That, if it condemned me, the weight of such a sentence should not have been left to settle, in any mind, much less upon your Majesty's, for a month, before I could even begin to prepare an answer, which, when begun, could not speedily be concluded; and that, if the Report could be represented as both acquitting, and condemning me, the reasons, which suggested the propriety of an early communication in each of the former cases, combined to make it proper and necessary in the latter. A And why all consideration of my feelings was thus cruelly neglected; why I was kept upon the rack, during all this time, ignorant of the result of a charge, which affected my honour and my life; and why, especially in a case, where such grave matters were to continue to be "credited, to the prejudice of my honour," till they were decidedly contradicted," the means of knowing what it was, that 1 must, at least, endeavour to contradict, were withholden from me, a single unnecessary hour, I know not, and I will not trust myself, in the attempt, to conjecture. On the 11th of August, however, I at length received from the Lord Chancellor, a packet containing copies of the Warrant or Commission authorizing the Inquiry; of the Report-and of the Examinations on which the Report was founded. And your Majesty may be graciously pleased to recollect, that on the 13th I returned my grateful thanks to your Majesty, for having ordered these papers to be sent to me. Your Majssty will readily imagine that, upon a subject of such importance, I could not venture to trust only to my own advice; and those with whom I advised, suggested, that the written Declarations or Charges upon which the Inquiry had proceeded, and which the Commissioners refer to in their Report, and represent to be the essential foundation of the whole proceeding, did not accompany the Examinations and Report; and also that the papers themselves were not authenticated. I therefore ventured to address your Majesty, upon these supposed defects in the communication, and humbly requested that the copies of the papers, which I then returned, might, after being examined, and authenticated, be again transmitted to me; and that I might also be furnished with copies of the written Declarations so referred to in the Report. And my humble thanks are due for your Majesty's gracious compliance with my request. On the 29th of August. I received, in consequence, the attested copies of those Declarations, and of a Narrative of His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent; and a few days after, on the 3d of September, the attested copics of the Examinations which were taken before the Commissioners. The Papers which I have received are as follow: *The Narrative of His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, dated 27th of December, 1805. A Copy of the written Declaration of Sir John and Lady Douglas, dated December 3, 1805. A Paper containing the written Declarations, or Examinations, of the persons hereafter enumerated;―The title to these Papers is, "For the purpose of confirming the Statement "made by Lady Douglas, of the circumstances " mentioned in her Narrative, The following ex"aminations have been taken, and which have "been signed by the several persons who have "been examined" Two of Sarah Lampert ;-one, dated Cheltenham, 8th January, 1806,—and the other, 29th March, 1806. One of William Lampert, baker, 114, Cheltenham, apparently of the same date with the last of Sarah Lampert's. Four of William Cole, dated respectively, 11th. January 14th January, 30th January, and 23rd February, 1806. One of Robert Bidgood, dated Temple, 4th April, 1806. One of Sarah Bidgood, dated Temple, 23rd April, 1806; and One of Frances Lloyd, dated Temple, 12th May, 1806. See Appendix (B). The other Papers and Documents which ac companied the Report, are,* 20 21 14. 21 15. 23 23 23 18. of Sir John Douglas, of Robert Bidgood, of W. Cole. of Frances Lloyd. of Charlotte Sander. of Sophia Austin. 13. Letter from Lord Spencer to Lord Gwydir. from Lord Gwydir to Lord Spencer. from Lady Willoughby to Lord Spencer. 16. Extract from Register of Brownlow-street Hospital. 17. Deposition of Elizabeth Gosden. of Betty Townley. of Thomas Edmeades. of Samuel G. Mills. of Hariet Fitzgerald, I July, 22. Letter from Lord Spencer to Lord Gwydir. * See Appendix (A) 3 July, 23. 3. 24. 3 3 26. 25. 27. 28. Letter from Lord Gwydir to Queries to Lady Willoughby and Answers. Letter from Sir Francis Millman 29. Deposition of Lord Cholmondeley. 30. The Report. By the Copy which I have received of the Commission, or Warrant, under which the Inquiry has been prosecuted, it appears to be an instrument under your Majesty's Sign Manual, not countersigned, not under any seal.-It recites, that an Abstract of certain written Declarations, touching my conduct (without specifying by whom those Declarations were made, or the nature of the matters, touching which they had been made, or even by whom the Abstract had been prepared,) had been laid before your Majesty; into the truth of which it purports to authorize the four noble Peers, who are named in it, to inquire and to examine upon oath, such persons as they think fit; and to report to your Majesty the result of their Examination. By referring to the written Declarations, it appears that they contain allegations against me, amounting to the charge of High Treason, and also other matters, which, if understood |