The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-06-19 00:00:00

soihave undertakes to be its advocate. He presumed,
its the first place, that every person of the Royal Family
belonged to the Civil List, and had claims on it foe a
suitable provision, and he did not know how Ministers
cool.' reconcile it to themselves to say to one of the
Royal Family, Go, you shall have nothing to live upon.
Be always heard that io a British Court there was no
wrong without a remedy ; but the lady on whose behalf
he appeared, had good reason, onliis some official per-
son took her case, to say that hers was a wrong without
a remedy. If, on the.other band, her claims were false,
and that she impudently and unjustly claimed an al.
liance to which she had no right, the Ministers were
bound to protect the Royal Family from the calumny of
such a falsehood. He. would merely move the question
without going into any 'details, as he had it in codnmand
—(hear and laughter)—from this lady of the Royal
Family—{!angling)—Yes, lie would consider her of
the Royal Blood, until ber statements were proved false
—not to say any thing unpleasant to the feeiings of any
one of her family. But he could, if necessary, say
something very strong, and he called on Ministers for
their own sakes and that of the country, to attend to
the claims of this lady, he would move that her petition
be referred to a Special Committee. I'Lere were some
remarks made, that, because be allowed the petition to
remain so long without notice, he was afraid to call it
into notice ; hut those who said so were much mistaken,
fur fear did not enter into a part of his composition.
Ile trusted that the petition would meet attention, and
hoped that no person would be guilty
.of the levity of
idly throwing it from them without giving it due cow.
.ideration. - Some Members might hi apprehensive of
losing their seats, if their votes were not regulated in a
certain manner. He had no fears on that account, as he
was certain of coming into Parliament, even if a reform
took place to-morrow.—(A laugh.) He had been for
twenty-six years in Parliament, and in the time of Mr.
Pitt, he wore the King and Coo.titutien in his cockade.
—(Loud laughter.) In the name of, that constitution,
he called for.justice, and be hoped that, In a case where
there was neither crime nor fault, that a remedy to wrong
'would be given. The lion. Member then moved that
the petition be read ; which was done accordingly by
the Clerk at the table.
'elle Hon. Member resumed. Perhaps it might be ne-
cemary for him to enforce the question by some facts,
hut he wished to avoid doing so until he ascertained if
it were the determination of his Majesty's Ministers to
grant or to deny him a Select Committee. He would be
sorry to go into a statement which might be unpleasant
to an exalted Personage. He loved the Royal Family
as much as any person, and he had wore the King's
button for more than thirty years. When that Royal
Personage went, some years since, into Rutlandshire,
there was no class of people who stowed greater demon-
stration of loyalty and affection than did the tenantry
on his own estates. AU be asked on the present occa-
sion was, if the lady was an impostor. let her be
proved one; bat, let her be exposed to the proof be.
fore she be condemned to the sentence. He would be
better pleased not to go into a disagreeable statement.
He did "not mean to pretend to know more than he
bad documents to prove ; but he wished above all, to
avoid giving offence to a high quarter.
Flectere si Relief; &Tow,
&Amnia movebo.
He concluded by reeving that the petition be referred to
a Special Committee.
Mr. HUME rose to second the motion with great plea-
sure, not from any knowledge of the cue or of the per-
son, but from the propriety of investigating claims of
such a nature. Ministers were called upon to make some
inquiry, if it were only to defend the Royal Family
from the calumny thrown on them, if the statement of
the petitioner was untrue. There was a strong reason
to induce his attention, which was, that the signature
of Mr. Dunning was proved to be geouine. by the only
person now living, who could prove his signature. For
that reason, and for the sake of the Royal Family, an is-
quiry should be made. He therefore seconded the motion.
• Mr. Secretary PEEL said the Worthy Baronet and the
Hon. Gentleman bad imposed on him an embarrasslog
duty. The subject was one of a delicate nature. But
the best courses be could adopt, would be to state the
whole truth.—(Hear. hear.) He would prove to the
satisfaction of the Worthy Baronet himself, that this
lady, who claimed to be the daughter of the Duke of
Cumberland, brother to the late King, was practising
a gross impos!ure, or was herself imposed on by soon-
body, for purposes which be could not understood.—
But the Worthy Baronet bad omitted by far the greater
part of his ease, and be would state it for him. There
were two brothers of the name of Wilmot, the one a
Doctor Wilmot, and the other a Robert IVilmot. This
lady, sow claiming to be the daughter of the late Duke
of Cumberland, was the daughter of Robert—there
were proof, of her birth and of her baptism as such, and
she was for many years content to be the daughter of
this Robert Wilmot. In the year 1817, however, she
discovered that she was not the daughter of Robert
Wilmot,—(a laugh)—but of Henry, Duke of Cumber-
laud, brother to the King, George the Third. Then
also she was satisfied to be reported illegitimate, bat she
afterwards professed herself to be his legitimate daugh-
ter. He held in his band a letter or memorial which, at
her direction, was written to the Prince Regent in
1818. In that letter she said she was the daughter of
the Duke of Cumberland and of a Mrs. Payne, the
_ widow of a Captain Payne, and sister of Dr. Wilmot.
She stated that the Duke was lawfully married to this
Mrs:Payne, and that she herself was the legitimate off-
spring of that marriage, and was bore in Warwick
Castle. Then, by her own account, she was legitimate
in the year 1818. In 1819, however, she told another
story, and that was, that Dr. Wilmot hod a daughter,
who was privately married to the Doke'of Cumberland
in'l767. But in 170 the Duke of Cumberland was
married to Mrs. Horton—(Loud laughing, caused we
suppose, by the strange coincidence of the names of those
two ladies, with those now borne by an Hon.• Member).
The parties, unwilling to accuse his Royal Highness of
bigamy, were content to keep the first marriage secret,
but the lady bad documents to prove 'bet the marriage
of 1769 was illegal, and relied that the marriage of her
own mother was kgal, as it was before the Royal Mar-
riage Act. But she and all others concerned kept the
secret till 1819.
Sir GERARD NOEL begged • to interrupt the Right
Hon. Gentleman. The Earl of Warwick, while liYing,
gave op the papers to the Duke of Kent.
Mr. Secretary PEEL.—Wbat he Mara ILO say was, that
those pipers were not produced till after the daub of all
the parties whose names were connected with them. The
story was, that there was a child born in 1772, and that
child was this Mrs. Sevres, who claimed to he the daugh-
ter of the Duke of Cumberland ;'that Mrs. Wilmot, the
wife of Dr. Wilmot, was delivered of a still-born child,
fur whom she was substituted, and she was accordingly
broUght up in his hbuse. But it was unnecessary for
him to go into all this ludicrous matter. There were
manifold proofs of the fabrication and falsehood of all
those documents. If be could prove to the satisfaction
of the House the falsehood of two of those documents, he
trusted that Hoe. Members would conclude that all the
others rested in falsehood also. He would then take the
two most material of those documents. He would dis-
prove, without a shadow of doubt, the reality of the certi-
ficate which she possessed to be the certificate of the pri-
vate marriage between her mother and the Doke of Cam-
bedsit& He would also disprove the slimed will of the
late King, under which she claimed 1,50% The wit-
nesses to that supposed will were Mr. Dennis', Lords
Chatham and Warwick. The Right Hon. Geodesists
lets trod as utast from the will, is which the Wes