fect credit to what I had said. He observed, that the matter was then confined to the knowledge of a few; and that he had hoped, if there had been any foundation for the affidavit, I might have acknowledged it, that the affair might have been hushed. With respect to the minor question, I observed, that it was not probable that I should condescend to ask any such question, as that imputed to me, of a menial servant; and that I was not in the habit of conferring confidentially with servants. Mr. Connant cautioned me to be on my guard; as, that if it appeared, ou further investigation, I had made such inquiry, it might be very unpleasant to me, should it come under the consideration of the Privy Council. I said, that I considered the report as a malicious one; and was ready to make oath, before any Magistrate, that I had not, at any time, asserted, or even thought, that Her Royal Highness had ever been in a state of pregnancy since I had had the honour of attending the household. Mr. Connant asked nie, whether, whilst I was bleeding Her Royal Highness or after I had performed the operation, I did not make some comment on the situation of Her Royal Highness, from the state of the blood; and whether I recommended the operation; I answered in the negative to both questions. I said, that Her Royal Highness had sent for me to bleed her, and that I did not then recollect on what account. I said, that I had bled Her Royal Highness twice; but did not remember the dates. I asked Lord Moira, whether he intended to proceed in the business, or whether I might consider it as at rest, that I might have an opportunity, if I thought necessary, of consalting my friends relative to the mode of conduct I ought to adopt; he said, that if the subjeet was moved any further, I should be apprized of it; and that, at present, it was in the hands of a few. I left them, and, in about an hour, on further consideration, wrote the note, of which the following is a copy, to which I never received any reply: "Mr. Edmeades presents his respectful compliments to Lord "Moira, and, on mature deliberation, after "leaving his Lordship, upon the conversation "which passed at Lord Moira's this morning, he "feels it necessary to advise with some friend, "on the propriety of making the particulars of "that conversation known to Her Royal High"ness the Princess of Wales; as Mr. Edmeades "would be very sorry that Her Royal Highness "should consider him capable of such infamous "conduct as that imputed to him on the depo"sition of a servant, by Lord Moira, this "morning.

"London, May 20, 1806."

I have been enabled to state the substance of my interview with Lord Moira and Mr. Connant with the more particularity, as I made memorandums of it, within a day or two afterwards. And I do further depose, that the Papers hereunto annexed, marked A. and B. are in the hand-writing of Samuel Gillam Mills, of Greenwich aforesaid, my Partner; aud that he is at present, as I verily believe, upon his road from Wales, through Gloucester, to Bath.

(Signed) THOS. EDMEADES. Sworn at the Public Office, Hatton Garden, this 26th day of September, 1806.

(A.)

Memorandums of the Heads of Conversation be tween Lord Moira, Mr. Lowten, and himself. May 14, 1806.

May 13, 1806. I received a letter from Lord Moira, of which the following is an exact copy:

St. James's-place, May 13, 1806. Sir,-A particular circumstauce makes me desire to have the pleasure of seeing you, and, indeed, renders it indispensable that you should take the trouble of calling on me. As the trial in Westminster Hall occupies the latter hours of the day, I must beg you to be with me as early as nine o'clock to-morrow morning; in the mean time, it will be better that you should not apprize any one of my having requested you to converse with me.--I have the honour, Sir, to be your obedient servant,

To Mr. Mills.

(Signed)

This is the Paper A. referred to by
the Affidavit of Thomas Edmeades,
sworn before me this 26th Sep-
tember, 1806.

MOIRA.

THOMAS LEACH.

(B.)

In consequence of the above letter, I waited on his Lordship, exactly at nine o'clock. In less than five minutes I was admitted into his room, and by him received very politely. He began the conversation by stating, he wished to converse with me on a very delicate subject; that I might rely on his honour, that what passed was to be in perfect confidence; it was his duty to his Prince, as his Counsellor, to inquire into the subject, which he had known for some time; and the inquiry was due also to my character. He then stated, that a deposition had been made by a domestic of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, deposing, as a declaration made by me, that Her Royal Highness was pregnant, and that I made inquiries when interviews might have taken place with the Prince. I answered, that I never had declared the Princess to be with child, nor ever made the inquiries stated; that the declaration was an infamous falsehood. This being expressed with some warmth, his Lordship observed that I might have made the inquiries very innocently, conceiving that Her Royal Highness could not be in that situation but by the Prince. I repeated my assertion of the falsehood of the declaration, adding, that though the conversation was intended to be confidential, I felt my character strongly attacked by the declaration, therefore it was necessary that the declaration should be investigated; I had no doubt but the character I had so many years maintained, would make my assertion believed before the know, what date the declaration bore? deposition of a domestic. I then requested to Lordship said, he did not remember; but he had

His

desired the Solicitor to meet nie, who would
shew it me.
confidence communicate to his Lordship why I
I then observed, that I should in
his Lordship, that soon after Her Royal High-
was desirous to know the date; I then stated to

ness came to Blackheath, I attended her in an

illness, with Sir Francis Millman, in which I bled her twice. Soon after her recovery, she thought proper to form a regular medical appointment, and appointed myself and Mr. Edmeades to be Surgeons and Apothecaries to Her Royal Highness. On receiving my warrant for such appointment, I declined accepting the honour of being appointed Apothecary, being inconsistent with

(Signed) JONATHAN PARTRIDGE. Sworn at the County Court of Middlesex, in Fullwood's Rents, the 25th day of September, 1806, before me,

(Signed) THOMAS LEACH.

my character, being educated as Surgeon, and Royal Highness's servants waited upon them, as having had an honorary degree of Physic confer- I was in a dishabille. His Lordship asked me, red on me. Her Royal Highness condescended whether they went up stairs? and I told them to appoint me her Surgeon only. His Lordship that they did not. He asked me, how long they rang to know if Mr. Lowten was come; he was staid? and I said, as far as I recollected, they did in the next room. His Lordship left me for a not stay above an hour, or an hour and quarter; few minutes, returned, and introduced me to that they waited some little time for the carriMr. Lowten with much politeness, as Dr. Mills; age, which had gone to the public-house, and, repeating the assurance of what passed being till it came, they walked up and down altogether confidential. I asked Mr. Lowten the date of in the portico before the house. His Lordship, the declaration, that had been asserted to be in the course of what he said to me, said, it was a made by me? He said, in the year 1802. I subject of importance, and might be of conse then, with permision of his Lordship, gave the quence. His Lordship, finding that I had nothing history of my appointment, adding, since then more to say, told me I might go. Sometime I had never seen the Princess as a patient. Once afterwards his Lordship sent for me again, and she sent for me to bleed her; I was from home; asked me, if I was sure of what I said being all Mr. Edmeades went; nor had I visited any one that I could say respecting the Princess? I said, in the house, except one Mary, and that was in it was; and that I was ready to take my oath of a very bad case of surgery; I was not sure whe-it, if his Lordship thought proper. He said, it ther it was before or after my appointment. Mr. was very satisfactory; said, I might go, and he Lowten asked me the date of it; I told him I should not want me any more. did not recollect. He observed, from the warmth of my expressing my contradiction to the deposition, that I saw it in a wrong light; that I might suppose, and very innocently, Her Royal Highness to be pregnant, and then the inquiries were as innocently made. I answered, that the idea of pregnancy never entered my head; that I The Deposition of Philip Krackeler, one of the Foot never attended Her Royal Highness in any sexual men of Her Royal Highness the Princess of complaint; whether she ever had any I never Wales, and Robert Eaglestone, Park-keeper to knew. Mr. Lowten said, I might think so, from Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. her increase of size; I answered, no; I never did These Deponents say, that on or about the think her pregnant, therefore never could say it, 28th day of June last, as they were walking to and that the deposition was an infamous false-gether across Greenwich Park, they saw Robert hood. His Lordship then observed, that he perceived there must be a mistake, and that Mr. Edmeades was the person meant, whom he wished to see; I said, he was then at Oxford, and did not return before Saturday; his Lordship asked, if he came through London; 1 said, I could not tell. Finding nothing now arising from conversation, I asked to retire; his Lordship attended me out of the room with great politeness.When I came home, I sent his Lordship a letter, with the date of my warrant, April 10, 1801; he answered my letter, with thanks for my immediate attention, and wished to see Mr. Edmeades on Sunday morning. This letter came on the Saturday; early on the Sunday I sent Timothy, to let his Lordship know Mr. Edmeades would not return till Monday; on Tuesday I promised he should attend, which he did.The preced ing Memoranduin is an exact copy of what I made the day after I had seen Lord Moira.

(Signed) SAM. GILLAM MILLS. Croome Hill, Greenwich, Aug. 20, 1806. This is the paper marked B referred to by the Affidavit of Thomas Edmeades, sworn before me this 26th Sept. 1806.

(Signed) THOMAS LEACH.

The Deposition of Jonathan Partridge, Porter to
Lord Eardley, at Belvidere.

Bidgood, one of the Pages of Her Royal Highness, walking in a direction as if he were going from the town of Greenwich, towards the house of Sir John Douglas, and which is a different road from that which leads to Montague House, and they at the same time perceived Lady Doug las walking in a direction to meet him. And this Deponent, Philip Krackeler, then desired the other Deponent to take notice, whether Lady Douglas and Mr. Bidgood would speak to each other; and both of these Deponents observed, that when Lady Douglas and Mr. Bidgood met, they stopped, and conversed together for the space of about two or three minutes, whilst in view of these Deponents; but how much longer their conversation lasted these Deponents cannot say, as they, these Depouents, proceeded on their road which took them out of sight of Lady Douglas and Mr. Bidgood.

(Signed) PHILIP KRACKELER. ROBT. EAGLESTONE. Sworn at the Public Office, Hatton Garden, this 27th day of September, 1806, before me,

To the King.

Sire,-I trust your Majesty, who knows my constant affection, loyalty, and duty, and the I remember being informed by Mr. Kenny, sure confidence with which I readily repose my Lord Eardley's Steward, now dead, that I was honour, my character, my happiness in your Mawanted by Lord Moira, in town; accordingly jesty's hands, will not think me guilty of any I went with Mr. Kenny to Lord Moira's, in St. disrespectful or unduteous impatience, when I James's-place, on the King's Birth Day of 1804, thus again address myself to your Royal grace His Lordship asked me, if I remembered the and justice.It is, Sire, nine weeks to-day, Princess coming to Belvidere some time before? since my counsel presented to the Lord High I said, yes, and told him that there were two or Chancellor my letter to your Majesty, containing three ladies, I think three, with Her Royal High-my observations, in vindication of my honour ness, and a gentleman with them, who came on horseback; that they looked at the pictures in the house, had their luncheon there, and that Her

and innocence, upon the Report presented to your Majesty by the Commissioners, who had been appointed to examine into my conduct.

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 canse, 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 but too true.

The Lord Chancellor informed my Council, that from your Majesty's presence and kindness, have the letter should be conveyed to your Majesty given a heavy addition to them all; and, surely, on that very day; and further, was pleased, in my bitterest enemies could hardly wish that they about a week or ten days afterwards, to commu- should be increased. But on this topic, as posnicate to my Solicitor, that your Majesty had sibly not much affecting the justice, though it read my letter, and that it had been transmitted does the hardship, of my case, I forbear to to his Lordship, with directions that it should be dwell.--Your Majesty will be graciously pleascopied for the Commissioners, and that whened to recollect, that an occasion of assembling such copy had been taken, the original should be returned to your Majesty.Your Majesty's own gracious and royal mind will easily conceive what must have been my state of anxiety and suspense, whilst I have been fondly indulging in the hope, that every day, as it passed, would bring me the happy tidings, that your Majesty was satisfied of my innocence, and convinced of the unfounded malice of my enemies, in every part of their charge. Nine long weeks of daily expectation and suspense have now elapsed, and they have brought me nothing but disappoint- These considerations, Sire, will, I trust, in ment. I have remained in total ignorance of your Majesty's gracious opinion, rescue this adwhat has been done, what is doing, or what is dress from all imputation of impatience. For, intended upon this subject. Your Majesty's your Majesty's sense of honourable feeling will goodness will, therefore, pardon me, if in the step naturally suggest, how utterly impossible it is which I now take I act upon a mistaken conjec- that I, conscions of my own innocence, and beture with respect to the fact. But from the Lord lieving that the malice of my enemies has been Chancellor's communication to my Solicitor, and completely detected, can, without abandoning from the time which has elapsed, I am led to all regard to my interests, my happiness, and my conclude, that your Majesty had directed the honour, possibly be contented to perceive the copy of my letter to be laid before the Commis- approach of such utter ruin to my character, sioners, requiring their advice upon the subject; and yet wait, with patience and in silence, till it and, possibly, their official occupations, and their overwhelms me. I therefore take this liberty of other duties to the State, may not have, as yet, throwing myself again at your Majesty's feet, allowed them the opportunity of attending to it. and entreating and imploring of your Majesty's But your Majesty will permit me to observe, that goodness and justice, in pity for my miseries, however excusable this delay may be on their which this delay so severely aggravates, and in parts, yet it operates most injuriously upon me; justice to my innocence and character, to urge my feelings are severely tortured by the sus the Commissioners to an early communication of pense, while my character is sinking in the opi- their advice.To save your Majesty and the nion of the public-It is known, that a Re- Commissioners all unnecessary trouble, as well port, though acquitting me of crime, yet imput- as to obviate all probability of further delay, I ing matters highly disreputable to my honour, have directed a duplicate of this letter to be prehas been made to your Majesty; that that Re-pared, and have sent one copy of it through the port has been communicated to me; that I have Lord Chancellor, aud another through Colonel endeavoured to answer it; and that I still re. Taylor to your Majesty.I am, Sire, with main, at the end of nine weeks from the deli- every sentiment of gratitude and loyalty, your very of my answer, unacquainted with the judg- Majesty's most affectionate and dutiful Daughterment which is formed upon it. May I be per-in-law, servant and subject, C. P. mitted to observe upon the extreme prejudice which this delay, however to be accounted for by the numerous important occupations of the Commissioners, produces to my honour? The world, in total ignorance of the real state of the facts, begin to infer my guilt from it. I feel myself already sinking in the estimation of your Majesty's subjects, as well as of what remains to me of my own family, into (a state intolerable to a mind conscious of its purity and innocence) a state in which my honour appears at last equivocal, and my virtue is suspected. From this state I humbly entreat your Majesty to perceive, that I can have no hope of being restored, until either your Majesty's favourable opinion shall be graciously notified to the world, by receiving me 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 trust I have borne with humble resignation to the Divine will. But the effect of this infamous charge, and the delay which has sus pended its final termination, by depriving me of the consolation which I should have received

Montague House, Dec. 8th, 1806.

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 28th, 1807.

To Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales.

The King having referred to his confidential Servants the proceedings and papers relative to the written declarations which had been before His Majesty, respecting the conduct of the Princess of Wales, has been apprized by them, that after the fullest consideration of the exami nations taken on that subject, and of the observations and affidavits brought forward by the

letter of the 10th instant, your Majesty may conceive, though I am utterly unable to express. That Letter announces to me that his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, upon receiving the several documents which your Majesty directed your Cabinet to transmit to him, made a personal communication to your Majesty of his intention to put them into the hands of his Lawyers, accompanied by a request, that your Majesty would suspend any further steps in the business, until the Prince of Wales should be enabled to submit to your Majesty the statement which he proposed to make; and it also announces to me that your Majesty therefore considered it incumbent on you to defer naming a day to me, until the further result of the Prince of Wales's intention should have been made known to your Majesty.This determination of your Majesty, on this request, made by His Royal Highness, I humbly trust your Majesty will permit me to entreat you, in your most gracious justice, to re-consider. Your Majesty, I am convinced, must have been surprised at the time, and prevailed upon by the importunity of the Prince of Wales, to think this determination necessary, or your Majesty's generosity and justice would never have adopted it. And if I can satisfy your Majesty of the unparalleled injustice and cruelty of this interposition of the Prince of Wales, at such a time, and under such circumstances, I feel the most perfect confidence that your Majesty will hasten to recal it.——I should basely be wanting to my own interest and feelings, if I did not plainly state my sense of that injustice and cruelty; and if I did not most loudly complain of it. Your Majesty will better perceive the just grounds of my complaint when I retrace the course of these proceedings from their commencement.—The four noble Lords, appointed by your Majesty to inquire into the charges brought against me, in their Report of the 14th of July last, after having stated that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales had laid before him, the charge which was made against me, by Lady Douglas, and the declarations in support of it, proceed in the following manner.

--Upon the receipt of the paper, which, by your Majesty's commands, was transmitted to me by the Lord Chancellor, on the 28th of last month, and which communicated to me the joyful intelligence, that your Majesty was " ad"vised, that it was no longer necessary for you "to decline receiving me into your royal pre"sence," I conceived myself necessarily called upon to send an immediate answer to so much of it as respected that intelligence. I could not wait the time which it would have required, to state those observations which it was impossible for me to refrain from making, at some period, upon the other important particulars which that paper contained. Accordingly, I answered it immediately; and, as your Majesty's gracious and instant reply of last Thursday fortnight, announced to me your pleasure, that I should be received by your Majesty on a day subsequent to the then ensuing week, I was led most confidently to assure myself, that the last week would not have passed, without my having received that satisfaction. I, therefore, determined to wait in patience, without further intrusion upon your Majesty, till I might have the opportunity of guarding myself from the possibility of being misunderstood, by personally explaining to your Majesty, that whatever observations I had to make upon the paper so communicated to me on the 28th ultimo, and whatever complaints respecting the delay, and the many cruel circumstances which had attended the whole of the proceedings against me, and the unsatisfactory state in which they were at length left by that last communication, they were observations and complaints which affected those only, under whose advice your Majesty had acted, and were not, in any degree, intended to intimate even the most distant insinuation against your Majesty's justice or kindness.-That paper established the opinion which I certainly had ever confidently entertained, but the justness of which I had not before any document to establish, that your Majesty had, from the first, deemed this proceeding a high and important matter of state, in the consideration of which your Majesty had not felt yourself at liberty to trust to your own generous feelings, and to your "In the painful situation in which His Royown royal and gracious judgment. I never did al Highness was placed by these communica believe that the cruel state of anxiety in which I "tions, we learnt that His Royal Highness had had been kept, ever since the delivery of my" adopted the only course which could, in our Answer (for at least sixteen weeks), could be at "judgment, with propriety, be followed. When all attributable to your Majesty; it was most un- "informations such as these, had been thus like every thing which I had ever experienced "confidently alleged, and particularly detailed, from your Majesty's condescension, feeling, and "and had been in some degree supported by justice; and I found from that paper, that it was "collateral evidence, applying to other facts of to your confidential servants I was to ascribe the "the same nature, (though going to a far less length of banishment from your presence, which "extent,) one line only could be pursued. they, at last, advised your Majesty it was no "Every sentiment of duty to your Majesty, and louger necessary should be continued. I per- "of concern for the public welfare, required ceive, therefore, what I always believed, that it "that these particulars should not be withheld was to them, and to them only, that I owed the "from your Majesty, to whom more particularly protracted continuance of my sufferings and of" belonged the cognizance of a matter of State, my disgrace; and that your Majesty, consider-" so nearly touching the honour of your Maing the whole of this proceeding to have been instituted and conducted under the grave responsibility of your Majesty's servants, had not thought proper to take any step, or express any opinion, upon any part of it, but such as was recommended by their advice. Influenced by these sentiments, and anxious to have the opportunity of conveying them, with the overflowings" of a grateful heart, to your Majesty, what were my sensations of surprise, mortification, and disappointment, on the receipt of your Majesty's

"jesty's Royal Family, and, by possibility, "affecting the succession of your Majesty's "Crown. Your Majesty had been pleased, "on your part, to view the subject in the same "light. Considering it as a matter which, on

every account demanded the most immediate "investigation, your Majesty had thought fit to commit into our hands the duty of ascer"taining, in the first instance, what degree of

* Report.