It happened also that about this time I fitted up, as your Majesty may have observed, one of the rooms in my house after the fashion of a Turkish Tent. Sir Sidney furnished me with a pattern for it, in a drawing of the Tent of Murat Bey, which he had brought over with him from Egypt. And he taught me how to draw Egyptian Arabesques, which were necessary for the ornaments of the ceiling; this may have occasion. ed, while that room was fitting up, several visits, and possibly some, though I do not recol-: lect them, as early in the morning as Mr. Bidgood mentions. I believe also that it has happened more than once, that, walking with my ladies in the Park, we have met Sir Sidney Smith, and that he has come in, with us, through the gate from the Park. My ladies may have gone up to take off their cloaks, or to dress, and have left me alone with him; and, at some one of these times, it may very possibly have happened that Mr. Cole, and Mr. Bidgood may have seen him, when he has not come through the waiting-room, nor been let in by any of the footmen. But I solemnly declare to your Majesty, that I have not the least idea or belief that he ever had a key of the gate into the Park, or that he ever entered in or passed out, at that gate, except in company with myself and my ladies. As for the circumstance of my permitting him to be in the room alone with me; if suffering a man to be so alone is evidence of guilt, from whence the Commisioners can draw any unfavourable

inference, I must leave them to draw it. For I cannot deny that it has happened, and happened frequently; not only with Sir Sidney Smith, but with many, many others; gentlemen who have visited me; tradesmen who have come to receive my orders; masters whom I have had to instruct me, in painting, in music, in English, &c. that I have received them without any one being by. In short, I trust I am not confessing a crime, for unquestionably it is a truth, that I never had an idea that there was any thing wrong, or objectionable, in thus seeing men, in the morning, and I confidently believe your Majesty will see nothing in it, from which any guilt can be inferred. I feel certain, that there is nothing immoral in the thing itself; and I have always understood, that it was perfectly customary and usual for ladies of the first rank, and the first character, in the country, to receive the visits of gentlemen in a morning, though they might be themselves alone at the time. But, if, in the opinions and fashions of this country, there should be more impropriety ascribed to it, than what it ever entered into my mind to conceive, I hope your Majesty, and every candid mind, will make allowance for the different notions which my foreign education, and foreign habits may have given me.

But whatever character may belong to this practice, it is not a practice which commenced after my leaving Carlton House. While there, and from my first arrival in this conntry, I was accustomed, with the knowledge of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and without his ever having

hinted to me the slightest disapprobation, to receive lessons from various masters, for my amusement, and improvement; I was attended by them frequently, from twelve o'clock to five in the afternoon; Mr. Atwood for music, Mr. Geffadiere for English, Mr. Toufronelli for paintiag, Mr. Tutoye for imitating marble, Mr. Elwes for the harp. I saw them all alone; and indeed, if I were to see them at all, I could do no otherwise than see them alone. Miss Garth, who was then subgoverness to my daughter, lived, certainly, under the same roof with me, but she could not be spared from her duty and attendanee on my daughter. I desired her sometimes to come down stairs, and read to me, during the time when I drew or painted, but my Lord Cholmondely informed me this could not be. I then requested that I might have one of my bed-chamber women to live constantly at Carlton House, that I might have her at call whenever I wanted her; but I was answered that it was not customary, that the attendants of the Royal Family should live with them in town; so that request could not be complied with. But, independent of this, I never conceived that it was offensive to the fashions and manners of the country to receive gentlemen, who might call upon me in a morning, whether I had or had not any one with me; and it never occurred to me to think that there was either impropriety or indecorum in it, at that time, nor in continuing the practice at Montague House. But this has been confined to morning

visits, in no private apartments of my house, but in my drawing-room, where my ladies have, at all times, free access, and as they usually take their luncheon with me, except when they are engaged with visitors, or pursuits of their own, it could but rarely occur that I could be left with any gentleman alone for any length of time, unless there were something in the known and avowed business, which might occasion his waiting upon me, that would fully account for the circumstance.

I trust your Majesty will excuse the length at which I have dwelt upon this topic. I perceived, from the examinations, that it had been much inquired after, and I felt it necessary to represent it in its true light. And the candour of your Majesty's mind will, I am confident, suggest that those who are the least conscious of intending guilt, are the least suspicious of having it imputed to thein; and therefore that they do not think it necessary to guard themselves, at every turn, with witnesses to prove their innocence, fancying their character to be safe, as long as their conduct is innocent, and that guilt will not be imputed to them from actions quite indifferent.

*

The deposition, however, of Mr. Cole is not confined to my being alone with Sir Sidney Smith. The circumstances in which he observed us together he particularizes, and states his opinion. He introduces, indeed, the whole of his evidence by saying that I was too familiar with Sir Sidney Smith

me.

but as I trust I am not yet so far degraded as to have my character decided by the opinion of Mr. Cole, I shall not comment upon that observation. He then proceeds to describe the scene which he observed on the day when he brought in the sandwiches, which I trust your Majesty did not fail to notice, I had myself ordered to be brought in. For there is an obvious insinuation that Sir Sidney must have come in through the Park, and that there was great impropriety in his being alone with And at least the witness's own story proves, whatever impropriety there might be, in this circumstance, that I was not conscious of it, nor meant to take advantage of his clandestine entry, from the Park, to conceal the fact from my servant's observation. For if I had had such consciousness, or such meaning, I never could have ordered sandwiches to have been brought in, or any other act to have been done, which must have brought myself under the notice of my servants, while I continued in a situation, which I thought improper, and wished to conceal. Any of the circumstances of this visit, to which this part of the deposition refers, my memory does not enable me in the least degree to particularize and recal. Mr. Cole may have seen me sitting on the same sofa with Sir Sidney Smith. Nay, I have no doubt he must have seen me, over and over again, not only with Sir Sidney Smith, but with other gentlemen, sitting upon the same sofa; and Itrust your Majesty will feel it the hardest thing imaginable, that I should be called upon to ac