The Deposition of Sir John Douglas, Knt. I HAD a house at Blackheath in 1801. Sir Sidney used to come to my house. I had a bed for him. The Princess of Wales formed an acquaintance with Lady Douglas, and came frequently to our house. I thought she came more for Sir Sidney Smith than for us. After she had been some time acquainted with us, she appeared to me to be with child. One day she leaned on the sofa, and put her hand upon her stomach, and said, "Sir John, I shall never be Queen of England." I said, "Not if you don't deserve it." She seemed angry at first. In 1804, on the 27th of October, I received two letters by the two-penny post, one addressed to me, which I now produce, and have marked with the letter (B)* both on the envelope and the inclosure, and the other letter addressed to Lady Douglas, and which I now produce, and have marked with the letter (C)* both on the envelope and the inclosure. Sworn before us at Lord Grenville's house in Downing-street, Westminster, June the first, 1806. A true Copy, J. Becket. ERSKINE, GRENVILLE, ELLENBOROUGH. • No copy of these letters, or either of them, has been sent to' Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. (No. 4.) The Deposition of Robert Bidgood. I HAVE lived with the Prince twenty-three years in next September. I went to the Princess in March, 1798, and have lived with her Royal Highness ever since. About the year 1802, early in that year, I first observed Sir Sidney Smith come to Montague House. He used to stay very late at night. I have seen him early in the morning there, about ten or eleven o'clock. He was at Sir John Douglas's, and was in the habit, as well as Sir John and Lady Douglas, of dining or having luncheon, or supping there almost every day. I saw Sir Sidney Smith one day in 1802, in the blue room, about eleven o'clock in the morning, which is full two hours before we expected ever to see company. I asked the servants why they did not let me know that he was there. The footmen informed me that they had let no person in. There was a private door to the Park by which he might have come in if he had a key to it, and have got into the blue room without any of the servants perceiving him. I never observed any appearance of the Princess, which could lead me to suppose she was with child. I first observed Captain Manby come to Montague House, either the end of 1803, or beginning of 1804. I was waiting one day in the anti-room, Captain Manby had his hat in his hand, and appeared to be going away. He was a long time with the Princess, and as I stood on the steps waiting, I looked into the room in which they were, and in the reflection in the lookingglass I saw them salute each other. I mean that they kissed each other's lips. Captain Manby then went away. I then observed the Princess have her hand kerchief in her hands, and wipe her eyes as if she was crying, and went into the drawing-room. The Prin cess went to Southend in May, 1804. I went with her. We were there I believe about six weeks before the Africaine came in. Sicard was very often watching with a glass to see when the ship would arrive. One day he said he saw the Africaine, and soon after the Captain put off in a boat from the ship. Sicard went down the shrubbery to meet him. When the Captain came on shore, Sicard conducted him to the Princess's House, and he dined there with the Princess and her Ladies. After this he came very frequently to see the Princess. The Princess had two houses on the Cliff, Nos. 8 and 9. She afterwards took the drawing-room of No. 7, which communicated by the balcony with No. 8. The three houses being adjoining, the Princess used to dine in No. 8, and after dinner to remove with the company into No. 7, and I have several times seen the Princess, after having gone into No. 7, with Cap. tain Manby and the rest of the company, retire alone with Captain Manby from No. 7, through No. 8, into No. 9, which was the house in which the Princess slept, I suspected that Captain Manby slept frequently in the house. It was a subject of conversation in the house. Hints were given by the servants, and I be lieve that others suspected it as well as myself. The Princess took a child, which I understand was brought into the house by Stikeman. I waited only one week in three, and I was not there at the time the child was brought, but I saw it there early in 1803. The child who is now with the Princess is the same as I saw there early in 1803. It has a mark in its left hand. Austin is the name of the man who was said to be the father. Austin's wife is, I believe, still alive. She has had another child, and has brought it sometimes to Mon tague House. It is very like the child who lives with the Princess. Mrs. Gosden was employed as a nurse to the child, and she used to bring the child to the Princess as soon as the Princess woke, and the child used to stay with her Royal Highness the whole morning. The Princess appeared to be extremely fond of the child, and still appears so. R. BIDGOOD. Sworn at Lord Grenville's House in Downingstreet, the sixth day of June, 1806. A true Copy, J. Becket. SPENCER, GRENVILLE. (No. 5.) The Deposition of William Cole. 1 HAVE lived with the Princess of Wales ever since . her marriage, Sir Sidney Smith first visited at Monta gue House about 1802. I have observed the Princess too familiar with Sir Sidney Smith. One day, I think about February in that year, the Princess ordered some sandwiches, I carried them in the Blue Room to her. Sir Sidney Smith was there. I was surprised to see him there--he must have come in from the Park. If he had been let in from Blackheath, he must have passed through the room in which I was waiting. When I had left the sandwiches, I returned after some time into the room, and Sir Sidney Smith was sitting very close to the Princess on the sofa. I looked at him, and at her Royal Highness. She caught my eye, and saw that I noticed the manner in which they were sitting together. They appeared both a little confused when I came into the room. A short time before this, one night about twelve o'clock, I saw a man go into the house from the Park, wrapt up in a great coat. I did not give any alarm, for the impression on my mind was, that it was not a thief. Soon after I had seen the Princess and Sir Sidney Smith sitting together on the sofa, the Duke of Kent sent for me, and told me that the Princess would be very glad if I would do the duty in town, because she had business to do in town, which she would rather trust to me than any body else. The Duke said that the Princess had thought it would be more agreeable to me to be told this by him than through Sicard. After this I never attended at Montague House, but occasionally when the Princess sent for me. About July, 1802, I observed that the Princess had grown very large; and in the latter end of the same year she appeared to be grown thin, and I observed it to Miss Sander, who said that the Princess was much thinner than she had been. I had not any idea of the Princess being with child. Mr. Lawrence, the painter, used to go to Montague House about the latter end of 1801, when he was painting the Princess, and he has slept in the house two or three nights together. I have often seen him alone with the Princess at eleven and twelve o'clock at night. He has been there as late as one and two o'clock in the morning. One night I saw him with the Princess in the Blue Room, after the ladies had retired. Some time afterwards, when I supposed that he had gone to his room, I went to see that all was safe, and I found the Blue Room door locked, and heard a whispering in it, and I went away, WM. COLE. Sworn at Lord Grenville's House in Downingsweet, the sixth day of June, 1806, before us, A true Copy, J. Becket. SPENCER, GRENVILLE. |