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CHAPTER XXIII.

The Princess of Wales's vindication against the charges affecting her and Sir Sidney Smith.

WHILE Sir Sidney Smith was thus actively and usefully employed in the service of his country abroad, men's minds were put almost into an universal agitation by a most delicate investigation at home, an investigation that deeply implicated the honour of the future Queen of England, together with that of many persons of high character, some of whom had made the nation their debtors by the value of their official exertions, and, among these, we are sorry to say, that our hero stood prominently forward.

It was the natural consequences of Sir Sidney's brilliant achievements, and his position in society, to be much sought for, and greatly admired.

To these advantages he added a graceful vivacity of manner, tinctured, at times, with an eccentricity as engaging as it was original. These physical advantages, and the fluency of his conversation, replete with anecdote, made him a dangerous man in female society, to which, we are bound to state, he was always most chivalrously partial.

His high connexions, and his deserved reputation, at length brought him within the circle over which Caroline Princess of Wales presided with so much imprudence and good-heartedness. His conduct, at that period, will ever be involved in an impenetrable darkness-a darkness made the more deep and inscrutable by the solemn and yet ridiculous attempts of commissioners and privy counsellors to dispel it. We have carefully perused and reperused all the depositions sworn to as affecting the continence of that unfortunate Princess, during her residence on Blackheath, and the only safe conclusion at which we can arrive is, that the laxity of morals, and the licentiousness of the manners of almost all concerned in that investigation, make us feel shame for the conduct, with but a few exceptions, for all the parties concerned.

Whether the attractions of Sir Sidney Smith, were only incitements to, or actually the cause of

criminality with the Princess, he now only knows. That he was much in her society, that his conversation amused and his attentions pleased this unfortunate woman, cannot be doubted. It is also no less certain that he was discovered in her company at times, and in situations, that neither befitted her rank, nor his position as a future subject to the heir apparent.

This intercourse, of whatever nature it might have been, continued with unabated strictness for several months. To render it the more uninterrupted, Sir Sidney went and partly resided with his old companion in arms, Sir John Douglas, the huband of that Lady Douglas who, throughout these transactions, procured for herself an unenviable notoriety.

Having thus made himself conveniently proximate to the Princess, he was seen for weeks daily in her society; and being thus unguarded in his conduct, he gave too much scope for the voice of scandal to breathe guilt upon the fame of a person, already too much open to suspicion, and, as moralists, we are bound to say, to leave a stain of no very light dye upon his own.

We wish to tread lightly upon the ashes of the dead, who, when living, we think was hardly dealt with. We shall, therefore, not go into details of the evidence which imputed criminality

to our officer, but merely state that, first, a coldness, and then a quarrel, having occurred between him and the object of his attentions, he shortly after forsook her society altogether, and was soon after found most actively employed in that scene so natural to his genius, and so conducive to his own fame and his country's glory.

The following is a description of Sir Sidney's appearance at the time of his acquaintance with the princess, to whom the world so generally gave him as a favoured lover. He had an air of general smartness, and was extremely gentlemanly in his deportment. He had a good-humoured, agreeable manner with him, with a certain dash and turn of chivalry that was very taking with the ladies. We are not using our own words, but the very expressive ones of a good judge upon these matters.

He used then to wear mustachios; they were not then vulgarised, as now; which fashion he had adopted when so much associated with the Turks. He was about the middle height, rather under than over, and of slender construction, which much helped his activity. He was generally very showily dressed, perhaps with some singularity; but there was not a particle of coxcombry about him. In features, he something resembled Bernadotte, though with not so promi

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nent a facial angle. The countenance of Southey the poet still more closely resembled that of Sir Sidney Smith, when both were in their younger days.

The following is the best means in our possession of vindicating Sir Sidney Smith's character, being an extract from the letter dated 2d of October, 1806, that the Princess of Wales sent to his Majesty George the Third.

"And I will begin with those which respect Sir Sidney Smith, as he is the person first mentioned in the deposition of W. Cole.

"W. Cole says, "that Sir Sidney Smith first visited at Montague-house in 1802; that he observed that the princess was too familiar with Sir Sidney Smith. One day, he thinks in February, he (Cole) carried into the blue room to the princess some sandwiches which she had ordered, and was surprised to see that Sir Sidney was there. He must have come in from the park. If he had been let in from Blackheath he must have passed through the room in which he (Cole) was waiting. When he had left the sandwiches, he returned, after some time, into the room, and Sir Sidney Smith was sitting very close to the princess on the sofa: he (Cole) looked at her Royal Highness; she caught his eye, and saw that he noticed the manner in

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