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Douglas, mentioned at Cheltenham to Sir John Douglas and Mr. Lowten."-How should Mr. Cole know that Sir John Douglas and Mr. Lowten had been down to Cheltenham, to collect evidence from this old servant of Sir John Douglas's? How should he have known what that evidence was, unless he had either accompanied them himself, or at least had had such a communication either with Sir John Douglas, or Mr. Lowten, as it never could have occurred to any of them to have made to Mr. Cole; unless, instead of being a mere witness, he were a party to this accusation? But whether they had convinced themselves, that Fanny Lloyd spoke true, and Cole and Mrs. Bidgood falsely; or whether they had convinced themselves of the reverse, it could not have been possible, that they both could have spoken the truth; and consequently, the Commissioners could never have reported the veracity of both, to be free from suspicion, and deserving of credit.

"There only remains that I should make a few observations, on what appears in the examinations relative to Mr. Hood (now Lord Hood,) Mr. Chester, and Captain Moore. And I really should not have thought a single observation necessary upon either of them, except that what refers to them is stated in the examinations of Mrs. Lisle.

"With respect to Lord Hood, it is as follows: "I was at Catherington with the Princess, "remember Mr. (now Lord) Hood there, and "the Princess going out airing with him, alone, in

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"Mr. Hood's little whiskey;-and his servant was with them; Mr. Hood drove, and staid "out two or three times; more than once,-three or four times. Mr. Hood dined with us several "times ;-one or twice he slept in a house in the garden; she appeared to pay no attention to “him, but that of common civility to an intimate acquaintance." Now, Sire, it is undoubtedly true that I drove out several times with Lord Hood, in his one horse chaise, and some few times, twice I believe at most, without any of my servants attending us; and considering the time of life, and the respectable character of my Lord Hood, I never should have conceived that I incurred the least danger to my reputation, in so doing. If indeed it was the duty of the Commissioners to inquire into instances in my conduct, in which they may conceive it to have been less reserved and dignified, than what would properly become the exalted station which I hold in Your Majesty's Royal Family, it is possible that, in the opinions of some, these drives with my Lord Hood were not consistent with that station; and that they were particularly improper in those instances in which we were not attended by more servants, or any servants of my own. Upon this I have only to observe, that these instances occurred after I had received the news of the lamented death of Your Majesty's Brother, the Duke of Gloucester. I was at that time down by the sea side for my health. I did not like to forego the advantage of air and exercise, for the short remainder of the time

which I had to stay there; and I purposely chose to go out, not in my own carriage, and unattended, that I might not be seen and known, to be driving about (myself and my attendants out of mourning,) while His Royal Highness was known to have been so recently dead. This statement however, is all that I have to make upon my part of the case, and whatever indecorum or impropriety of behaviour, the Commissioners have fixed upon me by this circumstance, it must remain; for I cannot deny the truth of the facts, and have only the above As to what Mrs. explanation to offer of it. Lisle's examination contains with respect to Mr. Chester and Captain Moore, it is so connected, that I must trouble Your Majesty with the statement of it altogether.

"I was with Her Royal Highness at Lady Sheffield's, at Christmas, in Sussex ;-I inquired what company was there when I came,-she said, only Mr. John Chester, who was there by Her Royal Highness's orders; that she could get no other company to meet her, on account of the roads, and the season of the year. He dined and slept there that night; the next day other company came-Mr. Chester remained. 1 heard Her Royal Highness say she had been ill in the night, and came out for a light, and lighted her candle in her servant's room. returned from Sheffield Place to Blackheath with the Princess; Captain Moore dined there; I left him and the Princess twice alone, for a short time; he might be alone half an hour with

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her in the room below, in which we had been sitting. I went to look for a book, to complete

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set Her Royal Highness was lending Captain Moore. She made him a present of an inkstand, to the best of my recollection. He was there one morning in January last, on the Princess Charlotte's birth-day; he went away before the rest of the company. I might be about twenty minutes the second time I was away, the night Captain Moore was there. At Lady Sheffield's, Her Royal Highness paid more attention to Mr. Chester than to the rest of the company. I know of Her Royal Highness walking out alone, twice, with Mr. Chester in the morning; once, a short time, it rained,-the other, not an hour, not long. Mr. Chester is a pretty young man; her attentions to him were not uncommon; not the same as to Captain Manby."

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"And first, Sire, as to what relates to Mr. Chester. If there is any imputation to be cast upon my character by what passed at Sheffield Place with Mr. Chester, (and by the Commissioners returning to examine Mrs. Lisle upon my attention to Mr. Chester, my walking out with him, and above all," as to his being a pretty young man," I conceive it to be so intended) I am sure Your Majesty will see that it is the hardest thing imaginable upon me, that, upon an occurrence which passed in Lady Sheffield's house, on a visit to her, Lady Sheffield herself was never examined; for if she had been, I am convinced that the Noble Lords,

the Commissioners, never could have put me to the painful degradation of stating any thing upon this subject.

"The statement begins by Mrs. Lisle's inquiring what company was there? and Lady Sheffield saying," only Mr. John Chester, who was there by Her Royal Highness's orders; that she could get no other company on account of the roads." Is not this, Sire, left open to the inference, that Mr. John Chester was the only person who had been invited by my orders? If Lady Sheffield had been examined, she would have been able to have produced the very letter in which, in answer to her Ladyship's request, that I would let her know, what company it would be agreeable for me to meet, I said, "every thing of the name of North, all the Legges and Chesters, William and John, &c. &c. and Mr. Elliott." Instead of singling out, therefore, Mr. John Chester, I included him in the enumeration which I made of the near relations of Lady Sheffield; and Your Majesty, from this alone, cannot fail to see how false a colour, even a true fact can assume, if it be not sufficiently inquired into and explained.

"As to the circumstance of my having been taken ill in the night, being obliged to get up, and light my candle; why this fact should be recorded, I am wholly at a loss to conceive. All the circumstances, however, respecting it, connected very much as they are, with the particular disposition of Lady Sheffield's house, would have been fully explained, if thought

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