204 LON 
f.s fellows: “ I am continually worried by colonel French. 
-He worries me continually about the levy-bufinefs, and is 
always wanting fomething more in his own favour.” 
Turning then to Mrs. Clarke, (Mifs T. thinks,) he faid, 
- £< How does he behave to you, darling ?” or fome fuch 
kind words as he was wont to rife. Mrs. Clarke replied, 
■ e ‘ Middling, not very well.” On which the duke faid, 
* ! Mafter French mull mind what he is about, or I Ihall 
cut up him and his levy too.” 
After the examination of witneffes was clofed, on the 
a 3d of February, the Speaker rofe, and itated, that fince 
he had come to the houfe he had received a letter, the 
• Contents of which related to the inquiry now pending be¬ 
fore the houfe refpecting the conduct of his royal high¬ 
nefs the duke of York, and he wilhed to know whether 
it was the pleafure of the houfe that he fliould read it. 
[.A general exclamation of Read! read! read!] The right 
honourable gentleman then announced that the letter 
came from his royal highnefs the duke of York, was figned 
“ Frederic,” addrefl'ed to the Speaker, and dated “ Horfe 
Guards, February 23, 1809.” The contents were as 
follow : 
“ Sir, I have waited with the greateft anxiety, until the 
committee, appointed by the houfe of commons to in¬ 
quire into my conduct, as commander-in-chief of his ma¬ 
jesty's army, had clofed its examinations; and I now hope, 
that it will not be deemed improper to add refs this letter 
through you to the houfe of commons. I obferve with 
the deeped concern, that, in the courfe of this inquiry, 
my name has been coupled with tranfaftions the moft cri¬ 
minal and difgraceful; and I mull ever regret and lament, 
that a connexion lliould have exilted, whie.i has thus ex- 
pofed my character to animadverfio.i. With refpect to 
nny alleged olienees connected with the difeharge of my 
official duties, I do in the moft folemn manner, upon my 
,honour as a prince, diltinftly afl'ert my innocence ; not only 
by denying all corrupt participation in any of the infa¬ 
mous transactions which have appeared in evidence at the 
bar of the houfe of commons, or any connivance at their 
exiltence, but alfo the f'ghtrjl knowledge or fufpicion that 
they exijled at all. My confcioulnefs of innocence leads 
me confidently to hope, that the houfe of commons 
will not, upon fuch evidence as they have heard, adopt 
any proceedings prejudicial to my honour and charafter; 
but if, upon fuch tellimony as has been adduced againlt 
me, the houfe of commons can think my innocence quef- 
tionable, I claim of their jultice, that I fliall not be con¬ 
demned without trial, nor be deprived of the benefit and 
protection which is afforded to every Britilh fubjeft by 
ithofe fanttions under which alone evidence is received in 
.the ordinary adminiltration of the law. I am, fir, yours, 
Frederic.” 
On the 8th of March, Mr. Wardle, after art elaborate 
examination of the evidence, moved a refolution to the 
following effefl : “That an humble addrefs be prefented 
•to his majelly, ftating, that information had been commu- 
siicated to them, and that evidence had been examined to 
prove, that various corrupt practices and abufes had for a 
long time exilted in the different departments of the mi¬ 
litary adminiltration ; and that the evidence which had 
been given had been entered on the records of parliament; 
that his majelly’s faithful commons had molt carefully 
examined the evidence, not only of the witneffes produced 
at their bar, but alfo of the written and official documents ; 
and that it was with the utmoll concern and aftonilhment 
that they felt tbenifelves obliged to Hate, that the ref'ult 
of their diligent and laborious inquiry was fuch, as to fa- 
tisfy them, that the exiltence of thole corrupt practices to 
a very great extent was fully eltablilhed, That it was the 
opinion of his majelly’s faithful commons, that fuch 
abufes could not have continued to fuch an extent, for lb 
.long a time, without the knowledge'of the commander- 
in chiei ; but if, contrary to all probability, it lliould be 
.orelttmed, that the comm.inder-in-chief was ignorant of 
thyic tranlaitions, that prd'umption would not warrant 
D O N. 
the conclufion, that it was confident with prudence that 
the command of the army lliould remain any longer in 
his hands. His majedy’s faithful commons, therefore, 
humbly begged leave to fubmit to his majelly, that the duke 
of York ought to be deprived of the command of the army." 
Lord Folkllone feconded the motion ; immediately after 
which, Mr. Burton rofe to fpeak, and drew the molt re- 
fpedtful attention of the whole houfe, which was conti¬ 
nued from the beginning of his fpeech, which was long 
and elaborate, to the end. He was above eighty years of 
age, and had become blind. In Wales he held the office 
of judge in a court of law. Having both attended the 
whole of the examinations, and had the evidence read 
over to him two or three times, he took a critical review 
of all the cafes in the order in which they were exhibited 
in the inquiry, without omitting any circumftance of im¬ 
portance. He began as follows : “ Mr. Speaker, I Ihould 
not thus early obtrude myfelf on the attention of the 
houfe, if it were not through the fear of being too much 
exhaulled to deliver my fentiments at a late hour. The 
habits of my life, during the iali thirty years', having en¬ 
gaged me pretty much in the invelligation of criminal 
caufes, I have thought it my duty to bellow my bell at¬ 
tention upon the prefent important cafe. I have done fo 
the rather, that few perfons are fo unconnected as myfelf 
with the commander-in-chief, now under accufation. I 
never had the honour of exchanging a word with him ; 
and it fo happens, that I have not in the army any rela¬ 
tion, any friend, or even any intimate acquaintance, nor 
any one for whom I have ever received, or can expeCt to 
receive, a fingle favour. With his accufer I have had the 
honour of fome acquaintance about twenty years, and had 
frequent occafion to admire the military talents and va¬ 
lour he difplayed under the intrepid commander of a re¬ 
giment that diflinguillied itfelf not a little during the 
unhappy rebellion in Ireland. I had alfo lillened, perhaps 
too much, to the current reports concerning the object of 
this inquiry. I certainly, therefore, fat down to the con- 
fideration of it without any bias upon my mind in favour 
of the acculed ; but, divelting myfelf of every prejudice, 
I determined to purfue the Uriel line of duty, by confi- 
dering the cafe of the duke of York as calmly and tem¬ 
perately as I would that of one of the meanell fubjefls in 
the court where I have the honour to hold a feat.”—After 
this interefting exordium, Mr. Burton entered on a con- 
fideration of the cafe, having firlt (tripped it of all matters 
extraneous or foreign to the point or points in queftion. 
He difplayed, throughout the whole of his comprehenfive 
fpeech, all the perfpicuity, precilion, and minute atten¬ 
tion to every circumllance, which men of good natural 
parts derive from long experience in the proteilion of the 
law; a profefiion which is more calculated to ronfe and 
to whet the intellectual faculties, perhaps, than any other. 
On the fubjeft of French’s levy, and Mils Taylor’s evi¬ 
dence, Mr. Burton laid, Surely, the evidence of Mrs. 
Clarke’s conltant companion ought to be received with 
great caution. The duke of York, ipeaking to Mrs. Clarke 
of colonel French, complained that French was continu¬ 
ally worrying him about the levy. This troublefome im¬ 
portunity had made a Ifrong impreflion on the duke’s 
mind ; for he mentions this tcazing, or zoorrying, twice— 
“ I am continually worried by colonel French. He wor¬ 
ries me continually about the levy-bufinefs.” Then, turn¬ 
ing to Mrs. Clarke—Mils Taylor thinks, (only thinks, he 
faid,) “ How does he behave to you, darling?” To my 
underltanding, laid Mr. Burton, the qutllion obvioutly 
means, Does he worry you as he. does me?—On the cale 
of major Tonyn, Mr. Burton obferved, that, though aped, 
was paid to Mrs. Clarke, that tranfaflion .was unconnected 
with the commander-in-chief. As to the note from his 
royal highnefs, conceding it to lie genuine, why was it 
neceffary or probable that this fiiould refer to any corrupt 
agreement ? Mrs. Clarke, with all her defire to impute 
guilt to his royal higlmels, had no remembrance of this 
note j which circumstance alone might be conlidered as 
powerful 
