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Without departing from that reserve which, in this stage of the business, the love of justice has induced us to prescribe to ourselves, we may venture to observe, that sufficient has been proved to render it highly improper for the object of this inquiry to be continued in the high situation which he at present enjoys. Putting the corruption alleged entirely out of the question, and not taking into the account his application to the heads of other departments in behalf of persons recommended to his protection by his mistress; we shall contend, that the mere circumstance of suffering the discharge of his official duty to be influenced by such recommendation, and of making such a polluted source the channel of military promotion, is, of itself, sufficient to demonstrate his unfitness for the office. At a period like the present, when our individual security and our national independence may rest on the excellence of our army, when it may become necessary to render us a nation of soldiers, it is a matter of vital importance, that the road to promotion should be fairly opened to every honourable candidate; and that money should not be allowed in the army, or elsewhere, to be an adequate substitute for merit.

The sagacious proprietor of an opposition paper has ascribed, we haye heard, the persecution of the commander-in-chief to the artifice of the chancellor of the exchequer, who has found, forsooth, that same impracticability of supporting his administration without the aid of military patronage, which, he admits, his patrons, "All the Talents," experienced. This wonderful discovery is like many. others proceeding from the same quarter. No rational being, however, who has attended to Mr. Perceval's conduct, during the inquiry, will give a moment's credit to so incredible a tale.

We cannot dismiss this subject without declaring our opinion, that the extraordinary manner in which the annuity to Mrs. Clarke was granted by the Duke of York, at the period of the cessation of their adulterous intercourse, forms a very strong feature of the case. It was made conditional—that is, dependent on the lady's correctness of conduct. Why was not some explanation of this condition requested of the Duke's agent in the business? What was meant by correctness of conduct in one who, as the Duke knew, had no other means of subsistence than what the prostitution of her person afforded? It will scarcely be contended, that it was expected she could live on this allowance, after having been supported in a life

of luxury and dissipation. could not be mistaken; the power of witholding the annuity might be held in terrorem, and--but we are ashamed of pointing out an inference which a school-boy might draw, though the House of Commons has not drawn it.

No, no, the object of the condition

We had written thus far, when the discussions in the Committee, on the 20th of February, met our eye: we have no room for animadversion upon them. We can only enter our solemn protest against the practice of the House, respecting evidence to identify hand-writing, being adopted as a precedent. We scarcely know any irregularity which could lead, particularly in criminal prosecutions, to such dreadful consequences. On the general principle of the thing, we concur, most cordially, in all the observations of Mr. Whitbread, Lord Folkestone, and Mr. William Smith, in opposition to every lawyer in the House.

In regard to another part of the same discussion, as the question still remains for decision, we shall not offer a single comment; but shall merely observe, that, according to our conception of the import of terms, prevaricatim means cavil, shuffling; and contradiction signifies the opposition of falsehood to truth. Which of the two is the most criminal, it must be left to the members of the House to decide.

We shall close our present remarks upon this singular inquiry with a statement, which justice to the object of it requires to be made. Much greater abuses prevailed in the army department before the appointment of the Duke of York to the office of commander-in-chief; and it is certain that his Royal Highness has corrected many of them, and has introduced many regulations highly conducive to the good of the service. But having stated this, it is equally our duty to observe, that the case on which the House of Commons is now called upon to decide, is a case, not of comparative but of positive guilt.

The length to which these observations have extended preclude the possibility of entering upon any view of foreign politics; and as to other objects of domestic policy, there is but one which calls for particular attention we mean Lord Grenville's motion for the repeal of the orders in council; and we are, fortunately, spared the trouble of commenting on the subject, as our readers, by a reference to our last Appendix, will there find, in the able speech.

of Mr. Pickering, a full and satisfactory answer to all the arguments, and a complete confutation of all the facts, which were urged by his lordship, and by every other peer, who took a part in the debate.

Feb. 21, 1809.

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Feb. 22.-P. S. The Morning Post of this day having fallen into our hands after the preceding article was forwarded to the Printers, we cannot refrain from directing the indignation of our readers to a laboured article which it contains, under the head “Duke of York: The Inquiry into his Conduct." A more gross and puerile attempt to mislead the public, to misrepresent facts, and to pervert truth, never disgraced the prostituted annals of "THE FASHIONABLE WORLD. Had we time or room for an analysis of this foul abortion of party, we could easily demonstrate its fallacy, its folly, its falsehood, and its profligacy. Mrs. Clarke, we are told, is not to be credited in any court: why then, we might ask, was she examined by the House of Commons, since it must have been known, from the very nature of the transactions referred to in the charges against the commander-in-chief, that the proof of them must depend chiefly upon her testimony? But where did this stupid declaimer learn that a woman of the town is not a competent witness? If he had taken the trouble to gain that information of which he, evidently, stands so much in need, he would have known, that such evidence is admitted every sessions in our criminal courts, and that on such evidence many culprits have, most deservedly, suffered the sentence of the law. And yet he has the effrontery to assert, that "If such a testimony could be received, the life of every honest man is in the hands of every villain." We know not which most to admire, his law or his logic.

Major Tonyn's case is discussed, most cavalierly, in a single sentence, as totally unsupported. It is, no doubt, very convenient to sink the NOTE about which so much has been said, though the weight of evidence is most decidedly in favour of its authenticity; and though, if it be authentic, it is perfectly conclusive on the question.

This man as easily gets rid of the fair, full, and satisfactory evidence of Dowler; and apparently for no other reason but Dowler's unwillingness unnecessarily to proclaim his own impropriety of conduct to the world.

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As to Miss Taylor's testimony, positive and clear as it is, the mere improbability that the Duke would say what she states him to have said, is deemed amply sufficient to overthrow it. If any body were to state that the Duke occasionally took his Sunday dinner with two authors, two players, and two strumpets, the fact would assuredly be improbable, but it might, nevertheless, be true. To oppose probability to fact may be very convenient, but is not very honest. Has this blockhead to learn, that tout ce qui est VRAI n'est pas VRAISEMBLABLE?

It would be very easy, we apprehend, to prove that the contradictions with which Mrs. Clarke is reproached, and which are triumphantly related as destructive of her credit, arise partly from the incorrect report of the evidence in the daily papers, and may in a great degree be so reconciled or accounted for, as to destroy the inference here most insidiously attempted to be drawn from them. We lament that our circumscribed limits prevent us from exposing this contemptible production as it deserves to be exposed. But what we are most anxious to deprecate and to condemn, is the spirit and the temper which the writer displays. While every character who has been examined, in support of the prosecution, is, without discrimination and without proof, impudently held up as most infamous; the adulterous intercourse which, in defiance of religion and morals, and in contempt of all decency and decorum, the object of his venal panegyric has unblushingly maintained for years, is courteously softened down into mere "indiscretion." When we see this; and when we daily witness the profligate attempts, in the same quarter, to blazen forth to the worldthe notable exploits of the most noted prostitutes and adultresses, to invade the recesses of domestic privacy, to convert the columns of a newspaper into annals of fashionable depravity, and consequently to render them unfit for any modest woman to read; we must naturally be led to doubt, whether such a writer is the advocate of virtue or the pander of vice. At all events, we envy not the feelings of the commander-in-chief at having gained such a supporter. And let not the public be so misled, by seeing this statement in what is termed a ministerial print, as to admit, for a moment, the monstrous supposition that there is any one of his majesty's ministers who does not condemn the author as strongly as we do, and as, no doubt, every virtuous man in the kingdom will do.

MISCELLANIES.

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EOR THE ANTIJACOBIN REVIEW.

THE DISSENTERS' TRUE FRIEND;

OR, A SCRUTINY INTO THE RESPECTIVE CLAIMS OF THE CHURCH AND OF DISSENTERS TO THE DIVINE FAVOUR.

(In a Series of Letters to the Rev. Dr. L- -.)

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HAVING hitherto, under colour of an address to you, laid before my Dissenting Brethren what I thought of the greatest consequence to them from the Old Testament-that divine code of laws which we all of us revere, I now with awe and diffidence approach the confines of the New Testament - that still more sacred code, and the peculiar work of Heaven itself! But, before I enter upon its plainer topics, I shall devote this letter to an explanation of a few rather obscure passages, which, when compared, appear to produce a new and, I must think, a most important result. As you know, my dear friend, that I am very far from being inclined to dogmatise, this explanation may perhaps be allowed to be in some measure conjectural. Let my arguments, however, be candidly and fairly weighed; and I only wish that those whom they most concern may be as ready to accede to them, if just, as I shall be to retract them, if they prove to be unfounded. I must first assume, that the New Testament, as being "the peculiar work of Heaven itself," will be found, if closely observed, to possess a beautiful fitness and propriety of expression beyond any human composition whatsoever; and this proves it to be divine. In writings either suggested or superintended by the Holy Spirit, we shall naturally expect that all will be perfectly connected and consistent, that every word will be the best that could be found in its place, and that its place will be the properest that it could have occupied; and our expectation will not be disappointed.

In this point of view let us consider what is, in fact, the last precept of our Lord's admirable sermon on the Mount, for what comes after is merely a concluding simile." Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's cloathing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Not every one that sayeth unto me, Lord! Lord! shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord! Lord! have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt. vii. 15, 21, 22, 23.)

This may appear at first sight to be an exception to the above rule, since it begins with false prophets or teachers; for to prophesy, in the New Testament means to teach or preach (1 Cor. xiv. 3); and it seemingly ends with such persons as are fraudulent or unjust in their dealings-"ye that work iniquity;" which does not appear very consistent, or worthy of the Divine Inspirer. Let

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