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he thought it improper that a single gentleman | Sire, I could hardly believe my eyes; when I should be sitting quite close to a married lady on found such a fact left in this dark state, without the sofa; and from that situation, and former ob- any further explanation, or without a trace in servations, he thought the thing improper. In the examination of any attempt to get it further this second account, therefore, your Majesty explained. How he got this impression on his perceives he was obliged to bring in his former mind that this was not a thief? Whom he be observation to help out the statement, in order lieved it to be? What part of the house he saw to account for his having been so shocked with him enter? If the drawing-room, or any part what he saw, as to express his alarm by "start- which I usually occupy, who was there at the ing back." But unfortunately he accounts for it, time? Whether I was there? Whether alone, as it seems to me at least, by the very circum- or with my Ladies? or with other company stance which would have induced him to have Whether he told any body of the circumstance been less surprised, and consequently less startled at the time? or how long after? Whom he by what he saw; for had his former observations told? Whether any inquiries were made in been such as he insinuates, he would have been consequence? These, and a thousand other prepared the more to expect, and the less to be questions, with a view to have penetrated into surprised at, what he pretends to have seen. the mystery of this strange story, and to have But your Majesty will observe, that in his depo- tried the credit of this witness, would, I should sition before the Commissioners (recollecting, have thought, have occurred to any one; but perhaps, how awkwardly he had accounted for certainly must have occurred to persons so exhis starting in his former declaration), he drops perienced, and so able in the examination of his starting altogether. Instead of looking at facts, and the trying of the credit of witnesses, the gentleman only, he looked at us both, that as the two learned Lords unquestionably are, I caught his eye, and saw that he noticed the whom your Majesty took care to have introduced manner in which we were sitting, and instead of into this commission. They never could have his own starting, or any description of the man-permitted these unexplained, and unsifted, hints ner in which he exhibited his own feelings, we and insinuations to have had the weight and effect are represented as both appearing a little confused. of proof.-But, unfortunately for me, the duties, Our confusion is a circumstance, which, during probably, of their respective situations prevented his four declarations, which he made before the their attendance on the examination of this, and appointment of the Commissioners, it never once on the first examination of another most importoccurred to him to recollect. And now he does ant witness, Mr. Robert Bidgood-and surely recollect it, we appeared, he says, "a little your Majesty will permit me here, without ofconfused."A little confused!-The Princess of fence, to complain, that it is not a little hard, Wales detected in a situation such as to shock that, when your Majesty had shewn your anxiety and alarm her servant, and so detected as to be to have legal accuracy, and legal experience sensible of her detection, and so conscious of assist on this examination, the two most import the impropriety of the situation as to exhibit ant witnesses, in whose examinations there is symptoms of confusion; would not her confusion more matter for unfavourable interpretation, have been extreme? would it have been so little than in all the rest put together, should have as to have slipped the memory of the witness been examined without the benefit of this accuwho observed it, during his first four declara-racy, and this experience. And I am the better tions, and at last to be recalled to his recollec-justified in making this observation, if what has tion in such a manner as to be represented in been suggested to me is correct; that, if it shall the faint and feeble way in which he here de-not be allowed that the power of administering scribes it? What weight your Majesty will ascribe to these differences in the accounts given by this witness I cannot pretend to say. But I am ready to confess that, probably, if there was nothing stronger of the same kind to be observed, in other parts of his testimony, the inference which would be drawn from them, would depend very much upon the opinion previously entertained of the witness. To me, who know many parts of his testimony to be absolutely false, and all the colouring given to it to be wholly from his own wicked and malicious invention, it appears plain, that these differences in his representations, are the unsteady, awkward shuffles and prevarications of falsehood. To those, if there are any such, who from preconceived prejudices in his favour, or from any other circumstances, think that his veracity is free from all suspicion, satisfactory means of reconciling them may possibly occur. But before I have left Mr. Cole's examinations, your Majesty will find that they will have much more to account for, and much more to reconcile. -Mr. Cole's examination before the Commissioners goes on thus:" A short time before "this, one night about twelve o'clock, I saw a man, go into the house from the Park, wrapt levantsboat. I did not give any alarm, sion in my mind was, that it Men I read this passage,

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an oath under this warrant or commission is questionable, yet it can hardly be doubted, that it is most questionable whether, according to the terms or meaning of the warrant or commission, as it constitutes no quorum, Lord Spencer and Lord Grenville could administer an oath, or act in the absence of the other Lords; and if they could not, Mr. Cole's falsehood must be out of the reach of punishment.- -Returning then from this digression, will your Majesty permit me to ask, whether I am to understand this fact respecting the man in a great coat, to be one of those which must necessarily give oc casion to the most unfavourable interpretations, which must be credited till decidedly contradicted? and which, if true, deserve the most serious consideration? The unfavourable interpretations which this fact may doubtless are, that this man was either Sir Sidney Smith, or some other paramour, who was admitted by me into my house in disguise at midnight, for the accomplishment of my wicked and adulterous purposes. And is it possible that your Majesty, is it possible that any candid mind can believe this fact, with the unfavourable interpretations which it occasions, on the relation of a servant, who for all that appears, mentions it for the first time, four years after the event took place; and who gives, himself, this picture of his honesty and fidelity to a master,

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whom he has served so long; that he, whose nerves he had taken of the improper situation of Sir are of so moral a frame, that he starts at seeing Sidney Smith with me upon the sofa, To this a single man sitting at mid-day, in an open draw. I can oppose little more than my own assering-room, on the same sofa, with a married tions, as my motives can only be known to my woman, permitted this disguised midnight adul- self. But Mr. Cole was a very disagreeable terer, to approach his master's bed, without servant to me; he was a man, who, as I always taking any notice, without making any alarm, conceived, had been educated above his station. without offering any interruption. And why? He talked French, and was a musician, playing because (as he expressly states) he did not believe well on the violin.-By these qualifications he him to be a thief: and because (as he plainly in- got admitted occasionally, into better company, sinuates) he did believe him to be an adulterer. and this probably led to that forward and ob But what makes the manner in which the Com- trusive conduct, which I thought extremely of missioners suffered this fact to remain so unex- fensive and impertinent in a servant. I had plained the more extraordinary, is this; Mr. long been extremely displeased with him; I Cole had in his original declaration of the 11th had discovered, that when I went out he would of January, which was before the Commis- come into my drawing-room, and play on my sioners, stated that one night, about twelve harpsichord, or sit there reading my books; o'clock, he saw a person wrapped up in a great and, in short, there was a forwardness, which coat, go across the Park into the gate at the would have led to my absolutely discharging Green house, and he verily believes it was Sir him a long time before, if I had not made a Sidney Smith." In his declaration then, (when sort of rule to myself, to forbear, as long as he was not upon oath) he ventures to state, possible, from removing any servant who had "that he verily believes it was Sir Sidney been placed about me by his Royal HighSmith." When he is upon his oath, in his depo- ness. Before Mr. Cole lived with the Prince, sitions before the Commissioners, all that he he had lived with the Duke of Devonshire, ventures to swear is, "that he gave no alarm, and I had reason to believe that he carried because the impression upon his mind was, that to Devonshire House all the observations he it was not a thief!!" And the difference is most could make at mine. For these various reaimportant. "The impression upon his mind sons, just before the Duke of Kent was about was, that it was not a thief!!" I believe him, to go out of the kingdom, I requested his and the impression upon my mind too is, that Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, who had he knew it was not a thief-That he knew who been good enough to take the trouble of arit was-and that he knew it was no other than ranging many particulars in my establishmy watchman. What incident it is that he al- ment, to make the arrangement with respect Indes to, I cannot pretend to know.' But this to Mr. Cole; which was to leave him in town I know, that if it refers to any man with whose to wait upon me only when I went to Carleton proceedings I have the least acquaintance or House, and not to come to Montague House exprivity, it must have been my watchman; who, cept when specially required. This arrangement, if he executes my orders, nightly, and often it seems, offended him. It certainly deprived in the night, goes his rounds, both inside and him of some perquisites which he had when outside of my house. And this circumstance, living at Blackheath; but, upon the whole, as it which I should think would rather afford, to left him so much more of his time at his own dismost minds, an inference that I was not pre- posal, I should not have thought it had been paring the way of planning facilities for secret much to his prejudice. It seems, however, that midnight assignations, has, in my conscience, I he did not like it; and I must leave this part of believe, (if there is one word of truth in any the case with this one observation more-That part of this story, and the whole of it is your Majesty, I trust, will hardly believe that not pure invention) afforded the handle, and if Mr. Cole had, by any accident, discovered any suggested the idea, to this honest, trusty man, improper conduct of mine towards Sir Sydney this witness," who cannot be suspected of any Smith, or any one else, the way which I should unfavourable bias," "whose veracity in that re- have taken to suppress his information, to close spect the Commissioners saw no ground to ques- his mouth, would have been by immediately tion," and "who must be credited till he re- adopting an arrangement in my family with received decided contradiction," suggested, I say, gard to him, which was either prejudicial or disthe idea of the dark and vile insinuation con- agreeable to him; or that the way to remove him tained in this part of his testimony.- -Whether from the opportunity and the temptation of beI am right or wrong, however, in this conjec- traying my secret, whether through levity or deture, this appears to be evident, that his ex-sign, in the quarter where it would be most fatal amination is so left, that supposing an indictment for perjury or false swearing, would lie against any witness, examined by the Commissioners, and supposing this examination had been taken before the whole four.-If Mr. Cole was indicted for perjury, in respect to this part of his deposition, the proof that he did see the watchinan, would necessarily acquit him; would establish the truth of what he said, and rescue him from the punishment of perjury, though it would at the same time prove the falsehood and injustice of the inference, and the insinuation, for the establishment of which alone, the fact itself was sworn.- -Mr. Cole chooses further to state, that he ascribes his removal from Montague House to London, to the discovery he had made, and the notice

to me that it should be known, was, by making an arrangement which, while all his resentment and anger were fresh and warm about him, would place him frequently, nay, almost daily, at Carleton House; would place him precisely at that place from whence, unquestionably, it must have been my interest to have kept him as far removed as possible.There is little or nothing in the examinations of the other witnesses which is material for me to observe upon, as far as respects this part of the case. It appears from them, indeed, what I have had no difficulty in admitting, and have observed upon before, that Sir Sydney Smith was frequently at Montague House-that they have known him to be alone with me in the morning, but that they never knew him alone with me in an evening, or staying

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denial, probably, will be thought of no great weight. As to my own, however, I tender it to your Majesty, in the most solemn manner, and if I knew what fact it was that I ought to contradict, to clear my innocence, I would precisely address myself to that fact, as I am confident my conscience would enable me to do to any from which a criminal or an unbecoming inference could be drawn. I am sure, however, your Majesty will feel for the humiliated and degraded situation, to which this report has reduced your Daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales; when you see her reduced to the necessity of either risking the danger that the most unfavourable interpretations should be credited; or else, of stating, as I am now degraded to the necessity of stating, that not only no adulterous, or criminal, but no indecent or improper intercourse whatever ever subsisted between Sir Sydney Smith and myself, or any thing which I should have objected that all the would should have seen. I say, degraded to the necessity of stating it, for your Majesty must feel that a woman's character is degraded when it is put upon her to make such statement, at the peril of the contrary being credited unless she decidedly contradicts it. Sir Sydney Smith's absence from the country prevents my calling upon him to attest the truth; but, I trust, when your Majesty shall find, as you will find, that my declarations to a similar effect, with respect to the other gentlemen referred to in this Report, is confirmed by their denial, that your Majesty will think that in a case, where nothing but my own word can be adduced, my own word alone may be opposed to whatever little remains of credit or weight may, after all the above observations, be supposed yet to belong to Mr. Cole, to his inferences, his insinuations, or his facts. Not, indeed, that I have yet finished my observations on Mr. Cole's credit; but I must reserve the remainder till I consider his evidence with respect to Mr. Lawrence; and till I have occasion to comment upon the testimony of Fanny Lloyd. Then, indeed, I shall be under the necessity of exhibiting to your Majesty these witnesses, Fanny Lloyd and Mr. Cole (both of whom are repre sented as so unbiassed and so credible) in flat, decisive, and irreconcilable contradiction to each other.

later than my company or the ladies-for, what of frequent visiting on terms of great intimacy, Mr. Stikeman says, with respect to his being as I have said before, they cannot be contradictalone with me in an evening, can only mean, and ed at all. How inferences and unfavourable inis only reconcilable with all the rest of the evi- terpretations are to be decidedly contradicted, Į dence on this part of the case, by its being un-wish the Commissioners had been so good as to derstood to mean alone, in respect of other com- explain. I know of no possible way but by the pany, but not alone in the absence of my ladies. declarations of myself and Sir Sydney Smith.The deposition, indeed, of my servant, S. Ro-Yet, we being the supposed guilty parties, our berts, is thus far material upon that point, that it exhibits Mr. Cole, not less than three years ago, endeavouring to collect evidence upon these points to my prejudice. For your Majesty will find that he says, "I recollect Mr. Cole once "asked me, I think three years ago, whether "there were any favourites in the family. I re"member saying, that Captain Manby and Sir "Sydney Smith were frequently at Blackheath, " and dined there oftener than other persons." He then proceeds—“ I never knew Sir Sydney "Smith stay later than the ladies: I cannot exactly say at what time he went; but I never "remember his staying alone with the Princess." -As to what is contained in the written declarations of Mr. and Mrs. Lampert, the old servants of Sir John and Lady Douglas (as from some circumstance or other respecting, I conceive, either their credit or supposed importance), the Commissioners have not thought proper to examine them upon their oaths, I do not imagine your Majesty would expect that I should take any notice of them. And as to what is deposed by my Lady Douglas, if your Majesty will observe the gross and horrid indecencies with which she ushers in, and states my confessions to her of my asserted criminal intercourse with Sir Sydney Smith, your Majesty, I am confident, will not be surprised that I do not descend to any particular observations on her deposition. One, and one only observation will I make, which, however, could not have escaped your Majesty, if I had omitted it.-That your Majesty will have an excellent portraiture of the true female delicacy and purity of my Lady Douglas's mind and character, when you will observe that she seems wholly insensible to what a sink of infamy she degrades herself by her testimony against me. It is not only that it appears, from her statement, that she was contented to live in familiarity and apparent friendship with me, after the confession which I made of my adultery (for by the indulgence and liberality, as it is called, of modern manners, the company of adultresses has ceased to reflect that discredit upon the characters of other women who admit them to their society, which the best interests of female virtue may perhaps require); but she was contented to live in familiarity with a woman, who, if Lady Douglas's evidence of me is true, was a most low, vulgar, and profligate disgrace The next person with whom my improper into her sex. The grossness of whose ideas and timacy is insinuated, is, Mr. Lawrence, the conversation would add infamy to the lowest, painter.The principal witness on this charge most vulgar, and most infamous prostitute. It is also Mr. Cole; Mr. R. Bidgood says nothing is not, however, upon this circumstance that I about him; Fanny Lloyd says nothing about rest assured no reliance can be placed on Lady him; and all that Mrs. Lisle says is perfectly true, Douglas's testimony; but after what is proved, and I am neither able nor feel interested to conwith regard to her evidence respecting my preg-tradict it. "That she remembers my sitting to nancy and delivery in 1802, I am certain that any observations upon her testimony, or her veracity must be flung away. -Your Majesty has there fore now before you the state of the charge against me as far as it respects Sir Sidney Smith: and this is, as I understand the Report, one of the charges which, with its unfavourable interpretations, must, in the opinion of the Commissioners, be credited till decidedly contradictedAs to the facts

Mr. Lawrence for my picture at Blackheath, and in London; that she has left me at his house in town with him, but she thinks Mrs. Fitzgerald was with us; and that she thinks I sat alone with him at Blackheath." But Mr. Cole speaks of Mr. Lawrence in a manner that calls for particular observation. He says, "Mr. Lawrence, the painter, used to go to Montague House about the latter end of 1801, when he was

same which the witnesses call the Blue room) he does not know whether any person was with her; but it appeared odd to him, as he had formed some suspicions." The striking and important observation on this passage i that when he first talks of the door of the drawing-room being locked, so far from his mentioning any thing of whispering being overheard, he expressly says, that he did not know that any body was with me. The passage is likewise deserving your Majesty's most serious consideration on another ground. For it is one of those which shews that Mr. Cole, though we have four separate declarations made by him, has certainly made other statements which have not been transmitted to your Majesty; for it evidently refers to something which he had said before of having found the drawing-room door locked, and no trace of such a statement is discoverable in the previous examination of Mr. Cole, as I have received it, and I have no doubt that, in obedience to your Majesty's commands, I have, at length, been furnished with the whole. I don't know, indeed, that it should be matter of complaint from me, that your Majesty has not been furnished with all the statements of Mr. Cole, because, from the sample I see of them, I cannot suppose that any of them could have furnished any thing favourable to me, except, indeed, that they might have furnished me with fresh means of contradicting him by himself. But, your Majesty will see that there have been other statements not communicated; a circumstance of which both your Majesty and I have reason to complain. But it may be out of its place further to notice that fact at present.

painting the Princess, and he has slept in the
house two or three nights together. I have of
ten seen him alone with the Princess at eleven or
twelve o'clock at night. He has been there as
late as one and two o'clock in the morning.
One night I saw him with the Princess in the Blue
room, after the ladies had retired. Some time af-
terwards, when I supposed he had gone to his room,
I went to see that all was safe, and I found the
Blue room door locked, and heard a whispering in
it; and I went away." Here, again, your Ma-
jesty observes, that Mr. Cole deals his deadliest
blows against my character by insinuation. And
here, again, his insinuation is left unsifted and
unexplained. I here understand him to insinuate
that, though he supposed Mr. Lawrence to have
gone to his room, he was still where he had said
he last left him; and that the locked door pre-
vented him from seeing me and Mr. Lawrence
alone together, whose whispering, however, he
notwithstanding overheard. Before, Sire, I come
to my own explanation of the fact of Mr. Law-
rence's sleeping at Montague House, I must again
refer to Mr. Cole's original declarations. I must
again examine Mr. Cole against Mr. Cole: which
I cannot help lamenting it does not seem to have
occurred to others to have done; as I am per-
suaded, if it had, his prevarications and his
falsehood could never have escaped them. They
would then have been able to have traced, as
your Majesty will now do, through my observa-
tions, by what degrees he hardened himself up to
the infamy (for I can use no other expression) of
stating this fact, by which he means to insinuate
that he heard me and Mr. Lawrence, locked up
in this Blue room, whispering together, and
alone. I am sorry to be obliged to drag your
Majesty through so long a detail; but I am con-
fident your Majesty's goodness, and love of jus-
tice, will excuse it, as it is essential to the vindi-
cation of my character, as well as to the illustra-
tion of Mr. Cole's.- -Mr. Cole's examination,
as contained in his first written declaration of
the 11th of January, has nothing of this. I mean
not to say that it has nothing concerning Mr.
Lawrence, for it has much, which is calculated
to occasion unfavourable interpretations, and
given with a view to that object. But that cir-
cumstance, as I submit to your Majesty, in-
creases the weight of my observation. Had
there been nothing in his first declaration about
Mr. Lawrence at all, it might have been ima-
gined that, perhaps, Mr. Lawrence escaped his
recollection altogether; or, that his declaration
had been solely directed to other persons; but,
as it does contain observations respecting Mr.
Lawrence, but nothing of a locked door or the
whispering within it ;-how he happened at that
time not to recollect, or, if he recollected, not
to mention, so very striking and remarkable a
circumstance is not, I should imagine, very sa-
tisfactorily to be explained. His statement in
that first declaration stands thus:-" In 1801,
"Lawrence, the painter, was at Montague"
"House, for four or five days at a time, painting
"the Princess's picture. That he was frequently
❝alone late in the night with the Princess, and
"much suspicion was entertained of him." Mr.
Cole's next declaration, at least, the next which
appears among the written declarations, was
taken on the 14th of January; it does not men-
tion Mr. Lawrence's name, but it has this pas-
sage "When Mr. Cole found the drawing-room,
which led to the staircase to the Princess's apart
ments, locked (which your Majesty knows is the

To return, therefore, to Mr. Cole:-In his third declaration, dated the 30th of January, there is not a word about Mr. Lawrence. In his fourth and last, which is dated on the 23d of February, he says, "the person who was alone "with the lady at late hours of the night (twelve " and one o'clock), and whom he left sitting up "after he went to bed, was Mr. Lawrence, "which happened two different nights." Here is likewise another trace of a former statement which is not given; for no such person is mentioned before in any that I have been furnished with.Your Majesty then here observes, that, after having given evidence in two of his declara tious, respecting Mr. Lawrence by name, in which he mentions nothing of locked doors, and after having, in another declaration, given an account of a locked door, but expressly stated, that he knew not whether any one was with me within it, and said nothing about whispering being overheard, but, impliedly, at least, negatived it.

In the deposition before the Commissioners, he puts all these things together, and has the har dihood to add to them that remarkable circumstance which could not have escaped his recollection at the first, if it had been true," of his "having, on the same night in which he found me and Mr. Lawrence alone, after the ladies were gone to bed, come again to the room "when he thought Mr. Lawreuce must have "been retired, and found the door locked, and "heard the whispering," and then again he gives another instance of his honesty, and upon the same principle on which he took no notice of the man in the great coat, he finds the door locked, hears the whispering, and then he silently and contentedly retires.And this witness, who thus not only varies in his testimony, but contradicts himself in such important particulars,

is one of those who cannot be suspected of un- I had been left alone with Mr. Lawrence at his favourable bias, and whose veracity is not to be own house; to which she answers, that she, inquestioned, and whose evidence must be credited deed, had left me there, but that she thinks she till decidedly contradicted.--These observa- left Mrs. Fitzgerald with me.—— -If an inference tions might probably be deemed sufficient, upon of an unfavourable nature could have been drawn Mr. Cole's depositiou, as far as it respects Mr. from my having been left there alone-was it, Lawrence; but I cannot be satisfied without ex- Sire, taking all that care which might be wished, plaining to your Majesty all the truth, and the to guard against such an inference on the part of particulars, respecting Mr. Lawrence, which I the Commissioners, when they omitted to send recollect. What I recollect then is as follows. for Mrs. Fitzgerald to ascertain what Mrs. Lisle He began a large picture of me, and of my daugh- may have left in doubt. The Commissioners, I ter, towards the latter end of the year 1800, or give them the fullest credit, were satisfied that the beginning of 1801. Miss Garth and Miss Mrs. Lisle thought correctly upon this fact, and Hayman were in the house with me at the time. that Mrs. Fitzgerald, if she had been sent for The picture was painted at Montague House. again, would so have proved it, and, therefore, Mr. Lawrence mentioned to Miss Hayman his that it would have been troubling her to no purwish to be permitted to remain some few nights pose, but this it is, of which I conceive myself in the house, that, by rising early he might begin to have most reason to complain; that the exapainting on the picture before Princess Charlotte minations in several instances have not been fol(whose residence being at that time at Shooter's lowed up so as to remove unfavourable impres Hill, was enabled to come early), or myself, sions.I cannot but feel satisfied that the came to sit. It was a similar request to that Commissioners would have been glad to have which had been made by Sir William Beechy, been warranted in negativing all criminality, when he painted my picture. And I was sen- aud all suspicion on his part of the charge, as sible of no impropriety when I granted the re- completely and honourably as they have done on quest to either of them. Mr. Lawrence occu- the principal charges of pregnancy and delivery. pied the same room which had been occupied by They traced that part of the charge with ability, Sir William Beechy; it was at the other end of sagacity, diligence, and perseverance; and the the house from my apartment. result was complete satisfaction of my innocence; complete detection of the falsehood of my ac cusers. Encouraged by their success in that part of their inquiry, I lament that they did not, (as they thought proper to enter into the other part of it at all), with similar industry, pursue it. If they had, I am confident they would have pursued it with the same success; but though they had convicted Sir John and Lady Douglas of falsehood, they seem to have thought it impossible to suspect of the same falsehood any other of the witnesses, though produced by Sir John and Lady Douglas. The most obvious means, therefore, of trying their credit, by comparing their evidence with what they had said before, seems to me to have been omitted. Many facts are left upon surmise only and insinuation; obvious means of getting further information, on doubtful and suspicious circumstances, are not resorted to; and, as if the important matter of the inquiry (on which a satisfactory conclusion had been formed) was all that required any very attentive or accurate consideration; the remainder of it was pursued in a manner which, as it seems to me, can only be accounted for by the pressure of what may have been deemed more important du ties-and of this I should have made but little complaint, if this inquiry, where it is imperfect, had not been followed by a Report, which the most accurate only could have justified, and which such an accurate inquiry, I am confident, never could have produced.- -If any credit was given to Mr. Cole's story of the locked door, and the whispering, and to Mr. Lawrence having been left with me so frequently of a night when my Ladies had left us, why were not all my La. dies examined? why were not all my servants examined as to their knowledge of that fact? And if they had been so examined, and had contradicted the fact so sworn to by Mr. Cole, as they must have done, had they been examined to it, that alone would have been sufficient to have removed his name from the list of unsuspected and unquestionable witnesses, and relieved me f much of the suspicion which his evidence, till it was examined, was calculated to have raised in your Majesty's mind. And to close this state

At that time Mr. Lawrence did not dine with 'me; his dinner was served in his own room. After dinner he came down to the room where I and my Ladies generally sat in an evening, sometimes there was music, in which he joined, and sometimes he read poetry. Parts of Shakespeare's plays I particularly remember, from his reading them very well; and sometimes he played chess with me. It frequently may have happened that it was one or two o'clock before I dismissed Mr. Lawrence and my Ladies. They, together with Mr. Lawrence, went out of the same door, up the same stair-case, and at the same time. According to my own recollection, I should have said, that in no one instance they had left Mr. Lawrence behind them alone with me. But I suppose it did happen once for a short time, since Mr. Lawrence so recollects it, as your Majesty will perceive from his deposition, which I annex. He staid in my house two or three nights together; but how many nights in the whole, I do not recollect. The picture left my house by April, 1801, and Mr. Lawrence never slept in my house afterwards. That picture now belongs to Lady Townsend. He has since completed another picture of me; and about a year and a half ago he began another, which remains at present unfinished. I believe it is near a twelvemonth since I last sat to him.-Mr. Lawrence lives upon a footing of the greatest intimacy with the neighbouring families of Mr. Lock and Mr. Angerstein; and I have asked him sometimes to dine with me to meet them. While I was sitting to him at my own house, I have no doubt I must often have sat to him alone; as the necessity for the precaution of having an attendant as a witness to protect my honour from suspicion, certainly never occurred to me. And upon the same principle, I do not doubt that I may have sometimes continued in conversation with him after he had finished painting. But when sitting in his own house, I have always been attended with one of my ladies. And, indeed, nothing in the examinations state the contrary. One part of Mrs. Lisle's examination seems as if she had a question put to her, upon the supposition that I

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