circumstances compelled him to retreat before his
enemy.

THE SUPPLIES, ETC.

No time was lost in taking that part of his majesty's speech into
consideration which had reference to the augmentation of our military
force. By two acts greater activity was given to enlistment into the
militia, and that force was carried to its full number. The vacancies
also, left by the bill of last session, for allowing the militia
soldiers into the line were filled up, and from 20,000 to 30,000 regular
troops were added to the corps disposable for foreign service. Additions
were also made to the navy. Above L27,000,000 were voted for the army
and ordnance, and about L19,000,000 for the navy: the total amount of
supplies for the year for Great Britain and Ireland was L53,802,000.
Among the ways and means was a loan of L11,000,000; which loan was
contracted for at a lower rate of interest than money had even been
borrowed for on the public account. Ministers quoted this as an instance
of prosperity; but the opposition contended that money was lent to
government at a low rate of interest because capitalists could not
employ it in any other way, foreign trade being almost annihilated by
the Berlin and Milan decrees, and by our own orders in council.

CHARGES AGAINST THE DUKE OF YORK.

Early in this session a subject was introduced which excited
extraordinary interest throughout the whole nation. This subject was,
that a paramour of the Duke of York had made military patronage a
medium of infamous traffic. On the 27th of January, Mr. Wardle, a Welsh
gentleman, and colonel of militia, affirmed in the house of commons that
everything was wrong and rotten at the Horse-guards; that the Duke
of York, the commander-in-chief, suffered himself to be swayed by a
low-born mistress, one Mary Ann Clarke, who had been carrying on a
traffic in commissions and promotions. Several cases were instanced
in which money had been paid to the said Mary Ann Clarke, and Colonel
Wardle insisted that the duke was a partaker in the benefit of her
traffic. He concluded with moving for the appointment of a committee
to investigate the charges, and it was finally agreed that the inquiry
should be carried on by a committee of the whole house. This committee
sat for the first time on the 1st of February, and the inquiry occupied
the undivided time and attention of parliament for seven weeks. In the
course of the investigation Mary Ann Clarke and one or two