The Elinburgh Review, just published, contains the following letter to
the editor, from Lord Stourton, correcting an inaccuracy in the pre- ceding number relative to George the Fourth's marriage with Mrs. Fitzherbert-
" Mansfield Street, 30th June 1838.
" Sir—A misstatement, no doubt unintentional, of the circumstances at- tending the marriage of Mrs. Fitzherbert, in one of your late articles, being liable to a construction, in the views of members of her religious communion, injurious to her reputation, you will. 1 ani sure. readily obli; 43 me I y i'1,16 in your next number the following mote accurate statetneut, fur the tidelAr which I pledge my honour. " The marriage ceremony Was performed not out of This kingdom, RR I% have stated, but in her own drawing.roont in her house in town, in the pn, sence of an officiating Protestant clergyman, and two of her own nearest yek„ tives. All the parties being now deceased, to ordinary trailers this discrepsoc, will appear of little moment ; as the ceremony, wherever it Watt !Writ.' tfiei could confer no legal rights; and no issue followed this union. But when inform you that, in the one case—I hat stanal in your article—it would have been an invalid marriage as affecting the conscience of Mrs. Firtherbert in the sight of het own Chinch ; and that, in the other ease, it formed a conscientious connexion in the opinion of such portions of Christendom as hula rom,,,unimi with the See of Rome, 1 am confident you will permit this statement, under my name and responsibility, to appear ill your journal. 1 shall, moictiver, add, that the conscientious validity of the contract lIeperolcd upon the fact that the discipline of the Council of Trent as to mar doge has never bet n leerier(' is this country. I owe this plain countetstaterricut to the memory ot Mrs, pitz, herbett, in order that aspersions which. h ilium rt•CUI iar circumstances. slie tpu herself unable to rebut when living, should not lit. imetilied without coli n/Hu. tion on her tondo. That 1 have not officiously imposed on myself an Its trees. sary duty in entiravout Mg to protect the lame tifm his virtuous and distinguished lady, or am about to mislead by erroneous faer•, 1 wrist appeal to the to exttact from one of Mrs. Fasherbert's letters to in) -elf, which elti-ets ft ii certain confidential e,,nmnmutm.t'ami,,imo, 011 which 1 rely tor the pet feet accuracy of my information on this delicate subject. Path,. 7th December 1833. My dear Lord Swinton-1 foist, whenever it iden,es (4oil to remove ine Irmo 'tile %curb!, nr conduct and chanwter, in your ha. us, ill 1101 disgrace my lanai) or my " I remain, Sir, your obedient humble servant, STO ORTON."
[All the parties to this marriage, Mrs. Fitzherbert as well us the rest, knew that it Was a solemn farce, binding upon none of them longer than it suited their convenience to be rest nutted by it.]
Previous page
