be their duty to report on this part of the inquiry as distinctly as on the former facts; that as, on the one hand, the facts of pregnancy and delivery are, in their minds, satisfactorily disproved, so, on the other hand, they think that the circumstances to which they now refer, particularly those stated to have passed between her royal highness and captain Manby, must be credited until they shall receive some decisive contradiction, and if true, are justly entitled to the most serious consideration."

"Your majesty will not fail, to observe that the commissioners have entered into the examination of this part of the case, and have reported upon it, not merely as evidence in confirmation of the charges of pregnancy and delivery which they have completely negatived and disposed of, but as containing substantive matters of charge in itself.

That they consider it, indeed, as relating to points "of the same nature, but going to a much less extent," not, therefore, as constituting actual crime, but as amounting to "improprieties and indecencies of behaviour, aggravated by the exalted rank which I hold," as "occasioning unfavourable, interpretations," and as "entitled to the most serious consideration." And when they also state that it is not for them to decide on their precise bearing and effect, I think I am justified in concluding that they could not class them under any known head of crime; as, in that case, upon their bearing and

effect they would have been fully competent to have pronounced.

"I have, to a degree, already stated to your majesty the unprecedented hardship to which I conceive myself to have been exposed, by this ex parte inquiry into the decorum of my private conduct. I have already stated the prejudice done to my character, by this recorded censure, from which I can have no appeal; and I press these considerations no further upon your majesty, at present, than to point out, in passing this part of the report, the just foundation which it affords me for making the complaint.

"Your majesty will also, I am persuaded, not fail te remark the strange obscurity and reserve, the mysterious darkness, with which the report here expresses itself; and every one must feel how this aggravates the severity and cruelty of the censure, by rendering it impossible, distinctly and specifically, to meet it. The commissioners state, indeed, that some things are proved against me, which must be credited till they shall receive a decisve contradiction, but what those things are they do not state. They are" particulars and circumstances which, especially considering my exalted rank, must give occasion to the most unfavourable interpretations. They are several strong circumstances of this description," they are, if true,. justly deserving of most serious consideration,”

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and they "must be credited till decidedly contradicted." But what are these circumstances? What are these deeds without a name? Was there ever a charge so framed? Was ever any one put to answer any charge, and decidedly to contradict it, or submit to have it credited against him, which was conceived in such terms without the means of ascertaining what these things are, except as conjecture may enable me to surmise, to what parts of the examinations of the four witnesses on whom they particularly rely, they attach the importance and the weight which seem to them to justify these dark and ambiguous censures on my conduct? But such as they are, and whatever they may be, they must, your majesty is told, be credited, unless they are decidedly contradicted.

"Circumstances respecting captain Manby, indeed, are particularized; but referring to the depositions which apply to him, they contain much matter of opinion, of hearsay, of suspicion. Are these hearsays, are these opinions, are these suspicions, and conjectures of these witnesses, to be believ ed against me, unless decidedly contradicted? How can I decidedly contradict another person's opinion? I may reason against its justice, but how can I contradict it? Or how can I decidedly contradict any thing which is not precisely specified, nor distinctly known to me?

"Your majesty will also observe that the report

states that it is not for the commissioners to decide upon the bearing and effect of these facts; these are left for your majesty's decision. But they add, that if true, they are justly entitled to the most serious consideration. I cannot, sire, but collect from these passages an intimation that some further proceedings may be meditated. And, perhaps, if I acted with perfect prudence, seeing how much reason I have to fear, from the fabrications of falsehood, I ought to nave waited till I knew what course, civil or criminal, your majesty might be advised to pursue before I offered any observations or answer. To this alternative, however, I am driven. I must either remain silent, and reserve my defence, leaving the imputation to operate most injuriously and fatally to my character; or I must, by entering into a defence against so extended a charge, expose myself, with much greater hazard, to any future attacks. But the fear of possible danger to arise from the perverted interpretation of my answer, cannot induce me to acquiesce under the certain mischief of the unjust censure and judgment which stands against me, as it were, recorded in this report. I shall, therefore, at whatever hazard, proceed to submit to your majesty, in whose justice I have the most satisfactory reliance, my answer and my observations upon this part of the case.

"And here, sire, I cannot forbear again presuming

to state to your majesty, that it is not a little hard, that the commissioners (who state in the beginning of their report, that certain particulars, in themselves extremely suspicious, were, in the judgment which they had formed upon them, before they entered into the particulars of the inquiry, rendered still more suspicious from being connected with the assertion of pregnancy and delivery,) should have made no observation upon the degree in which that suspicion must be proportionably abated, when those assertions of pregnancy and delivery have been completely falsified and disproved; that they should make no remark upon the fact, that all the witnesses, (with the exception of Mrs. Lisle,) on whom they specifically rely, were every one of them brought forward by the principal informers, for the purpose of supporting the false statement of lady Douglas; that they are the witnesses, therefore, of persons whom, after the complete falsification of their charge, I am justified in describing as conspirators who have been detected in supporting their conspiracy by their own perjury. And surely where a conspiracy, to fix a charge upon an individual, has been plainly detected, the witnesses of those who have been so detected in that conspiracy,-witnesses that are brought forward to support this false charge,cannot stand otherwise than considerably affected in their credit, by their connection with those who