port of the four lords, which my innocence of all offence most justly entitled me to receive." Whatever opinion however may be formed upon any part of my conduct, it must in justice be formed, with reference to the situation in which I was placed; if I am judged of as princess of Wales, with reference to the high rank of that station, I must be judged as princess of Wales, banished from the prince, unprotected by the support and the countenance, which belong to that station; and if I am judged of in my private character, as a married woman, I must be judged of as a wife banished from her husband, and living in a widowed seclusion from him, and retirement from the world. This last consideration leads me to recur to an expresion in Mrs. Lisle's examination, which describes my conduct, in the frequency and the manner of my receiving the visits of captain Manby, though always in the presence of my ladies, as unbecoming a married woman. Upon the extreme injustice of setting up the opinion of one woman, as it were, in judgment upon the conduct of another; as well as of estimating the conduct of a person in my unfortunate situation, by refe "Windsor Castle, April 30, 1796. "Madam,-As lord Cholmondeley informs me that you wish I would define, in writing, the terms upon which we are to live, I shall endeavour to explain myself upon that head, with as much clearness, and with as much propriety, as the nature of the subject will admit. Our inclinations are not in our power, nor should either of us be held answerable to the other, because nature has not made us suitable to each other. Tranquil and comfortable society is, however, in our power; let our intercourse, therefore, be restricted to that, and I will distinctly subscribe to the condition which you required, through lady Cholmondeley, that even in the event of any accident happening to my daughter, which I trust Providence in its mercy will avert, I shall not infringe the terms of the restriction by proposing at any period, a connection of a more particular nature. I shall now finally close this disagreeable correspondence, trusting that, as we have completely explained ourselves to each other, the rest of our lives will be passed in uninterrupted tranquillity. I am, madam, with great truth, Very sincerely yours, (Signed) "GEORGE P." following answer: May 6, 1796. rence to that, which might in gene- And that to this letter I sent the ral be expected from a married woman living happily with her husband, I have before generally remarked: but beyond these general remarks in forming any esti. mate of my conduct, your majesty will never forget the very peculiar circumstances and misfortunes of my situation. Your majesty will remember that I had not been much above a year in this country, when I received the following let ter from his royal highness the prince of Wales: "The avowal of your conversation with lord Cholmondeley neither surprises nor offends me. It merely confirmed what you have tacitly insinuated for this twelvemonth. But after this, it would be a want of delicacy, or rather an unworthy meanness in me, were I to complain of those conditions which you impose upon yourself. "I should have returned no answer to your letter, if it had not been been conceived in terms to make it doubtful, whether this arrangement proceeds from you or from me, and you are aware that the credit of it belongs to you alone. "The letter which you announce to me as the last, obliges me to communicate to the king, as to my sovereign and my father, both your avowal and my answer, You will find enclosed the copy of my letter to the king. I apprize you of it, that I may not incur the slightest reproach of duplicity from you, As I have at this moment no protector but his majesty, I refer myself solely to him upon this subject, and if my conduct meets his approbation, I shall be in some degree at least consoled. I retain every sentiment of gratitude for the situation in which I find myself, as princess of Wales, enabled by your means, to indulge in the free exercise of a virtue dear to my heart, I mean charity. "It will be my duty likewise to act upon another motive, that of giving an example of patience and resignation under every trial. "Do me the justice to believe that I shall never cease to pray for your happiness, and to be "Your much devoted "CAROLINE." The date of his royal highness's letter is the 30th of April, 1796. The date of our marriage, your majesty will recollect, is the Sth day of April, in the year 1795, and that of the birth of our only child the 7th of January, 1796. On the letter of his royal highness I offer no comment. 1 only entreat your majesty not to understand me to introduce it, as affording any supposed justification or excuse, for the least departure from the strictest line of virtue, or the slightest deviation from the most refined delicacy. The crime, which has been insinuated against me, would be equally criminal and detestable; the indelicacy imputed to me would be equally odious and abominable, whatever renunciation of conjugal authority and affection, the above letter of his royal highness might in any construction of it be supposed to have conveyed. Such crimes, and faults, derive not their guilt from the consideration of the conjugal virtues of the individual, who may be the most injured by them, however much such virtues may aggravate their enormity. No such letter, therefore, in any construction of it, no renunciation of conjugal affection or duties, could ever palliate them. But whether conduct free from all crime, free from all indelicacy, (which I maintain to be the character of the conduct to which Mrs. Lisle's observations apply,) yet possibly not so measured, as a cautious wife, careful to avoid the slightest appearance, of not preferring her husband to all the world, might be studious to observe; whether conduct of such description, and possibly, in such sense, not becoming a married woman, could be justly deemed, in my situation, an offence in me; I must leave to your majesty to determine. In making that determination, however, it will not escape your majesty to consider, that the conduct which does or does not be come a married woman materially depends upon what is, or is not, known by her to be agreeable to her husband. His pleasure and happiness ought unquestionably to be her law; and his approbation the most favourite object of her pursuit. Different characters of men require different modes of conduct in their wives; but when a wife (03) can can no longer be capable of per- 1 should, in any instance, under the influence of foreign habits, and foreign education, have observed a conduct, in any degree deviating from the reserve and severity of British manners, and partaking of a condescension and familiarity which that reserve and severity would, perhaps, deem beneath the dignity of my exalted rank, I feel confident, (since such deviation will be seen to have been ever consistent with perfect innocence), that not only your majesty's candour and indul gence, but the candour and indul. gence, which, notwithstanding the reserve and severity of British manners, always belong to the British public, will never visit it with severity or censure. It remains for me now to make some remarks upon the further contents of the paper, which was transmitted to me by the lord chanceilor, on the 28th ult. And I cannot, in passing, omit to remark, that that paper has neither title, date, signature, nor attestation; and unless the lord chancellor had accompanied it with a note, stating, that it was copied in his own hand from the original, which his lordship had received from your majesty, I should have been at a loss to have perceived any single mark of authenticity be longing to it; and as it is, I am wholly unable to discover what is the true character which does belong to it. It contains, indeed, the advice which your majesty's servants have offered to your majesty, and the message which, according to that advice, your majesty directed to be delivered to me. Considering it, therefore, wholly as their act, your majesty will excuse and pardon me, if, deeply injured as I feel myself to have been by them, I express myself with freedom upon their conduct. I may speak, speak, perhaps, with warmth, because I am provoked by a sense of gross injustice; I shall speak certainly with firmness and with courage, because I am emboldened by a sense of conscious innocence. Your majesty's confidential servants say, "they agree in the opinions of the four lords," and they say this," after the fullest consideration of my observations, and of the affidavits which were annexed to them." Some of these opinions, your majesty will recollect, are, that "William Cole, Fanny Lloyd, Robert Bidgood, and Mrs. Lisle, are witnesses who cannot," in the judgment of the four lords, "be suspected of any unfavourable bias;" and "whose veracity, in this respect, they had seen no ground to question ;" and "that the circumstances to which they speak, particularly as relating to captain Manby, must be credited until they are decisively contradicted." Am I then to understand your majesty's confidential servants to mean, that they agree with the four noble lords in these opinions? Am I to understand, that after having read, with the fullest consideration, the observations which I have offered to your majesty; after having scen William Cole there proved to have submitted himself, five times at least, to private, unauthorized, voluntary examination by sir John Douglas's solicitor, for the express purpose of confirming the statement of lady Douglas, (of that lady Douglas, whose statement and deposition they are convinced to be so malicious and false, that they propose to institute such prosecution against her, as your majesty's law officers may advise, upon a reference, now at length, after six months from the detection of that malice and falsehood, intended to be made)-after having seen this William Cole, submitting to such repeated voluntary examinations for such a purpose, and although he was all that time a servant on my establishment, and eating my bread, yet never once communicating to me, that such examinations were going on-am I to understand, that your majesty's confidential servants agree with the four lords,in thinking, that he cannot, under such circumstances, be suspected of unfavourable bias? That after having had pointed out to them the direct, flat contradiction between the same William Cole and Fanny Lloyd, they nevertheless agree to think them both (though in direct contradiction to each other, yet both) witnesses, whose veracity they see no ground to question? After having seen Fanny Lloyd directly and positively contradicted, in an assertion, most injurious to my honour, by Mr. Mills and Mr. Edmeades, do they agree in opinion with the four noble lords, that they see no ground to question her veracity?--After having read the observations on Mr. Bidgood's evidence; after having seen, that he had the hardihood to swear, that he believed captain Manby slept in my house, at Southend, and to insinuate that he slept in my bed-room; after having seen that he founded himself on this most false fact, and most foul and wicked insinuation, upon the circumstance of observing a bason and some towels where he thought they ought not to be placed; after having seen that this fact, and this insinuation, were disproved before the four noble lords themselves, by two maid-servants, who, at that time, lived with me at Southend, and whose duties about my person, and my apartments, must have made them acquainted with this fact, as asserted, (04) of or as insinuated, if it had happened; after having observed too, in confir mation of their testimony, that one of them mentioned the name of another female servant (who was not examined), who had, from her situation, equal means of knowledge with themselves-I ask whether, after all this decisive weight of contradiction to Robert Bidgood's testimony, I am to understand your majesty's confidential servants to agree with the four noble lords in thinking, that Mr. Bidgood is a witness, who cannot be suspected of unfavourable bias, and that there is no ground to question his veracity? If, sire, I were to go through all the remarks of this description, which occur to me to make, I should be obliged to repeat nearly all my former observations, and to make this letter as long as my original answer; but to that answer I confi. dently appeal, and I will venture to challenge your majesty's confidential servants to find a single impartial, and honourable man, unconnected in feeling and interest with the parties, and unconnected in council, with those who have already pledged themselves to an opinion upon this subject, who will lay his hand upon his heart, and say that these three witnesses, on whom that report so mainly relies, are not to be suspected of the gross est partiality, and that their veracity is not most fundamentally impeached. Was it then noble, was it generous, was it manly, was it just, in your majesty's confidential servants, instead of fairly admitting the injustice, which had been, inadvertently, and unintentionally, no doubt, done to me, by the four noble lords in their report, upon the evidence of these witnesses, to state to your majesty, that they agree with these noble lords in their opinion, though they cannot, it seems, go the length of agreeing any longer to withhold the advice, which restores me to your majesty's presence? And with respect to the particulars to my prejudice, remarked upon in the re port as those "which justly deserve the most serious consideration, and which must be credited till decisive ly contradicted," instead of fairly avowing, either that there was originally no pretence for such a re, mark, or that, if there had been originally, yet that my answer had given that decisive contradiction which was sufficient to discredit them; instead, I say, of acting this just, honest, and open part, to take no notice whatsoever of those con tradictions, and content themselves. with saying, that "none of the facts or allegations stated in preli minary examinations, carried on in the absence of the parties interested, could be considered as legally or conclusively established?" They agree in the opinion that the facts or allegations, though stated in preliminary examination, carried on in the absence of the parties interested, must be credited till decisively contradicted, and deserve the most serious consideration. They read, with the fullest consideration, the contradiction which I have tendered to them; they must have known, that no other sort of con tradiction could, by possibility, from the nature of things, have been offered upon such subjects; they do not question the truth; they do not point out the insufficiency of the contradiction, but in loose, general, indefinite terms, referring to my answer, consisting, as it does, of above two hundred written pages, and coupling it with those examinations (which they admit establish nothing against an absent party), they |