LON 
But tie was convinced, that, ns there was nothing fo dis¬ 
creditable to government, fo there was nothing more falfe, 
than the idea that money was paid to perfons high in office 
for fuch transactions. For the di ft in ft manner in which 
the honourable gentleman had Submitted the queffion to 
the houfe, he conceived him entitled to its thanks. 
Mr. Wardle ftated, that the office where the agency was 
tranfafted, was in a court in Threadneedle-Street. Phe 
names of the agents in that office were, Heylop and Pullen. 
They had ftated various Situations purchafed in the island 
of Jamaica; and that the two members of the prefent ca¬ 
binet, for whom they afted in fuch Situations, and to 
whom he alluded in his Speech, were, the lord-chancellor, 
and the duke of Portland. 
Mr. Canning obferved, that, in whatever view the houfe 
Should confider the tranfactions ftated by Mr. W. whether 
they were fubftantiated or refuted, “ infamy mufl attach 
fomexohere 5 either upon the accufed or the accuSer.” Of 
this unguarded and ftrong expreffion, Mr. Canning was 
afterwards often reminded, and Sorely badgered about it 
on every occafion. Certainly, where there are probable 
grounds of fufpicion in a cafe of great public importance, 
accufation is excufable, and even laudable, though it 
Should not be Substantiated.. 
After a few observations by Mr. Wardle, it was re- 
folved that the inquiry Should be made in a committee of 
the whole houl'e, and that they Should enter upon it on 
the ilt of February following. 
The whole attention of the metropolis was awakened 
by this moft important cafe, wherein the fecond fon of our 
Sovereign, a married prince, a man having attained the 
meridian of life, and whofe conduft as commander-in¬ 
chief was praiied even by his enemies, was accuS’ed, not 
onlyof conniving at the moft nefarious praftices behind 
the Scandalous curtain of adultery, but alfo of Sharing, 
either direftly or indireftly, the profits arifing from them. 
Indeed, the whole country felt a deep concern in the 
tranfaftion ; and, although accounts of the trial were 
published at the time in a great variety of forms, we find 
ourfelves called upon to give a fufficient Sketch of it, in 
order that thole of our prefent or future fubf'cribers, who 
may not have had an opportunity of reading it- any-wliere 
elfe, may not feel difappointed at the chalm which the 
abSence of it would necelfarily leave in our annals. 
The inquiry lafted from the 27th of January to the 
20th of March ; and the whole may be divided into two 
heads: ift, The conneftion of Mrs. Clarke with the 
perl'ons who paid or promifed to pay her Sums of money 
for promotions or other appointments. 2dly, The ac¬ 
quaintance of the commander-in-chief with the Secret 
tranfaftions of Mrs. Clarke with thofe perfons, and his 
participation with her in the gain arifing from that finan¬ 
cial l'yltem. 
The firft of thefe points was proved beyond a poffibi- 
iity of doubt, by an immenfe mafs of evidence.—As to 
the duke’s knowledge of Mrs. Clarke’s manoeuvres, and 
his Sharing in the returns, this is a fail,"the proof of which 
depended folely on the evidence of Mrs. Clarke ; for this 
kind of commerce muft, from its nature, have been, con¬ 
fined to the two parties concerned ; no third perfon could 
interfere in it. The teftimony of Mrs. Clarke, abandoned 
to licentioufnefs from her youth, and become almoft a 
proftitnte by profeflion, is Scarcely to be accounted of 
any weight at all, especially as fire afted under the influ¬ 
ence of revenge againft his royal liighnefs, and a Strong 
defire to pleafe Mr. Wardle, who, as afterwards appeared, 
had promifed to compenfate in a very liberal way any fer- 
vice She might be of to him in fubftantiating his charges 
againft the duke. But there was throughout the whole 
of her clofe and long examination at the bar, an air of 
unconltraint and eafe, and a readinefs of reply, that Seemed 
to befpeak a difpofition to anfwer tlie questions that were 
put to her truly. For every why, She had a wherefore. 
She was caught in falfity ; but not often, nor in very im¬ 
portant cafes 3 nor could She by any means be charged, 
DON. £03" 
on the whole, with prevarication. At the Same time it is 
to be obferved, that She was under no temptation to pre¬ 
varicate : the great mafs and weight of her evidence was 
intended, not to conceal, but clearly to expof'e, her bar¬ 
gaining with place and promotion hunters. And, as for 
what was alleged to have pafled privately on that Subject, 
it could only be known to the duke and herfelf. No one 
could prove a negative. 
There were, however, two circumstances that wore on 
their face a direft inculpation of the commander-in-chief. 
Firft, captain Sandon faid, that, when major Tonyn be¬ 
came impatient for his promotion, he (Sandon) went to 
State the circumstances to Mrs. Clarke, who fent him back 
to inform him, that She had received a note from the duke 
of York refpefting his cafe ; which note was Shown by 
captain Sandon to major Tonyn. The note was; “ I re¬ 
ceived your note, and Tonyn’s cafe Shall’remain as it is. 
God blefs you.” This note was intended to Show, that 
the perfon to whom it was written had influence ; and, in 
confequence, major Tonyn consented to let his Security 
remain. The existence of this note was regarded as the- 
more-weighty evidence, fince it had been extorted, with¬ 
out Mrs. Clarke’s knowledge or interference at all in the 
matter, from captain Sandon, who at firft pretended that 
he had destroyed it, and who was therefore fent to New¬ 
gate for prevarication. When major Tonyn was gazetted,, 
captain Sandon was direfted to Show him another note,., 
purporting to have been written by the duke York, and 
faying, “Tonyn will be this night gazetted.” This note 
was not afterwards given back. When the firft note was 
Shown to his royal liighnefs, he utterly denied all know¬ 
ledge of the matter, and declared the note to be a forgery.. 
As to the note relating to the appearance of major Tonyn’s 
name in the gazette, his royal highnefs could not be po¬ 
sitive : he could not ftate that he might not have written 
fuch a note, in anfwer to a note which might have been 
addrelTed-to him ; he could not call the circumstance to 
mind. The other note, however, his royal highnefs inoSt 
positively denied having written. When Mrs. Clarke 
(who was ignorant of what was parting in the houfe) was- 
called in, and Shown the note, which was addrefl'ed to 
George Farquhar, efq. She faid, “ I fuppofe I muit have 
feen it before, for it is his royal highnefs’s writing. I do 
not know how it could have got into that man’s poffieffion,. 
unlefs I gave it to him. It was a direction I ufed very 
often to get from his royal highnefs.” This evidence 
being rebutted by the duke of York’s pofitive denial of 
the fact, feveral witneSTes were called from the bank and 
poft-office to give their opinion upon it. And they all, 
with only a Angle exception, general Brownrigg, decided,., 
that the note was in the fame hand-writing as other letters 
acknowledged to be his. It is alfo to be obferved, that 
the circumitance of the note was not brought forward by 
the chancellor of the exchequer till it was believed that 
the note itfelf was destroyed. Thus the affair of the note 
had an effeft quite opposite to what was intended. To 
juftify his royal highnefs, general Clavering made a vo¬ 
luntary attempt; the conlequence of which was, that he 
himfelf was committed, as well as captain Sandon, to New¬ 
gate, for prevarication. But after all, this circumftance 
of the note, fuppofing its authenticity, only Showed,.that 
his royal highnels fullered Mrs. Clarke to talk, and write,, 
and put questions, refpefting military appointments;, 
which the duke does not l'eem to have affefted to deny or 
conceal. For it has juft been feen, that when the note, 
“ Tonyn will be this night gazetted,” was Shown to him, 
he admitted that he might poffibly have written fuch a 
note, though he did not recollect the matter. 
The other circumftance, wearing on its face a direct 
inculpation of the commander-in-chief, was the following. 
—Mils Mary-Anne Taylor, who was in the habit of vifi't- 
ing Mrs. Clarke, when She was under the duke’s-protec¬ 
tion, very frequently, ftated, that She heard the duke of 
York lpeak to Mrs. Clarke about colonel French's levy 5, 
and that what pafled, as nearly as Site could recolleft, was 
