LONDON: 
powerful' evidence that it had no reference to any fuch 
agreement. As an irrefragable proof that, in faff, it had 
no reference, Mr. Burton obferved, that, according to 
captain Sandon’s account, the note was produced in an 
envelope, hearing the Dover poft-mark ; and that he re¬ 
ceived it from the hands of Mrs. Clarke herfelf, for the 
purpofe of fatisfying captain Tonyn that it was of the 
duke’s hand-writing. From the date of this envelope 
(for the note itfelf was without date), compared with 
the date of the Gazette, it appeared that the note could 
not have been delivered till five days after his aftual ap¬ 
pointment to the majority, and confequently far too late 
to anfwer its intended purpofe, namely, to excite captain 
Tonyn’s apprehenfions that his appointment would be ei¬ 
ther fruitrated or retarded. “Thus then,” faid Mr. Bur¬ 
ton, “ out of the mouth of one of thefe aflociates again ft 
the commander-in-chief, have you a plain refutation of 
one of their own charges; nor is there any other evidence 
to fupport it.”—On the fubjeft of the appointment of 
Samuel Carter to an enfigncy, and the charge for this ge¬ 
nerous aft again!! the commander-in-chief, Mr. Burton 
expatiated more, in exculpation of the duke, than was at 
all neceflary. This, in fact, did honour both to the duke 
and Mrs. Clarke. This young man, Carter, was a fon, 
though illegitimate, of a very worthy captain of the army. 
It did not appear that his mounting behind the carriage 
of Mrs. Clarke was known to the duke ; and, certainly, 
though he waited at table, he never wore Mrs. Clarke’s li¬ 
very. A good deal of pains had been taken on his edu¬ 
cation, which was far from being loft on the young man ; 
as appeared from feveral letters of his, produced in the 
courfe of evidence. We ihall only extract the firft and 
the laft fentences of Mr. Burton’s fpeech on the charge 
of Samuel Carter's appointment: “ I confefs it to have 
been my hope, that the honourable member (colonel 
Wardle) would have yielded, on this point, to the en¬ 
treaties of even Mrs. Clarke.”—“ God forbid that this 
houfe thould fo far forget its duty, as to csnfure the ap¬ 
pointment of fuch a perfon to a comtniflion in the army; 
or that it fhould carry an addrefs to the throne againft the 
duke of York, for an aft proceeding from the pureft mo¬ 
tives—the diftates of humanity.” 
Mr. Burton, having gone through the feparate charges, 
made a few obfervations on the probabilities or improba¬ 
bilities of the cafe or charge in general. It had been pre¬ 
sumed, that the duke of York knew and connived at the 
corrupt proceedings of Mrs. Clarke, becaufe by fuch 
alone Mrs. Clarke could have been enabled to carry on 
her extenfive eftablifhment. But perfons of high birth, 
and not in the habits of comparing income with expen¬ 
diture, found it molt difficult to render the one conform¬ 
able to the other, or indeed to form aay judgment upon 
thefe matters. He remembered to have been told, near 
forty years ago, by one of the preceptors of the duke of 
York and his royal brother, that, though they were quick 
at learning, he could never teach them the value of mo¬ 
ney ; fo impoffible it was to inculcate this knowledge 
without the daily and ordinary means of practical expe¬ 
rience. The exigence of the confpiracy, and that the 
duke was a party to it, being once fuppofed, how was it 
probabie that there fliould have been any diftrefs for mo¬ 
ney, when there was a mill for making it continually at 
work? There were then in the army as many as io or 
1 1,000 officers; numerous changes were going on every¬ 
day in the year; and fuch was always the eagernefs for 
promotion, that there never could exift a deficiency of 
perfons ready to give ample premiums above the regu¬ 
lated price. Where then would have been the difficulty, 
through the management of fuch a woman as Mrs. Clarke, 
with her fubordinate agents, to relieve her from the pref- 
fure of her pecuniary difficulties, and to gratify her va¬ 
nity and extravagance to the utmolt ? This argument of 
Mr. Burton feems to us to amount almoft to a demonltra- 
tion that, however much the duke of York might be to 
felame for fullering Mrs. Clarke to interfere at all in niat- 
Vgl. XIH. No. 900. 
20 j 
ters of military promotions or appointments, if never was 
any plan, on the part of his royal highnefs, to provide for 
the maintenance of his miftrefs by a deliberate fyliem of" 
bribery and corruption. 
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, after fpeaking for 
many hours in defence of the duke York, propofed a re- 
folution, exprellive of the conviElicn of the houfe of his royal 
highnefs's innocence ; and that, after the infertion of this re- 
folutien in an addrefs to his majelty, the addrefs fnould 
proceed as follows: “And his majefty’s faithful commons 
think it their duty farther to ltate to his majelty, that, whillfc 
this houfe has feen with latisfaftion,in the courfe of this in¬ 
quiry, the unexampled regularity and method with which 
the bufinefs of the commander-in-chief has been conduct¬ 
ed under the direction of his royal highnefs ; and alfo the 
many falutary and efficient regulations which have been 
introduced into the army, during his command of it'; 
fome of which regulations have been fpecially direfted to 
prevent thofe very abufes which, in the courfe of this in¬ 
quiry, have been brought under the notice of the houfe 
of commons;—they could not but feel the moft ferious re¬ 
gret and concern, that a connection fliould everhave exilled, 
under the cover of which, tranfaftions of a highly crimi¬ 
nal and difgraceful nature have been carried on, and that 
an opportunity has been afforded of falfely and injurioufly 
coupling with fuch tranfaftions the name of his royal 
highnefs, whereby the integrity of his conduft in the dif- 
charge of the duties of his high office has been brought 
into queftion. That it is, however, a great confolatioa 
to this houfe to obferve the deep regret and concern 
which his royal highnefs has himfelf expreffed on the fob- 
jeft of that connection ; as, from the "expreffion of that 
regret on the part of his royal highnefs, this houfe de¬ 
rives the confident affurance that his royal highnefs will 
henceforth invariably keep in view that bright example 
of virtuous conduft which the uniform tenor of his ma¬ 
jefty’s life, during the courfe of his whole reign, has- 
uniformly afforded to his fubjefts, and which has fo 
much endeared his majelty to the affections of every rank 
and description of his people.” Such was the courfe 
which the chancellor of the exchequer recommended to> 
the houfe, inltead of the addrefs propofed by colonel War¬ 
dle, for removing his royal highnefs from his office; and, 
having thus put the houfe in polfeflion of what he in¬ 
tended to fubnfft to it, he yielded to its impatience, and 
moved an adjournment of the debate till the next day, 
which was agreed to. 
The chancellor of the exchequer then (March 9.) re¬ 
fumed his fpeech, which lulled for feveral hours ; and wa* 
followed by Mr. Bathurft, Mr. Whitbread, the attorney- 
general (firVicary Gibbs), and Mr.Bankes.—Mr. Bathurft, 
having urged his objections to both the addreffes, pro¬ 
pofed refpeftively by Col. Wardle and Mr. Perceval, 
thought it his duty to propofe other terms of an addrefs 
for the houfe, more conliltent with the circumftances of 
the cafe, and more congenial with the feelings of the il- 
lultrious perfonage under whom the army had flourilhed 
for many years. Without, however, intruding his propo- 
fition at prefent, he fnould only foggelt what he thought 
would be moft proper upon fuch an occafion; namely, 
“ That, while this houfe acknowledges the beneficent ef¬ 
fects of the regulations adopted and afted upon by his 
royal highnefs, in the general difeharge of his duties as 
commander-in-chief, it has obferved, with the deepelt re¬ 
gret, that, in confequence of a connection the moft im¬ 
moral and unbecoming, a communication on official fub- 
jefts, and an interference in the diftribution of military 
appointments and promotions, has been allowed to exift, 
which could not but lead to diicredit the official adminif- 
tration of his royal highnefs, and to give colour and ef¬ 
fect, as they have aft u a fly done, to tranfaftions the moft 
criminal and difgraceful.” The houfe fat till half-pall: 
four in the morning. 
Next day, March jo*, Mr. Bankes propofed an amend¬ 
ment on tits amendment of Mr. Bathurft, and feveral 
3 G . fpeake-t'S 
