State of Public A fairs in July, 1 805. [Aug. 1 , 



To this committee were referred the 

 tenth report of tl e commifii /ners ^t nav:il 

 enquiry, an.( the rsp rt alio of the feka 

 cornmiltee. On a fuhlt-qiKnt day a b:ll 

 was br ii^ht in, tojndemiufy Mr. Trot- 

 ter for all concein>, an^ '" "ei'cve him 

 f r m all pen^iiics, with regard to the 

 tianf.aions fpccified in the ren-h rep 'it 

 of the bca>d <>» naval e qniiy, and there 

 bv to enabV him to five an ur.ieitra.ncd 

 evi'!ence in the c.ife of Lord Melvilie. 

 Anrt on the ''ourtli of July. Mr Wh.t- 

 breid biocghtup the: icpi-rt of the com- 

 mitiee, which coiifilffd inciuht articles of 

 ir-npcachmeni ?g^i.ift L'>:d Melville, the 

 firlt of wnich is the ir.oll important, ami 

 xhaiges his lord/hip with liie kcrttion of 

 lo.oool. To av^id as much as p( fli'ile 

 ulelel's and mere technical language, we 

 fliall give an abllraa- "f thefe articles, 

 which ivill by ihe generality <.f readrrs 

 be be'ter underltood ih.n the articles 

 themlelves. 



Article 1. The (ivft aiticlc rccili'?, that 

 Lord Vifcount Melville, whilH lie held the 

 office of treal'iirer of his majefty's navy, and 

 previous to the fuiii lOlh day of January, 

 17F,6, did taKe and nceive, tromzndontof 

 the mor.(-y iuiprelied to him as Irealiirer of 

 of his ma'iefty's navjv fiom his niajel^y's ex- 

 chequer, thcfum of 10,0001. or lome other 

 large Aim or fuius of money, and did fraii- 

 duFonlly and illegally convert and apply the 

 fame to his own ufe, or to fonie other corrupt 

 and illegal j)urpofes,and to other purpofc!- than 

 thofe oTthe public navy\frrvic'es ot the king- 

 dom, to which alone* the ^fanie was lawlully 

 /applicable, ; and did continue fueh fraudu- 

 lent and illegal con\erfion and aijpli'.ation of 

 the laid fum or fuius ol money, alter the 

 parting of the faid act of parliament for the 

 better regulating the office of the treafurer 

 of his niajefiy's navy. And the faid Henry 

 Lord Vifcouiit Melville has declarcH, that he 

 never would reveal the application of the 

 laid fum of 10 000\. and, iu particular, he 

 did make fiich declaration in the houl'e of 

 coiiinions on the 11th day of .luiie, liiO.), 

 and then and there added, thai he felt him 

 fell bound, by motives ol public duty, as well 

 as private honour, and perl'onal convenience, 

 to conceal the fame ; all *hicli conduct of 

 the (;\i(l Henry Lord Vifcount IWelvilie was 

 contrary to the duty of his faid olhce. a 

 breach of the truftrepofid in him, and a vio- 

 bition of the laws and ftaluies of this 

 realm. ' 



Article 2. Ch.-^es his lordfliip with per- 

 mitting and conniving at Trotlc-r's drawing 

 money trom the bank of England, and plac- 

 ing it with .1 private banker, hi violation of 

 the iVatiile, &:c. 



Article 3. Alter repeating the former 



violation, charges his lordfhlp with applying 

 the ! .oney, thus illegally removed from the 

 bank, to imrpofe.^ of private eniolmutnt, in 

 conjunffion with Trotter, and in violation of 

 the" act, &c. 



Aitiele 4. Charges him with rircnniftances 

 of ftrong fufpicion from the deltruftio" i.t AX 

 vouchers and memoranduiii',, " I'ii a > lew to 

 pn vent a difcoveiy of the mouit-s a'1\aiKed 

 to him by Trotter iVooi the funds at('ouM.<'s ; 

 all which conduct was contrary to bis dutv, 

 &c. 



Article 5 More ftrongly impreffes the 

 ci'-cumibinces of fufpiciun, from Ihe mixed 

 and uiuliltinguiihed fund^ at (i'outts's, where- 

 by the public incurred the rilk of being de- 

 frauded. 1 his is aggravated by the circiini- 

 ftance of every v mcher having bi en rieftroy- 

 eri, which could irace the exiHeucc, progtefs, 

 and conl'equer.ce of the tr.inlaiiHon. 



Article ti. Charges him wiili the receipt 

 of iJ'.'.OOOl. from Trotter, for which no inter- 

 eft «iu> received, and the fufpicicm arilliig 

 from the deftruttion of all written vouchers 

 relperting lliis tranfadion. 



Article 7. Charges him with the fiibduc- 

 tion of an equally large liim, for whicOi no in- 

 tcreli was paid, tiie burning of memorauduuis, 

 &c &c. 



Article 8. Iiiiprefles the fufjiicion of his 

 lordlhip's connivmice with Trotter, Irom the 

 various circumftanccs above dated; it then 

 funis up the charges in a general manner, 

 and concludes with a (trong allegation that 

 all thefe afts were a high breach of duty in 

 Lord Melville, a violation ol the laws and the 

 truft repofed in him, in coiifeqiicnce of 

 which the Coinnions of Great Britain accufe 

 his iordlhip of high crimes and niifdemea- 

 nours. 



Ihe next ftep in the progrefs of this 

 bufineri was a bill brought in by Mr. 

 Whitbie.Td for conrnniiiig the proceedings 

 againft Lord Melville, nowJthft:incMng 

 any prorofrailon or dllVolutioi of Parlia- 

 ment, which was nccoidingly aoresd to; 

 and on the lath of July tlie Parliament 

 was prorogued by ccm-iiifTion to the aid 

 of Aiigult, when the Lrrd ClinnceUor, as 

 Speaker of the Lords Comrnifliorers, ad- 

 drtffed both Huufes of Pacliameni in the 

 following Speech : — 



" Mv L'jidi and Gcr.tkmcn, 

 " We have it in command from His Ma- 

 jefly 10 expiefs the fiiistaftion with which 

 he has oiiferved the proofs you have given in 

 the courfe of the prcfent SflVion of your con- 

 ftant regard for the honour of his Crown and 

 the interefts ot" his Dominions ; and particu- 

 larly the mealurcs which you have adopted 

 for ftrengthening His Majcity's hands at this 

 important conjuniture, by the augmentation 

 of the difpofabie military force of the king- 

 dom." 



*• Cendsmcn 



