tion; and your royal highness having been graciously pleased to command us to report our opinions to your royal highness, whether, under all the circumstances of the case, it be fit and proper that the intercourse between the princess of Wales and her daughter, the princess Charlotte, should continue to be subject to regulation and restraint.

"We beg leave humbly to report to your royal highness, that after a full examination of all the documents before us, we are of opinion, that, under all the circumstances of the case it is highly fit and proper, with a view to the welfare of her royal highness the princess Charlotte, in which are equally involved the happiness of your royal highness in your parental and royal character, and the most important interests of the state, that the intercourse between her royal highness the princess of Wales, and her royal highness the princess Charlotte, should continue to be subject to regulation and restraint.

"We humbly trust, that we may be permitted without being thought to exceed the limits of the duty imposed on us, respectfully to express the just sense we entertain of the motives by which your royal highness has been actuated in the postponement of the confirmation of her royal highness the princess Charlotte, as it appears, by a statement under the hand of her majesty the queen, that your royal highness has conformed in this respect to the

declared will of his majesty; who had been pleased to direct, that such ceremony should not take place till her royal highness should have completed her eighteenth year.

"We also humbly trust, that we may be further permitted to notice some expressions in the letter of her royal highness the princess of Wales, which may possibly be construed as implying a charge of too serious a nature to be passed over without observation. We refer to the words-' suborned traducers.' As this expression, from the manner it is introduced, may, perhaps, be liable to misconstruction (however impossible it may be to suppose that it can have been so intended) to have reference to some part of the conduct of your royal highness, we feel it our bounden duty not to omit this opportunity of declaring, that the documents laid before us afford the most ample proof, that there is not the slightest foundation for such an aspersion.

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CHAPTER XIV.

The Princess of Wales's Letter to the House of Commons-Proceedings thereon-Mr. Cochrane Johnstone's motion-The Innocence of her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales completely established-Remarks on the disgusting Statements of certain Papers, the Herald and PostPetition of Sir John and Lady Douglas-Interesting debate-Notice of a motion relative to Sir John Douglas's Petition-Mrs. Lisle's Evidence-Mr. Whitbread's Letter to Mrs. Lisle, and the Answer-The House's approval of Mr. Whitbread's Conduct-Mr. C. Johnstone's motion respecting Sir John Douglas's PetitionMr. Whitbread's Observations on a Letter signed "Moira"-Correspondence between Lord Moira and Mr. Whitbread.

IMMEDIATELY upon the meeting of the House of Commons, March 2, 1813, the Speaker rose, and stated, that he felt it to be his duty to inform the house, that he had received yesterday, while seated in the chair of that house, a letter, purporting to come from her royal highness the princess of Wales, and which it was expressed to be her wish should be communicated to the house. The letter, however, being without date, and hav

ing been delivered to one of the messengers at the door of the house, the Speaker did not think that it came to his hands in such an authenticated form as warranted him in laying it before the house. This day he had felt it incumbent on him to ascertain whether the letter was authentic or not, and from those inquiries, and from a letter which he had this day received from her royal highness the princess of Wales, acknowledging that the letter of yesterday came from her, and enclosing a duplicate of it, he had now no longer any reason to doubt the letter's being authentic. With the permission of the house, therefore, he should now, if it was their pleasure, read the letter he had received this day, with the duplicate of the letter of yesterday enclosed in it. (Hear, hear, hear.)

The letter of this day, and its enclosure, were then read and were as follow:

"Montague House, March 2, 1813. "The princess of Wales, by her own desire, as well as by the advice of her counsel, did yesterday transmit to Mr. Speaker a letter, which she was anxious should be read without delay to the house of commons, and the princess requests that the said letter may be read this very day to the house of commons. The princess encloses Mr. Speaker a duplicate of the letter alluded to."

The speaker then read the duplicate:-

"Montague House, March 1, 1813. "The princess of Wales informs Mr. Speaker, that she has received from lord viscount Sidmouth a copy of a report made to his royal highness the prince regent, by a certain number of the members of the privy council, to whom it appears, his royal highness had been advised to refer the consideration of the documents, and other evidence respecting her character and conduct.

"The report is of such a nature, that her royal highness is well persuaded that no person can read it without considering that it conveys most unjust aspersions against her, and although their eagerness renders it impossible to discover precisely what is meant, or even what she has been charged with; yet, as the princess of Wales is conscious of no offence whatever, she thinks it due to herself, and to the illustrious house with which she is connected by blood and marriage, and to the people, among whom she holds so distinguished a rank, not to acquiesce for a moment in any imputation affecting her honour.

"The princess of Wales has not been permitted to know upon what evidence the members of the privy council proceeded, still less to be heard in her own defence. She knew only by common rumour of the inquiries which had been carried on until the result was communicated to her, and she has no