Star.
London, England, 1820-11-09 00:00:00

TRIAL OF THE QUEEN.

PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS.
(Ix coadinuatimafraps the first Edition if yesterday's Scan.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR said, he had since yesterday
considered the question of the divorce most deeply, and be had
attended to the observations of the Learned Prelates, to whom
and to the House he thought it necessary to make an apojogy for
the delay he had occasioned.with a view of coming better prepared
to give hi. own opinion. He was more and more induced by what
had lseen recently said, to think that this Cafe was one in which
the State was concerned. In conjunction with his Noble Friend
(Liverpool), he had pledged himself not to realist:Clause, if there
seemed, to be a strong impression against it in the Hoose. There
having appeared some religious doubts upon the 'object, he should
act conformably with his former declaration, although he con-
fessed that he thought it more advisable to adopt the clause.
Marriage was, in his mind, a religious contract, a civil contrast,
and a•vow. It was, therefore, of the utmost consequence that
there should exist in the House no dissension with respect to
it. The fact of its .being a civil contract was, perhaps, owing
to its being a religious one. If their Lordships should think
proper to omit the Divorce Clause, another enactment cer-
tainly must be introduced, of a similar tendency, otherwise the
parties would be bound together perhaps more closely than ever.
It would be necessary to enable men to know what the Act
was ; for which purpose terms and language should be adopted,
which would not operate ou the Bill upon the omission of the
Clause.

The Marquis of LANSDOWN protested ;ping the recog-
nition of any principle which permitted a woman to exist es
the wife of the King without being the consort. of the realm—
(Hear, Afar, hear).—He felt the objections made by some of
the Leathed Prelates, but he could not shut his eyes to the
great State objections td their view of the questicin. A wife,
under such circumstances, was irreconeikeible with the spirit of
the British Constitution, and could not answer any of tkc pur-
poses for which she was intended, or confer any of the advan-
tages which the people had a right to expect. true the wife of
the King—(Hear, hear).--Their Lordships having read the Bill a
second time, and now omitting the Clause of bloom, sobald prove,
to the country that they Judea opinion that her Majesty had cay
mimed adultery, but that she was still lit to continue the wife.of the
%Ain. Could that be a matter of indiference to the country, which
had been in the hAbit of considering the marriages tilts Kings
as contracted for great public purposes, as measures tsf expo-
dienty, and to which the Nation was to look Ibr Important
consequences? By degrading the Queen and not divbecing
Jot, the country would be deprived of the source of its
high expectations. The question now was, whether the clause
was not an inherent part of the 13111 It appeared to him to
be a necessary deduction, and, if their Lordships left it out,
they would add one more anomaly to the many anomalies which
heel appealed in the course of those strange moctedings. They
would have before their one who had been accused'of having
committed adultery while Princes; of Wales, who became
Queens and in that character had net committed that crime,
and had 'ceased to be Queen, and still remained the wife of the
King; at the same time remaining capable, although convicted
by their Lordships of adultery, of succeeding to the Crown— I
.80 ;bet the country would have a degraded person capable of j
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ansinsilingtothatmost important elf situations—Queen Reguatin,
ad al, by their Lordships' vote, guilty of adultery—a thing
Which, if hypothetically advanced at any previous perfect, would
have bent bragised at—(gear).—He did not say that the Clause.
Of Divorce was good per se, but their Lordships having adopted
'the BM, were bound, in justice to the Country, the King, and
the Queen, to retain so necessary an.adjunet. After having ad-
,esined, that such a mode of proceeding was due to the King and
Ito the Cottntry, he begged their Lordships to consider the dela-
. sten of the been in the event of omitting the Clause. Her Ma-
jesty would be stripped of all the advantages drivable from her
character as Queen, and subject to a^ the disabilities to which the
tBlll refereed, and at the sante.titne-slte would be exposed to the
authority of a husband, while she was depraved of his protection
—(Hear,' Aker, hear).—lle felt it tie 'duty to • declare, that he
.isciosideresli the Mate inherent in the an, and of neeeisary con-
sequence, that the measure must pass as it stood in lola. pr:
:be exposed to the introduction of another of those anomalies"
with which it already abounded—(Hear, bear, beer).
Lord KING said, he felt himself in a situation of rather an.
extraordinary kind upon the question 'and the House, in his
*et, fully participated with him in jut feeling.. There had
lass a confusion of opinions amongst the Ministers—there had;
'been a confusion pr Opinions amonpt the lawyers—(A feue4)—'
and a confusion of opinions amongst the Learned Prelates (Nalie)*l
Upon this Chase there were scruples, both religious and politi-
cal, with %Fee ed its probable operation. Certainly the scruples
'+f the Learned Prelates must arise from, religions asandirations,
and be regretted that amongst that learned body, the Fathers
of the Mach, there bad not been a more decided 'coeifortlifty
of opinion--(A laugh).--He was extremely sorry. that the
Noble and Learned Lord on the Woolsack had not derived
from those to whom he had looked with such confidence, in-.
formation of a more convincing and enlightened character.—
That Noble and Learned Lord had however, with a quickness
somewhat extraordinary, collected from the confiding senti-
ments of the Learned Prelates, a very clear idea of the neces-
sity of the clause, although he had been so full of scruples the •
day before, as to beg that he might hear everything before he
gave his opinion. In looking to the. question as it generally
affected the Queen and the Country, he could not help saying,
that he was 1111We:teed by reports which had reached him at for
mer periods respecting the conduct of the Queen. Ile confessed'
that he bad the weakness to calculate upon those reports. In-1
deed, it was impossible for him to have done otherwise; for, ate
the period to which he bad alluded, it was said that the Queen
had been guilty of the greatest indecencies, not with Bergami,
but with other persons ; that her Majesty, at Blackheath, had'
been guilty of indecorum with Lord Liverpool ! (Loudfaughter);
—and that she had played at blindman's buff with the (liana
cellor of the Exchequer !--(Cootinisedieugliter)—lle ( Lord King)
could not refer to the exact period at which those extraordinary
and indecent prokedinp took place.
Lord LT V ERPOOL.-" They never took place !"—( Mae.)
Lord KING.—" I cannot, I assure your Lordships, refer to
the exact time, but it must have been, I think, when the Noble
Lord was looking for place, before the Regency r'....-(Louglikr).
Lord LI VERPOOL—" Never,.upon my honour!"—(1 fear,
hear, and loud calls of " Question").
Lord GREY said, that of the eight Learned Prelates who
had spoken upon the merits of the Divorce Clause, four had
given their opinions for the Clause, and four against it ; and
yet the Noble and Learned Lord on the Woolsack was quite
satisfied to. rely upon the opinions of all, as an argument for his
spproval of that upon which had existed such difference of °pi--
nix!. But the Noble and Learned Lord had a particularly
happy. facility of striking light out of confusion !—(4 laugh).—
If he (Lord Grey) had voted fur the Bill, he should certainly
have-no hesitation in voting for the Divorce Clause, for it could
not be consistent with the dignity of the Crown, that a Queen
Who was degraded for adultery, by Act of Parliament, should
remain the wife of the King. But he felt differently front those
who were hesitating upon the propriety of voting for the Clause,
add who had acted upon the supposition of the truth of charges
which had not been established by proof. his inclination was,
he admitted, to vote for the Clause; but he should do so upon
but one principle, which was, that thp passing of the Clause
would lead to the final rejectiori of the odious measure alto-
gether--(Heer, hear).
Lord DONOUGHMORE declared that, with respect tb
every part of the Bill, he retained all his former sentiments. If
that Clause were not carried, he wished to know what Minis-
ten intended to substitute? Would they not be compelled to
introduce a new Bill, and no new proposition had been suggested
which was likely to supply the place of that, the whole of which
would be given up piecemeal ?—(4l laugh). lie was determined
to advocate the Clause, or what could be done with the Bill?
Lord ELLRNBOROUGH begged the House would consi-
der what they were doing when they were delitterating upon
the question of giving up the Divorce Clause. If they passed,
the Bill without that Clause, they would hi:declaring that the
Queen was too bad foe the State, but good.enough for the King!
(Hear, hear).—lf they omitted the Clause and passed the Bill,.
their Lordships would be publishing. a seditious libel against his'
hlajesty !—(4 laugh, end vies . of Haw !)
Lord SOMERS said, it was needless for him to state,' after:.
what he had already said, that be was moat anxious that this,
Bill should pass. He could not reconcile it to his ceoecienca.l
that the Queen should be deprived of all' her rights, and still
remain tied and fastened, like a soill-stooe, round the neck of '
the Sovereign—(4 lough, and cries 4. Hear, hear, hear!)
Lord LIMERICK said, it was known to their Lordships;
that he had voted for the second reading of the Bill. If their]
Lordships did not pass it with all its enactments, the King, and,
what was of more consequence, the Nation, would be degraded
by having at its head a woman who was unworthy to remain at,
the head of female society !
Lord RASEX said, he had very carefully listened to all the
arguments in favour of the Bill, and to all the evidence pro-
duced at their Lordships' Bar, and the conclusion to which
lie had come was, that her Majesty had been the victim or a
base conspiracy, which had long existed against her, and been
the result of the most malignant prenteditation—(Hear, hear,
bear).—Many of those who had stood at that Bar in the charac- I
ter of witnesses, had been diligently sought out by others who
had also been called for the prosecution, and whose employ-
ment it was to hunt for evidence likely to destroy The Queen.
After what had been reported, tby the industry of those vile
agents, and the ppsitive intelligence before that House, as to the
quality of their deployment he could not but think it a most
extraotdinary circumstance, ;hat an investigation into the nature,
the extent, acid the necessity of erecting a Tiibunal to procure
evidence against the wife Of the Sovereign; had net been under-
fast). He had (the Noble Lord said) paid his respects to her Ma-
jesty, and seen the individual in her service of whom so much
had been said in and out of that House, and he must declare, that
that individual was infinitely superior to those who generally
attended in subordinate situations, and that his conduct to hi;
Royal Mistreu bad been extremely respectful. He begged
.their Lordships would mark, that this visit. had. taken place I
the year 1819—a period at which it could have been no diffi-
cult matter, if ally improper acquaintance bad existed, to ob..'
serve it in the conduct of both parties--(Hew, hear). ,
Lord AbiSON agreed with his Noble Frjerd who had just
sat doWn on the subject of the Divorce Clause ; and, therefore,
he would vote Static should not be separated front the hi 11..: ,
The Earl of CA lINARVON said, if the Noble Lord
(Lauderdale), who had quitted that side of the House, and
taken his seat on the cross-bench, and who, in a meat gloquent
pleading, bad spoken for the Bill, had displayed the same talent
♦"against it, he believed it would not have reached its 'present
stage. There appeared to him one conseqhence of passing this,
Bill, which had not been ,adverted to. If a Bill of Degrada-
tion and Separation was passed, without a Divorce,then
the. law which made it High Treason to violate. the litneen
Consort would be evadeat; for, although you degraded the
Queen, she might still remain in England,' and live in the
Open indulgence of that vice of which she bad been accused;,
and yet she would still remain the mate ap wife of tbe.,King,
and amid not be punished for it. The separeiion and divorce
must go together. For if they degraded the Queen, without
divorr.ing .her, they were declarieg.giat, although she
ssWje
most tombless of 'her sex, there was one befiviatiatlh-
country who must still remain her Mate ! He, foe one,
raise his voice to cave the Crnwa (rum such degradation.

• Lord HOLLAND was unwilling to detain their Lordships
by any remark' he had to make. The Noble Lord on the cross.
bench (Lauderdale) had alluded to the pOWerful phalanx termed
on his (Lord Holland's) side of the Houle. The Noble Lord
.bad felt gratified that the Reverend Beech of Bids* were
divided, and that the Law Lords were divided ; and he could
now add to his gretificadon, by assarkg him, that he and hit
friends were also divided on this oluestitm—(Hier, hearse—
His Nubia Friend near Wm, wbo had just sat down, appeared
to him to ir.istake the law of Treason, as applied to this sub-
ject. Ile apprehended that, if the Divorce Clause was no;
passed, but the. Degradation Adyethe Queen, though tto loneet
the Quechee':did still continue the wife of the King. and that
to violate lier, would still be. High. Treason. He would vote
that the I/home clause should 'vomits part of the Bill, although
he still,ol great objection to every other-part of the /3111, and
say Not Conteneto the thirti reading, whether the clause were
retained or not.
The Marquis of OU.CRING/1,1111 said the only quertioq
now was, whether the rejecting or retaining the Divetreet Clause
was a necessary consequence of the second readirig of the Bill?
Ile bad been anxious to hear theopinions of the' Re ierend Bench . .
of Bishops du this subject; and the result of their opinions bad
confirmed those he. had before entertathed, that; by 'the law of
Goa, there was no impediment, to divorce id eases of adoltery,, , • •
He differed 'in opinion from a Noble and Learned lanais who
had said, that If the Divorce please was rejeetede the Queen
would only remain wife of the King •as to her 'religious
'rights, but that all her civil rights would' be forfeited.—
Finding noiltiee in the law of Geo to prevent divorce fur adul-
tery : and, believing the adultery in the eresent . case to have
been proved, he would not Consent that' the Queen' should
retain hericivil rights. He would not consent that a woman,
wbo had been deemed unfit to retain the rank and situation of
Queen, should stlll'be declared fit to be the wife of the King,
This would be to give the Queen a licence for adultery: TT .e
House had declared her Guilty of adultery, end they ought to in-
flict such punishment as fullowed'the crime in every other case.
To sutler the geeen to remain the wife of the King, would not
be to admonish in the precept which had Leen so eloquently ap-
plied by one of her Majesty s Counsel. "Gd in peace :and sin
more ; ' but it would be saying to her, " Go and sin—no pueish -
meat shall follow your guilt !'• Passing the 11111 of Degnmatien
without the Divorce Clause, wts a monstrous anomaly, and
therefore he would vistethat the Clause be. retained.
The &WM* GLASGOW said, that brit% of opinion that the
Queen had, by. her conduct, cast an indelible stain uponiter
racier, he had "'toted -for the second readipg of the Bill, not only
without regret, but with satisfaction; and no ear Alteration
whatever should induce him to do that which in his conscierce
he did not believe to be right. lie could make nu compromise
of Adultery, and therefore he would vote for the Divorce ( lause
continuing part of the 1).1l. .
Earl al A NVERS.—NIy Lords, although I have not taken
any share in the discussions on this subject, I shall not, in what
I have now to address to your Lordships, detain you more then
two neaments. This Bill has my most entire and unqualfied •
approbation with its present provi:ions ; and, although I
should run the chance pf the Bill being
,ultimately rejected,
I could not consent to give up the most important part of
it, and which is a necessary consequence of the Preamble. A
Noble Viscount (Duncan), who spoke yesterday, declared his
conviction that the Queen had been the victim of a conspiracy;
hut, after tit:: perusal of the whole of the evidence, and a/ter
being always at my post, I must declare that so far from con-
sidering her Majesty as the victim of a conspiracy, I feel con-
vinced that her conduct has been degradibg and scandalous,
adulterous and infamous."
Lord FALMOUTH felt some reluctance in obtruding him.
self on the House • but his apology must be the genie of duty
whith be entertained. A Noble 'Marquis under the gallery
(Buckingham) had stated, that it was a monstrous anomaly to
strip the Queen of her rights and priviles and still suffer her
to remain the wife of the King; but was tlt!re a Noble Lord
present prepared to al, that there was a single woman in the
country who had no civil, no private rights. One of those rights,
and lowas die right of every married woman, was her husband's
'protection ! If their Lordships were of a different opinion, •he
should regret having suffered the Bill to roach its present stage,
without having declared his sentiments against it. A Rev, Prelate
had said the King could do no wrong; this was an axiom
quite true in a lege! sense, but conunon sense revolted at the
ie!ea of taking the assertion strictly according to the letter.—
He would yield to no one in his attachment to has Sovereign in
his public and political capacity ; but he would neither be going
his duty to his Sovereign, nor to ,himself, if he did :rot also
admit that the King had private rights and duties to perform
as well as the meanest of his subjects! '
Laird DARNLEY hoped that the limited phalanx who were
opposed td the Bill is Seto, lupjorted as it had been by flying
parties all over the House, wduld tiitonpls at last. He never •
felt greeter pride in his life thin io being ore of that phalanx.
Lie was under the painful necessity • however, of differing with
hits friends, so far as to think that the Divorce clause ought
not to stand part of the Bill. Ile would state his reasons, in tub
words. The argument of the Right Reverend prelate oppeeite
(the Archbishop of Tuam) bed not been answered-.4t0 ate pt
had been made to answerk ;he did not think it was poini to
answer it ! Feeling irresistibly the force of it, he Could not con-
sent to give a vote for the Divorce of the Queen.
Lord BELHAVEN said, that he agreed with the Noble
Earl near him (Grey), in thinking that if the Rill was to pass
,at all the Divorce Clause Muse stand part of it. Ills Lordship
begged to add a few words as to what bad fallen frPm a Noble
Lord the gallery (Lord Blativers), respecling the assertiost of
. his Noble Friend (Lord Duncan); that her Majesty was the vic-
tim of a base and foul conspiriey. He hoped the day would
yet come, when it would be laid open to the- world whether
such a conspiracy did exist or not; but he would assure that
Noble Lord that, to induce him to convict any onp of the arms
of the proseciniou of being a party to conspiracy, be wan lid re-
quire evidence ten times stronger than that on which ills Lord-
ship (Lord Mauvers) had ventured to pronounce so skims an
opinion el her Majesty's conduct as he had dem:
The calls of " Question !" now became general. and it was vet
by the Chairman—" Shall the Dlvorce Clause apod part of the
Bill?" His Lordship declared that the Non-Contents had it.—
A division was demanded, and straLgers were Ordered to
withdraw.
The numbers were soon afterwards announced to be as follow ;
Contents - - 129
Nen-contents - 62

• Majority Pr the Divorce Clause I?
While strangers were excluded,
Lord KING rose, and did, that he should offer Oar grgagy
for submitting to their Lordships a Chose, the inael-tion of
which in the 13ifl seemed a matter of course, Considering that
the Queen was not reniotety placed in the illustrious line of
Princes in the succession to the Cro an pf these Realms. The
Ciown was limit'ed to hervllaiipty in the event of certain per-'
sons predeceasing her, and that by the' most sacred and funda-
mental laws of the land ! If it devolved on her, the well-known
loyalty of their 'Lordship's must at once male them adopt a dif-
ferent viow of the Wean question • and, on looking forward to
that event, they must be equally-ready to provide for it ! Ile,
therefore, moved this Clanee-.-" And he it further enacted, hy
the authority aforesaid, thatla case the Crown of these Realms
shall at any time-descend to her said Majesty Caroline Awe is
Elizabeth, then,.and In such case, this present Act, and all the
matters and things contained therein, shall become utterly cud
and of no effect, and the whole of the Preamble, therefoic,
be deemed and taken to• be false,. calumnious, and srandalot s,
upon the same evidence on which it-bath now been jteld to. b .
sufficiently proved n'—(Ltesolcileolug, ?yin some cries. J's (Wei. -)
Lord CO LV IL LE (of t ulrina, in Scotland, one or the littkt h
Peers) rose, with mitch warmth,' to vim-ileac bAnself and tbk s.
who acted with him in favour of the Bill. He said they were
aspersed—they were attackelr-ity tbks.ruotien ! lle tlehied Cie
justiceof the imputation; and be telt it (Le to Ids own con-
science, and that of those who voted with hi n in edit un.asare,
to say that they actedsonacieutioUsli in it, and that they still
did support the Notieltlikanding, he ventured to a...1t rt
that he, and those who blinotu:td him with their support, were
• . "
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