1820
are so closely interwoven with the weal and wo of the British people,
that it may be considered as one of the most serious periods in English
history.
On the 15th of January, the Duke of Kent became indisposed with a severe
cold. On the 17th of the same month, it was reported, "that his royal
highness' illness had assumed most alarming symptoms;" and Sir David
Dundas went off expressly to Sidmouth to attend his royal highness. The
duke's disorder increased, and at half-past one, P. M., January 23rd,
this prince was deprived of his mortal existence, in the fifty-third
year of his age. But a few days before, his royal highness was in good
health, and in the prime of life! The public will one day be made
acquainted with the particulars of the REAL CAUSE of his death. At
present, we shall only observe, that his royal highness was too virtuous
to be allowed to live long in a vicious court!
The public journals dwelt with much force upon the kind attentions and
tender offices performed by the duchess, which, if true, were only what
every good wife ought to have done. Who can be nearer to a wife than her
husband? and what lady of feeling and integrity would not blush to be
negligent in the best services and the most unwearied attentions to the
ordained partner of her life? Royalty, however, has so many and such
peculiar privileges, that what is considered _wonderous grace_ with them
is merely thought _common decency_ in the vulgar part of Adam's
offspring.
About this time, the king's health was stated to be "very much on the
decline," (hypocrisy!) and the journals announced "that George the Third
expired without a struggle, on the 29th of January, in the eighty-second
year of his age, and the sixtieth of his reign." But we have the
gratification of setting history right in this particular. Of course,
the letters and notices of this intelligence were immediately forwarded
by the appointed messengers to the several foreign courts. It would be
unnecessary for us here to offer any remark upon the character of George
the Third, as we have previously noticed the origin of that unhappy
disease which so lamentably afflicted him during the latter years of his
truly unfortunate life. His majesty bequeathed a sum of money to each of
his sons; but George the Fourth thought proper to withhold the Duke of
Sussex's portion. This unjust act was the primary cause of the quarrel
between these royal brothers, which lasted till the death of George the
Fourth. But, as "kings can do no wrong," little was thought of his
majesty's dishonesty. Monarchs are aware of their privileges, and have,
therefore, in many instances, not scrupled to commit the most heinous
crimes. His late majesty was one of this kind, and yet he was called
"His most gracious, religious, and benevolent majesty!" What a
profanation of terms were these!
As a necessary preliminary to a new reign, George the Fourth was
proclaimed in London on the 31st of the same month.
In February, a _pretended_ mysterious political plot was publicly
adverted to, by the name of "The Cato-street Conspiracy." It was said
that information having been received at Bow-street, that a meeting of
armed persons was to be held at a house in Cato-street, Mary-la-bonne,
and, as the magistrates feared something serious would be the result,
they forwarded a formidable body of their officers to the place. On the
arrival of these persons, they found the number of men amounted to
thirty, armed with guns, swords, daggers, and other weapons, and
appeared ready to leave the place, which was a hayloft at the top of the
house. The officers demanded an entrance, which was refused. Captain
Fitzclarence then arrived, with a party of the guards, and a scene of
much violence ensued. Some of the party were taken to Bow-street, which
was lined with soldiers. The result proved serious to a police officer,
named Smythers, who was stabbed in the affray, which produced his death;
and it was sworn, that Arthur Thistlewood inflicted the wound.
This heart-rending tragedy was generally thought to have been produced
by _government spies_; indeed, several newspapers stated as much at the
time. We, however, KNOW such to have been the case, and that the
characters of "blood-hounds" were but too well performed. Our bosoms
swell with indignation at the recollection of such monstrous plots
against the lives and liberties of our countrymen, and we regret that
the plotters did not fall into their own snares.
On the morning after this lamentable occurrence, a "Gazette
Extraordinary" was issued, signed "SIDMOUTH," offering one thousand
pounds for the detection of Arthur Thistlewood, who stood charged with
the crime of high treason. The reward had the desired effect, as he was
soon apprehended. Three of his companions were afterwards taken, and
FIVE MARTYRS, in all, suffered as traitors on the 1st of May.
Let us not, in common with hirelings, talk of the "wisdom of ministers,"
and the "bravery of the guards," combined with the several loathsome
execrations on artificers and agriculturists; but let us inquire, is
there no resemblance to be observed between this conspiracy and the
Manchester massacre? The intelligent reader will not find the similarity
difficult to trace.
The queen's return to England being now expected, Mr. Canning resigned
his place in the cabinet as president of the Board of Controul, and
retired to the Continent. One of his biographers says, "His conduct on
this occasion, according to universal consent, was marked by the most
perfect correctness and delicacy of feeling." Perhaps it might be so
considered by some people; but to us it does appear that a man of sound
public principles, of high and honourable private feelings, had no
middle course to take at this juncture. Either the Queen of England was
GUILTY, or she was the MOST PERSECUTED AND AGGRIEVED OF WOMEN. Will any
one say that, in the _first_ instance, it was the duty of a minister of
high station to desert the painful, but responsible, situation in which
he stood, from any feeling of esteem or attachment to an individual so
unworthy? In the other case, if Queen Caroline, as almost every body
believed, and as Mr. Brougham _solemnly swore he believed_, was
INNOCENT, was there any circumstance or consideration upon earth,--the
wreck of ambition, the loss of fortune, or the fear of even death
itself,--which should have induced an English gentleman, a man of
honour, a man who had the _feelings of a man_, to leave a FEMALE, whom
he called "FRIEND," beneath the weight of so awful an oppression? To us,
we must confess, Mr. Canning's conduct on this occasion appears one of
the greatest blots we are acquainted with upon his public and private
character, the almost unequivocal proof of a mind unused to the habit of
taking sound and elevated views of the human action. Mr. Canning had,
during a long career,--a career continued through nearly thirty
years,--been the forward and unflinching opponent of popular principles
and concessions. He had never once shrunk from abridging the liberties
of the subject; he had never once shown trepidation at any extraordinary
powers demanded by the crown. With his arms folded, and his looks erect,
he had sanctioned, without scruple, the severest laws against the
press; he had advocated the arbitrary imprisonment of the free citizen;
he had eulogized the forcible repression of public meetings; and he had
constantly declared himself the determined enemy of parliamentary
reform. The only subject on which he professed liberal opinions (the
Catholic question) was precisely that subject to which the great bulk of
the community was indisposed. Such had been the career, such was the
character, of Mr. Canning up to the time of his cowardly desertion of
the injured Caroline, Queen of England!
Her majesty was now daily expected to land upon our shores; and powerful
as was the arm of tyranny, her arrival was much feared by her husband
and his ministers.
We have before mentioned that the queen desired several times, _most
particularly_, to see Mr. Brougham. It is true that various places for
meeting had been appointed; but some apology or other was invariably
made by the learned gentleman. Her majesty finally wrote that she should
be at St. Omers on a certain day, ON HER WAY TO ENGLAND, in the
metropolis of which she was resolved to arrive as soon as possible. Her
majesty had previously appointed Mr. Brougham her attorney-general,
desiring he would choose a solicitor to act with him, and he named Mr.
Denman. One excuse for not attending to his appointment with the queen,
Mr. Brougham ascribed to his electioneering business in Westmoreland;
and another was, Mrs. Brougham's being in a situation too delicate for
him to leave her. Such excuses ought not to have prevented Mr.
Brougham's giving his attention to the important business of the queen;
indeed, he was once within four leagues of her majesty's abode, with a
CERTAIN LETTER in his pocket from the _highest authorities_; but Mr.
Brougham did not venture to lay it before the queen, nor did he seek for
an interview. The commission thus entrusted to this learned gentleman
was the same which Lord Hutchinson undertook some time afterwards.
The queen felt very indignant at Mr. Brougham's so repeatedly declining
his engagements, and wrote to Lord Liverpool to request his lordship
would send a frigate to convey her to England. Fearing, however, that
this might be against the state projects then in contemplation, the
queen, by the same post, wrote to her former friend and lady in waiting,
Lady Anne Hamilton, to repair to her immediately at St. Omers, and
attend her in her former capacity; and also, to Alderman Wood, that if
Lord Liverpool refused or delayed to send a frigate, the Alderman would
hire a vessel for the purpose of bringing her to this country
immediately.
Little time was lost in obeying these commands of the Queen of England.
In the mean time, Mr. Brougham wrote to her majesty, requesting leave to
meet her at Calais; to which the queen replied, she should choose to see
him at the inn at St. Omers. Shortly after the arrival of her majesty's
lady in waiting and the alderman, Mr. Brougham was announced, and
informed her majesty that he was accompanied by Lord Hutchinson, (now
Lord Donoughmore) the KING'S PARTICULAR FRIEND, who was the bearer of a
message to her majesty from the king, and asked leave when he might have
the honour of introducing him to her majesty. "No, no, Mr. Brougham,
(said the queen) no conversations for me; he must put it in writing, if
you please; we are at war at present." "But, madam, it is impossible
that so many scraps of different conversations can be properly
arranged." "Then, I don't see Lord Hutchinson," said the queen. "Madam,
if you insist upon it, it shall be done; and when will your majesty be
pleased to receive it?" "To-morrow morning you may bring it me; and so
good evening to you, as I suppose you are fatigued with your journey."
The next morning, Mr. Brougham arrived with Lord Hutchinson's letter,
which the queen opened and read in Mr. Brougham's presence; in the
conclusion of that letter, her majesty was earnestly entreated to wait
the return of a courier from Paris. "PARIS! PARIS!" said the queen,
"what have I to do with PARIS?" Mr. Brougham, in _much confusion_, said,
"Your majesty MUST HAVE MISTAKEN; it must mean _Calais_; my friend is
too honourable to mean any thing of that kind, or to do any thing
wrong." "No, no, Mr. Brougham; Paris, Paris! Look there!" pointing the
sentence out to him. Then added the queen, "You will come and dine with
me to-day." "May not I bring Lord Hutchinson with me, please your
majesty?" "Certainly not." "But I hope you will see Lord Hutchinson?"
"Yes; let him come directly." The queen then assembled her whole
household, and received his lordship in the midst of a _formal circle_,
talked upon indifferent subjects for about a quarter of an hour; then
rose, and, gracefully courtesying, left the room. Most of the household
followed; and Mr. Brougham, with his friend, Lord Hutchinson, did not
remain long behind. Mr. Brougham afterwards returned; but appeared
exceedingly disconcerted. Lady Hamilton was present, and tried to draw
him into conversation upon various subjects; but he answered, rather
abruptly, "You and the alderman are leading the queen to her
destruction." The lady replied, that was a mistake; she did not
interfere in political affairs. Mr. Brougham begged pardon, and the
subject was ended by the queen entering the room to dinner. The dinner
passed off very well; her majesty appeared in good spirits, as did Mr.
Brougham. It was the queen's general practice not to sit long after
dinner; she, therefore, soon retired with her lady; and the gentlemen
adjourned to the drawing-room to await the serving of coffee. By her
majesty's orders, her maids were waiting with her travelling dress, with
the carriages all ready in the court-yard, in the first of which her
majesty immediately seated herself, as also Lady Hamilton and Alderman
Wood. The moment before her majesty drove out of the yard, she desired
her maitre d'hotel to inform Mr. Brougham "that the queen would drink
coffee with him _in London_;" yet five minutes had not elapsed from
leaving the dinner-table to her driving out from the inn, as fast as
four post-horses could convey her. This was the only time her majesty
was ever known to show fear; but, at the appearance of any horseman, she
became very much agitated from the supposition that she should be
detained in France, under a PRETENCE of not having a correct passport,
the want of horses, or some such trivial excuse. The queen was aware
that the King of England had, not long before, placed Louis the
Eighteenth upon the throne of France; therefore he could not object to
_any_ proposition her husband thought proper to require. Her majesty
also KNEW that a courier had been despatched to PARIS, and that that
courier was one of _Mr. Brougham's brothers_! Mr. Brougham himself
actually joined with Lord Hutchinson in trying to persuade her majesty
to remain in France till the return of the courier. The queen's active
and intelligent mind saw every thing at a glance, and she _acted_ with
the promptitude of her character. Alderman Wood proposed that her
majesty should rest that night at D'Estaing's fine hotel at Calais,
instead of sleeping on board a common packet, which would not sail till
the morning. "No, no," said the queen, "drive straight to the shore;"
and out she got like a girl of fifteen, and was in the packet before any
one else. "There," said her majesty, "now I can breathe freely--now I am
protected by English laws." The queen was hardly seated, when Alderman
Wood presented her with a note from Mr. Brougham, entreating her
majesty to return, if only for the night, to D'Estaing's, and promising
that no harm should happen to her. "No, no," replied the queen, "I am
safe here, and I WILL NOT TRUST HIM;" and then threw a mattress in the
middle of her cabin, with some blankets, and slept there all night. In
the morning, when her majesty was about to land at Dover, she seemed a
little intimidated, in consequence of the dense multitude through which
she had to pass. Her majesty's fears, however, were entirely groundless,
as she soon found the hearts of Britons were friendly to her cause,
though they exemplified it rather roughly; for her feet were never
permitted to touch the ground from the time her majesty left the vessel
till her arrival at the inn, which she availed herself of with feelings
of the most gratifying description, at the sympathy manifested in the
cause of persecuted virtue.
As soon as her majesty could procure horses, she set forward to
Canterbury, where she was received with similar acclamations. The
populace insisted upon drawing her majesty out of the town, and then
would not suffer the horses to be put to without her personal
entreaties. Thousands of blessings were poured on her head, without one
dissenting voice; and in this manner did her majesty proceed all the way
to London.
The queen took up her abode at 77, South Audley-street, until another
more suitable residence could be provided for her. The family of
Alderman Wood, who previously inhabited this house, left it immediately
after receiving intelligence that her majesty would make a temporary use
of it, and they occupied apartments at Flagdon's hotel.
On the ensuing day, several of the nobility and members of the House of
Commons called to inquire after her majesty's health. On the ninth of
this month, her majesty removed from South Audley-street to 32,
Portman-square, the residence of the Right Honourable Lady Anne
Hamilton, by whom the queen was attended. Her ladyship's servants were
continued, and her majesty was much pleased with the respectful and
generous attentions rendered.
On the 16th, the queen received an address from the common council of
the city of London, to which she returned an answer, so feelingly
expressed, as to excite the sympathy and admiration of all present.
On the afternoon of the sixth day of the queen's entry into London, a
message was delivered from the king to both houses of parliament,
communicating certain reports and papers respecting the queen's
misconduct while abroad. On the following Thursday, a committee was
appointed in the House of Lords; but the queen transmitted a
communication to the House of Commons, protesting against the reference
of her accusations to a SECRET TRIBUNAL, and soliciting an open
investigation of her conduct.
Thus was commenced a prosecution in principle and object every way
calculated to rouse the generous and constitutional feelings of the
nation; and the effects were without a parallel in the history of all
countries! Could a more outrageous insult possibly have been offered to
her dignity, to the honour of her husband the king, or to the morality
and decency of the community at large?
Up to this time, Prince Leopold had not tendered his respects to her
majesty; yet he was the widowed husband of the queen's only and
dearly-beloved daughter! His serene highness had been raised from a
state of comparative poverty and obscurity to be honoured with the hand
of England's favourite princess, from whose future reign was expected a
revival of commerce and an addition of glory. Though this prince was
enjoying an annual income of FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS from the country;
though he had town and country residences, of great extent and
magnificent appearance; though he abounded with horses and carriages;
yet not one offer did he make of any of these superfluous matters to the
mother of his departed wife, by whose means he had become possessed of
them all! Gratitude, however, is generally esteemed a _virtue_, and
therefore a German prince could not be supposed to know any thing about
it.
About this period, her majesty received numerous communications, tending
to prove the infamous proceedings against her to have been adopted
without reference to honour or principle, and to warn her from falling
into the snares of her mercenary and vindictive enemies. We lay before
our readers the following, as sufficient to establish this fact.
"An officer of the frigate which took her majesty (when Princess of
Wales) to the Continent averred, in the presence of three
_unimpeachable_ witnesses, that a very few days before her majesty's
embarkation, CAPTAIN KING, while sitting at breakfast in his cabin with
the surgeon of the frigate, received a letter from a _brother of the
prince regent_, which he read aloud, in the presence of the said
surgeon, as follows:
"DEAR KING,
"You are going to be ordered to take the Princess of Wales to the
Continent. IF YOU DON'T COMMIT ADULTERY WITH HER, YOU ARE A DAMNED FOOL!
You have _my_ consent for it, and I can assure you that you have that of
_MY BROTHER, THE REGENT_.
"Your's,
(Signed) ********.
"The officer who made the above statement and declaration is a most
CREDITABLE PERSON, and the witnesses are all in this country."
"_London, May 7th, 1820._
"Furnished to supply the queen with PROOF that the _royal duke_ in
question is leagued against her, in accordance with the WISHES OF THE
KING!"
"PRIVATE DOCUMENT.
"Captain King's agent is Mr. STILLWELL, 22, Arundel-street, Strand,
London; and the surgeon, who was present during the period the royal
duke's letter was read, is JAMES HALL. The witnesses were--Mr.
FRESHFIELD, 3, Tokenhouse-yard; Mr. HOLMES, 3, Lyon's-inn; and Mr.
STOKOE, 2, Lancaster-court; as also before BARRY O'MEARA.
(Signed) "BARRY E. O'MEARA."
On the 24th of June, a deputation of the House of Commons was appointed
to wait upon her majesty with the resolutions adopted by the House on
Thursday, the 22nd. They arrived at a quarter past one o'clock. Mr.
Wilberforce and Mr. S. Wortley occupied the first carriage. At their
appearance, strong symptoms of displeasure were indicated. They were
then introduced to the queen, Mr. Brougham standing at her majesty's
right hand, and Mr. Denman at her left. They severally knelt and kissed
her majesty's hand. Mr. Wilberforce then read the resolutions, and her
majesty replied to them. On their departure, Mr. Brougham accompanied
the deputation to the door; and, after they had taken their seats in the
carriages, Mr. Brougham returned to shake hands with them, although the
multitudes assembled outside hissed them exceedingly.
Her majesty's answer to the before-mentioned resolutions was superior to
the tricks of her enemies. In it the queen refused terms of
conciliation, unless they accorded with her duty to her own character,
to the king, and to the nation! "A sense of what is due to my character
and sex," said the queen, "forbids me to refer minutely to the REAL
CAUSE of our domestic differences!" Indeed, her majesty's reply was an
appeal to those principles of public justice, which should be alike the
safeguard of the highest and the humblest individuals. Mr. Wilberforce
exposed himself to much censure upon the part he had taken in the House;
and, as he so unhesitatingly hinted at the awful contents of the "Green
Bag," he said, "by suppressing her own feelings, the queen would endear
herself to the country." We suppose Mr. Wilberforce meant, that, by
suppressing her own feelings of honour, she would gratify the honour of
the country; and, by again quitting it, demonstrate her gratitude for
its unshaken loyalty; but the queen was firm in her resolve to _claim
justice_, whether it was given or withheld.
In considering these base endeavours to injure innocence, in order to
raise the _noble_ character of a voluptuous prince, we cannot help
remarking that POWER was the _only_ weapon of the vitiated monarch,
while RIGHT and JUSTICE formed the shield of the oppressed Queen of
England! Indeed, every man, glowing with the sincere love of his
country, and actuated by that honourable affection for its welfare,
which takes a lively and zealous interest in passing events, must have
considered such proceedings against her majesty fraught with inevitable
evil. If her innocence, according to the prayers of millions of her
subjects, should be made manifest, the public indignation would be sure
to be roused, and probably prove resentful. The evidence was known to be
of a description on which no magistrate would convict a common
pickpocket, and therefore if the legislature should even be induced to
consider her majesty guilty of the charges preferred against her, public
opinion would certainly refuse to ratify the sentence, and turn with
disgust from those promulgating it. In either case, those venerable
tribunals, consecrated by our forefathers, must lose that beautiful,
that honourable, that unbought, homage which a free people have ever
been proud to pay them. No Englishman, we say, accustomed to reverence,
with a prejudice almost sacred, the constitution of a parliament,
_majestic even in its errors and infirmities_, could contemplate,
without pain, the possibility,--nay, the almost certainty,--that the
hour was not far distant when the whole nation would look with cold
indifference, or gloomy distrust, on the acts of a senate, their
generous obedience to which (though it had been accompanied with
suffering, and followed by privation) had been "the admiration of the
whole world."
On the 6th of July, Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, usher, of the black rod, waited
upon her majesty with a copy of the "Bill of Pains and Penalties"
against her, presented the previous day to the House of Lords, and which
was forwarded by order of their lordships. Her majesty went into the
room where the deputation were waiting, and received a copy of this bill
with great calmness. Upon an examination of the abominable instrument,
her majesty said, "Yes, the queen who had a sufficient sense of honour
and goodness to refuse the base offer of fifty thousand pounds a-year of
the public money, to spend it _when, where, how, and with whom she
pleased_, in banquetings, feastings, and excesses, providing it were in
a foreign country, and _not at home_, has sufficient resolution to await
the result of every investigation power can suggest." Like another
Cleopatra, our insulted queen might have played "the wanton" with
impunity; her imperial bark might have displayed its purple streamers,
swelled with the softest Cyprian breezes. It might have sailed
triumphantly down the Adriatic, to meet some highly-favoured lover! Yes,
by desire of the king, her husband, the queen was requested to accept
any terms beside those of a legitimate character. But her majesty
preserved her usual firmness and serenity of mind during the unequalled
proceedings instituted against her, and frequently repeated the
unequivocal expression, "Time will furnish sufficient proof of my
innocence."
On the 5th of August, the queen took possession of Brandenburgh House,
formerly the residence of the Margravine of Anspatch, situated near the
Thames, and in the parish of Hammersmith. Her majesty left Lady
Hamilton's house at four o'clock, attended by her ladyship, and
accompanied by Dr. Lushington, in an entirely new and elegant open
carriage, drawn by four beautiful bay horses. They drove off amidst
united shouts of applause from the assembled people.
Will future generations believe the historian's tale, that a
queen,--yes, a brave and virtuous Queen of England too!--was refused a
house and a home by the sovereign, her husband? That she, who was lured
from her princely home, arrived in the centre of England, and was denied
a resting place by the king and his ministers! In consequence of which,
she was necessitated to take up her abode in the mansion of a late lord
mayor for the space of three days, and then to accept the use of the
house of her lady in waiting for nearly two months; while there were
palaces totally unoccupied, and even mouldering into decay for want of
being inhabited! This statement will, doubtless, appear overdrawn to
future generations; but there are thousands now living who can testify
to its accuracy. Ministers, indeed, entered into compact with Deception,
and so glaringly committed their sentiments and characters, that, to
preserve their own pretended _consistency_, they would have even
uncrowned the king himself! A feverish sensation now pervaded the whole
public mind, and from the highest to the lowest, the case of the queen
was one universal theme of conversation.
On the 6th of August, her royal highness the Duchess of York died. Up to
a very late hour of the day on which this occurred, no official
communication had been made to the queen; but, in consequence of the
event, her majesty requested to postpone several addresses which she had
previously appointed to receive.
On the 7th, the queen sent a letter to the king, but it was returned
from Windsor unopened, with a communication that "Such a letter
addressed to the king cannot be received by his majesty, unless it
passes through the hands of his minister." Why, after the refusal to
receive this letter, should the princess be blamed for permitting its
contents to be published? If the king were under obligations of such a
description as to incapacitate him from exercising his own judgment, and
giving his own opinion, was he fit to administer the laws, or ought he
to have sanctioned the appeal of miscreants who sought their own, and
not their country's, good? Let us consider the delays attending this
letter. It was sent to Windsor, directed _expressly for the king_,
accompanied with a note, written by the queen, to Sir B. Bloomfield,
desiring it might be immediately delivered into the king's hand. Sir B.
Bloomfield was absent, and Sir W. Keppell, as the next in command,
received it, and forwarded the same to Sir B. Bloomfield, at Carlton
House, immediately, who returned the letter on the 8th to her majesty,
saying, "I have received the king's commands and general instructions,
that any communications which may be made should pass through the hands
of his majesty's government." The queen immediately despatched a letter
to Lord Liverpool, enclosing the one she had addressed to the king, by
the hands of a messenger, in which her majesty desired the earl to
present it. Lord Liverpool was then at Coombe Wood, and wrote in reply,
that he would "lose no time in laying it before his majesty." Up to the
11th, no reply had been received; and the queen wrote to Lord Liverpool
again, to know if further communication were needful. Lord Liverpool
replied, that he had not received the king's commands upon the subject,
and therefore could not give any positive answer relative to it. How
does this strange and incomprehensible conduct appear to any unbiassed
Englishman? Was the king, who ought to be the dispenser of the laws, to
be free from imputation, when he thus exposed his unrelenting temper and
unbending determination, wherever his private inclinations were
concerned? We dare avow, if that letter could have been answered, it
would; but its contents were unanswerable! "Aye," said the hireling
Castlereagh, "it is no matter what the conduct of the Princess of Wales
has been; it is the king's desire that he may no more be obliged to
recognise her in her former character of Princess of Wales." Oh! most
sapient speech of a most sapient lord; truly this was a bold doctrine to
broach, that kings have a right divine to subdue, injure, oppress, and
govern wrong!
We pass by the number of addresses presented to her majesty at this
period, and also the not-to-be-mistaken expression of public opinion
against the projector of her injuries. Were they not concocted by the
authority of the monarch, her husband? Was it not by his _divine_ decree
that his consort's name was erased from the liturgy? Did he not send
down to parliament that message which denounced his queen a criminal?
Yet, after all this, Lord Liverpool said, "The king has no _personal_
feeling upon the subject." Very true, his majesty could not have any
_personal_ feeling towards the queen; his royal feelings had always been
confined to the libidinous and the most obnoxious of society! Had he
been a worthy and upright plaintiff against the most unfortunate of
defendants, would he have scrupled to have shewn himself in his regal
chair upon the continued debates arising from this most important
question; and would not a sense of greatness and virtue, _had he
possessed either_, after hearing the infamous statements of _false
witnesses_, have influenced him to _decline further proceedings_, though
his pride might have withheld an acknowledgment of error? This line of
honest conduct was not followed, and we are therefore obliged to brand
him as one of the most despicable and mean of the human race!
During the disgraceful proceedings against the queen, such was the
public feeling in her favour, that the peers actually feared for their
personal safety in going to and returning from the House. This
threatened danger was, as might be expected, properly guarded against by
the _military_, who poured into London and its environs in vast numbers.
The agitated state of the public mind probably was never more decidedly
expressed than on the 19th of August, the day on which the trial
commenced. At a very early hour in the morning, workmen were employed in
forming double rows of strong timber from St. Margaret's church to the
King's Bench office on the one side, and from the upper extremity of
Abingdon-street on the other, so as to enclose the whole area in front
of the House of Lords. This was done to form a passage to the House,
which was devoted exclusively for the carriages of the peers, to and
from the principal entrance. Within this extensive area, a large body
of constables were stationed, under the controul of the high bailiff and
high constable, who were in attendance before seven o'clock. A very
strong body of foot-guards were also posted in the King's Bench office,
the Record office, and in the other apartments, near or fronting the
street. Westminster Hall was likewise appropriated to the accommodation
of the military. All the leading passages from St. Margaret's church
into Parliament-street were closed securely by strong partitions of
timber. The police-hulk and the gun-boats defended the river side of
Westminster, and the civil and military arrangements presented an
effectual barrier on the opposite side. At nine o'clock, a troop of
life-guards rode into the palace yard, and formed in line in front of
the principal gate of Westminster Hall; they were shortly afterwards
followed by a detachment of the foot-guards, who were formed under the
piazzas of the House of Lords, where they piled their arms. Patrols of
life-guards were then thrown forward, in the direction of
Abingdon-street, who occasionally formed near the king's entrance, and
at intervals paraded.
At half-past nine, a body of the Surrey horse-patrol rode over
Westminster-bridge, and for a short time paraded Parliament-street,
Whitehall, and Charing-cross; they afterwards drew up near the barrier
at St. Margaret's church. The peers began to arrive shortly afterwards;
the lord chancellor was in the House _before eight o'clock_. The other
ministers were equally early in their attendance.
At a quarter before ten, an universal cheering from a countless
multitude, in the direction of Charing-cross, announced to the anxious
spectators that the queen was approaching. Her majesty, attended by Lady
Anne Hamilton, had come early from Brandenburgh-house to the residence
of Lady Francis, St. James' Square, and from thence they departed for
the House of Lords, in a new state carriage, drawn by six bay horses. As
they passed Carlton Palace, the Admiralty, and other such places, the
sentinels presented arms; but, at the Treasury, this mark of honour was
omitted.
When the queen arrived at the House, the military stationed in the front
immediately presented arms. Her majesty was received at the door by Sir
T. Tyrwhitt and Mr. Brougham; and the queen, with her lady in waiting,
proceeded to an apartment prepared for their reception. Shortly
afterwards, her majesty, accompanied as before, entered the House by the
passage leading from the robing-room, which is situated on the right of
the throne.
During this initiatory part of the trial, and until nearly four o'clock,
her majesty was attended by Lord Archibald Hamilton and his sister Lady
Anne, who stood close to the queen all the time.
Upon returning from the House in the same state in which her majesty
arrived, she was greeted by the most enthusiastic acclamations and
shouts of applause from every class of society, who were apparently
desirous to outvie each other in testimonies of homage to their
ill-fated and insulted queen.
Each succeeding day of the pretended trial, her majesty met with a
similar reception; and, during the whole period, addresses were lavishly
poured in upon her, signed by so many persons, and testifying such
ardent regard and devotion, that every moment of time was necessarily
occupied with their reception and acknowledgment. Thus, though the queen
was insulted by the king and the majority of the peers, it must have
afforded great consolation to her wounded feelings, while witnessing the
enthusiasm and devotion manifested in her cause by all the really
honourable of the community. We say _really honourable_, because her
persecutors were either actuated by "filthy lucre," or by a desire to
recommend themselves, in some way or another, to the favour of the king
and his ministers.
To justify these remarks, we here present our readers with a list of
those time-serving creatures who voted against the queen, with the
annual amounts they were then draining from the country:
The Duke of York,[360:A]with immense patronage, nearly
100,000_l._; and the Duke of Clarence, 38,500_l._; but we must
not suppose her majesty's BROTHERS voted through _interest_;
their _virtuous minds could not tolerate her iniquities_!!!
DUKES.--Wellington, 65,741_l._, including the interest of
700,000_l._, which he received to purchase estates;
Northumberland, possessing immense patronage and family
interest; Newcastle, 19,700_l._; Rutland, 3,500_l._; Beaufort,
48,600_l._; and Manchester, 16,380_l._
MARQUISES.--Conyngham(!) 3,600_l._, but the exact sum his wife
received, we have not been able to ascertain; Thomond,
13,400_l._; Headfort, 4,200_l._; Anglesea, 11,000_l._;
Northampton, 1,000_l._; Camden, 4,150_l._; Exeter, 6,900_l._;
Cornwallis, 15,813_l._; Buckingham, 5,816_l._; Lothian,
4,900_l._; Queensberry, great family interest; and Winchester,
3,200_l._
EARLS.--Limerick, 2,500_l._; Ross, governor of an Irish
county; Donoughmore, 4,377_l._; Belmore, 1,660_l._; Mayo,
15,200_l._; Longford, 7,369_l._; Mount Cashel, 1,000_l._;
Kingston, 6,400_l._; St. Germains, brother-in-law to Lord
Hardwicke, who received 7,700_l._; Brownlow, 4,400_l._;
Whitworth, 6,000_l._; Verulam, 2,700_l._; Cathcart,
27,600_l._; Mulgrave, 11,051_l._; Lonsdale, 14,352_l._;
Orford, 6,700_l._; Manvers, 4,759_l._; Nelson, 15,025_l._;
Powis, 700_l._; Liverpool, 33,450_l._; Digby, 6,700_l._; Mount
Edgecumbe, 400_l._; Strange, 13,988_l._; Abergavenny,
3,072_l._; Aylesbury, 6,300_l._; Bathurst, 15,423_l._;
Chatham, 13,550_l._; Harcourt, 4,200_l._; Warwick, 6,519_l._;
Portsmouth, _non compos mentis_; Macclesfield, 3,000_l._;
Aylesford, 6,450_l._; Coventry, 700_l._; Abingdon, 2,000_l._;
Shaftesbury, 6,421_l._; Cardigan, 1,282_l._; Balcarras,
46,050_l._; Winchelsea, 6,000_l._; Stamford, 4,500_l._;
Bridgewater, 13,700_l._; Home, 2,800_l._; and Huntingdon,
200_l._ We must not here omit Lord Eldon, whose vote would
have been against her majesty if it had been required; his
income amounted to 50,400_l._, with immense patronage.
VISCOUNTS.--Exmouth, 10,450_l._; Lake, 7,300_l._; Sidmouth,
17,025_l._; Melville, 18,776_l._; Curzon, 2,400_l._; Sydney,
11,426_l._; Falmouth, 3,578_l._; and Hereford, 1,200_l._
ARCHBISHOPS.--Canterbury, 41,800_l._; Tuam, 28,000_l._; both
with immense patronage.
BISHOPS.--Cork, 6,400_l._, besides patronage; Llandaff,
1,540_l._, with twenty-six livings in his gift; Peterborough,
4,140_l._, with an archdeaconry, six prebends, and thirteen
livings in his gift; he had also a pension granted him by the
king's sign manual, in 1804, of 514_l._-4,654_l._;
Gloucester, 3,200_l._, twenty-four livings, besides other
patronage, in his gift; Chester, 4,700_l._, with six prebends
and thirty livings in his gift; he has also a son in the
_secret_ department in India, 2,000_l._, and another a
collector in India, 2,500_l._, as well as sons in the church
with benefices to the amount of 2,750_l._-11,950_l._; Ely,
21,340_l._, and the patronage of one hundred and eight
livings; St. Asaph, 6,000_l._, his son has two livings in the
church, 1000_l._, and he has ninety livings in his
gift,--7,000_l._; St. David's, 6,260_l._, besides one hundred
livings, prebends, and precentorships in his gift; he has also
a relation in the church, with two livings,
1,000_l._-7,260_l._; Worcester, 9,590_l._, besides the
patronage of one archdeaconry and twenty-one livings; London,
10,200_l._, with ninety-five livings, twenty-eight prebends,
and precentorships in his gift.
LORDS.--Prudhoe, 700_l._; Harris, 3,800_l._; Meldrum, of the
Gordon family, who annually devour about 30,000_l._; Hill,
9,800_l._; Combermere, 13,500_l._; Hopetoun, 15,600_l._;
Gambier, 6,800_l._; Manners, 21,500_l._; Ailsa, _expectant_;
Lauderdale, 36,600_l._; Sheffield, 3,000_l._; Redesdale,
5,500_l._; St. Helens, 1,000_l._; Northwick, 1,500_l._;
Bolton, 4,000_l._; Bayning, 1,000_l._; Carrington, 1,900_l._;
Dunstanville, 1,500_l._; Rous, _motive unknown_; Courtown,
9,800_l._; Galloway, 9,845_l._; Stuart, 15,000; Douglas,
2,500_l._; Grenville, 4,000_l._; Suffield, brother-in-law to
the _notorious Castlereagh_,--need we say more to point out
_his_ motive for voting against the queen? Montagu, 3,500_l._;
Gordon, 20,990_l._; Somers, 2,000_l._; Rodney, 6,123_l._;
Middleton, 700_l._; Napier, 4,572_l._; Gray, 200_l._, with
great family interest; Colville, 4,600_l._; Saltoun,
3,644_l._; Forbes, 8,400_l._; Lord Privy Seal, 3,000_l._; and
Lord President, 4,000.
[360:A] The Duke of Sussex excused himself from taking part in
the proceedings against the queen on the plea of being so
nearly related to her majesty. When this was stated in the
House of Lords, the Duke of York said, "My lords, I have as
much reason, and, _heaven knows_, I would as anxiously desire
as my royal relative to absent myself from these proceedings;
but when I have a DUTY imposed upon me, of _such magnitude as
the present_, I should be _ashamed_ to offer such an EXCUSE!"
It is astonishing how any man, who had _outraged virtue_ and
violated HIS DUTY in a thousand ways, could, unblushingly,
thus insult the English nation!
Notwithstanding this phalanx of corruption being arrayed against one
virtuous female, after an unexampled multiplication of abuse and
perjury, on the fifty-first day of the proceedings, the infamous bill
was LOST, and, with it, the pretensions to uprightness and manly feeling
of every one who had voted for it! What was the dreadful, the
overwhelming, responsibility of those who had ventured to prosecute, of
all others, a great, a noble, a glorious woman, (we speak
unhesitatingly, for we speak from the EVIDENCE OF HER OWN PUBLIC ACTS)
by a "Bill of Pains and Penalties," which was so far from being a part
of our common law, that that was necessarily sacrificed in order to give
effect to this? The mock trial was supported by the evidence of
witnesses who, day after day, perjured themselves for the sake of
wealth, and by the ingratitude of _discarded_ servants, treacherous
domestics, and cowardly calumniators; evidence, not only stained with
the infamy of their own perfidy to their generous benefactress, but
polluted with the licentious and gross obscenity of their own debased
instincts, for we cannot call their cunning by any other name. This,
Englishmen! was the poison, this the vast and sweeping flood of
iniquity, which was permitted by the government to disseminate itself
into the minds of the young, and to inundate the morals of the whole
country! A great moral evil was thus done; but the antidote luckily went
with it. The same press, upon which the absurd, foolish, and dangerous
imbecility of incompetent and unmanly ministers imposed the reluctant
office of becoming the channel for the deluge of Italian evidence, also
conducted the refreshing streams of national sympathy and public
opinion! The public sustained their own honour in upholding that of
Caroline, Queen of England! When that public beheld her intelligent
eyes, beaming with mind and heroism; when they heard of her pure
beneficence, holy in its principle, as it was unbounded in its sphere;
when they felt her glowing affection for a devoted people; when they
observed her, scorning alike the weakness of her sex and the luxury of
her station,--actuated solely by the mighty energies of her own
masculine sense and powerful understanding,--braving fatigue and danger,
traversing the plains and mountains of Asia, the sands and deserts of
Africa; and contemplating the living tomb of ancient liberty in modern
Greece; when they heard of this dauntless woman sailing over foreign
seas with a soul of courage as buoyant and as mighty as the waves that
bore her; but, above all, when they knew of her refusing the glittering
trappings and the splendid price of infamous security, to face
inveterate, persecuting, and inflexible enemies, even on their own
ground, and surrounded by their own strength and power, they felt
confident that such a woman must be at once a favourite of heaven, a
great queen, and a blessing to the people, who fervently offered up
their prayers for her safety and her triumph! It will readily be
supposed, then, with what joy the result of this important and
unprecedented investigation filled the hearts of thousands, which
manifested itself by shouts of exultation from the centre of the
metropolis, and was re-echoed from the remotest corners of the land, by
the unbought voices of a brave and generous people, who considered the
unjust proceedings alike "derogatory to the dignity of the crown and the
best interests of the nation."
From the very commencement of the queen's persecution, her majesty's
counsellors appeared more in the capacity of MEDIATORS in the cause of
_guilt_ than as _stern, unbending, and uncompromising champions of
honour and truth_! In one of Mr. Brougham's speeches, he declared the
queen had no intention to _recriminate_; but Mr. Brougham cannot, even
at this distance of time, have forgotten that, when her majesty had an
interview with him after this public assertion on his part, she declared
herself INSULTED by such a remark, as her case demanded all the
assistance it could possibly obtain from every legal quarter. Another
peculiar trait of defection was conspicuously displayed during this
extraordinary trial. The letter we gave a few pages back, written by an
illustrious personage to the captain of the vessel in which the princess
went in the memorable year 1814, offering him a reward to procure any
evidence of improper conduct on the part of her royal highness, was
submitted to Mr. Brougham, and shortly afterwards, at the supper table
of the queen, he said aloud, that he HAD SHEWN THAT LETTER TO THE
OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE COURT; and when remonstrated with for such
extraordinary conduct, his only reply was, "Oh, it will do very well;"
and soon after left the room. This and many other singular acts of the
learned gentleman will seem surprising to his admirers. Such suspicious
conduct, indeed, is hardly to be accounted for; but we could not dispute
the evidence of our own senses!
At this period, a lady of her majesty's household received a note from a
young person, stating the writer to be in possession of some papers of
GREAT CONSEQUENCE TO THE QUEEN, which she wished to deliver to her
majesty. A gentleman was sent to the writer of the note, and her
information to him was, in substance, as follows:
That certain property, of a large amount, had been bequeathed to her;
but that for many years she had been deprived of all interest arising
from it. That Dr. Sir Richard Croft, accoucheur to her late royal
highness, the Princess Charlotte, was an attendant witness to the will
of her mother, by whom the property had been willed,--her father having
engaged, upon his return from abroad, to put his daughter in possession
of her rightful claims, proving her descent, &c. That, during her
unprotected state, her guardian had caused her to sign bonds to an
enormous amount; and, in consequence, she had been deprived of her
liberty for nearly twelve months. As Dr. Sir Richard Croft was her
principal witness and friend, she frequently consulted him on different
points of her affairs, and also gave him several private letters for his
inspection; but these letters not being returned to her when she applied
for them, she reproached the doctor with his inattention to her
interests. In consequence of this, Dr. Croft called upon her, and
promised to send the letters back the next day. The doctor accordingly
sent her a packet; but, upon examination, she found them to be, _not the
letters alluded to_, but letters of VAST IMPORTANCE, from the HIGHEST
PERSONAGES in the kingdom, and elucidating the most momentous subjects.
Some time after, she sealed them up, and sent a servant back with them,
giving him strict injunctions to deliver them ONLY into Sir Richard's
hand. While the servant was gone, the doctor called upon her, and, IN
GREAT AGITATION, inquired if she had received any other letters back
besides her own. She replied she had, and said, "Doctor, what have you
done?" He walked about the room for some time, and then said, abruptly,
"I suppose you have read the letters?" She replied, "I have read enough
to make me very uncomfortable." After some further remarks, he observed,
"I am the most wretched man alive!" He then said he would communicate to
her all the circumstances. Sir Richard commenced his observations by
stating, that he was not the perpetrator of the deed, but had been made
the instrument of others, which the letters proved. He then alluded, by
name, to a NOBLEMAN; and said the circumstance was first discovered by
the NURSE'S observing that a SEDIMENT WAS LEFT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CUP
IN WHICH THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE TOOK HER LAST BEVERAGE, and that Mrs.
Griffiths directly charged the doctor with being privy to the act. He
examined the contents of the cup, and was struck with horror at finding
that it was the SAME DESCRIPTION OF MEDICINE WHICH HAD BEEN OBTAINED
FROM HIS HOUSE, A FEW DAYS PREVIOUS, BY THE NOBLEMAN BEFORE ALLUDED
TO!!! However, he endeavoured to persuade the nurse that she was
mistaken; "but," said the doctor, "the more I endeavoured to persuade
her, the more culpable, no doubt _I_ appeared to her."
Sir Richard said he was farther strengthened in his suspicions of the
said nobleman by a conversation he had had a few days before with his
lordship, who said, "If any thing should happen to the princess,--IF SHE
WERE TO DIE,--it would be a melancholy event; yet I consider it would,
in some considerable degree, be productive of good to the nation at
large." Dr. Croft asked him how he could say so. "Because," said the
nobleman, "every body knows her disposition sufficiently to be
convinced, that she will ever be blind to her mother's most unequalled
conduct; and I think any man, burdened with such a wife, would be
_justified_ in using ANY MEANS in seeking to get rid of her! Were it my
case, the friend who would be the means of, or assist in, releasing me
from her shackles, I should consider would do no more than one man ought
to do for another so circumstanced." Dr. Croft then said, he went to
this nobleman directly after the death of the princess, and charged him
with committing the crime. He at first denied it; but at length said,
"It was better for one to suffer than that the whole country should be
put into a state of confusion, which would have been the case if the
princess had lived," and then alluded to the Princess of Wales coming
into this country. The nobleman exonerated himself from the deed; but
said "IT WAS MANAGED BY PERSONS IMMEDIATELY ABOUT THE DOCTOR'S PERSON."
At this part of the narrative, the doctor became very much agitated, and
the lady said, "Good God! who did do it?" To which question he replied,
"_The hand that wrote that letter without a name, in conjunction with
one of the attendants on the nurse!_" The lady further stated, that the
doctor said, "Certain ladies are depending upon me for my services as
accoucheur, and I will not extend life beyond my attendance upon them."
This conversation took place just after the death of the Princess
Charlotte.
Before Dr. Croft left the lady, she informed him of her anxiety to
return the letters as soon as she discovered their importance, and
mentioned that the servant was then gone with them. Sir Richard quickly
exclaimed, "You bid him not leave them?" and inquired what directions
had been given to the servant. Having been informed, he said, "Don't
send them again; keep them until I come and fetch them, and that will be
to-morrow, if possible." But the lady never saw him afterwards, and
consequently retained the letters.
The gentleman then received exact copies of all the letters before
alluded to. We here present our readers with three of the most
important, which will substantiate some of our former statements.