116 
Melville, to whom it was paid by 
lord Melville himself, as appeared 
from an entry made and proved 
in the books of Messrs. Drum. 
mond.* 
It wasalso proved, that although, 
according to the obligations under 
which lord Melville held the office of 
treasurer of the navy, there ought 
to have been no diflerence between 
the balance charged to the trea- 
surer and the balance to his credit 
at the bank, yet in May 1783, 
there was a difierence amounting 
to the sum of 23,000/. ; which dif- 
ference, before the end of July 
1783, was reduced to 7,600, in con- 
sequence of various payments made 
into the bank on account of the 
treasurer of the navy, by Messrs. 
Muir and Atkinson, and other pri- 
vate persons, from which it is appa- 
rent, that the money so repaid had 
been used for some private purpose 
and applied to private profit and 
advantage. 
It was also shewn in evidence, 
that before the end of March 1785, 
during the second treasurership of 
lord Melville, certain drafis were 
drawn under the authority of ‘the 
treasurer of the navy, the produce 
of which was -not applied to any 
public purpose, but to the discharge 
of part of the debt due on the trea- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806, 
surer's ‘* old account,” by creating 
a debt to a corresponding amount 
on his *¢ new account,’”’ by which 
the former difference of 7,600/. in 
** the old account” was reduced to 
1,600/.; at which it continued till 
the death of Mr. Douglas in Decem- 
ber 1785. 
It was further proved, that these 
fraudulent drafts having occasioned 
a difference of 6,000/. between the 
balance charged to the treasurer, 
and the bank balance in the ** new 
account,”’ this difference was in- 
creased. to 10,000/. by two sums of 
2,000/. each, drawn from the bank 
by Mr. Douglas, to the name of 
Mr. George Swaffield (chief cashier 
to the victualling branch of the 
navy pay-office), the one in August 
1784, and the other in May 1785, 
both of which there is reason to be- 
lieve werc applied to the use of lord 
Melville, because no part of these 
sums was ever received by Mr. 
Swaffield, orin any way entered in 
the official books of the navy pay-' 
office ; and because Mr. Douglas 
paid 2,000/, to the account of lord 
Melville with Messrs. Drummond, 
on the day on which the’ Jast-men- 
tioned sum of 2,000/.' was thus frau- 
dulently drawn from the bank. 
It was also proved that the trea- 
surer’s dcbt on the ** new account’? 
* The private arcount book of Mr. Douglas, paymaster of the nayy under lord ° 
Melville, in the years 1782, 1783, 1784, and 1785,-containing the particulars of his 
money transactions with that nobleman, and referring to accounts which had been 
settled betwixt them, and to.balances agreeing both as to their date and amount 
with balances proved by other evidence to have been due on these accounts by 
lord Melville, was produced in court ; and extracts from it are printed in the re- — 
port of the managers to the house of commons of the 4th of March 1806, which 
show, that every farthing of the public money, diverted from its proper destination 
to naval services, and. occasioning thereby a difference: hetween the treasurer’s 
balances and the balances to his credit at the bank; amounting at one time to 
28,0001. had been applied to the private.use of lord Melville ; but whatever con- 
vietion the perusal of that book may produce on those who examine its contents, ~ 
gainst lord Melville, and was therefore rejected. by — 
it was not admissible evidence a 
the court, 
4 
was 
