Upon this, the Princess of Wales again addressed Lord Liverpool to know the reason, none having been assigned, for the Princess Charlotte's being thus suddenly prohibited from giving the meeting to her royal mother, and when and how soon her Royal Highness might expect to see the Princess Charlotte. To this inquiry, the Princess of Wales received the following reply from Lord Liverpool:

(COPY.)

"Fife-House, Feb. 14, 1813. "Lord Liverpool has the honour to inform your Royal Highness, that in consequence of the publication, in the Morning Chronicle of the 10th inst. of a letter addressed by your Royal Highness to the Prince Regent, his Royal Highness thought fit, by the advice of his confidential servants, to signify his commands that the intended visit of the Princess Charlotte to your Royal Highness, on the following day, should not take place.

"Lord Liverpool is not enabled to make any further communication to your Royal Highness on the subject of your Royal Highness's note."

To this letter, the Princess of Wales commanded Lady Anne Hamilton, her Lady in Waiting, to reply, as follows, to Lord Liverpool :

Montague-House, Blackkeath, Feb. 15, 1813. "Lady Anne Hamilton is commanded by her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales to represent to Lord Liverpool that the insidious insinuation, respecting the publication of the letter addressed by the Princess of Wales, on the 14th of January, to the Prince Regent, conveyed in his Lordship's reply to her Royal Highness, is as void of foundation and as false as all the former accusations of the traducers of her Royal Highness's honour in the year 1806. "Lady A. Hamilton is further commanded to say, that dignified silence would have been the line of conduct the Princess would have preserved upon such insinuation (more than unbecoming Lord Liverpoo!), did not the effect arising from it operate to deprive her Royal Highness of the sole real happiness she can possess in this world-that of seeing her only child. And the confidential servants of the Prince Regent ought to feel ashamed of their conduct towards the Princess, in avowing to her Royal Highness their advice to the Prince Regent, that upon unauthorised and unfounded suppositions, a mother and daughter should be prevented from meeting a prohibition positively against the law of nature. Lady Anne Hamilton is commanded further to desire Lord Liverpool to lay this paper before the Prince Regent, that his Royal Highness may be aware into what errors his confidential servants are leading him, and will involve him, by counselling and signifying such commands."

Here closed the correspondence.

The Cabinet meetings still continued to be held, and the Princess of Wales not being in formed concerning the nature, form, and object of their proceedings, her Royal Highness, on the 27th of February, addressed the subjoined letter to the Earl of Harrowby :

Feb. 27, 1813.

"The Princess of Wales has received reports from various quarters of certain proceedings lately held by his Majesty's Privy Council respecting her Royal Highness; and the Princess has felt persuaded that these reports must be unfounded, because she could not believe it possible that any resolution should be taken by that most honourable body in any respect affecting her Royal Highness, upon statements which she has had no opportunity of answering, explaining, or even seeing.

"The Princess still trusts that there is no truth in these rumours; but she feels it due to herself to lose no time in protesting against any resolutions affecting her Royal Highness, which may be so adopted.

"The Noble and Right Honourable persons who are said to have been selected for these proceedings, are too just to decide any thing touching her Royal Highness, without affording her an opportunity of laying her case before them. The Princess has not had any power to choose the Judges before whom any inquiry may be carried on; but she is perfectly willing to have her whole conduct inquired into by any persons who may be selected by her accusers. The Princess only demands that she may be heard in defence or in explanation of her conduct, if it is attacked; and that she should either be treated as innocent, or proved to be gullty."

A copy of the Report of the Honourable the Privy Council having been laid before the Prince Regent, was transmitted to her Royal Highness by Viscount Sidmouth, on the evening of the day on which the above letter was sent ;-and Lord Harrowby replied to her Royal Highness, by letter, to this effect. The Report is as follows:

TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE REGENT.

The following Members of his Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council, viz :

His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury,
The Right Hon. the Lord High Chancellor,
His Grace the Archbishop of York,
His Grace the Lord Primate of Ireland,
The Lord President of the Council,

The Lord Privy Seal,

The Earl of Buckinghamshire,

The Earl of Bathurst,

The Earl of Liverpool,

The Earl of Mulgrave,
The Viscount Melville,,
The Viscount Sidmouth,

The Viscount Castlereagh,

The Right Honourable the Lord Bishop of
London,

The Right Hon. Lord Ellenborough, Lord Chief
Justice of the Court of King's Bench,
The Right Hon. the Speaker of the House of
Commons,

The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer,

The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Duchy,
His Honour the Master of the Rolls,

The Right Hon. the Lord Chief Justice of the
Court of Common Pleas,

The Right Hon. the Lord Chief Baron of the
Court of Exchequer,

The Right Hon. the Judge of the High Court
of Admiralty,

The Right Hon. the Dean of the Arches;

Having been summoned by command of your Royal Highness, on the 19th of February, to meet at the office of Viscount Sidmouth, Secretary of State for the Home Department, a communication was made by his Lordship to the Lords then present, in the following terms :

"MY LORDS, I have it in command from his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, to acquaint your Lordships, that a copy of a letter from the Princess of Wales to the Prince Regent having appeared in a public paper, which letter refers to the proceedings that took place in an Inquiry instituted by command of his Majesty, in the year 1806, and contains, among other matters, certain animadversions upon the manner in which the Prince Regent has exercised his undoubted right of regulating the conduct and education of his daughter the Princess Charlette; and his Royal Highness having taken into his consideration the said letter so published, and adverting to the directions heretofore given by his Majesty, that the documents relating to the said Inquiry should be sealed up, and deposited in the office of his Majesty's principal Secretary of State, in order that his Majesty's Government should possess the means of resorting to them if necessary; his Royal Highness has been pleased to direct, that the said letter of the Princess of Wales and the whole of the said documents, together with the copies of other letters and papers, of which a schedufe is annexed, should be referred to your Lordships, being Members of his Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council, for your consideration: and that you should report to his Royal Highness your opinion, whether, under all the circumstances of the case, it be it and proper that the intercourse between the Princess of Wales and her daughter the Princess Charlotte, should continue to be subject to regulations and restrictions." Their Lordships adjourned their meetings to Tuesday, the 23d of February; and the intermediate days having been employed in perusing the documents referred to them, by command of your Royal Highness, they proceeded on that and the following day to the further consideration of the said documents, and have agreed to report to your Royal Highness as follows:

"In obedience to the commands of your Royal Highness, we have taken into, our most serious consideration the letter from her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, to your Royal Highness, which has appeared in the public papers, and has been referred to us by your Royal Highness, in which letter the Princess of Wales, amongst other matters, complains that the intercourse between her Royal Highness, and her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte, has been subjected to certain restrictions.

"We have also taken into our most serious consideration, together with the other papers referred to us by your Royal Highness, all the documents relative to the Inquiry instituted in

1806, by command of his Majesty, into the truth of certain representations, respecting the conduct of her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, which appear to have been pressed upon the attention of your Royal Highness in consequence of the advice of Lord Thurlow, and upon grounds of public duty; by whom they were transmitted to his Majesty's consideration; and your Royal Highness having been graciously pleased to command us to report our opinions to your Royal Highness, whether, under all the circumstances of the case, it be fit and proper that the intercourse between the Princess of Wales and her daughter, the Princess Charlotte, should continue to be subject to regulation and restraint:

"We beg leave humbly to report to your Royal Highness, that after a full examination of all the documents before us, we are of opinion, that under all the circumstances of the case, it is highly fit and proper, with a view to the welfare of her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte, in which are equally involved the happiness of your Royal Highness, in your parental and royal character, and the most important interests of the State,-that the intercourse between her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, and her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte, should continue to be subject to regulation and restraint.

"We humbly trust that we may be permitted, without being thought to exceed the limits of the duty imposed on us, respectfully to express the just sense we entertain of the motives by which your Royal Highness has been actuated in the postponement of the Confirmation of her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte; as it appears, by a statement under the hand of her Majesty the Queen, that your Royal Highness has conformed in this respect to the declared will of his Majesty; who had been pleased to direct, that such ceremony should not take place till her Royal Highness should have completed her eighteenth year.

"We also humbly trust that we may be further permitted to notice some expressions in the letter of her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, which may possibly be construed as implying a charge of too serious a nature to be passed over without observation. We refer to the words—' suborned traducers.' As this expression, from the manner it is introduced, may, perhaps, be liable to misconstruction (however impossible it may be to suppose that it can have been so intended) to have reference to some part of the conduct of your Royal Highness; we feel it our bounden duty not to omit this opportunity of declaring, that the documents laid before us, afford the most ample proof, that there is not the slightest foundation for suck an aspersion.

SIDMOUTH,
J. LONDON,
ELLENBOROUн,
CHAS. ABBOT,

N. VANSITTART,

C. BATHURST,
W. GRANT,

A. MACDONALD,

W. SCOTT,

J. NICHOL.

SIDMOUTH."

The next document of importance is a letter addressed to the Right Honourable the Speaker of the House of Commons, by the Princess of Wales, in which her Royal Highness called for an investigation of her conduct, before Judges known to the Constitution, in order that she might either be declared to be innocent, or proved guilty. A copy of this letter was also transmitted to the Lord Chancellor. The letter was to the following effect :

"Montague House, Blackheath, March 1, 1813. "The Princess of Wales informs Mr. Speaker (the Lord Chanceller), that she has received from the Lord Viscount Sidmouth a copy of a Report made to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, by a certain number of the Members of his Privy Council, to whom it appears that his Royal Highness had been advised to refer the consideration of documents and other evidence respecting her character and conduct.

"The Report is of such a nature, that her Royal Highness feels persuaded no person can read it without considering it as conveying aspersions upon her; and although their vagueness renders it impossible to discover precisely what is meant, or even what she has been charged with, yet as the Princess feels conscious of no offence whatever, she thinks it due to herself, to the illustrious Houses with which she is connected by blood and by marriage, and to the people among whom she holds so distinguished a rank, not to acquiesce, for a moment, in any imputation affecting her honour.

"The Princess of Wales has not been permitted to know upon what evidence the Members of the Privy Council proceeded, still less to be heard in her defence. She knew only by common rumours of the inquiries which they have been carrying on, until the result of those inquiries was communicated to her; and she has no means now of knowing whether the Members acted as a body to which she can appeal for redress, at least for a hearing, or only in their individual capacities, as persous selected to make a Report upon her conduct.

"The Princess is therefore compelled to throw herself upon the wisdom and justice of Parliament, and to desire that the fullest investigation may be iustituted of her whole conduct during the period of her residence in this country.-The Princess fears no scrutiny, however strict, provided she may be tried by impartial Judges known to the constitution, and in the fair and open manner which the law of the land prescribes.

"Her only desire is, that she may either be treated as innocent, or proved to be guilty.

"The Princess of Wales desires Mr. Speaker (the Lord Chancellor) to communicate this letter to the House of Commons."

This letter having been read in the House, some conversation took place between Mr. Whitbread and Lord Castlereagh on the subject; but as the promised motion of Mr. Cochrane Johnstone stood for the 4th of March, here the matter rested for the present.

On the 4th of March, Mr. Cochrane Johnstone proceeded to bring on his motion, and the Speaker having called on him, Mr. Lygon moved the standing order of the House, and, consequently, the doors were closed, and all strangers excluded. The sitting being thus rendered secret, Mr. Bennett moved an adjournment, upon which the House divided:-Ayes, 139 -Noes, 248-Majority, 109.

The adjournment being thus negatived, Mr. Cochrane Johnstone said, that he would follow the example of the Honourable Member who had moved to clear the gallery, by exercising his right also of not bringing forward the motion of which he had given notice.

The proceedings in the House of Commons ou the 6th of March, appear to have been of the highest importance, since they amounted to a complete vindication and acquittal of the Princess of Wales, not only from all the charges, but from all the aspersions that have been thrown out against her Royal Highness.

Upon the meeting of the House of Commons on the 18th of March, after the transaction of some routine business, Mr. Whitbread said, " I hold in my hand a petition that I received just before my arrival in this House, which I was requested to lay before it. On perusing it I find that it is worded in a manner perfectly respectful, and I therefore told the individual who delivered it into my care, that I felt it my duty, as a Member of Parliament, to present it. It is the petition of Major General Sir John Douglas, on behalf of himself and Charlotte Lady Douglas, his wife. I remarked that the form of the signature was not perfectly regular, but I added, that I did conceive, that notwithstanding this informality, the House would receive it as the petition of Sir John Douglas, though not as the joint petition of himself and his wife.-I, therefore, move for leave to bring up this petition."

The question having been put, Mr. Whitbread brought up the petition, which was read by the clerk, nearly in the following words :

"To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom, &c.—The humble petition of MajorGeneral Sir John Douglas, on behalf of himself and Charlotte Lady Dougias his wife:

SHEWETH-That your petitioners are advised that the depositions they made on their oaths, before the Lords Commissioners appointed by his Majesty for investigating the conduct of her Royal Hizness the Princess of Wales, on or about the first of Jan. 1806, were not made on such judicial proceedings, or before such a tribunal as could legally support a prosecution for perjury against them.

"Feeling the fullest confidence in those depositions, and in the justice of their cause, they are ready and desirous, and hereby offer to re-swear to the truth of such depositions before any tribunal competent to administer au oath, that your petitioners may be subjected to the penalty of perjury if it be proved that they are false.

"Your petitioners therefore pray that your Honourable House will adopt such proceedings as in your wisdom may be thought proper, to re-swear them to their depositions before such tribunal as would legally subject them to a prosecution for such depositions, should they be proved to be false: it being their anxious desire not to deliver themselves through any want of legal forms, (Signed) JOHN DOUGLAS." Mr. Whitbread moved, that the petition be laid upon the table, and it was ordered accordingly.

Mr. Whitbread again rose, and having taken a view of the whole affair relative to the conduct of her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, be made some remarks upon the line of proceeding adopted by two daily papers, the Morning Herald and the Post. In the course of this long speech, Mr. Whitbread observed, “when upon a former night, in this House, the Princess was pronounced innocent by the noble Lord (Castlereagh), he was proud of her triumph. A noble friend of her Royal Highness had done him the honour of asking his advice, and he on that occasion sketched out a letter of dignified submission from her to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and sent it to the Princess. She did him the honour of taking a copy of it in her own hand, with the intention of sending it to the Prince; but this healing and desirable step was prevented, by her receiving information, that Sir John and Lady Douglas were again under examination, and that too with the sanction of the Lord Chancellor. The letter he would read, if the House would indulge him." The following is a correct copy :

"SIR,-I once more approach your Royal Highness, and can venture to assure you, Sir, that if you will deign to read my letter, you will not be dissatisfied with its contents.

"The Report made by certain members of his Majesty's Privy Council, was communicated to me by Lord Sidmouth, and its contents appeared to those, upon whose advice I rely, to be such as to require on my part a public assertion of my innocence, and a demand of investigation. It cannot be unknown to your Royal Highness that I addressed a letter to the Lord Chancellor, and a duplicate of that letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons, for the purpose of its being communicated to the Houses of Parliament,

"The Lord Chancellor twice returned my letter, and did not communicate its contents to the House of Lords.

"The Speaker of the House of Commons thought it his duty to announce the receipt of my letter, and it was read from the chair. To my inexpressible gratification I have been informed, that, although no proceeding was instituted according to my request, certain discussions which took place in that Honourable House, have resulted in the complete, and unequivocal, and universal acknowledgment of my entire innocence, to the satisfaction of the world.

"Allow me, Sir, to say to your Royal Highness, that I address you now, relieved from a load of distress which has pressed upon me for many years.

"I was always conscious that I was free from reproach. I am now known to be so, and worthy to bear the exalted title of Princess of Wales.

"On the subject of the confirmation of the Princess Charlotte, I bow, as becomes me, and with implicit deference, to the opinion expressed by his Majesty, now that I have been made acquainted with it. His Majesty's decision I must always regard as sacred. "To such restrictions as your Royal Highness shall think proper to impose upon the intercourse between the Princess Charlotte and myself, as arising out of the acknowledged exercise of your parental and Royal authority, I submit without observation; but I throw myself upon the compassion of your Royal Highness, not to abridge more than may be necessary my greatest, indeed, my only pleasure,

"Your Royal Highness may be assured, that, if the selection of society for the Princess Charlotte, when on her visits to me, were left to my discretion, it would be, as it always has been, unexceptionable for rank and character. If your Royal Highness would condescend, Sir, to name the society yourself, your injunctions should be strictly adhered to.