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Lady Douglas and her husband, after this, that is to say in 1805, and in the month of December in that year, gave in, as she states, in consequence of commands to that purpose from the Prince of Wales, a written statement of facts, relative to the language and behaviour of his wife, and particularly relative to the birth of a child, which she asserted the Princess to have brought into the world in 1802. The statement of facts is now published; but, as it is the same, in respect to all the material points as the deposition of this Lady, which deposition you will find in another part of the present double number of my Register, I shall not insert it this week. It does no where, that I can discover, appear, how the Prince came by the knowledge of Lady Douglas being in possession of such dreadful secrets. Lady Douglas says, that she makes the statement in obedience to the commands of the Prince; but, who gave the information, which induced His Royal Highness to give such commands, we are no where, that I can perceive, informed. Yet, this is a circumstance of considerable importance; and, we must not fail to bear it in mind. Lady Douglas was the depository of the awful secret; and she says, that she divulged it by command; but, before the command was issued, the person issuing it must have known that she possessed a secret of some sort about his wife. This circumstance must be borne in

mind.

as, indeed, you ought to refer to all the documents as you proceed.

The four Lords, having thus got their authority for acting, assembled and called such persons as they chose in order to examine them on oath, touching the matters alleged against the Princess by Lady and Sir John Douglas. It is not my intention to stop here, in order to inquire into the legality or propriety of this mode of proceeding, my business, at present, being simply to tell you what was done; to trace along the proceedings to the present time; and to show you the uses which politicians and parties have made of these family concerns, and thereby to enable you to judge of the way in which our national affairs are managed, and to settle in your own impartial mind, whether we, who call for a reform of the House of Commons, are the enemies of the throne and of the Royal Family.

When the Four Lords had gone through the examinations, beginning with those of Lady and Sir John Douglas, they made, agreeably to the warrant under which they acted, a REPORT thereof to the King, a copy of which Report is the first of the documents hereunto subjoined. When you have read that Report, you will see, that the Four Lords declared the Princess to be quite clear of the charge of having been pregnant in 1802; but, that they left her stigmatized with charges of minor import. The Princess, upon receiving a copy of But, be this as it may, the STATEthis Report, together with copies of all the MENT of FACTS was made, and was laid Statements and Depositions that had been before the Prince, verified by the DUKE OF received against as well as for her, wrote SUSSEX. The Statement of Facts, which several letters to the King, and these letwas to serve, or, at least, which did serve, charges with which the Four Lords left ters contain her defence against those minor as the ground work of all the further pro-her tarnished. The whole of these Letters ceedings, has, in the printed Book, now published, the name of " I have not, this week, had room to insert; AUGUSTUS “FREDERICK” signed to it, in order, I but, I have inserted all the DEPOSI suppose, to verify the authenticity of it;TIONS against the Princess; because, these in order to verify, that it was signed by naturally come before the Defence of the Lady and Sir John Douglas. So that the accused party. Prince, when it was laid before him, could have no doubt of its being authentic.

BOOK; to its origin, its possible object, We now come to the making of THE importance to the people here, and to the and its effects, which are now of much more world in general, than the truth or falsehood of the several allegations themselves. As to these we will hereafter inquire; but, at present, the uses that have been made of the Book is the subject of our inquiry.

Thus in possession of an assertion of his wife's criminality, the Prince, it seems, lost but little time in laying the Statement before his father, who, on the 20th of May, 1806, issued a warrant to the four Lords, ERSKINE, SPENCER, GRENVILLE, and ELLENBOROUGH, to examine into the matter. A copy of this warrant, being Four Lords was laid before her, resorted, The Princess, when the Report of the the 2d of the subjoined documents, will as it was natural she should, to legal adexplain its own nature, if you refer to it,visers, that is to say, to men eminent in

the profession of the law. She chose, as her chief adviser, PERCEVAL, who was shot last year by John Bellingham. It is now said, that two others, the late Attorney General, GIBBS, who is now a Judge, and the present Attorney General, Sir Thomas Plomer, were also consulted; but it is perfectly notorious, that Perceval was the chief adviser.

You must now go back with me a little and take a view of the state of parties. In 1805, when the information was given to the Prince by Lady Douglas, PITT was minister, and Perceval was his Attorney General. But, even at that time, Pitt was ill at Bath; and, in January, 1806, soon after the information was in the hands of the Prince, Pitt died. His death was followed by the ousting of his set, and Lord Eldon, who was Lord Chancellor, Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Canning, Lord Camden, and others, went out of place, and, in the usual way, formed the OPPOSITION to Mr. Fox, Lord Grenville, Lord Grey, Lord Erskine, and others, who came into power, and who, from a trick of party, where called the Whig Administration.

This change, you will observe, took place in 1806, and in the month of February, and it brought into the possession of long-sought power, those persons who had always been regarded, and, indeed, called, the Prince's Friends; and, you will observe, from the words of the King's warrant, that Lord Erskine, who was now become Lord Chancellor, and who had been the Chancellor of the Prince, laid before the King the abstract of those declarations against the Princess, upon which the King founded his warrant for the inquiry. I do not mention these circum stances for the purpose of raising in your mind a suspicion, that the Prince would not have made the appeal had his friends not been in power, because I believe he would; but, I mention them for the purpose of showing you the true state of all the parties with regard to each other, and also for the purpose of preparing your mind for the clear comprehension of certain matters that have arisen since the Regency was established in the person of the Prince.

Amongst those who were ousted by the death of PITT was his Attorney General, PERCEVAL, who, at the change, became, of course, a member of the OPPOSITION to the Whigs, who, as I observed before, were also denominated the Prince's friends.

It was, therefore, not unnatural for the Princess, when the Four Lords had made their Report respecting her, to look to Mr. Perceval as an adviser. She did so, and, as you will soon see, he was a man who knew how to manage such a concern to the greatest advantage.

Having got possession of all the documents relating to so important an affair, the first thing that was done, was, through the means of a correspondence between the Princess and the Lord Chancellor Erskine, to obtain a verification of the Report, the Warrant, the Statement of Facts of Lady Douglas, and the Several Depositions, Examinations, and Letters, which you will find subjoined to this Letter. This being done, the little lawyer had materials to work upon; and, under his advice, the Princess then addressed two Letters to the King, which Letters I shall hereafter publish, and in which Letters she defended herself, made observations on the conduct of her accusers and of the other parties concerned, and called upon the King to restore her to his presence at court, from which, since the making of the complaint against her, she had been kept.

The addressing of these Letters to the King took place, as you will see by the dates, during the summer and autumn of 1806. The Report of the Four Lords was made to the King on the 14th of July in that year; the Princess did not receive a copy of it, as you will see, for some time; from the time she did receive that copy, she continued writing to the King to the date of her Letter of the 2d October, 1806, concluding with her prayer to be restored to his presence at court, and thus to be cleared in the eyes of the world. Thus were materials for THE BOOK every day, up to this time, increasing in the hands of Perceval, who seems to have been duly impressed with a sense of their value.

The King, having the defence of the Princess before him, and also her demands of justice at his hands, referred her Letters to his Cabinet Ministers, and required their opinion and advice as to what he ought to do in the case. The Princess, as you will see, had called for her justification in the eyes of the world by means of an admission to court. That she insisted upon as absolutely necessary to the vindication of her honour. And certainly her request was most reasonable; for, it was gone forth to the world, that she had been accused of having had a child in consequence of an illicit amour. It had, indeed, been also

see, been productive of very important consequences, not only to this country but to all those countries which have been affected by the measures of our cabinet.

stated, that she had been cleared of this, but that other imputations remained. Therefore, said she, let me appear at court, and then the nation will be convinced, that I am cleared of every thing of which I have been accused; or, said she, if you refuse" MINUTE OF CABINET, Downingme this request; if you refuse me this open testimony of your conviction of my innocence, let me be proved to be guilty in a fair and open manner. Let me be proved" Lord President, to be guilty, or let me be treated as inno-"Lord Privy Seal, "Earl Spencer,

cent.

"street, January 25, 1807.

PRESENT..

"The Ld. Chancellor, Lord Vis. Howick,
Lord Grenville,
Lord Ellenborough,
Mr.Sec. Windham,
Mr. Grenville,

"Your Majesty's confidential servants "have given the most diligent and atten ❝tive consideration to the matters on which

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Nothing could be more reasonable, no-" Earl of Moira, thing more fair, nothing more just than "Lord Henry Petty, this; but, the King, who seems, through the whole of the transactions, to have acted the part of an impartial judge as well as of a considerate and kind parent, was ham-"your Majesty has been pleased to require pered by the previous decision of the Four "their opinion and advice. They trust Lords, which left a stain upon the Prin- " your Majesty will not think that any apocess's character. In this emergency he did "logy is necessary on their part for the dewhat a King of England ought to do. He lay which has attended their deliberareferred the Letters of the Princess to his "tions, on a subject of such extreme imconstitutional advisers, the ministers; and "portance, and which they have found to be bade them, after perusing and considering" of the greatest difficulty and embarrassall that the Princess had to say, give him ment. -They are fully convinced that their opinion and advice as to the course heit never can have been your Majesty's ought to pursue. "intention to require from them, that The ministers (the Whigs you will ob- they should lay before your Majesty a serve) appear to have been greatly puzzled "detailed and circumstantial examination upon this occasion. They were involved in" and discussion of the various arguments a dilemma out of which it was impossible" and allegations contained in the letter. for them to get. They were compelled," submitted to your Majesty, by the Law either to advise the King to suffer the Prin-" Advisers of the Princess of Wales. cess to come to court, or not to suffer her." And they beg leave, with all humito come to court. If the latter, they ran "lity, to represent to your Majesty that the risk of all the dangers of an open expo-" the laws and constitution of their counsure of all that has now been exposed." try have not placed them in a situation in They ran the risk of the publication of "which they can conclusively pronounce Lady Douglas's Statement and Deposition;" on any question of guilt or innocence afof Mr. Edmeades's deposition; and of all fecting any of your Majesty's subjects, the other depositions, proving so clearly much less one of your Majesty's Royal what had been going on against the Prin-"Family. They have indeed no power or

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cess. But, on the other hand, if they ad- authority whatever to enter on such a vised the King to receive the Princess at course of inquiry as could alone lead to court, what would that advice have amount- any hual results of such a nature. The ed to with regard to the judgment of the main question on which they had conFour Lords, who had made the Report of "ceived themselves called upon by their 14th July, 1806, and who were four out of" duty to submit their advice to your Mathe eleven members of the Cabinet, not forgetting that Earl Moira was a fifth?

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"jesty was this, Whether the circum"stances which had, by your Majesty's "commands, been brought before them, were of a nature to induce your Majesty to order any further steps to be taken upon them by your Majesty's Government? And on this point they humbly submit to your Majesty that the advice which they offered was clear and unequivocal. Your Majesty has since been pleased further to require that they

In this dilemma the ministers, in Cabinet Council assembled, took a course which generally, if not always, proves fatal to those who pursue it; that is to say, a middle " course; and, on the 25th of January, 1807," after loug and repeated deliberations, laid" before the King the result, in the following minute, which you will read with great attention, seeing that it has, as you will

"should submit to your Majesty their opi-nuary, 1807. Dales must now be strictly

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"nions as to the answer to be given by your attended to. The Princess, upon receivMajesty to the request contained in the ing this message, immediately wrote to "Princess's letter, and as to the manner in the King, intimating to him, that she "which that answer should be communi- would wait upon him at Windsor, on the "cated to Her Royal Highness. They Monday following. The King, the no"have, therefore, in dutiful obedience to ment he received her letter, wrote back, your Majesty's commands, proceeded to that he preferred receiving her in London, "re-consider the whole of the subject, in" upon a day subsequent to the ensuing "this new view of it; and after much de-"week." To this letter the Princess reliberation, they have agreed humbly to turned no answer, and waited, of course, * recommend to your Majesty the draft of a to hear from the King, respecting the time "Message, which, if approved by your for her reception, when he should come to "Majesty, they would humbly suggest London. All these Letters, you will bear "your Majesty might send to Her Royal in mind, make part of THE BOOK, and 86 Highness through the Lord Chancellor. will appear in my next Nuniber. "Having before humbly submitted to your Majesty their opinion, that the facts of "the case did not warrant their advising "that any further steps should be taken upon it by your Majesty's Government, they have not thought it necessary to ad"vise your Majesty any longer to decline receiving the Princess into your Royal presence. But the result of the whole case does, in their judgment, render it "indispensable that your Majesty should, by a serious admonition, convey to Her "Royal Highness your Majesty's expecta"tion that Her Royal Highness should be "more circumspect in her future conduct; "and they trust that in the terms in which "they have advised, that such admonition "should be conveyed, your Majesty will "not be of opinion, on a full consideration "of the evidence and answer, that they

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can be considered as having at all exceed "ed the necessity of the case, as arising out "of the last reference which your Majesty "has been pleased to make to them."

In this minute of the cabinet there are evident marks of timidity. At every period you see the hesitation of the parties from whom it came. It was not till nearly four months, you will perceive, after the date of the Princess's letter of defence; that they made this minute; and, you will perceive, too, that, in the mean while, the Princess had written, on the 8th of December, 1806, another letter to the King, urging a speedy decision on her case. She had manifestly the strong ground, and the cabinet were puzzled beyond all description.

Thus, then, every thing appeared to be settled at last. The Princess had obtained her great object: that is to say, her readmission to court and here, perhaps, the whole affair would have ended, and the world would never have been much the wiser for what had passed. But, now, just when the Princess was about to be received at court, all the charges against her having been shown to be false; just as the King was about to receive her back into his presence and thus to proclaim her in nocence to the world; just as her sufferings of almost a year were about to be put air end to, and she was anxiously expecting, every hour, a message from the King appointing the time for her waiting upon him; just then, all was put a stop to, and the King acquainted her, that he had been requested to suspend any further steps in the business ! And by whom, think you, was this request made? Why, BY THE PRINCE OF WALES HIMSELF! The Prince had, as the King informed the Princess on the 10th of February, 1807, made a formal request to him, to suspend all further steps; that is to say, to put off receiving the Princess, till. when, think you? Why, till he (the Prince) should be enabled to submit to the King a statement which he proposed to make to him upon the papers relating to the Princess's defence, after consulting with his own lawyers!

till.

It was now that the serious work began. It was now that the advisers of the Princess began to change the tone of her letters, and, from the plaintive to burst forth into The King, agreeably to the advice of the indignant. Her Royal Highness anhis cabinet, seut a message to the Princess, swered the King's letter on the 12th of Fethrough the Lord Chancellor, Erskine,bruary, 1807, intimating her design to containing the admonition, recommended represent to him in another letter the variin the minute of Cabinet above inserted. ous grounds on which she felt the hardship This message was sent on the 28th of Ja- of her case, which was done in a letter

dated the 16th of February, 1807, in a most able manner. This is the document, which, above all the rest, is worthy of your attention. Perceval was, I dare say, the sole author of it, and it does infinite honour to him as a man of talents. Whether for reasoning, language, or force, I never read any thing to surpass this letter. The reasoning is clear as the brook and strong as the torrent; the language is dignified while the feelings it expresses are indignant; and, in short, it makes out such a case, it presents such a picture, that I no longer am surprised at the pains which were afterwards taken to conciliate its author and to keep it from the eye of the world. Who could have been the Prince's advisers upon this occasion; who could have been the cause of drawing forth this terrible letter I presume not to say; but, certainly, there never existed in the world a man exposed to the advice of more indiscreet or more faithless friends.

At the close of this letter fand now, as the plot thickens, you must pay close at tention to dates); at the close of this letter, which, you will bear in mind, was dated on the 16th of February, the Princess, for the first time, THREATENS AN APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC, un less she be speedily received at Court, and also allowed some suitable establishment in some one of the Royal Palaces, if not in Carleton House. To this letter, however, she received no answer; and, on the 5th of March, which was on a Thursday, she wrote to the King to say, that, unless her requests were granted, the publication would not be withheld beyond the next Monday, which would have been on the 9th of March, 1807. The publication did not appear, but Mr. Perceval was Chancellor of the Exchequer in less than fif teen days from that time!

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struction as ministers. Upon this ground, therefore, they were turned out, as all the world thought; and away went this "most "thinking nation" to a new election, bawling out bigotry on one side, and nopopery on the other!

But, you see, my friend, that there really appears to have been no choice left to the King. to the King. He, very likely, had sincere scruples as to the Catholic Bill, and had, in some sort, had it forced upon him; and, that being the case, he had a right to make the Bill the ground of the dismission of his ministers; but, that the case of the Princess of Wales would have produced the same effect, if the Bill had not existed, there can, I think, not be the smallest doubt. In short, there appears to have been no other way left of getting rid of a thing, which must have operated most inju riously in the opinions of the world to one, at least, of the parties concerned; and, I think, you will agree with me, that His Majesty, in this case, acted the part of a prudent man, and of a kind and considerate father. He had read all the documents, and especially the famous letter of the Princess of the 16th of February; and he saw the consequence of a publication of those documents; therefore, he took, as you will see, the effectual means of preventing that publication. If as much good sense had lately prevailed, we should not now have these documents to make our remarks on.

The Whig ministry being removed, the four Lords and Lord Moira, and all those who were called the Prince's friends, being out of the cabinet and out of place, there remained no longer any obstacle to the receiving of the Princess at Court; and, accordingly, on the 21st of April, 1807, the following Minutes of Council were laid before the King, as a prelude to that step.

We all remember how sudden, how surprising, how unaccountable, that change was. The cause was stated to be the Catholic Bill; but, at the time, all men expressed their wonder that that cause should have been attended with such an effect. The Bill had been, by the Whig ministry, introduced into Parliament with the understood approbation of the King; and the Whigs, clinging to place, had withdrawn the Bill, upon some objection being started on the part of the King. But, this would not do; the King insisted upon their signin a promise that they would never mention such a Bill to him again. This they could not do without ensuring their de- "

"MINUTE OF COUNCIL,
APRIL 21,
1807.
66 PRESENT,

"The Lord Chancellor (ELDEN)
"The Lord President (CAMDEN)

"The Lord Privy Seal (WESTMORLAND), "The Duke of PORTLAND "The Earl of CHATHAM "The Earl of BATHURST "Vicount CASTLEREAGH "Lord MULGRAVE "Mr. Secretary CANNING "Lord HAWKESBURY. "Your Majesty's confidential servanta have, in obedience to your Majesty's

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