Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

ly issued by the latter power in regard to the affairs of Spain. Lord LIVERPOOL, in reply, stated, that nothing existed between this country and Spain which was calcula ted to lead to any thing like hostility.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors][ocr errors]

TRIAL OF THE QUEEN,

Aug. 17. This day the House met at 10 o'clock, to proceed to the trial of the Queen Her Majesty went in state to the House, accompanied in her carriage by Lady Anne Hamilton; preceded in ano ther carriage by Mr Alderman Wood, and followed by one containing Sir William Gell, and the Hon. Sir Keppel Craven. The streets were thronged by immense piultitudes, who greeted her Majesty with loud acclamations; and the sentinels sta tioned at the various public offices in her route presented arms. She was met at the door of the House by Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, Usher of the Black Rod, and on her entrance the Peers all rose to receive her.

After some preliminary proceedings, a motion was made by the Duke of LEIN STER for rescinding the Bill of Pains and Penalties, which was lost by a great majority, the numbers being 260 to 41.

Earl GREY recapitulated his former opinions, that a Bill of Pains and Penalties was not the proper mode of procedure for the offence charged against the Queen-that the prosecution should have been for high treason; and moved that the opinion of the Judges should be taken on this point. The Judges being accordingly consulted, gave their opinion, that the offence charged against her Majesty could not be reached by the present law. The Queen's Counsel were then called in, when Mr Brougham addressed the House against the principle of the bill.

Aug. 18.Mr Denman was heard against the bill, after which the Attorney and Solicitor-General severally addressed the House, and Mr Brougham was heard in reply. Some conversation then took place between Lords Liverpool, Lansdowne, and King, when the latter gave notice of his intention to move to-morrow a resolution, expressing the opinion of their Lordships, that it was not necessary for the public safety, or for the security of the Government, that the present bill of pains and penalties against her Majesty should be proceeded in.~~~

Aug. 19. The expediency of any farther proceedings in the case of the Queen was brought under the consideration of the House of Lords;-first, by a motion of Lord King, that it was not necessary for the public safety that the bill of pains and penalties should be farther proceeded in; second, by a motion of Lord Calthorpe, that the mode adopted does not afford the most advisable means of prosecuting the charges against her Majesty. Both these motions were lost by great majorities, the

numbers being, on the first, 181 to 65, and on the second, 179 to 6497d of biss et

"

[ocr errors]

Charges against her Majesty basqoba The Attorney-General then proceeded to state the evidence to be adduced in support of the bill. He began by adverting to the painful and anxious duty cast upon him, and claimed their Lordships' indulgence whilst he attempted to discharge it. He professed his intention of abstaining from every remark that might tend to aggravate the charges against the Illustrious Party accused. He then proceeded to trace her Majesty's conduct from the time she left this country in 1814. She was then ac companied by Lady Charlotte Lindsay and Lady Elizabeth Forbes; by a Mr Fitzgerald as Chamberlain, and Sir William Gell and the Hon. Keppel Craven, in similar capacities Captain Host as Equerry, Dr Hollandas Physician, and other persons in various capacities, followed in her suite. Thus accompanied, she proceeded to Bruns.. wick, her native place, and from thence to Milan. for Her Majesty's intention was to visit other parts of Italy, and to proceed from Milan to Naples. Her Majesty re mained at Milan three weeks, and during that time a person was received into her Majesty's service whose name was recorded in the preamble of this bill. Bartholomew Bergami was received into her service as a courier. This person was then in want of employment, but had been a servant in a similar capacity to a General Pino. With this suite, she set out from Milan to Rome, and from thence she proceeded to Naples, where she arrived on the 8th Nov. 1814. Their Lordships would perceive, from the dates which he had stated, that up to the period of her arrival at Naples, this person had not been in her service more than three weeks, and to this fact he begged their Lordships to attend, because it would be found material when the circumstances of the case came to be stated. He should have mentioned, that among the persons who accompanied her Majesty was an individual of the name of William Austin, a boy on whom she had bestowed particular attention. She appeared to be much attached to him, and being only six or seven years of age, he had been in the habit of sleeping in a bed in the same room with her Royal Highness. According to the domestic arrangements in her establishment, Bergami, among the other menial servants, had a bed-room at a distance from that in which her Majesty slept. ment continued until the 8th November, but on the morning of the 9th, the servants learnt with surprise, because no reason was assigned for the change, that Bergami was not to sleep in his former bed-room, but that it was her pleasure to assign him a room near her own, and communicating with it by means of a corridor. This a

This arrange

I

partament was by her express desire, ap propriated to the Courier Bergamnias: This could not fail to excite the surprise of those who were near her person; and that asto nishment was not a little increased, when they learnt, that it was her wish that Aus tin should no longer sleep in her rooms She assignedro sassa reason, (what, per haps, under other circumstances, might be considered a good one.) that she had arrived at dan bages at which it was pro perches should liave sa separate apart ment. The arrangement was accordingly made, and the room which he had mention ed, having a scommunication with that of her Majesty, was assigned to Bergami. On the evening of the 9th November her Majesty went to the Opera, but returned very early home One of the house ser vants, who attended particularly to her bed. room, happened to be present at the time of her return, and she was struck with the manner of the Princess, in which there was an air of hurry, agitation, and embarrass ment. She gave strict, orders that Austin should be removed. She went into the toom assigned ston Bergami, sand dismissed the female servant in a manner new and ex. traordinary The female attendant retired of course, but with feelings of surprise. She knew that Bergamiowas then in bed in that apartment which was situated as had already been described, and sit was quite news to be dismissed in such a manner. She could therefore not help thinking that there was something suspicious in the manner of her Majesty. On the following morning, observing the state of the room, it was evident that she had not slept in her own bed that night, for the bed remained in the same state as on the evening before, and the bed of the other person showed clear, and decisive marks of two persons having slept in ita On the following morn ing, the Queen did not make the usual sig nals formberg attendants, but remained in those apartments with Bergami until a late houred Her recent arrival at Naples na turally induced persons of consequence to pay their respects to her, but she was not accessible. It was observed, that Bergami's conduct was afterwards more haughty and important A few days afterwards, her Majesty gave a masked ball, or entertain ment, to the person then filling the Nea politan Throne Her Majesty first took the character of a Neapolitan peasant, but soon afterwards changed her dress, and, to the surprise of her attendants, instead of being assisted by females, the Courier Ber gami was sent for, and withdrew with her for the purpose of changing her dress. It seemed that it was the intention of her Majesty to appear also as the Genius of History, and to be accompanied by a gen tleman the dress she then assumed (or rather the want of dress) was of the most

[ocr errors]

indecent and disgusting kind, but the im portant fact was this, that that change of dress took place in the presence, and with the assistance, of the Courier Bergami, and no other personaw She afterwards appeared as a Turkish peasant, accompanied by Bergami in a corresponding dress, though her afterwards returned alone apparently chagrined. It would be proved also, that she always breakfasted with Bergami, though he still acted as valet qor footman. About this time he received a kick from a horse, and had the influence tosintroduce a servant into the family to attend s himy which servanty heard Bergami bands the Queen kissing each other. From Novemb ber to March the intimacy increased, and when the Queen left Naples she was odes serted by Lady E. Forbes, Sir Wm Gell, Mr Craven, &c. Another fact at Naples was important.A public masquerade was held at the Theatre St Charles, and to this the Queen went, accompanied by Bergami and a fille de chambre. The dresses were so indecent that the parties were hastily compelled to withdraw They had gone there in a common fiacre or hackney coach. During the whole of this time Bergamiswas admitted into the Queen's bed-room without knocking dor notices The presumption of Bergami was such, in consequence, that he soon became the lord and master of the house. On quitting Naples the Queen went to Rome, and from thence to Civita Vecchia, where she embarked on board a frigate. On her arrival at Genoa she had no English lady in her suite. Bergami still filled the same menial capacity after her embarkation. At Genoa, the intimacy increased; Bergami accompanied the Queen in her rides and walks, and an apartment was assigned to him near the bed-room of the Queen. There it was found, that the Queen's bed was so little discomposed that it was not necessary to remake it. Bergami had a daughter named Victoire, and at Genoa, this child was received into the Queen's family, with a brother of Bergami named Lewis, and Faustina, his sister. Nay, even his mother was also entertained by her Majesty. The wife, however, never found her way into the family. The child Vid toire was not the daughter of Bergami's wife, and the Queen knew that fact in the course of his journey back to Milan, it was observed that the Queen frequently entered into conversation with her courier, and of fered him refreshments on the road. At Milan, Lady C. Campbell, also one of the Ladies in waiting upon her Majesty, quit ted the Queen, leaving her no female at tendant. In ner stead, the Queen received a person of vulgar manners and low habits, another sister of Bergami, dignified by the name of Countess Oldi. She was now the only lady of honour attending and

[ocr errors]

dining with the Queen, buth Bergami still continued to stakes his meals with the ser vants. Her Majesty next made a tour to Venice, Bergami still acting as courier on the road. Thithers she was accompanied by Mr Drummond Burrell Lord Gwydir (late Mr. Drummond Burrelly corected the Learned Counsel. The Attorney-General admitted that he ought to have said Mr Wm. Burrell, on whom, however, not the slightest imputation rested, being ignorant of all those transactions. A circumstance occurred at Venice strongly showing the intimacy between the Queen and Bergamis The attendants and company having with drawn after dinner, Bergami alone remain ed with the Queen, who was seen to place a gold chain round his neck, which he re turned to her Majesty, and which she again playfully gave to him. On her re turn to Milan, Mr W. Burrell quitted her service, after which it was observed, that the Queen's conduct to. Bergami became even less restrained. Her house was call edithe Villa Villani, and there she present ed her Courier with a silk dressing gown, which she wores every morning. At this time her Majesty also became more fami liar with sher servants. She was in the constant habit of playing games with them. In August she visited Mount St Gothard, still accompanied by Bergami. Arriving at Varaize, she retired at the inn with Bergami to a bed-room, where they re mained a long time, without any apparent reason. The Queen afterwards proceeded to Bellinzona, and here it was, for the first time, that Bergami was introduced to her Majesty's table, though still retaining the dress of a Courier; this, too, in the presence of the servants. On her return from this tour the Queen established herself at the Villa d'Este, near Como, where care was taken that the bed-rooms of the Queen and Bergami should adjoin!At this period, the Courier was advanced to the office of Chamberlain, and dined constantly with the Queen. In November 1815, she repaired to Genoa, under the same circumstances as before; and on the 15th of that month, embarked on boards his Majesty's ship Diadem for Cetua. For her reception, the cabins had been so arranged by the Captain, that a female attendant should sleep next to her Majesty ; but when she came on board, by her express directions, Bergami occupied the apartment next to that of the Queen, although care was taken

ار

thes Queen! One of they female servants! would testify that she had often heard Bers gamitin the apartment of the Queen, while the latter was frequently seen passing from Bergami's room to her own. They then almost uniformly retired early to bed, and neither were seen till next day. The Queen usually called Bergami her friend, her heart, and by other similar names of endearment. On the 6th January she again embarked on board the Clorine frigate, in which she had some time before sailed from Naples to Civita Vecchia, when Bergami was only her footman. On this new embarkation, Captain Pechell refused to dine at the tables of the Queen along with Bergami, now her Chamberlain, thinking that, if he did, he should disgrace the naval service; but her Majesty, instead of resenting the insult, took a day or two for consideration and remonstrance. She stated, that Capts Briggs of the Dia dem had made no such objection; but, in truth, Capt. Briggs had known Bergami in no other capacity than that of Chamber lain. At Syracuse, whither the Queen went, the same precautions as to bed-rooms were continued, and uthes doors of the Queen's apartment, which separated one' division from the rest of the house, was always kept locked so as to cut off communications At Catania, a room was allotted to Bergaminath some distance from that of the Queen, but he subsequently changed it for one more convenient of Very early one morning the servants observed the door of Bergami's room open, and the Queen was seen on her ways from thence to her own apartment with the pillow under her arm on which she was in the habit of sleeping? The state of the dress of the Queen also gave evidence that she had but just left the bed of her paramoura It was to be re marked, also, that the daughter of Bergami, two or three years old,b for which the Queen showed a love almost parental, and who was now dignified by the title of Princess, slept constantly in her bed or bed-room, and was frequently heard to cry in the night for her mamma, (for so the Queen was called by her,) when the Queen was absent with Bergami, and when the Countess of Oldis could not pacify her. At Catania she had influence to procure for Bergami the dignity of a Knight of Malta. She ordinarily spoke of him as the chevalier, and forsook all society but his.. 16 Tat Login to 2016w-offs п002

[ocr errors]

by both that no improper familiarities [The House here adjour was not

should be observed between them, except ing conversing and walking together on the

ney-General stating that

half through with his narrative.] w integ

[ocr errors]

the

deck. Having returned to Palermo, her 121.At twenty minuement.

Majesty went to Messina, and remained there until January 1816. Here the same system was observed as to the bed-rooms, excepting that the apartment of the Coun tess Oldi was between that of Bergami and

Attorney-General resumed

He had on Saturday conducted her Majesty to Calovino, in Sicily. He wished to supply an omission, viz. that Dr Holland had left cher at Venice, and that she had en

gaged two gentlemen, formerly in his Majesty's navy, Mr Hannam and Mr Flinn, at Augusta She obtained for Bergami the title of Baron Francini. At Catania she sat for her picture, and had two copies taken, one dressed rather indecently as a Magdalen, the other as a Turkish Female. At Augusta, she hired a polacre, for the purpose of proceeding to Tunis.In this vessel the same arrangements as before were not made to secure a vicinity between the Queen's room and Bergami's; but in a day or two a bed was provided for Bergami, in a place where he and the Queen might freely converse in their respective beds, free from interruption by any person, the approach to her room being through Bergami's. The door of the latter was in stantly shut, and the interior door could not be opened without the parties mutually seeing each other in bed. At Utica, similar arrangements were made, all of her suite but the Countess Oldi, Bergami, and the little Victorina, sleeping at the British Consul's. At this place Bergami went into her bed-chamber before she rose, early, and remained there a considerable time before she got up; these repetitions might be tedious, but the intimacy which was in fact habis tual, could not be otherwise described. At Sabona or Sabban, in the month of April 1816, the rooms were again contiguous; in Bergami's was no bed; and the Queen's bed next morning bore unequivocal marks of two persons having lain in it. From Africa she proceeded to Athens, and from Rome to Ephesus and Troy; at Athens the Queen was visited by a Captain of the English Navy; he was introduced to an alcove, where he found her Majesty sitting with Bergami and the Countess Oldi; Bergami upon this occasion treated the Queen with marked and rude indifference, rising from the conversation without the least token of civility. At Ephesus the Queen had a bed prepared for her under a vesti bule, opposite a church; her dinner was to be served here to her and Bergami alone; the Queen sat on the bedside, Bergami sitting on the ground beside her; they remained as usual a long time alone. At Aum (in Syria) Bergami was seen coming from the Queen's room (she being in bed) in a state of undress, viz. in his shirt sleeves. This might be nothing as an insulated fact, but as a part of such a series of conduct as he had described to them, their Lordships might be perhaps satisfied with it. At Jerusalem she established the Order of St Caroline, of which she appointed the Courier Bergami Grand Master; so your Lordships now have Bergami Knight of Malta, of the Sepulchre, of St Caroline, and Baron delta Francini. She now embarked at Jaffa: on the deck of her vessel was erected a cabin for the Queen, in which she slept alone, and without separation,

with Bergami their beds being close together. Every night during the voyage to Italy, they slept thus together without interruption or intermission; not only this, but in the day time they frequently met together, and letting down the curtains and excluding all the rest of the crew and passengers, but so unsuccessfully, that they were frequently seen embracing, the Queen sitting on Bergami's knee. But more than this, a bath was frequently prepared for the Queen, and Bergami was always her only attendant to the bath. On the 24th of August (St Bartholomew) Bergami's patron saint's day, was celebrated on board with great rejoicing; the Queen's health and Bergami's being always drank together. At Villa d'Este, the Queen and Bergami frequently acted together in dramatic pieces; from this place she proceeded to Lugano, but before she left Villa d'Este à courier, who had a letter to deliver to Bergami, went early in the morning, or rather at midnight, to look for that person; he did not find him in that room, and he did discover Bergami coming in his shirt from the Queen's room: for this Bergami, indeed, apologized, by stating that he had heard his child cry, and next morning desired the man not to mention it. From Villa d'Esté she proceeded to a place purchased for Bergami, called the Villa Bergami, or the Barona. There; during the carnival, the Queen's house exhibited the most disgraceful scenes scenes more fitted for a brothel than the residence of any persons possessing a moral feeling. These scenes should not affect the Queen's character, had they not passed under her eye, and with her knowledge and approbation; in fact, her passion seemed to have blinded her to all sense of decency. In February 1817, she proceeded to Germany through Tyrol; at Charnitz, Bergami had to leave the Queen in order to look for a passport. Her Majesty called in one of the maids. But Bergami returning from Inspruck in the middle of the night, the fille de chambre was ordered out, and Bergami was left with the Queen at that late hour. The usual arrangements were made with respect to the bed-rooms, and in Bergami's bed was found the Queen sitting with Bergami's arms round her neck, he being naked and in bed. The Queen's cloak was found in this bed, where also remained such marks as must prove that two persons had lain in it. This was about the beginning of March 1817. At Vienna the Queen remained but a short time. From that city she travelled to Trieste in a two wheeled carriage, accompanied by Bergami only. At Trieste the usual arrangements were made in respect to the bed-rooms. But besides this, there were two beds in the Queen's' room, and this room every morning presented the appearance of two persons having slept in it;

[ocr errors]

1817. He had abstained in this case from
going through a variety of particular de
tails of what would be disclosed in evidence
respecting her Majesty's residence at Villa
d'Este, where she resided for a considerable
time, on the banks of the Lago di Como.
It would be proved in evidence that she
was there in the habit of going out with
Bergami in a sort of carriage large enough
for only one person to sit down sin, and
another to sit upon his lap. In this car
riage she was in the habit of going out
with Bergami, she sitting upon his lap,
and he with his arms round her, which it
was absolutely necessary he should have,
in order to enable him to guide the horse.
It would be proved that they were seen to-
gether in a canoe upon the lake; and on
one occasion they were seen bathing toge
ther in the river Brescia During her re-
sidence at Como they were observed toge
ther in very indecent situations; and a
variety of familiarities of that sort would be
proved during her residence at Como by a
variety of witnesses, and upon various oc
casions, which their Lordships would think
at present it became him to abstain from
more particularly noticing. He only ad
verted to them to prove the facilities of in
tercourse which existed. On her return
from the East, she brought in her train a
man who, from the accounts given of him
by the witnesses, appeared to have been a
man of brutal and depraved manners to the
last degree: his name was Mahomet, who,
at the Villa d'Este, at various times exhibit-
ed the most atrocious indecencies in the pre-
sence of her Majesty, Bergami being pre-
sent with her Majesty during the time of
those exhibitions. They were of so indés
cent a character that it was with pain the
mentioned them. Their Lordships would
find, that, upon her Majesty's first going to
Italy, she did that constantly which com.
ported with her dignity as an English
Princess and let him addas a Protestant
Princess. She either had divine service
regularly performed at home, or attended
places where it was performed after the
rites of the Church of England. This re-
gulation continued until a short time after
she returned to Genoa, where Bergami first
entered into her service; but from that
time down to her departure for England it
was discontinued, and she was seen to ac
company Bergami to a place of Catholic
worship, which he himself frequented, to
join in the prayers of the services, and to
kneel down by his side. This Bergami
was a man in the greatest poverty in Oc
tober 1814, he was received into her Ma
jesty's service, and in the short course of
five or six months, he was not only in the
habits of the greatest familiarity with her,
but his whole family surrounded her. Their
Lordships would allow him to call their at
tention to the state of her Majesty's esta-

and the marks so frequently alluded to
were obviously visible; and Bergami was
the only person who had access to the a-
partment generally during the journey.
Bergami frequently rested on the same
bed with the Queen, not, however, undres-
sed. Upon her Majesty's return from
Milan, where she had been for some time,
to the Barona, it would be proved to their
Lordships that Bergami, his mother, and
his brother, (Lewis Bergami,) who had for
merly exercised some of the most menial
offices in the palace, were permitted to
dine with her Majesty; they were allowed
to sit and eat at her Majesty's table. At
the Villa Branti, near Rome, as at all
other places where her Majesty resided, it
was arranged that Bergami's apartment
should be very near that of her Majesty;
and there was a communication through a
corridor from Bergami's bed-room into her
Majesty's. Bergami was observed, by one
of the servants, two or three times, and at
a very early hour in the morning, going
from his own bed-room into that of the
Princess of Wales, and there remaining
with her Majesty. This happened some
time in the month of July 1817. Their
Lordships would have it proved to them,
that upon two or three occasions it was ob-
served, that, either at night, or at an un-
seasonably early hour of the morning, when
the rest of the family were retired to rest,
Bergami was seen coming from his sleep-
ing apartment and going into that of her
Majesty, and there remaining. At the
Villa Branti, as on other occasions, Berga-
mi was admitted into her Majesty's pre-
sence when she was dressing, and at her
toilette; when her Majesty, in short, was
in that state of dishabille which made such
admission very highly improper. From
Branti her Majesty removed, in the month
of August, to her Villa near Pesaro, where
she afterwards almost entirely resided. At
Pesaro the Frincess chose rooms for her-
self and Bergami, separate and apart from
the rest of her suite; and at Pesaro the
same facilities of intercourse were continued
which had been attended to at almost every
place which her Majesty had visited, and
every where she had taken up her residence.
So attached did her Majesty always appear
to the person and society of Bergami, that
his absence seemed to occasion her consider-
able pain. The greatest interest and anxiety
for his return were constantly expressed by
her Majesty, and she appeared to be highly
gratified when that occurred. She was ac-
customed to watch for his return; and up-
on one occasion actually set out to meet
him. Upon his at length returning she
was observed to express the greatest joy,
and all that fondness and attachment which
might be supposed to exist for each other
in two persons between whom such an in-
ercourse existed. This was in August

« НазадПродовжити »