"Sworn at the county court of Middlesex, in Fullwood's Rents, September 25.

Philip Krackeler, one of the footmen of her royal highness the princess of Wales, and Robert Eaglestone, park-keeper to her royal highness the princess of Wales, deposed, that on or about the 28th day of June last, as deponents were walking together across Greenwich-park, they saw Robert Bidgood, one of the pages of her royal highness, walking in a direction as if he were going from the town of Greenwich towards the house of sir John Douglas, and which is a different road from that which leads to Montague house, and they at the same time perceived lady Douglas walking in a direction to meet him. And the deponent, Philip Krackeler, then desired the other deponent to take notice whether lady Douglas and Mr. Bidgood would speak to each other; and both deponents observed, that when lady Douglas and Mr. Bidgood met, they stopped, and conversed together for the space of about two or three minutes, whilst in view of these deponents; but how much longer their conversation lasted these deponents cannot say, as they (these deponents) proceeded on their road, which took them out of sight of lady Douglas and Mr. Bidgood.

"Sworn at Hatton Garden, September 27."

Some weeks after her royal highness sent the following letter to his majesty:

"SIRE,

"I trust your majesty, who knows my constant affection, loyalty, and duty, and the sure confidence with which I readily repose my honour, my character, my happiness, in your majesty's hands, will not think me guilty of any disrepectful or unduteous impatience, when I thus again address myself to your royal grace and justice.

"It is, Sire, nine weeks to-day since my counsel presented to the lord high chancellor my letter to your majesty, containing my observations, in vindication of my honour and innocence upon the report, presented to your majesty by the commissioners who had been appointed to examine into my conduct. The lord chancellor informed my counsel, that the letter should be conveyed to your majesty on that very day: and further, was pleased, in about a week or ten days afterwards, to communicate to my solicitor, that your majesty had read my letter, and that it had been transmitted to his lordship with directions that it should be copied for the commissioners, and that when such copy had been taken, the original should be returned to your majesty.

"Your majesty's own gracious and royal mind will easily conceive what must have been my state of anxiety and suspense, whilst I have been fondly indulging in the hope, that every day, as it passed, would bring me the happy tidings that your majes

ty was satisfied of my innocence; and convinced of the unfounded malice of my enemies, in every part of their charge. Nine long weeks of daily expectation and suspense have now elapsed; and they have brought me nothing but disappointment: I have remained in total ignorance of what has been done, what is doing, or what is intended upon this subject. Your majesty's goodness will therefore pardon me, if in the step which I now take, I act upon a mistaken conjecture with respect to the fact. But from the lord chancellor's communication to my solicitor, and from the time which has elapsed, I am led to conclude, that your majesty had directed the copy of my letter to be laid before the commissioners, requiring their advice upon the subject; and, possibly, their official occupations, and their other duties to the state, may not have, as yet, allowed them the opportunity of attending to it. But your majesty will permit me to observe that, however excusable this delay may be on their parts, yet it operates most injuriously upon me; my feelings are severely tortured by the suspense, while my character is sinking in the opinion of the public.

"It is known that a report, though acquitting me of crime, yet imputing matters highly disreputable to my honour, has been made to your majesty that that report has been communicated to me; that I have endeavoured to answer it; and that I still remain, at the end of nine weeks

from the delivery of my answer, unacquainted with the judgment which is formed upon it. May I be permitted to observe upon the extreme prejudice which this delay, however to be accounted for by the numerous important occupations of the commissioners, produces to my honour? The world in total ignorance of the real state of the facts, begin to infer my guilt from it. I feel myself already sinking in the estimation of your majesty's subjects, as well as of what remains to me of my own family, into (a state intolerable to a mind conscious of its purity and innocence) a state in which my honour appears at last equivocal, and my virtue is suspected. From this state I humbly entreat your majesty to perceive, that I can have no hope of being restored, until either your majesty's favourable opinion shall be graciously notified to the world, by receiving me again into the royal presence, or until the full disclosure of the facts shall expose the malice of my accusers, and do away every possible ground for unfavourable inference and conjecture.

"The various calamities with which it has pleased God of late to afflict me, I have endeavoured to bear, and trust I have borne with humble resignation to the Divine will. But the effect of this infamous charge, and the delay which has suspended its final termination by depriving me of the consolation which I should have received from your majesty's presence and kindness, have given a

heavy addition to them all; and surely my bitterest enemies could hardly wish that they should be increased. But on this topic, as possibly not much affecting the justice, though it does the hardship, of my case, I forbear to dwell.

"Your majesty will be graciously pleased to recollect, that an occasion of assembling the royal family and your subjects, in dutiful and happy commemoration of her majesty's birth-day, is now near at hand. If the increased occupations which the approach of parliament may occasion, or any other cause, should prevent the commissioners from enabling your majesty to communicate your pleasure to me before that time, the world will infallibly conclude (in their present state of ignorance,) that my answer must have proved unsatisfactory, and that the infamous charges have been thought but too true.

"These considerations, Sire, will, I trust, in your majesty's gracious opinion, rescue this address from all imputation of impatience. For, your majesty's sense of honorable feeling will naturally suggest, how utterly impossible it is that I, conscious of my own innocence, and believing that the malice of my enemies has been completely detected, can, without abandoning all regard to my interests, my happiness, and my honour, possibly be contented to perceive the approach of such utter ruin to my character, and yet wait with patience, and in si