The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-06-04 00:00:00

THE DUKEDOM OF SUSSEX.

HOUSE OF LORDS, THURSDAY, MAY 23.
This being the day specially appointed for the " Com-
mittee of Privileges" to take into consideration the claim
of Sir Augustus Frederick D'Este to the Dukedom of
Sussex, every avenue leading to the House was crowded
long before the hour fixed for the assembling of their lord-
ships.
Not only were their lordships summoned, but the at-
tendance of the judges was also required.
Soon after ten o'clock their lordships formed themselves
into a committee. Among the peers present we noticed
the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Shaftesbury, Lord
Brougham, Lord Cottenham, Lord Campbell, Lord Lang-
dale, Lord Dinorben, Lord Auckland, Lord Redesdale,
Lord Camoys, Lord Beaumont, Lord Strangford, Lord
Sudeley, Lord Sondes, the Marquis of Normanby, and
Lord Cloncurry. The judges were also in attendance.
Sir Thomas Wilde, Mr. Erle, and Mr. James. Wilde
appeared as counsel on behalf of the complainant ' • and
the Attorney and Solicitor-Generals, together with Mr.
Waddington, were for the Crown.
As very much interest will naturally be felt in this re-
markable and extraordinary peerage claim, the following
abstract of the case, and of the arguments upon which Sir
Augustus D'Este's claim is founded, cannot but prove
welcome to the public. The claimant first sets forth his
pedigree as the son of the late Duke of Sussex and Lady
Augusta Murray, and then recites the letters patent of the
27th of November, 42d Geo. 111., by which his Royal
Highness Prince Augustus Frederick was created Baron
of Arklov, Earl of Inverness, and Duke of Sussex, with a
limitation to the heirs male of his body ; and adds, that
he (the claimant) is the only male issue of the marriage
celebrated at Rome, A.D. 1793, between his said late
Royal Highness and Lady Augusta Murray, daughter of
the Earl of Dunmore. The marriage took place without
previous communication with George 111., and with the
strictest secrecy ; but the fact soon became known. " The
King (to use the language of the claimant's case) was dis-
pleased at the event, and from the time it came to his
knowledge every endeavour was made to cause a separa-
tion of the Prince from his wife. This was accomplished,
in the first instance, by his Royal Highness being imme-
diately sent abroad, and after several short periods of
residence together, the desired object of a permanent se-
paration was attained in the year 1806, the claimant and
a daughter being the only children of the marriage." On
the death of his royal parent, the claimant presented his
petition to her Majesty, claiming the dignities of Baron
of Arklow, Earl of Inverness, and the Duke of Sussex,
which petition was referred to the consideration of the
Attorney-General, who, having heard the evidence in
support of its allegations, made his report in August,
1843. From that report it appears that the fact of a mar-
riage between the late Duke of Sussex and the claimant's
mother having been celebrated at Rome, was proved; but
with the view of establishing the lawfulness of that mar-
riage, and of showing that its validity was not effected by
the provisions of the Royal Marriage Act, 12 George
111., c. 11, a statement of the circumstances under which
the marriage took place is relied on by the claimant. The
claimant, in the course of a detailed narrative of those
circumstances, strongly relies on the fact that neither the
sense which both the Prince and the claimant's mother
entertained of the sufferings and disasters which their
union had wrought, nor the feelings consonant upon the
disagreement which put an end to the union, ever once
induced either of them to deny the fact of the marriage at

Rome, or to express any doubt in their own minds as to
the legal validity of that marriage. It is stated confident-
ly, that unequivocal evidence will be given that his late
Royal Highness repeatedly acknowledged and treated the
claimant as his legitimate son; indeed, one letter, written
in 1801, is directed by the Duke " to my dearly beloved
son, Prince Augustus Frederick, No. 40, Lower Grosve-
nor-street, Grosvenor-square, London." Her Majesty
having been pleased to refer the claimant's case to the
consideration of the House of Peers, and the House hav-
ing referred the petition to the Lords' Committee for
Privileges, the case is therefore now submitted by the
claimant to their Lordships ; and these three principal
questions will arise for their Lordships' consideration :
First, the question of fact as to the marriage, upon
which he relies, as having been contracted at Rome; se-
condly, the legality of that marriage. And upon these
two points the claimant presumes to hope that little diffi-
culty will be found in the way of your Lordships' conclu-
sion in his favour. The third question will be, whether a
marriage contracted by a descendant of his late Majesty
George 111. out of her Majesty's dominions, and legal in
all other respects, is rendered invalid by the operation of
the statute 12 George 111., c. 11, commonly called the
Royal Marriage Act. Whatever impression may be re-
ceived from the first view of the question, the claimant
confidently anticipates that a due investigation of the
general principles of international law and of local legis-
lation upon which the proper construction and effect of
the statute will depend, and by which it must be governed,
will in its result abundantly satisfy your Lordships that
that statute does not invalidate the marriage upon which
he relies, or defeat his claim, as the legitimate offspring of
that marriage, to succeed to the honours of his royal pa-
rent." The above is the summary of the arguments upon
which the claimant relies ; and the case is signed by
" Thomas Wilde, William Erie, and James Wilde," as
counsel.

Sir Thomas Wilde, at great length, stated the case for
the claimant, and proceeded to read portions of the cor-
respondence between the late Duke of Sussex and Lady
Augusta Murray, previous to, and after, their marriage at
Rome, and in London, in all of which his Royal Highness
contends for their validity, and appeared anxious that it
should be generally known that he considered the present
claimant, Sir Augustus D'Este, to be his lawful and legi-
timate child.
Sir T. Wilde having concluded his address, the further
consideration of the claims was adjourned sine die, their
Lordships being unable at present to name a day to pro-
ceed with the hearing.
Sir Augustus D'Este occupied the box in which the
Usher of the Black Rod (Sir Augustus Clifford) generally
sits, and appeared to take the deepest interest in the pro-
ceedings.

In the course of his speech, Sir Thomas Wilde read
several letters that passed between Lady Augusta Murray
and the prince. They are couched in terms of the usual
ardour; the lady showing the utmost devotion to her
fervent lover, but manifesting some anxiety, while Mr.
Gunn's scruples were under process of persuasion, lest
lie should think her " vile"—should think that she had
been the prince's mistress. In March,
1793, she thus
writes to the prince :
" Then, my treasure, you say you will talk of honour

to him. There is no honour in the case : if there is, I
will not marry you. I love you, and I have reason to
hope and believe that you love me; but honour, in the
sense you take it, is out of the question. I cannot bear
to owe my happiness to anything but affection ; and all
promises, though sacred in our eves and those of Heaven,
shall not oblige you to do anything towards me that can
in the least prejudice your future interests. As for ho-
nour, with the meaning Mr. Gunn will annex to it—l am
ashamed to fancy it—he will imagine I have been your
mistress, and that humanity, commonly termed honour,
now induces you to pity me, and so veil my follies by an
honourable marriage. My own beloved prince, forgive
me if lam warm on this subject. I wish you to feel you
owe me nothing ; aid whatever I owe you, I wish to owe
to your love and to your good opinion, but to no other
principle. Tell Mr. Gunn, my own Augustus, that you
love me—that you are resolved to marry me—that you
have pledged a sacred word ; tell him, if you please, that
upon the Bible you have sworn it; that I have done the
same, and that nothing shall ever divide us; but don't
let him imagine that I have been vile. Do this, my only
love ; but pray take care of the character of your wife, of
your Augusta."
The letters do not appear, at least to unprofessional
eyes, very cogent evidence, except that the partie, made
a passable Romeo and Juliet of real life ; but they are
curious as specimens of royal erotics. The prince's style
does not always do justice to his Gottingen education ;
and it lacks a certain smoothness and elevation, which
the lady had probably acquired from the study of novels.
We piCk out a few samples :

PRINCE AUGUSTUS.
" 26th March, 1793.
" Do, my dearest Augusta, trust me ; I never will abuse
the confidence you put in me, and more and more will
endeavour to deserve it. I only wait for !iour orders to
speak to Mr. Gunn. Say only that you wish me to do it,
and I will hasten to get a positive answer. See, my soul,
it only depends upon you to speak ; thy Augustus thou
wilt find at all tines to serve you. lie thinks, he dreams
of nothing but to make thee happy. Can he not succeed
in this, all his hopes are gone; life will be nothing to him;
he will pass the day in one constant melancholy, wishing
them soon to conclude, and finding every one longer than
the other. Indeed, my Augusta, that cannot be the case;
my solemn oath is given, and that can never be recalled.
—I am yours, my soul, ever, yours."
PRINCE AUGUSTUS, 4TH APRIL. (STILL UNMARRIED.)
" Will you allow me to come this evening? It is my
only hope. Oh, let me come, and we will send for Gunn.
Everything but this is hateful for me. More than forty-
eight hours have I passed without the smallest nourish-
ment. Ob, let me not live so. Death is certainly better
than this ; which, if in forty-eight hours it has not taken
place, must follow ; for, by all that is holy, till when I am
married I will eat nothing ; and if I am not to be married,
the promise shall die with me ! lam resolute ; nothing
in the world shall alter my determination. If Gunn will
not marry me I will die. * * I will be conducted in
everything by you, but I must be married or die. I
would rather see none of my family than be deprived of
you. You alone can make me ; you alone shall this even-
ing. I will sooner drop than give you up. Good God,
how I feel ! and my love to be doubted sincere and warm.
The Lord knows the truth of it; and, as I say, if in 48
hours lam not married, I am no more. Oh, Augusta,
my soul, let us try ; let me come ; I am capable of every-
thing ; I fear nothing ; and Mr. Gunn, seeing our resolu-
tion, will agree. lam half dead. Good God ! what will
become of me? I shall go mad most undoubtedly."

THE LADY'S ANSWER.

" My treasure, my dearest life and love, how can I re-
fuse you? and yet dare I trust to the happiness your let-
ter promised me ? You shall come if you wish it ; you
shall do as you like ; my whole soul rejoices in the assur-
ances of your love, and to your exertions will I trust. I
will send to ( ); but I fear the badness of the night
will prevent his coming. My mother has ordered her
carriage at past seven, and will not, I fear, be out before
the half hour after. To be yours to-night seems a dream
that cannot make out; the whole day have I been plunged
in misery, and now to awake to joy is a felicity that is be-
yond my ideas of bliss. I doubt its success ; but do as
you will; I am what you will; your will must be mine;
and no will can be dearer to me, more mine, than that of
my lover, my all. Don't be angry at my not adding, my
husband. 1 cannot any more say this till marriage sanc-
tions it. Forgive my doubts—my fears. They are ex-
cusable in Augusta."
EXTRACT FROM LADY AUGUSTA'S JOURNAL ON THE