The press

but it was difficult to come to the proof of them. had for a long time teemed with publications injurious to the character and principles of the Duke of York, as the commander-in-chief; and various surmises and opinions, agreeably to the different tempers of the people of England, were formed, either favourable or derogatory to the object of those publications. Some considered them as mere vehicles of scandal; others imagined them as insidious attacks upon the whole of the royal family, and a vile conspiracy against the illustrious House of Brunswick.

That the Duke of York was the dupe of an artful, intriguing, and talented woman cannot for a moment admit of a doubt; in fact, there were few whom she did not make her dupes, if her own interests could be promoted by it: but it was the circumstance of her attempt to involve the subject of these memoirs in the accomplishment of her plans, which rendered it imperative on our part to enter into this detail of one of the most important eras in the history of this country, as far as the members of the royal family were concerned.

The Prince of Wales having received an anonymous letter, stating that the writer had some very important communications to make, the trusty John M'Mahon was despatched to No. 14, Bedford-row, Russell-square, whence the note was dated. There he was introduced to a lady, who began to question him respecting any knowledge which he possessed of Mrs. Clarke; and, having denied that he had any personal knowledge of her, he was then questioned as to the knowledge which he possessed of her character. The courtier, however, saw not through the snare that was laid for him, and expressed himself in very disrespectful terms of the lady, concluding with the observation that nothing which he had heard tended to her advantage. The lady whom he was addressing, and to whom he had given such a questionable character of Mrs. Clarke, was Mrs. Clarke herself! and John M'Mahon stood before her, abashed and confounded. He begged her a thousand pardons for the portrait which he had drawn of her, but he disclaimed being the painter. I know it well,' said Mrs. Clarke, with all that fascination of which she was the mistress, and in which, perhaps, she excelled more than any other

woman of her peculiar condition; I know,' said she, 'who have drawn my character to you; it is Adams and Greenwood' and she then proceeded to enter upon the business for which the interview was desired. It was evidently the aim of Mrs. Clarke to engender enmity between the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, but on what grounds, or on whose account, M'Mahon refused to disclose, when he was examined on the subject at the bar of the House of Commons, of which he was a member for the rotten borough of Aldeburgh, in Suffolk; and, at the same time (although it is enacted by the legislature that no person holding any office or employment under Government, from which is derived any profit or emolument, shall be deemed eligible for a seat in parliament), we find M'Mahon member of the Honourable the Council of his Royal Highness as Duke of Cornwall, Deputy Warden of the Stannaries, Auditor and Secretary to the same, Keeper of the Privy and Council Seals, Keeper of the Privy Purse, &c. &c. At a subsequent period of this most extraordinary investigation, Mrs. Clarke avowed herself to be the author of the anonymous letter to the Prince of Wales; and in consequence of the interview which took place between her and M'Mahon, a message was sent by his Royal Highness, regretting that his departure for Brighton would prevent him interfering in the business, but that M'Mahon should be the mediator between herself and his royal brother. It appears, however, that so far from being the mediator, he became, under the guise of friendship, the slavish instrument of extracting particular information from Mrs. Clarke, to be afterwards made use of to her injury, when a phalanx of power was arrayed against her, which would have crushed any spirit, were it a hundred times more firm and daring than her own. To show, however, the duplicity of this man, whose character and honour were deemed so unblemished as to entitle him to the confidence and friendship of the future King of England, we give the following letter, which is but one of a series which was read at the table of the House of Commons, from the same person, and which was purposely done to show M'Mahon's character in its proper light.

Nothing, Mrs. Clarke may be assured, but indisposition, and wanting in the pleasure of having anything successful to report, could have so long prevented my calling on or sending to her.

In whatever communication may have been made to Mrs. Clarke's lawyer, I am indignant that such terms as "either deceiving, or laughing at you" should form a part of it, having reference to me; for while I lament my total inability to serve Mrs. Clarke, I am ready to confess, that in the few interviews I had the honour to hold with her, her conduct and conversation demanded nothing but my respect and the good wishes I bear her.

'J. M.'

The whole of the public business was for a time suspended, in the investigation of these charges against the Duke of York, and perhaps on no occasion was more acrimony evinced by the opponents of the Duke, or a more ardent zeal displayed by all the adherents of the Court, to bring off the royal delinquent in triumph. The voice of the public was, however, against his Royal Highness, and the facts which were proved were so glaringly corrupt and immoral, that the Duke saw it no longer possible to stem the torrent which poured from all sides so rapidly against him, and therefore adopted the wiser plan of a voluntary resignation rather than that of a compulsory dismissal. On the 20th of March, therefore, the Chancellor of the Exchequer rose in the House of Commons, and stated, that he had to communicate to the House, that his Royal Highness the Duke of York, of his own accord, spontaneously waited on his Majesty, and resigned the high office which he had so long held, as Commander-in-chief, into his Majesty's hands. The motives for his Royal Highness having taken that step at this particular time, appeared to him so proper, that he entertained the most sanguine hopes, they would prove satisfactory to the House. The substance of the communication was to the following effect,

'That the House of Commons, after a long and full investigation into the conduct of his Royal Highness, as Commander-in-chief, having passed certain resolutions, declaring their conviction of his innocence, and acquitting him of those criminal charges which had

been moved against him, he thought he might now tender a resignation of the office he held of Commander-in-chief, without appearing to shrink from those charges, or that he ever entertained a doubt of his innocence being fully proved. That the motives which induced him to approach his Majesty, who, as a kind and indulgent father and gracious Sovereign, had conferred on him this high command, in order to request he would again receive them, were that, having obtained so complete an acquittal of all corrupt motives, and of all participation or connivance at corruption, with which he had been charged, he was desirous of giving way to that public sentiment which those charges, however ill founded, had unfortunately drawn on him. That it did not become him to give up a situation in which his Majesty's confidence had placed him, without expressing a hope that, during the period of fourteen years he had had the honour to hold it, his Majesty had been convinced that he had done everything in his power to promote the interests of the service, and to evince his constant regard for the welfare and prosperity of the army.'

This communication having been made to his Majesty by his Royal Highness, his Majesty had been most graciously pleased to accept it.

Mr. Bragge Bathurst then moved the following resolution

That, while the House acknowledges the beneficial effects resulting from the services of his Royal Highness the Duke of York, during the time of his being Commander-in-chief, they had observed with the greatest regret that, in consequence of a connexion most immoral and unbecoming, a pernicious and corrupt influence had been used in respect to military promotions, and such as gave colour to the various reports respecting the knowledge of the Commander-in-chief of these transactions.'

To which Lord Althorpe moved an amendment

That the Duke of York having resigned, the House did not now think it necessary to proceed further on the minutes of evidence taken before the committee appointed to inquire into the conduct of the Duke of York, as far as relate to his Royal Highness.'

He had purposely put in the word 'now,' because he thought the Duke of York ought not at any time hereafter to be restored to his late situation as Commander-in-chief; and if he should, the House would resume their proceedings upon the charges.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer next moved, that the word 'now' should be left out of Lord Althorpe's amendment; when it was carried by a majority of 123.

Thus ended this important investigation-a circumstance which threw a deep gloom over the happiness of the royal family; and it is believed to have been one of the principal causes which led, in a short time, to the return of that malady with which the King had been previously afflicted, and from which he never fully recovered.

We have already traced the rise and progress of several of the chosen favourites of the Prince of Wales; and as we shall have shortly to introduce to the notice of our readers another of the vagaries of fortune, in the person of the successor of Sir John M'Mahon, we shall, at this time, briefly state the manner and place in which this new favourite was found.

His Royal Highness was one evening on a friendly visit at the house of Lord Melbourne, at Whitehall; and on his return at two o'clock in the morning, he perceived a young man lying huddled up beneath the portico of the noble lord's house, where he had crept to avoid the inclemency of the weather, it having rained very hard during the evening. His Royal Highness accosted the young man, who replied that he had come from the country, and had neither parents nor home. The Prince observed to his attendants, that the youth must not remain there to perish, and ordered him to follow the carriage to Carlton House. On their arrival he directed every necessary refreshment to be given him, and that he should be put into a comfortable bed. In the morning his Royal Highness again interrogated the boy, and finding him to tell a true and artless tale, immediately directed that he should be em

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