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self, of this be assured, that you shall not experience uneasiness of my occasioning. Though thus decided at present, yet permit me to say that it does not arise from viewing otherwise the severe and cruel injury of putting me on half-pay. Independent of present mortification, my prospects in the active line of my profession are ruined by it, and, God knows they are not very brilliant, considering either the length, or the nature of my services. Further, madam, in my present separation from my children, it creates in me sensations particularly painful, when I reflect, that if approaching that state to which we must all at some period arrive, that I could not, (by this measure) have the consolation of resigning my commission by sale for the benefit of my large family, and that they should, in this event have no other memento of my having served 23 years, than in the expences of the purchase, &c. &c. of some commissions. In such cases the humane consideration of the present Commander in Chief have been eminently distinguished.

I shall no longer tre-pass; my only apology rests in that every feeling is involved in the present object. I had even appropriated my full pay for the education of two children remaining in England; but illness has for some time deprived me of all my family. Let me, Madam, owe good offices to you, and I shall be ever grateful. From your explaining this case, I'am certain that his justice will be extended to me. Let me not be driven from my profession. Do away the present bar to my family joining me at the Cape; for I am sure that your sentiments will accord, that l'ought not not to serve when no longer with honour and on a reciprocal footing with those similarly appointed.

"We are not likely, I fear, to be a healthy fleet; some ships are very crowded, and sickness has already made its appearance; and there are two ships, I hear, without either doctor or medicines. Farewel: and I hope to receive your commands.

"Do away the present evil, and unite the appointments I mentioned, and I will annually reniit 3007. Whilst I remain, remember, do me justice, let not any thing prevent this; allow not self, or family, have ever to say, that we owed inisfortune to such a hand."

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I understood you to have mentioned on a former night, that you never had represented yourself as being a widow; do you now abide by that answer? Does the gentleman mean represented, or that I have ever said so?

Have you ever said that you were, or represented yourself to be a widow? If I have ever said so, it was never but at the Court Martial; if it was ever at any other time, it must have been in joke; but I never represented myself to be so; the two meanings are so different, of saying and representing.

Do you ever recollect yourself to have stated yourself a widow at any other time but on the occasion of the Court Martial? I do not; but if the gentleman will put me in mind at what time, or to whom, I will answer to the best of my recollection,

Do you ever recollect yourself to have stated yourself to be a widow

at any other time, but on the occasion of the Court Martial? Then I mist repeat the same answer.

Have you ever called yourself by any other name than that of Clarke, since the year 1800? I do not recollect that I have; but it is very likely, to avoid bailiffs.

is it so common a thing in you to assume a false name, that you cannot positively say when you assumed such a name, or indeed whe ther you did so at all or not? I only wish the gentleman to point out, and I will answer it immediately, any pointed question.

Is it so common a thing in you to assume a false name, that you can not positively say when you assumed such a name, or indeed whether you did so at all or not? I do not recollect that I have done so.

Do you recollect to have gone by the name of Dowler? No, I do ro: but it is very likely others might call me so; I never represented myself as Mrs. Dowler.

Then you say positively, that you never called yourself by the name of Dowler, or represented yourself as bearing that name? No, I have not, without it might be in joke, and if that is asked me, I will answer the question; it must have been to some acquaintance, if to any body, as I have always lived under my own name.

Did you not, within the time alluded to, live at Hampstead, assuming to yourself the name of Dowler? No. I lived at Hampstead, but under my own name.

Nor in the neighbourhood of Hampstead? No, never any where, but in my own name.

In whose house have you lived at Hampstead? Mr. Nichols's. How long did you live at Mr. Nichols's! I cannot recollect how long.

A considerable time? Some months.

During the whole of which you passed under your own name of Clarke? During the whole time.

In what year did you live at Hampstead? Part of the year 1808, and the end of the year 1807.

You have stated when you were last here, that you had seen Mr. Dowler but twice since his arrival in England; once on a Sunday, when he called relative to the business now under inquiry, and onee in the witnesses' room in this House; do you abide by that assertion? I will not be caught in a story about that, and therefore I shall say I did see him once besides,

Do you mean to say that you were caught in a story, when you be fore represented that you had seen him but twice? No; it is now perhaps you wish to catch ine in one.

Did you not say that you had seen Mr. Dowler only twice? It is very likely I might have said so.

Is that true or false? It is true that I have seen him twice, and it is also true that I have seen him three times.

Where did you see Mr. Dowler the third time which you now allude to? in this house.

How often have you seen Mr. Dowler besides those three times, since is return iro Portugal? Those three times. Once since→ yesterday.

That is the whole number of times that you have seen Mr. Dowler since his arrival in England? I believe that the honourable gentleman

can tell pretty well, for his garret window is very convenient for his prying disposition, as it overlooks my house.

This is the whole number of times that you have seen Mr. Dowler since his arrival in England Yes.

You are sure of that? Yes.

You are not now afraid of being caught in a story; you answer with

perfect recollection? If the honourable gentleman wishes it, I will say have seen him oftener, if it will at all tend to any thing: I do not wish to conceal that Mr. Dowler is a very particular friend of mine.

[The Chairman informed the witness that she did not stand there to make observations on the gentlemen who examined her, but to give correct and proper answers to the questions put to her.] I have, as well as I can recollect.

At what other places than those you have already mentioned, and at what other times, have you seen Mr. Dowler since his arrival in England? I have seen him at his own hotel.

When? The first night he came home, I believe, but which was to have been a perfect secret, as I elid not wish my own family, or any one, to know I saw him that night.

Only the first night he came home? And the other times I have stated.

[The witness was directed to withdraw.}

Mr. Wilberforce here observed, that these questions had no tendency whatever to elucidate the important inquiry before the Committee; they were in his opinion irrelevant and foreign to the principal object.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer was never more surprized than to hear such observations fall from the honourable gentleman. Surely nothing was more material in How this inquiry than these and similar questions. could the testimony of the witness be either contradicted or brought into discredit, unless questions were so shaped, that by the answers given, the truth or falsehood of her evidence would be apparent. He, therefore, thought his honourable friend (Mr. Croker) was perfectly correct in the train in which he put the questions to the witness.

Mr. Fitzgerald considered the honourable gentlemen (Mr. Wilberforce) as perfectly correct in his observations relative to the irrelevancy of the questions, as they merely went to introduce into the inquiry extraneous matter, and could not in any degree affect the testimony of the wit

ness.

Mr. Croker re; lied with much warmth to the remarks made by the honourable gentleman who spoke last; and insisted not only on the relevancy, but absolute necessity of pursuing the inquiry by such questions as he put to the witness.

Sir G. Warrender admitted that the questions put by the honourable gentleman bore upon the credibility of the witness; at the same time he was not of opinion, that in whatever manner they might be answered, they would imply that sort of contradiction which was calculated to remove the impression of the evidence from the mind of the public. It had been said by a right honourable gentleman opposite (Mr. Long), that there were no minutes of the recommendation which led to Mr. Dowler's appointment at the Treasury. Now if it should be found that such a minute did exist

Here the honourable gentleman was called to order by General Stewart.

Sir George Warrender said, that his object was to shew that the examination of the honourable gentleman (Mr. Croker), could not lead to any result at all satisfactory to the country and in his opinion, it would be much bet ter to make the questions to bear on facts, than upon any flaw which might afterwards be detected in the consistency of the evidence,

Mr. Bragge Bathurst declared, that if this line of examination was not tolerated, he did not see how the Committee could at all arrive at the truth. If the evidence of only one person was brought to substantiate a fact, it was surely of no small importance to know whe ther the testimony of this person ought or ought not to be believed.

Mr. Adam contended, that the examination instituted by the honourable gentleman, affected the credibility of Dowler as well as of Mrs. Clarke, and on that account it was of no small importance. Dowler had given in evi, dence, that he had obtained the appointment through the influence of Mrs. Clarke; he had also declared, that he had only seen her twice since his return from Portugal. Now if he was convicted of saying what was not true in the one case, it was by no means improbable that he may have spoken falschood in both.

[The witness was again called in.]

Are those the whole of the times you have seen Mr. Dowler since his arrival in England? Yes, they are,

You have stated you saw Mr. Dowler at his hotel; how often did you see Mr Dowler at his hotel? I have told you, once.

Only once? Only once.

What day was that? I have already stated, it was the first day he came home,

On Thursday? Yes, on Thursday. What time of the day did you see him at his hotel on the Thursday? At night.

Did you pass under your own name, of Clarke, on that occasion? I passed under no name.

Do you now perfectly recollect that you saw him at his hotel since his arrival in England but on that one occasion, that Thursday night? No, the other times I have stated.

At what hotel did you see him? At Reid's, in St. Martin's-lane.

Did you see him more than one time at that hotel? No, I did not, I saw him at my own house afterwards.

Were you in company with Mr. Dowler for a considerable time upon that occasion? I have stated that I was in company with Mr. Dowler; and I beg leave to ask the Chair, whether this is a proper question, whether it is not unbecoming the dignity of the House?

Did you see Mr. Dowler on the Friday morning?

[The witness was ordered to withdraw,

[The witness was again called in, and the question was proposed.] My visit continued till the Friday morning.

Had you any credit with the Duke of York's bankers? Which of them?

With either of them? With neither,

Did you ever draw any bills upon the Duke of York, which he accepted? No; it was given out at the Horse-Guards, that I had committed a forgery upon the Duke for 2000l. which I did not, and it followed me all over the country, and many persons were very much inclined to believe it, as Mrs. Hamilton Pye, Colonel Gordon's sister, said she knew it of her own knowledge.

Did you ever draw any bills upon the Duke of York, which he accepted? No, he always drew them and accepted them himself; I never had any thing to do with them, he did the whole.

Do you mean you never sent a bill, drawn upon the Duke of York, to Birkett's the silversmith's? Once or twice his Royal Highness gave me small bills for three or four hundred pounds, but they were his own signing and drawing up; it was to get my necklace, or something in that way, from Parker's, in Fleet-street, but I never drew a bill, nor never touched any thing of the kind: but I was always obliged to sign something else private to Parker, for he would not take his Royal Highness's bill without my doing so.

Then you deny that you sent any bill drawn by the Duke of York or yourself upon the Duke of York to Birkett's the silversmith's? I never sent any to Birkett's.

You have stated the number of horses and servants you kept, and that his Royal Highness allowed you only a thousand pounds a year; I believe you remained under the protection of the Duke of York for three years, during that time did not his Royal Highness pay you to the amount of 25,0001, in those three years? O dear, no! He very frequently did not make good his monthly payments, and for the three mouths before he left me I never had a guinea from him; and although Mr. Adam has stated that his Royal Highness parted with me on ac Count of a bill, his Royal Highness never had the generosity to give me the money for that bill; it was only 1301. and I never had a guinea

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