ip of the future Queen of England? They
must also bear in mind the way in which the claim had been brought
forward. The irresistible inference from the different tales told was,
that the documents were from time to time prepared to meet the form
which her claims from time to time assumed. A great deal had been said
about different members of the royal family having countenanced and
supported this lady. He could quite understand, if an appeal was made
on her behalf as an illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Cumberland,
that a generous-minded prince might say, "As you have our blood
flowing in your veins, you shall not be left in want;" and, very
likely, papers might have been shown to some members of the royal
family in support of that claim which they believed to be genuine. It
was just as easy to fabricate papers showing her illegitimacy as to
fabricate those produced; and probably such papers would not be very
rigorously scrutinized. But it was not possible to believe that the
documents now produced (including the Hannah Lightfoot certificates)
had been shown to members of the royal family, and pronounced by them
to be genuine. He could not understand why the secret was to be kept
after the Duke of Cumberland's death, when there was no longer any
danger that he would incur the risk of punishment for bigamy; and why
the death of George III. should be fixed upon as the time for
disclosing it. The death of George III. was the very time when it
would become important to keep the secret, for if it had been then
disclosed, it would have shown that neither George IV. nor the Duke of
Kent were entitled to succeed to the throne. Why then should the Duke
of Kent stipulate for the keeping of the secret until George III.
died? They must look at all the circumstances of the case, and say
whether they believed the documents produced by the petitioner to be
genuine.

The jury at once found that they were _not_ satisfied that Olive
Serres, the mother of Mrs. Ryves, was the legitimate daughter of Henry
Frederick Duke of Cumberland, and Olive his wife; that they were _not_
satisfied that Henry Frederick Duke of Cumberland was lawfully married
to Olive Wilmot on the 4th of March, 1767. On the other issues--that
Mrs. Ryves was the legitimate daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Serres, and that
the younger petitioner, W.H. Ryves, was the legitimate son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ryves--they found for the petitioner.

On the motion of the Attorney-General, th