Did you know, of your own knowledge, the hand-writing of that note ? I never saw the hand-writing to my knowledge, before.

Did Major Tonyn seem to know the hand-writing, or did he make any observation upon the note, and what? I do not recollect that he .did; I shewed him the note, and at that period he said, then the matter might stand over for two or three Gazette days, or a Gazette day or two

State why it was of importance to you to conceal that letter. I had no particular reason why I concealed it.

Did Colonel Hamilton, when you shewed him that note, tell you it was the hand-writing of his Royal Highness the Duke of York ? No, he did not.

What remark did Colonel Hamilton make upon that note, when you shewed it to him? Pre ious to my shewing him the note, I told him that I understood it was his Royal Highness's hand-writing; he asked me what kind of hand it was, whether it was a neat little hand, and whether the large T's were made in a particular way, turning over; and when I shewed him the note, I asked him, do you think it is his Royal Highness's hand-writing; he made me no answer.

Did you apprehend any danger or inconvenience to yourself, from acknowledging that the note was in your possession? No, I did not. [The witness was taken from the bar.

Mr. P. Smith then said, he hoped that Captain Sandon would not be brought again to the bar to give evidence. He had so com, letely disqualified himself from any sort of credit, that he thought it would be worse than wasting time to ask him any more questions.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, he by no means differed with the honourable gentleman who spoke last, as to the credibility of the witness alluded to; but he could wish that he might be permitted to appear once more at the bar, as it might be in his power to give some clue, or throw some light on the papers which had been so recently put under the consideration of the House, in consequence of his prevarication, and the measures adopted thereon.

Mr. Hardle said, he wished to obtain the attention of the House to a few observations he was desirous to offer to their attention. It would easily be recollected with what a pompous display of eloquence the right honourable gentleman had, on their last meeting, ushered in the statement he had made of a circumstance which he had, till then, purposely kept back, and which he had then thought proper to bring forward, in an attack upon him, founded on an accusation of his having been guilty of a suppres sion of evidence. Many and repeated had been the attacks which had been made against him from various quarters since the commencement of this inquiry, and he

had endeavoured to treat them all with the indifference which was due to them. That attack, however, which had been made on him by the right honourable gentleman, in the course of the last night's proceedings, was of a more serious nature than any of the rest, and he would own that he really felt it as most harshly and most unjustly imputed to him. He had deemed it his first and paramount duty, in the prosecution of this inquiry, to carry it on in such a manner as was most likely to attain the ends of public justice, which was solely and entirely the object aimed at, and with that view had refrained from attending to the various and violent attacks which had been made, and the broad insinuations thrown ought against him. A time, however, would shortly arrive when he should have an opportunity of answering and repelling those attacks, and of shewing that he had been actuated only by what he thought a due discharge of his duty to his country as an independent member of parliament. Conscious, as he was, of having fulfilled that duty to the utmost of his power, he should content himself for the present with the observations which he had thus thought it incumbent on him to make upon the subject.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, he rose for the purpose of saying a few words, in answer to an address to the Committee from the honourable gentleman who had just sat down, which to him appeared the most surprising he had ever heard in that House. He appealed to the recollection of the whole Committee, and even to the honourable gentleman himself, if he had not, from the commencement of the present inquiry, endeavoured to carry it on in such a manner as, in his mind, to avoid the possibility of such a charge as the honourable gentleman had so unjustly brought against him. From the particular situa tion which he held in that House, he might have placed the conduct of this inquiry on other persons than himself; but in justice to the royal personage who was the subject of it-the son of the revered master whom he servedhe thought it would be a more direct and a more striking proof of his respect for the good opinion of his sovereign, and of the public, as well as of that royal personage who now stood accused, to stand forward, and openly and fairly support and defend the innocence of the accused, than to put it into any other hands. In doing this, he had endeavoured to act with every degree of candour and

openness; and if he could reasonably flatter himself with any part of his conduct being enti led to the approbation of the Committee, and free from misrepresentation or misunderstanding, it was precisely that which the honourable gentleman had thought proper to select as the ground of his animadversion. As to the witness and prisoner who had just left the bar, and had proved himself unworthy of the smallest degree of credit, either from the Committee or any one else, he had never said a syllable which could be construed fairly as tending to support him. He did indeed say there had been a suppression of evidence, but he had not the most distant idea of imputing that to the honourable gentleman, or to Mrs. Clarke, or to any other than himself. As to any attack which might have been made upon the honourable gentleman in the course of this inquiry, he could only say there had been none from him; and he hoped, therefore, that whatever fault the honourable gentleman might find with what he termed the pompous manner of his introducing the statement he had inade to the House, he would do him the justice to exonerate bint from a charge which, as he was perfectly conscious he had not deserved, he would be sorry should be attri buted to him either by the Committee, the honourable gentleman, or the public.

Mr. Whitbread said he had distinctly understood the right honourable gentleman in the statement he made last night, to say expressly, that he meant not any thing against his honourable friend, but merely alluded to the witness who was the object of that statement. He could not avoid bestowing on the right honourable gentleman his warmest praises for the very manly, open, and candid manner in which he had conducted himself through the whole of this inquiry. He was certain it must have been observed by the whole Committee, and wanted only the addition of his honourable friend's testimony, who had unquestionably misconceived him, to make it complete. He hoped, therefore, his honourable friend would reflect on what had passed, and he was sure he would come to a very different opinion on the subject to what he had so lately expressed.

Lord H. Petty coincided in opinion with his honour able friend, who had just sat down, as to the open and candid conduct of the Chancellor of the Exchequer throughout the whole of the inquiry, which he thought

deserving his warmest approbation, and of which he was sure a misconception only could have drawn to it the animadversion of the honourable gentleman, who had with equal candour brought forward those charges.

Mr. Wardle said, he had certainly felt otherwise the moment he delivered his sentiments; but from what had been said by his honourable friend, and the noble lord who had just sat down, and since the very handsome explanation which the right honourable gentleman had done him the honour to give upon the subject, he was very happy to say, that what had fallen from him so recently on that head was merely the effect of misunderstanding.

[The witness was again brought to the bar ]

Have you any recollection how long it was before the appointment of Major Tonyn appeared in the Gazette, that you shewed the note you received from Mrs. Clarke to Major Tonyn? I think it might be two or three Gazette days; eight or nine or ten days.

Look at that paper, [No. 42]. I know this paper.

How came that paper into your possession? It rolled up the note that I had to shew Major Tonyn.

Was it in that state when you received it? Exactly in that state. Had it no other writing upon it? No, nothing more; it rolled up the note I received from Mrs. Clarke to shew Major Tonyn.

Do you recollect why Mrs. Clarke gave you that bit of paper to roll up the note? No, I cannot recollect why she did it; let me recollect why, there was some reason why it was given; I cannot positively take upon me to say what the reason was, but there was some reason why the note was rolled up in that piece of paper; there was some reason, which I cannot now really recollect.

Try if you can recollect it. I cannot recollect; but I am perfectly sure there was some reason why she gave me the note rolled up in that bit of paper; I think, if my memory will bring me through, it was when the Duke was reviewing somewhere upon the coast, and it was to prove to Major Tonyn, in some way or other, that that note was writ ten by his Royal Highness.

Do you mean that the Duke was reviewing near the coast when you shewed this paper to Major Tonyn? He was on the coast, I understood, at that period: she had received this letter, which she produced; I do not know whether she did not produce the letter, and read part of it to me, and then she tore off a piece, and rolled up the other, and said, this will convince him that this comes from his Royal Highness, who is now upon the coast.

How could that letter, not having upon it the Duke's name, convince any body that another letter that appeared to be in the same handwriting was the Duke's? I really do not remember now; but the he was at Dover or in Kent, reviewing, at the period, I perfectly well res

collect

Do you not recollect that the Duke of York's name was upon the frank of the letter at the time it was produced to you? I never saw it.

Was there any thing respecting the seal that was to be observed? Not that I recollect.

Why should you give credit to that cover more than to the note? IË is so long since, that I cannot recollect why, but that there was some reason I am certain.

Recollect yourself how you came to go to Mrs. Clarke's on that day, whether by accident, intention, or solicitation. I should think it was from solicitation.

In what room did you see Mrs. Clarke? I really cannot say; I used to see her in every room; such as the drawing-room, and the diningroom, and her little dressing-room.

Will you recollect whether any person was present? No, I do not

recollect that circumstance.

On what business did you go there on that day? I think it was from her solicitation, that I might go to Major Tonyn, to inform him that she had got this paper, or that I was to take the note and shew it to Major Tonyn, it came from his Royal Highness the Duke of York; but there are some letters which I gave up to this honourable House, that I think mention something about that very business.

Did you state to Mrs. Claike, that Major Tonyn wanted his security back again, or his money? That he wanted back his memorandum. * What contrivance was it between Mrs. Clarke and you to keep Major Tonyn from recovering that memorandum? I know of no particular contrivance; she desired I would go to him, and speak about the majority.

Then the Committee is to understand, that you went there and had a conversation with Mrs. Clarke, how to manage to keep Major Tonyn in temper until this majority could be had, and that you found there a note, purporting to be a note from the Commander in Chief, ready written and sealed? I do not exactly recollect that circumstance; I have related previous to it how I came acquainted with Major Tonyn; and when I had the honour of being introduced to Major Tonyn, it was on the very demur, when he was tired of the business, and thought the influence I had could not get the matter done, and desired me to get back the security; the consequence was, I informed Mrs. Clarke of the subject.

And she had a note ready? No, I beg your pardon, not that I recollect, then

The note was not ready? Not that I recollect.

Then if the note was not ready, how came you to bring it away with you? I do not recollect; she told me she had got a note, and shewed me this note, and desired me to take it to Major Tonyn; I of course took it, and told him that it was the interest by which we would obtain the majority; I did not know at that time that was from the Com mander in Clf; Mrs. Clarke gave me the note, and said that he had better wait two or three Gazette days, and in all probability he would be gazetted,

Did you find the note there, and was it sealed or not? When I first saw the note, it was not sealed; it was broken open, the seal was broken.

Was it re-scaled? Not in my presence.

Did you deliver it sealed to Captain Tonyn? No, I took it in hand, and shewed him the note.

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