again into the Royal Presence, or until the full disclosure of the facts shall expose the malice of my accusers, and do away every possible ground for unfavourable inference and conjecture.

The various calamities with which it has pleased God of late to afflict me, I have endeavoured to bear, and I trust I have borne with humble resignation to the Divine will. But the effect of this infamous charge, and the delay which has suspended its final termination, by depriving me of the consolation which I should have received from your Majesty's presence and kindness, have given heavy addition to them all; and surely my bitterest enemies could hardly wish that they should be increased. But on this topic, as possibly not much affecting the justice, though it does the hardship, of my case, I forbear to dwell.

Your Majesty will be graciously pleased to recollect, that an occasion of assembling the Royal Family and your subjects, in dutiful and happy commemoration of her Majesty's Birth-day, is now near at hand. If the increased occupations which the approach of Parliament may occasion, or any other cause, should prevent the Commissioners from enabling your Majesty to communicate your pleasure to me before that time; the world will infallibly conclude, (in their present state of ignorance), that my answer must have proved unsatisfactory, and that the infamous charges have been thought to be but too true.

These considerations, Sire, will I trust, in your Majesty's gracious opinion, rescue this address

Ma

from all imputation of impatience. For, your jesty's sense of honourable feeling will naturally suggest, how utterly impossible it is that I, conscious of my own innocence, and believing that the malice of my enemies has been completely detected, can, without abandoning all regard to my interests, my happiness, and my honour, possibly be contented to perceive the approach of such utter ruin to my character, and yet wait, with patience, and in silence, till it overwhelms me. I therefore take this liberty of throwing myself again at your Majesty's feet, and entreating and imploring of your Majesty's goodness and justice, in pity for my miseries, which this delay so severely aggravates, and in justice to my innocence and character, to urge the Commissioners to an early communication of their advice.

To save your Majesty and the Commissioners all unnecessary trouble, as well as to obviate all probability of further delay, I have directed a duplicate of this letter to be prepared, and have sent one copy of it through the Lord Chancellor, and another through Colonel Taylor, to your Majesty.

With

I am,

Sire,

every sentiment of gratitude and loyalty,

Your Majesty's most affectionate,

and dutiful Daughter-in-law,

Servant and Subject.

C. P.

Montague House, Dec. 8, 1806.

MINUTE OF THE CABINET, JAN. 25, 1807.

Your Majesty's Confidential Servants have given the most diligent and attentive consideration to the matters on which your Majesty has been pleased to require their opinion and advice. They trust your Majesty will not think that any apology is necessary on their part for the delay which has attended their deliberations, on a subject or such extreme importance, and which they have found to be of the greatest difficulty and embarrassment.

They are fully convinced that it never can have been your Majesty's intention to require from them, that they should lay before your Majesty a detailed and circumstantial examination and discussion of the various arguments and allegations contained in the letter submitted to your Majesty, by the Law Advisers of the Princess of Wales. And they beg leave, with all humility, to represent to your Majesty that the Laws and Constitution of their coun

try have not placed them in a situation in which

they can conclusively pronounce on any question of guilt or innocence affecting any of your Majesty's subjects, much less one of your Majesty's Royal Family. They have, indeed, no power or authority whatever to enter on such a course of inquiry as could alone lead to any final results of such a nature.

The main question on which they had conceived themselves called upon by their duty to submit theiradvice to your Majesty was this: Whether the circumstances which had, by your Majesty's commands, been brought before them, were of a nature to induce your Majesty to order any farther steps to be taken upon them by your Majesty's Government? And on this point they humbly submit to your Majesty, that the advice which they offered was clear and unequivocal. Your Majesty has since been pleased further to require, that they should submit to your Majesty their opinions as to the answer to be given by your Majesty to the request contained in the Princess's letter, and as to the manner in which that answer should be communicated to her Royal Highness.

They have, therefore, in dutiful obedience to your Majesty's commands, proceeded to reconsider the whole of the subject, in this new view of it; and after much deliberation, they have agreed humbly to recommend to your Majesty, the draft of a Message, which if approved by your Majesty, they would humbly suggest your Majesty might send to her Royal Highness through the Lord Chancellor.

Having before humbly solicited to your Majesty their opinion, that the facts of case did not warrant their advising that any further steps should be taken

upon it by your Majesty's Government, they have not thought it necessary to advise your Majesty any longer to decline receiving the Princess into your Royal presence. But the result of the whole case does, in their judgment, render it indispensable that your Majosty should, by a serious admonition, convey to her Royal Highness your Majesty's expectation that her Royal Highness should be more circumspect in her future conduct; and they trust that in the terms in which they have advised, that such admonition should be conveyed, your Majesty will not be of opinion, on a full consideration of the evidence and answer, that they can be considered as having at all exceeded the necessity of the case, as arising out of the last reference which your Majesty has been pleased to make to them.

THE Lord Chancellor has the honour to present his most humble duty to the Princess of Wales, and to transmit to her Royal Highness the accompanying Message from the King; which Her Royal Highness will observe, he has his Majesty's commands to communicate to her Royal Highness.

The Lord Chancellor would have done himself the honour to have waited personally upon Her Royal Highness, and have delivered it himself; but he considered the sending it sealed, as more respectful and acceptable to her Royal Highness. The Lord Chancellor received the original paper from the King yesterday, and made the copy now sent in his own hand.

January Twenty-eighth, 1807.

To Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales: