On Friday, January 20th, Colonel Wardle, one of the Members for Oakhampton, gave notice that he intended to submit to the House of Commons, on that day sennight, a motion on the subject of the conduct of his Royal Highness the Duke of York, Commander in Chief, respecting promotions, the disposal of commissions, and the raising of new levies for the Army.

Accordingly, on the 27th of January, COLONEL WARDLE rose for the purpose of making his promised motion, which he prefaced with the following address:

SIR, I rise, in pursuance of a former notice, to submit to the House a motion, relative to the promotions in our army. Fully aware of the great importance of the subject which I am to bring forward, I must say I really feel myself somewhat inadequate to the task, and wish it had fallen into abler hands; but the ardent zeal I entertain for the service of the country, supported by facts incontrovertible, may enable me to rescue the military service from the baneful influence of corrupt practices. To stand forth the public accuser of a man of such high rank as the Commander in Chief, may be deemed an arduous and presumptuous undertaking; however arduous and presumptuous it may be, nothing shall divert me from the performance of my duty s and I trust he will feel that, however high he may stand in point of rank or influence, the voice of the people, stated through their representatives, will prevail over corruption, and that justice will be done to a suffering nation. I can assure the House I have no other motive in view, than the honest one of rendering to our country a service. Feeling as I do, that, in matters like this, unless corruption be attacked, and attacked strongly too, this country will fall an easy prey to an inveterate enemy. I beg leave in the first instance to call the attention of the House to the estab lishment of the present Commander in Chief. The half-pay fund arises from the sale of the commissions of those officers, who are not themselves permitted to sell them, and of those who are dismissed from the service. The power which he has thereby acquired, is that of rewarding any meritorious officers, either by giving them any of those commissions, or applying the produce of them to the reduction of the half-pay list, or in aid of the compassionate fund. These I believe are all the powers which a Commander in Chief has ever been presumed to possess over those funds. If then I can prove that commissions so becoming vacant have been sold, and the money applied to very different purposes, I shall then establish this one fact, at least, that the plan upon which this fund had originated, has been totally abandoned. It is evident, that in cases such as those I shall name, merit has not received its reward; that the half-pay list has not been reduced, and that the compassionate fund has not been conducted on its original footing. However much I may feel repugnant at taking

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any notice of the abuses of this power, by such a high individuah. yet it is absolutely necessary that I should state particular facts, in order to lay the matter open for investigation.

The establishment to which I allude, took place in the year 1803, when his Royal Highness the Commander in Chief took a handsome house, set up a full retinue of servants and horses, and also a lady of the name of Clarke. I trust the House will excuse me for stating such facts as these, and also for mentioning a variety of names of parties concerned in each of them, my intention being, that it shall be impossible for any individual to say, that I have taken up this matter on slight grounds.

The first instance I shall state is that of Captain Tonyn, of the 48th Regiment, who was promoted to the Majority of the 31st Regiment, on the 2d of August, 1804, and whom I believe to be a very meritorious officer, and one as deserving of promotion as any man whatever. I mean to throw out no reflection on individuals, but merely to state cases as they have been stated to me. Captain Tonyn having remained a great many years without promotion, though no man had a better claim to it, he being the son of a very experienced general, might have purchased a commission, had he thought proper; but it so happened, that this Captain Tonyn was introduced by Captain Sandon, of the Royal Waggon Train, to this Mrs. Clarke, and it appears it was agreed, that, upon his being promoted to the Majority of the 31st Regiment, he should pay her 500l. In transactions of this nature, from inquiries I have made, I find it was usual for the money to be paid into the hands of a third party, and made payable to the order of the party who was ultimately to receive it. The agent, in this instance, was a Mr. Donovan, surgeon, in Charles Street, St. James's Square; and, as I shali have occasion to take particular notice of this individual, I shall take the liberty of stating who and what he was. I find, that in the year 1802, he was appointed a Lieutenant in the 4th Royal Garrison Battalion, and afterwards removed and promoted to another of the garrison battalions. Now, Sir, I have endeavoured to find out what military services this gentleman performed, that could entitle him to hold any such commission, but have been able to find none. It is an extraordinary circumstance, that from his first appointment, down to this present hour, it appears he has never been near his regiment, but that he has a perpetual leave of absence. When the House knows the reason for this person being resident in London, they will not be at all surprised at his being allowed a constant leave of absence; besides this, it appears that during the American war, he enjoyed an appointment upon the medical staff, and still continues to form a part of it. The 500l. which I have mentioned to have been lodged with this Mr. Donovan, by Capt. Sandon, was paid by him to Mrs. Clarke. The difference between a company and a majority is 1,100.; this lady received only 500/., while the half-pay fund lost the whole Sun, for the purpose of putting 5001, into the pocket of Mrs.

Clarke.

of

Clarke. This 500%. I shall be able to prove was paid by Mrs. Clarke to Mr. Perkins, a silversmith, in part payment for a service of plate, that the Commander in Chief made good the remainder, and that the goods were sent to his house in Glouces.er-place. From this 1 infer, first, that Mrs. Clarke possesses the power military promotion; secondly, that she received a pecuniary consideration for such promotion; and thirdly, that the Commander in Chief was a partaker in the benefit arising from such transactions. In this case, there are no less than five different persons who can be called as witnesses, viz. Major Tonyn, Mrs. Clarke, Mr. Donovan, Captain Sandon, and the executor of Mr. Perkins, the silversmith.

The next instances I shall give, are those of Lieutenant Colebrooke, of the 56th Regiment, and Lieutenant Knight, of the Dragoon Guards. A Mr. Tuck, a medical gentleman, it appears, was concerned in the first of these transactions, for it was agreed between him and Mrs. Clarke, that she should receive 2007. upon Lieutenant Colebrooke's name appearing in the Gazette for promotion. At that moment, it appears, this lady was anxious to go on an excursion into the country, and she stated to his Royal Highness, that she had an opportunity of getting 2007. to defray the expences of it, without applying to him. This was stated upon a Thursday, and on the Saturday following this officer's name appeared in the Gazette, and he was accordingly promoted, upon which Mr. Tuck waited on the lady and paid her the money. To this transaction, therefore, I can call as witnesses, Lieutenant Colebrooke, Mr. Tuck, and Mrs. Clarke. Without stating the particulars of the other case I have alluded to, I shall content myself with mentioning one of a very different nature, which occurred within these eight or ten months, and that I do it for the purpose of shewing how very difficult it was, in many instances, for officers of the highest merit to be allowed the smallest indulgence in regard to change. Two officers of the 1st Regiment of Foot, Major Macdonald and Major Sinclair, who are generally acknowledged to be officers of merit, happening to be both in a bad state of health, Major Macdonald was ordered to join his regiment in the West Indies; but being sensible that the climate would prove injurious to him, and Major Sinclair having been in the West Indies, where he had enjoyed his health much better than here, they mutually agreed to apply for an exchange. Application was accordingly made to the Commander' in Chief, and it was urged as strongly as possible; every thing was attempted, but in vain; the Commander in Chief ordered Major Macdonald to go to the West Indies, where he soon fell a victim to the climate; and he forced Major Sinclair to remain at home, where his health became worse, and he died. These of ficers, it appeared, had offered no bribe of 2007., and therefore they were obliged to combat stations, which caused the termination of their existence. The next instance is that of Major John Shaw, who was upon the full pay in Champagny's Regiment. He

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applied for the office of Deputy Barrack-Master-General, at the Cape of Good Hope, Dec. 3d, 1806, and in that appointment Mrs. Clarke's interference will be strongly exemplified. The Commander in Chief had no favourable opinion of this Major Shaw; but we find that officer consented to give Mrs. Clarke 1000/. for this appointment, and he was accordingly Gazetted, April 3, 1807; soon after that, it appears, that this gentleman, in compliance with his obligation to pay that bribe, sent several sums of money to Mrs. Clarke, amounting in all to 500l.-She applied in vain for the remainder, which, owing to some embarrassments, he was not able punctually to pay. When she found that he was not competent to fulfil his engagement, she complained bitterly of this breach of contract to the Commander in Chief, who, feeling for her situation, was much enraged, and immediately for this breach of contract, put Major Shaw upon half-pay. I have in my possession a letter from Major Shaw, complaining violently of this conduct, and there are also several letters written by Mrs. Shaw, (his wife) to this Mrs. Clarke, threatening her and the Commander in Chief with a public exposure. I believe the staff in America, are all in the same predicament; and, indeed, I know but of one instance of any officer having been put on full pay.

I think this shews that Mrs. Clarke's influence extended to the staff abroad, as well as to the army at home, and that the Commander in Chief countenanced this individual, and rendered himself a direct party to her transactions, by putting an officer on half-pay, for breach of his bargain with her.

The next case relates to a levy made under the direction of Colonel French, in the years 1804 and 1805; this levy was set on foot by this same lady Mrs. Clarke:

Colonel French was introduced to her by Captain Sandon, and it was agreed between her and that Colonel, that she should have a given sum out of the bounty on each man raised, besides the patronage of a certain number of officers, in consideration of the assistance she was to afford Colonel French in his promotion. This agreement she made known to the Commander in Chief, and afterwards sent the Colonel to the Horse Guards, and he obtained his object. As this levy proceeded, she received several sums of money through the hands of French, Sandon, and a Mr. Corri, also one of her agents, all of whom can be brought as witnesses to this transaction. There was one sum of 500l. which she received from Mr. Corri, and which was paid through the hands of another agent, a Mr. Cockayne, a solicitor, in Lyon's Inn. Mr. Donovan, whom I have mentioned as a Lieutenant of the Royal Garrison Battalion, was the agent who gave in writing, to the parties applying for promotion, a statement of the prices which Mrs. Clarke asked for what she had to sell. The half-pay prices appear to have been, for a majority, 9007.; a company, 700,; a lieutenancy, 400/.; and an ensigncy, 2004.. The full-pay prices were, for a majority, 2,600/.; a company, 1,500l.; a ́lieutepancy, 5501.; and an ensigncy, 400l. Thus far it appears that

Mrs.