HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
fit, divers sums of public money 
entrusted to him in that capacity. 
The second was, that after the pas- 
sing of the act of parliament in 
1785, for the better regulating the 
office of treasurer of the navy, he 
had in breach and violation of that 
act, permitted Trotter, his paymas- 
ter, illegally to take from the bank 
of England, for other than imme- 
diate application to navy purposes, 
large sums. of money, from the mo- 
nies issued to the bank on account 
of the treasurer of the navy, and 
place the same in the hands of his 
private banker, in his own name, 
and subject to his sole control and 
disposition, The third was, that he 
had fraudulently and corruptly 
permitted Trotter to apply the mo- 
hey, so abstracted illegally from 
the bank of England,to purposes of 
private use and emoiument, and had 
himself. fraudulently and corruptly 
derived profit therefrom. We shall 
briefly state the evidence substan- 
tiated on each of these charges by 
the commons. . 
On the first of these charges com- 
prehending the first and tenth 
articles of impeachment, it was 
proved in evidence by the com. 
mons ; 
That on the 19th of June 1782, 
the house of commons resolved, 
- *€ that it is the opinion of this 
house, that from henceforward the 
Paymaster of his majesty’s forces, 
and the treasurer of the navy, for 
the time being, shall not apply any 
| orsums of money entrusted to 
m, for any purpose of advantage 
or interest to themselves, either di- 
rectly or indirectly ;”’ 
That the warrant appointing lord 
Melville to the office of treasurer 
of the navy in August 1782, granted 
to him an additional salary of 
115 
2,324/. Os. Gd, in full satisfaction of 
all wages, fees, and other profits 
and emoluments, heretofore en 
joyed by former treasurers of the 
navy ; and that lord Melville him- 
self declared before the naval com- 
missioners, that he considered, the 
said additional salary to bein fall 
satisfaction of all other profit and 
emolument ; 
That soon after lord Melville’s 
acceptance. of the office of treasurer 
of the navy, viz. in August 1782, 
there was a considerable difference 
between the balance of public mo- 
ney charged to the treasurer, 
and -the actual balauee to the 
credit of the treasurer at the 
bank ; and though it did not ap- 
pear in evidence, that the whole of 
this difference was occasioned by 
the application of public money to 
the private use and profit of lord 
Melville, yet it was satisfactorily 
shewn, that certain payments were 
made to his private use out of the 
public money entrusted to him as 
treasurer of the navy, soon after 
his acceptance of that office. Thus 
it was shewn, that a particular bank 
note of 1000Q/. issued from the ex- 
chequer on the 6th of November 
1782 for navy services, was paid 
by Mr. Douglas, paymaster of the 
navy under lord Melville, to the 
house of Messrs. Moffat and Ken- 
sington, on the 22d November 
1782, in discharge ofa bill to that 
amount, drawn by a person of the 
name of Newbigging, on the right 
honourable Henry Dundas, under 
the designation of lord advocate for 
Scotland. Another bank note of 
1000/, issued from the exchequer, 
on the 22d of November 1782, for 
public navy services, was traced to 
the house of Messrs. Drummond, 
one of the private bankers of lord 
12 Melville, 
