1811.] Membirs of I^ord Mehille, 39 
Mr. Dundas continued in his several 
offices until 1801, when he retired with 
his friend, Mr. Pitt, to make way for the 
Addington administration, and he was 
next year, created Viscount Melville and 
Baron Dunira, a title he took from an 
estate purchased by him in Perthshire. 
On Mr. Pitt’s return to office. Lord 
Melville succeeded Lord St. Vincent as 
First Lord of the Admiralty, and conti¬ 
nued so until the memorable occurrence 
of his impeachment. He had, while 
Treasurer of the Navy, rendered much 
essential advantage to the service, and 
had been instrumental in promoting the 
comfort of the seamen by the bills he 
introduced for enalding them, during 
their absence, to allot certain portions of 
their pay to their wives and near rela¬ 
tives ; and he also brought forward a bill 
for regulating the office of Treasurer of 
the Navy, and preventing an improper 
use being made of the money passing 
through his hands, and directing the 
same from time to time to be paid into 
the Bank. This bill, of which he was 
the father, he w^as the first to break; 
and by the tenth report of the Com¬ 
missioners for Naval Enquiry, instituted 
under the auspices of the Earl of St. 
Vincent, it appeared that large sums of 
the public money in -the hands of the 
treasurer had been employed directly 
coiitrary to the act. 
It would be unnecessary here to go 
into a detail of all that occurred on this 
momentous occasion, especially as the 
circumstances are fresh in the memory 
of the public. The matter was taken 
up very warmly by the House of Com¬ 
mons, and after keen debates, the re¬ 
solutions moved by Mr. Whitbread for 
an impeachment against the noble lord, 
were carried on the 8th of April, 1805. 
On casting up the votes on the division, 
the numbers were found equal, 216 for 
and 216 against; but the motion was 
carried by the casting vote of the Right 
Hon. Charles Abbot, the Speaker. On 
the 10th, Lord Melville resigned his of¬ 
fice of First Lord of the Admiralty, and 
on the 6th of May he was struck from 
the List of Privy Counsellors by His 
Majesty. On the 26th of June, Mr. 
AVhitbread appeared at tlie bar of the 
House of Lords, accompanied by several 
other members, and solemnly impeached 
Lord Melville of high crimes and misde¬ 
meanours, and on the 9th of July pre¬ 
sented at the bar of the House of Lords 
the articles of impeachment. The trial 
afterwards proceeded in Westminster- 
Hall, and in the end Lord Melville was 
ac(juitted of all the articles by consider¬ 
able majorities. Trials of this descrip¬ 
tion are always much biassed by partv; 
and that this was the case in the present 
instance, it is only necessary to look at 
the names of the voters. That Lord 
Melville acted contrary to his own law, 
there can be no doubt; but on the other 
hand it does not appear that he was ac¬ 
tuated by motives of personal corruption, 
or, ill fact, tliat he enjoyed any peculiar 
advantage from the misapplication of the 
monies. Those under him, and whom 
his prosecutors, the better to get at him, 
secured by a bill of indemnity, employed 
tlie public money to their own use arid 
vast emolument; nor does it appear that 
Lord Melville ever had the use of anv 
part of it, except one or two compara-^ 
tively small suras for a short period. The 
great impropriety of his conduct was not 
personally offending against the act, but 
suffering it to be done by the paymaster 
and others under him; but no money 
was lost to the public by the malver- 
ScltlOilS. 
But although Lord Melville was ac¬ 
quitted, and afterwards restored to a 
seat in the Privy Council; although his 
son has enjoyed places of importance, 
and does now enjoy the Presidentship of 
the Board of Control; yet he himself 
never could return to office. When he 
applied to Mr. Perceval, the minister at 
once rejected his application, a circum¬ 
stance that must have been particularly 
galling, as coming from a mere shoot of 
the ministry in which he had enjoyed 
such power. Mr. Perceval stated, that 
he could not recommend him to the Kino- 
for an official situation, but would take 
His Majesty’s sentiments on creating him 
an earl. This his lordship indignantly 
I’efused. He occasionally appeared, and 
spoke in the Plouse of Lords since the 
trial, but has never attempted to make 
any prominent figure. The greates-t 
part of the time he passed in Scotland, 
where he died suddenly in the house of 
his nephew^, the Chief Baron, at Edin¬ 
burgh, on the 27th of May last. He had, 
the evening before, arrived in that city 
from Melville Castle to attend the fu¬ 
neral of his deceased friend. Lord Pre¬ 
sident Blai.f*, and in the morning was 
found dead in his bed. 
Lord Melville certainly was a man of 
abilities, and devoted to public business. 
Like other politicians, he wms however 
attaciied to his party, and employed ins 
talents and influence in promoting their 
measures 
