her defence.

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cided without ever hearing her in tended, and readily believed opinion, that when the sceptre The main charge, lurking be-" of my Father should descend hind, is, that, in 1813, the Queen" to me, I should, from among became a politician; that she" those associates, have chosen made the domestic dispute a "the members of my administraquestion of factious politics; and "tion. During the discussion that, therefore, she then forfeited" of the terms of the regency, all claim to any species of indul-" was careful to avoid giving any gence; though by-the-by, I never" pledge of the line of policy I heard, that her Majesty ever ask-" might find it expedient to ed for any indulgence. "adopt. A short previous ad-. This is, however, a curious" ministration, composed of charge; and, as the reader will those political friends by whom presently see, as unfounded as "it was conjectured my counall the rest. There is a very" cils would have been directed, pretty passage that precedes this" had enabled me to form some charge against the Queen, and in" opinion of their executive tathis passage her alledged political" lents; and notwithstanding, interfering is ascribed to the" an overture was made by me Whigs! It is fitting that both" to them, to propose an admiKing and Queen should know the "nistration. But when I found rea! facts of the case, which I" the conditions required would am very certain they do not, and which 1 am also certain, that no-" body will, or can, state to them, except myself. But, first, let us hear what this writer in the" king's name says on the subject; for, here, is the apology for not" taking the Whigs into power in" 1812, when the Prince became Regent. "The distinguished. "characters with whom, in my "earlier years, I had intimately associated, had created in the

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have reduced me to a mere political automaton, of which they were to possess the key; that not content with forming the administration, they required also, that I should be surrounded in my houseold by their adherents, and left to no.. choice in the appointment of my own attendants; when with this, 1 compared the candour and the unequivocal. absence of all personal feeling

"public mind, a widely ex-with which the bill creating

"all,

was

"the regency was carried by" ther, during my Sovereign's "the then ministry; and above" life, I ought, as Regent, to all, the frank, loyal and re-" adopt the principles of those "spectful regret which "who had been violently op"shewn to the calamity of my " posed to my Royal Father's "revered Parent; and the so im- "measures, or pursue a line of "mediate provision made for the" policy unchanged, and such as “ ́resumption by him of the regal" my King would have continued dignity, that should it have" had he remained the active pleased Providence so to have" head of the Empire. This was "restored him; my Royal Fa-" a feeling of THE HEART; "ther would have awakened, as "it was MINE.”

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"if from a dream, and have Reader, bear in mind, that "found himself unreminded of it is not the king who says this; "his affliction; when to this I and, therefore, if you can sup"added the important conside-press your contempt for the "ration, that the flame of free-writer, you may laugh at it as "dom was beginning to glimmer long as you please. Compare "'in Spain; that the then ad- this wretched stuff with the lan"ministration were prepared to guage of the Queen, when her "take advantage of every cir- Majesty puts pen to paper. How"cumstance favourable to the ever, here you have this man's "destruction of the military ty-reasons for the king's not "rant of Europe; and when all choosing his servants from "these various considerations amongst his old friends, in 1812. "were upheld by the weight of And then, you are told by this "personal character which was Parasite, that the rejection of "contained in the then cabinet; these old friends caused the ma“I felt sufficiently justified in not trimonial differences “to be con"suffering former prepossessions" verted into a political attack "to stand for one moment in " upon the king's authority.” "the way of newly created du- Nothing can be more false than ties. I felt that an existing ex-this. The Whigs, as a party, perienced executive, was, at never took the part of the "such a time, safer than a theo-Queen. "retical cabinet. I had also a but the Whigs never did. Per

Mr. Whitbread did;

doubt in my own mind, whe-ceval and his party had, indeed,

taken her part. By so doing itself with politics. It is also true, they had put the Whigs out in that that which was done at that 1807; and if Perceval had been time laid the foundation of all the put out, in 1812, when the Prince popular support, that her Mabecame Regent, he would, jesty has now received; and, it without doubt, have brought her is further true, that the prime case forward again! Nobody mover in what was then done was can doubt of this; and, therefore, not Peter Moore nor Edward Ellice it is not quite impossible, that nor the heroes Brougham and this, amongst others, might be a Denman, but that it was myself, reason for the king rejecting his which, I am sure, will be a piece old friends, and for keeping Per- of news to the King, the Queen, ceval and his people in power; a the Ministry, the Whigs, and the reason pretty nearly as powerful, People. And now I will relate the perhaps, as the" favoring of the facts, precisely as they took place; "cause of freedom in Spain." The and, when, reader, you have heard Whigs could not, as things then them, you will exclaim, with some stood, very well take part with the character in Shakespeare, “how Princess. It was under them that" poor a thing may do a noble the Inquiry took place in 1806;" office!" And you will recollect therefore, they, though out, the mouse, in the fable, that let could not well meddle with a the lion loose from the toils of his matter, which, if it all came out, hunters. made against them very much," In 1807, the result of the inas they then stood. So that, by vestigation began to make some keeping in Perceval and his men, noise; and the Morning Post had both parties would naturally re-violently attacked the Douglases. main quiet as to the princess. Sir John Douglas wrote to me This is what did happen; and protesting, that all the swearings * what a deal, then, has the affair were true; and I, in consequence of this Lady had to do in the of that, published some articles great concerns of this country, bearing on that side, though the for many years past! whole amount of what was known at that time was little more than mere

But, it is very true, that, at the epoch here alluded to, the affair

of the Queen did make a great

stir, and was fast going on to mix

rumour. Perceval came into power; all was hushed up; and the public remained in total

darkness, until 1812; the period |sented on his being appointed above referred to by this Para- Regent. I contended, that adsite. dresses ought also to be pre

In 1811, I had gotten posses-sented to the Princess; and, in sion of all the material parts of the City of London, by a worthy "THE BOOK." When, there- Alderman, always her friend, fore, the Prince became Regent, I some movements were made toendeavoured to bring the matter wards this measure. These were forward, by insisting on the pro- counteracted by movements on priety of the Princess holding her the part of others, whom it is courts, as the Prince, her hus-not necessary now to point out; . band was now holding his. My and, thus, no addresses were, at › motive in this was, my conviction that time presented

the

In 1813, when all was settled down into tranquillity with regard to this affair; when not à word was said about the Prin cess, the thing was again put, in motion, and "the Book" was forced out in the following

manner.

hidden many years from the eyes of the People, if the Princess remained silent, 'till the Prince became king, the people would, Mr. Cochrane Johnstone was, at least, think that there was at that time, a Member of Pura something to hide; and that liament; and to him I proposed they would easily acquiesce in the measure of bringing forward her degradation. Besides, the a motion in parliament, such as witnesses might all die. The should compel an open and exLords of the Commission might plicit declaration, in Parliament, die. Not a single copy of "the of the innocence of the Princess, Book" might be left in exist- and of the falsehood of the charges ence; and, there might remain preferred against her in 1806. to the Princess no possible chance Mr. JOHNSTONE, who of obtaining even a hearing. gallant and active and zealous An opportunity for starting and honest politician, caught at the question offered, when Ad-any proposition. The nature of dresses to the Prince were pre- the motion was settled between

a

us at his house in Alsop's was drawn out in the Debates, Buildings about twelve o'clock; that it was better, even for the and, in five hours afterwards, enemies of the Princess, to pub he had given notice of his mo- lish the whole. Accordingly, out tion in the House of Commons! came the Book, first from the shop It was a real pleasure to have of Mr. Jones, I think it was, in to act with this gentleman. Newgate Street, and, afterwards, Always sober; always up early; from every shop in the kingdom. always ready; always decisive This was what I wanted. The and prompt; and never moping PEOPLE were now the judges. in despair. Never was a man We, of the press, had now matter more calumniated than Mr. John-whereon to work openly! Wę stone has been.

had before been compelled to confine ourselves to suppositions and hints. But now we had all the facts and circumstances; we had the history of the Investigation; we had the evidence; we

The motion consisted of two Resolutions; and though, certainly, they did appear to be wholly uncalled for by any thing then before the public, still they had enough of plausibility in had the Princess's defence in them to raise a long debate, her Letters to the King; and, we his part of which the mover were enabled to maintain her performed with admirable dex-cause boldly and effectually. terity. Mr. Whitbread took the This was a most important matter up; the Douglases were service rendered to the Princess; roughly handled; the Lords and, I say this without any scruCommissioners did not escape;ple, because I am sure, that I and, in short, the subject en-shall never accept of reward, in gaged the exclusive attention any shape, or of any kind, at her of the public.

hands. It was a most important service, because it made the People her judges; because it esta❤ blished her innocence; because

We (who were in possession of "the book" ourselves) only wanted to get that Book into the hands of the public, and through a it excited, in her favour, those channel not our own. Care was feelings, which never ceased to taken to work into the Revolu-exist in the public breast; with tions enough to excite uncommon which feelings she was received curiosity; and, at last, so much at Dover; and which feelings

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