be a greater security to the public than the certainty of inquiry.-It is not pleasant for a man to know that his name is enrolled for examination in the book, and that his conduct and transactions must undergo the scrutiny of minute investigation. The recent prosecution and conviction of an individual who held an eminent station in life, on whom sentence is not yet pronounced, is, I thiuk, one proof that much advantage may be expected to result from these inquiries, for it was the report of the commissioners that led to that prosecution. However we may flatter ourselves, corruption does stalk forth, and the danger from the efforts of Bonaparte are but as a drop of water in the ocean to the rapid and certain progress of corruption, which, if not checked and overthrown, must ultimately prove fatal. There is no safety but in strangling the many-headed monster of corruption, and the exposure of those who are guilty of corrupt practices, is the most certain method of destroying the evil. Let the house of commons, then, from this very moment, set about the work of temperate reform, for in that lies our only safety. Let our proceedingsjbe tem perate, moderate, and efficient.-I have heard much about libellers, and of the prosecutions which are now in progress for those offences; but I trust, that after what has been brought before this house, there cannot be any great probability that the pillory will be resorted to for any thing that may have been said on the subject of these transactions, and that they have done with libels. The Duke of York may have been calumniated, but it is in cone sequence of the interference which has been permitted to take place in military promotions.Let there be an end of it, and if the house of commons do their duty there will be no occasion for any prosecutions, If, however, any such should be deemed necessary, I trust that the publication entitled The Plain Statement-in which the family cabinet, with the Duke of York at the head of it, may not be forgotten.-- I will now conclude by solemnly calling on the house of Commons, in this awful crisis of our fate, to act firmly and decisively. "The plague is amongst you-you must quickly "bring incense."-We must interpose the power of this house between "the living-and the dead." ere the corruption of the disease shall diffuse itself-or THIS HOUSE-THE CONSTITUTION AND THE KINGDOM, MAY SHORTLY BE AT AN END! The Attorney General rose in consequence of some observations which the hon. gentleman who had just sat down had made respecting him in the course of his speech. He should always conduct his official duty without his assistance, and he trusted properly. The motion went to deprive the Duke of York of his situation, before any charges had been proved against him, which were threatened at the commencement of the investigation. It never was his wish nor intention to say that the word of an individual was not as good as that of a duke, but it would be necessary to inquire who those individuals were. In concluding his royal highness to have connived at corrupt practices, we could only go on the evidence before us. The gentleman who spoke last was highly offended, because some gentlemen had inveighed against the character of Mrs. Clarke, but at the same time exulted because she had foiled those who had cross-examined her. At her defeating the designs of his hon. friend, no one could be much surprised when they reflected upon the talents of her assistants, who, by significant looks and glances, encouraged her in her impu-. dence, and now the hon. gentleman was pleased with it, who was himself most active in encouraging it. We were accused of attempting to impeach her testimony by that of Mr. Nicholls, which he thought effectually done. She went to his house, calling herself a widow, afterwards pretended to be Mr. Dowler's wife, and assigned as a reason for keeping it secret, that the Duke of York, if it were known, would send him out of the kingdom. As to Mrs. Clarke wishing to conceal having slept with Mr. Dowler, he did not blame her; but what he blamed her for was, a total denial of having seen him at all oftener than once before his exammation, and that then he did not want to become a witness. Mr. Dowler was guilty of the like when he denied having seen her, except on the Sunday, when he slept with her on the Thursday. The learned gentleman then proceeded to comment upon the evidence as given at the bar, and traversed the several cases of charge, following the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The learned gentleman entered into a general review of the arguments, and, while he admitted the necessity of conveying a reproof to his royal highness upon the criminal connection he had formed, he deprecated the idea of the house coming to any resolution that should go to his royal highness's dismissal from his office of commander in chief. Neither the administration of the army, nor the public safety, in his mind, required a measure so extremely harsh and severe; and if the house, as he trusted it would do, came to the resolution of reproving his royal highness, he was sure that he would feel deeply sensible of the perl into which his character and honour bad been brought by the connection alluded to, and that the salutary rebuke would weigh upon his mind during the remainder of his life. Mr. Whitbread said a few words by way of explanation: Friday, March 10. On the motion of Lord Folkestone, the house was ordered to be called over again on Monday, after a few words from General Gascoigne, who said, that at the rate they proceeded, if only one member in two were to speak, the business must last a week. He wished, that the two gentlemen who adorned the front of St. Dunstan's church, should be placed in a conspicuous part of the house, to give the alarm to the gentlemen orators, who made such long speeches! Mr. Bunkes rose, and after objec ting to the address and the amend ment, the one as going too far, and the other as not going far enough, said he should move an amendment to the amendment already proposed; to maintain all the preliminary part of the address as moved by the hon. gentleman on his side of the house (Mr. Wardle), and then to annex the proposition which he should submit. As to the evidence before the house, it appeared to him that the great principle upon which those who advocated the cause of the ac cused grounded themselves was, that the witnesses had contradicted them`selves so much, that they were not entitled to credit; but he appealed to the cool and deliberate judgment of the house, whether it follows, that because witnesses did, in some points, falsify themselves, yet that there was no truth in any thing that they had stated? This indeed would-be a most monstrous proposition, at least it was one that he would not sustain, nor was it to be endured in that house. As to Mrs. Clarke, if he were called upon to give an optnion, he hardly ever saw any one to whom truth and falsehood were so indifferent. But nevertheless, when: he beheld her testimony corrobora.. ted by unerring documents, unex pectedly called forth, as it were, by miracle, he could not resist the strong impulse of his soul, in giving credence to her testimony, when ever these documents appeared. Indeed, some parts of her testimony were so strong, as to bring with them ins controvertible proofs. The principal points wherein her accounts are confirmed by these documents are three or jour; and he must say, that they remain for ever irrefragable, substantial, and established. Attempts were ulso made to invalidate the testimony gren by Miss Taylor; now, for his part, her testimony was convincing to hun. In fact, her testimony brought internal evidence with it, and left no room for the casuist to doubt; and therefore he was prepared to say, that if the conversation which she mination. This ambitious and worthless man was providentially disappointed. The house would do their duty as guardians of the liberties of the people, and would never send up an address, which should be the echo of a letter (alluding to that of the Duke of York to the Speaker). He concluded by moving, an amendment upon Mr. Wardle's address, to the following effect :- 44 That information had been laid be"fore the house, with respect to certain "abuses and corruptions which were «sal and purchase of commissions and "alleged to be prevalent in the dispo"promotions in his Majesty's land for66 ces. That the house had accordingly "instituted the most diligent examina tion into the grounds of such charges; " and that they felt the deepest concern "that the result of that inquiry was "such as to convince them that such has stated about Colonel French and his levy did take place, it carries at least suspicion with it that the duke must have known of Mrs. Clarke's corrupt practices in military matters. It goes to shew that his royal highness the Duke of York spoke in her presence unreservedly "corruptions and abuses had prevailed. with Mrs. Clarke upon these mat- "That they had, at the same time, ters, and that was presumptive of "great satisfaction in being enabled to the suspicion that he must have "declare, that there appeared to them known of her guilty and corrupt "to be no ground for charging the conduct. Then that such a conver "commander in chief with personal sation did take place he thought pro- to do this justice to his royal high"corruption; but while they were glad ved itself; for when the gentlemen ness, and to acknowledge the good on the other side contend, that beconsequences that bad resulted to the cause Miss Taylor recollected noarmy from the regulations he had inthing else so well, it shewed there "troduced, and the improvements he was a conspiracy, and that nothing "had adopted in advancing their disciabout the conversation respecting "pline and conduct, still they telt Colonel French was to be believed, "themselves obliged to express their he would gravely ask these gentle-have prevailed, to the extent they " opinion, that such abuses could not men, if Miss Taylor were one of a conspiracy, how came it to pass that she did not recollect more, tell more, and say more of the Duke of York and his conversations than she did; and instead of confining herself to one solitary-sentence, why not speak to a volume Mr. Bankes warmly censured the conduct of O'Meara, that man, who, unminde ful of his sacred function, and forgetful of his duty to God and to himself, could place the testimonial of the venerable Archbishop of Tuain in the hands of a prostitute, for the purpose of securing her influence to promote him by bribes and conta "had done, without exciting at least "the suspicion of the commander in "chief; and that if such abuses had ex"isted without the knowledge of his royal highness, that house bad great reason to doubt whether the chief with propriety, or ought with pru"command of his Majesty's forces could "dence, to remain in the hands of the "Duke of York. That the house had "discovered, with the deepest concern "that a connection had subsisted, "fraught with injurious consequences "to the cause of religion and inorals, "and of a character the most opposite "in its nature to the bright example of morality given, throughout a long "reign, by his Majesty to his people." To be continued in our next.] 212 Spr.Ct. 3 Ct., 4 pr per Reduced. Consols. Ct 5 per Ct., Feb. 24 671 671 25 674 7671 834 991 THE LOWEST AND HIGHEST price of stocks From FEBRUARY 24, to March 24, 1809 %, inclusive. By JOHN HEMMING, Broker, No. 3. Capel Court, Bartholomew Lane, London. Long Ann. Omn. India Exche. Bonds. Bills. 9. 10p. 11.12p. 18 11-16 27 246 674 67 83 991 18 11-16 10.11p. 12 13p. Red. S, 19. 28 245 246 184 67 68 672 83 84 991 1811-16 10.12p. 9. 12p. 4 p.cs. 4, 18. Mar. 1 245 184 68 83 84 991 1811-16 13-16 11.12p. 11.12p. | L.. A. ~~~ 6, 19, 2 1831 67 68 67 83 98 99 181 13-16 10.12p. 10p. 10.12p. 9. 11p. Shut Shut 67 83 1971 9811811-16 10.12p. 10.14p. 6 674 Shut 98 1811-16 10.12p. 12.19p. 7 67 68 98 1811-16 12.13p. 16.18p. N.B. The days omitted are Sundays, or Holidays.- -The blank spaces denote that nothing was done in that fund, P. stands for Premium, and D. for Discount. B. Flower, Printer, Harlow. MONTHLY REGISTER, FOR APRIL, 1809. PARLIAMENTARY REGISTER. HOUSE OF LORDS. Tuesday, March 7. The Irish distillery bill, the spirit import prohibition bill, and the Irish bank note bill, were read a third time and passed. Wednesday, March 8. On the order of the day being read for the third reading of Brograve's di vorce bill, it was found to contain some clauses unusual in bills of that descrip tion, whereupon the consideration was postponed. Lord Auckland on this occasion, ad◄ verting to the increased prevalence of adultery, trusted that he should speedily see the day when the legislature would constitute it a crime, and punish it ac cordingly. VOL. V. The Earl of Liverpool declined stauntil the noble lord brought forward his ting his reasons for refusing the letter, motion on the subject. Wednesday, March 15. The bills on the table were forwarded in their respective stages. Thursday, March 16. The Earl of Liverpool presented a copy of extracts from the dispatch referred to in the letter to Sir Hew Dalrymple of the 15th of July. The annual indemnity, the sugar drawback, and bounty regulation bills, and the Scotch child-murder bill, were read a third time and passed. Campbell's divorce bill went through a committee of the whole house, and was amended by the omission of the bastardizing clause. Friday, March 17. The Lower Canada spirit importation bill, and the Cape of Good Hope trade regulation bill, were read a first time; and the mutiny bill, and Sir G. Bro grave's divorce bill, were read a third time and passed.-Adjourned to Monday. Monday, Murch 20. The Royal assent was given by commission to the annual indemnity bill; Scotch child-murder bill; and sugar bounty, and duty drawback bills; and several private bills. |