extends
over the whole period of the charge—a person who
was only dismissed from the Queen's servive about
the time when the charges are nearly concluded
and a person who was refused to be taken hack into'
her service about the same time. He and De Most
stand apart from the rest, and they differ from the
other wituessrs in this—they are, in fact, the witness‘
for the Bill, %% bile the others, who are only confirma-,
tery witnesses, are yet as willing witnesses, and as,
anxious and jealous for the interest of their employees.,
I have often heard it remarked, that the memory of
men differs, and I admit that it does, as well as the
honesty of men, but I think there is a sort of memory
which is inconsistent with honesty. I could figure '
to myself such a memory, but why should I fancy,'
when I recollect the evidence of Majocchi'? I defy
the wit of man to furnish stronger instances of false
swearing, when he used words which I now shall not
mention. I shall not detain your Lordships by re-
',eating those expressions ; neither will I put cases
destructive of his testimony, nor cases which would
tend to the utter demolition of it. I will not put
such cases to your Lordships, becau e I have them
before me in the testimony of Majocchi. If I were
lecturing upon that subject, I should endeavour to
sbew that there were such things as innocent forget-
fulness and guilty forgetfulness, and my arguments
for guilty forgetfulness would be all founded upon
the testimony of Majocchi. I shall, from his own
testimony, give proof positive of this man's perjury.
I come at once to the way in which he swore to the
position of the bed-room of Bergami with respect to
that of her Majesty ; and I must now remark, that'
the great object of the Attorney-General, as was the
previous concoction of the plan, was to prove that*
the situation of the rooms was favourable to the com
mission of adultery, and that the rooms of the rest
of her Majesty's suite were distant. The second part
of the prixeeding was -as necessary as the first, 'and
accordingly the first witness is better prepared than
any ten of the others ; he has acquired more accuracy
in swearing for his employers ; he has acquired an
utter forgetfulness of all which did not make in fa-
vour of his employers, and an utter forgetfulness of
all <which could not afford him protection against
the sifting of a cross-examination. When he was
asked, where did the Queen and Bergami sleep?—
Were they apart or were they near ? He was always
sure to remember that the room of the Princess was
near to that of'Bergami. and sometimes that they
communicated by a door. When he was asked where
were the rest of the suite ?- He replied, apart !
Were they distant or near at Naples? They
.were
apart ! Apart is the translation of the words which
he has used He then swears distinctly as to the
positions of the seams of Bewail and her Maje ty,
and swears distinctly and positively to the communi-
cations between their rooms on all occasions ; but,
notwithstanding his wonderful accuracy in this re-
spect, he knows nothing more of the situation of
the other rooms, than that they were apart !
He knows nothing more of the way in which the
rest of her Majesty's suite were lodged, than that
they were apart 1 There is an end of innocent for-
gettulness. If I ask him how they were situated, he
does not recollect, because he must know, when he
said these two rooms were near and the others were
apart. In telling your Lordships that these two
rooms were near and the others were apart, he must
recollect the proximity of the two and the remoteness
of the others ; he has either sworn truly on the first
day, or falsely on being examined a second time ; I
care not which he has done, but he has done either.
If I had asked him: whether he had seen a person
on the second day whom he had sworn he had'
seen on the first day, and that he answered he
had never seen that person, he would not by such
an answer have been guilty of more direct contra-
diction or grosser perjury. Where his recollection
will not operate against the Bill, or where it will not
interfere with his own testimony, he does not assume
forgetfulness. If your Lordships look through his
evidence, you will come to this conclusion—that he
forgets all which might in the remotest degree sub-
ject him to the sifting of a cross-examination, and
that he recollects everything, however minute,. which
could make in favour of the Bill. I will give your
Lordships one instance
.of his recollection in Matters
unconnected with his previous testimony. .
The LORD CH ANCELLOR—" In what page of
the Minutes, Mr. Brougham?".
Mr. BriOUGHAM—" Page 47, my Lord."
" Were you ever at the Villa d'Este since you left
ler Majesty's service? Yes. Were the positions of
the rooms the same as before? No, there was a small
corridor on the landing-place. Was the passage
through the sitting-rolm ? There was a small tOrri-
dor ; and then going on further, to the left, there was
a small room ; and then there was another room,
which had a door leading into the bed-room."
here is a man, my Lords, whd in one instance can
1.0 minutely recollect not only how many rooms, but
whether they were situated on the right • or loft, and
who can recollect low the doors of the moms :were
situated, and yet where his testimony can by pqmi•
bility make against the Bill, he calls upon you to be-
li2ve that he does not recollect not only tnintite cir-