212 THE PRINCESS OF WALES [1814. 



unawares by the second, which was, that they had re- 

 course to recrimination. They raked up all the parts 

 of the evidence taken in the Secret Inquiry of 1806, 

 and published whatever was unexplained, and which 

 made against the Princess, without giving the judg- 

 ment of entire acquittal pronounced by the commis- 

 sion, composed principally of the Prince's friends, after 

 full examination of the whole matter. Thus all the 

 details of the pregnancy, confinement, and delivery 

 were given, and filled the newspapers for three days, 

 making them utterly offensive to all readers. The 

 public was universally filled with disgust ; and though 

 some persons might for a moment give credit to the 

 story, yet there being direct proofs that the child was 

 that of a known mother a sailmaker's wife at Dept- 

 ford, as the commission had reported before a week 

 was over the attempt to impeach the Princess's 

 credit in any way had entirely failed, and the indigna- 

 tion raised by the letter was increased greatly by the 

 course taken to answer it. 



But besides these publications of the evidence taken 

 in 1806, and indeed preparatory to that publication 

 which, however, they always denied, though they 

 could give no explanation of its having got out they 

 had recourse to a proceeding in the Privy Council as 

 irregular as the one some years before. On the pretence 

 that the letters contained a charge against the Prince 

 of having suborned perjured witnesses in 1806, a sum- 

 mons was issued to all the law lords of the Privy 

 Council, the archbishops and Speaker, Master of the 

 Eolls, and other legal members. To them the evidence 

 taken formerly was referred, with other documents 

 since obtained ; upon all which evidence, behind the 



