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thereof, for purposes of private advantage, or iatatant, pront,
and emolument; and did place the said sum- of nimmy, or
a great part thereof, is the hoed. of the mid Messrs. Cunt.
and Compeer), mixed with and undestingaished front the
proper monies of the said Aleekailer Trotter, whereby the
said last-meetioned sums of money were not only applied
to, and used for, purposes of private advantage or interest,
profit, and emolument, Uhl for purposes other than. nary
Services • but were also exposed to great oak of 100, and
were withdrawn from the controul and disposition of the
Treasurer of His Majesty's Navy.
Arr tc La Foy almoUfbat a:ter the said 10th day of Janu •
ary, 1760, and whiles the mid Vismont Melville held and
enjoyed the mid office of Treasurer of His Majesty's Nary,
the said Alexander Trotter did, with the printer, or by the
cooniance mid permission of the said Henry Viscount
Melvolle, place sums of money, isamd from His Melody's
Exchequer auto the Bank of England, on account of tee
'Treasurer of Hu Mid sty's Navy, and drawn, and taken, by
him the said Trotter, front the lank of ngland, in the
hands of Mark Sprat and other persons, and did apply and
ese the same for propose of private advantage or interest,
profit and emolument, or fur purpose' other than Navy
services.
Aar:eta Fiore—That after the said 10th day of Jane-
-1/66, and whilst tile said Viscount Melville held the said
awe of Treasurer of the Nssy, he the mid Viscount Mel-
. vide did fraudulently and illegally, for the purpose of ad-
trantag,e or interem to tilmeelf„ or kw awns Mbar estensia mad
1601 proem% solo from slypoldidmetrety platted hi
use at the Sank of slTroggawsr of Me gdos
jestes Nary, the sun of 10,0001 or seem ether largo dog
or weasel mosey, and did freodoleutly and; dlegany caw
'medic seem teeth own us, or to woo titter corrupt and
illegal putermies.
flattest SIXTY—That after the said tenth day of Ja-
nuary, 1764, and whilst the said Alexander Trotter se emu-
tooted the Paymaster of the said Vi,couii with
melt private, connivaace, and peernaaton, as aforesaid, so
applied and used the mid eras of nhurey, or g.eat part
usereof, for purposes of prow.: ad.. .Loge. 'meet, and emo-
lument al tfotesaid. the HA V.SCOullt MCIVILIC fraudulently
concealing the illegal applies:nos of the same, did procure
and receive from the said Ameand:r Trotter, advantes ot
earreiral large ums of mane', which were made to bias the
Mid Vitamin Murdle by the said Armando Traits:, at
part from money sou atormard iilegslly dr iwn by tom we
said Alexe•cler Trotter, from the Bank of England, and in
part from isms of mosey so placed by the said Aleminder
Trotter, is ILIA Melds ot the said Metalelar• 4.;•illta and
Cootpaoy as aforosard. Woo lamed with, and uddistru-
primed (sem, Me proper goalies of the seal Arse:mile.
That doling the deal the said Aliteamdsr Triater be d toe
Olen of Payola/ter to the said V itemise M tin rie be the
.1144 Alexander Timms kept, with eke seal Vrecoumateis ~
ass 11CCOollt current, 11114110111 d 10 certain boom iii a. cour,i,
containing entries of all the semi paid aunt rixessiMity the
said Alexander Trotter on &carom at sae .o. V 14011414
Melville, and by agreemens between tee sat 'Vtwuuot
11111elvale arid the said AielLandif •IftlitOZ, Imarlog ...LC the
lent and Lid tags or termer', IS id. it s Unal.,lo ..." las!,
had either motstally delivered up to erect' istuia, or reseivoi
and agreed minivan), le Cailegi K destro , all tee veuc•.yr, 0.
Other utessorandsOra and writings that at aim um' theiett6
fore might trate existed wires, nom. Many, to sac saw
amounts: Aid lbs said passes of amouut were bores ou
destroyed by tlia said Vacuum Merida mid Aima...l“
Trotter : Arid tae said stipulation mateuied nn al, ...d
agreement fix the said Viscount Metal& asel A easiaa,
Tent-r, annually cancetltog sit the sad vouches.. orMara
eallellerludealt *ad wattage, and she said woke of imam
and %snoop, were so aeon and destroyed, with • vales to
conceal ant presets the doeseery tilt several advaal. psi
mousy made by the said Aleassider Trotter to the amid
Vissoant Melville.
Aatlct.e Saventre—That amongst other advancer m
money so received by the said Vie:smut M•ltdis. "um atm
ialdAleaander Trotteg, the said V menu.. Massd.it recd.'
bra ilia owl Twos., a GAM .4 114,0u4N. or MKII* subs.
Imp sum or sums of money, adeanced by the mid Trotter
to the lase Viscount Meiv.lie, II ghoul tute.sit : part Chels-
ea was so 'deemed excioarvey Oros Noise uso..ey so as
aforesaid illegally dawn from the hank of easgaird, by tee
said rimier • and other part whersol wee adirmixed from
the said mixed fund, crone...set as well ot pun l truancy, so
as amanaid illegally drown by the sad 'trotter, from the
Bank of &salami. and pieced by hire so tn. lasts sat the
said Me see Ceuta and Cu as aforesaid, as in Use proper
awaits of the said Alexander Trotter, in tee hands is tbe
said messes. Coutes acrd Co. witch nal bells MIUIA4 there-
with, and remained meltstregurened trerefront arid fur the
purpose of more effeetusio eoncesnog the said advances Of
11110,11ty, the said bosika et &count and inmost, were so all
aforesaid burnt and destroyed
:aerie as Lie e tio-uifhat assert other advances of MO-
ney so a.afuresahl cota.n. a and received by the said Vis-
count Melville nom the .aid Alexander Trotter, the said
Viscount M.l.rite de rooms s ado or 24,0U4if. or some
other Large sum or semi of money at minced eo sun by thg
said Ammirder Taperer, and tor woolen at has men aneged
by the lard dewy Lord Viesont Melvi.l4 that ere was to
pay ince:est ; and for the p.I00•C of nosh effixttually con-
cealing the said laseimentunnel ultarmes of etouney, toe ...ad
kooks of accountant writing. wee suss &forma burnt and

_
deetreyed.
AltrlCLlt Notes... That during ail or great part of the
time the said Areaander Trott,' nod mad maimed the sad
Mica of Paymaster to the fed Visouum Meddle as afore-
said, h., the said Alimaadsr Tamer, did gmareimasay, and
without salary or other pecuniary contweamtirea, trans-
all the pr.vate bis.iiiess of the said Viscouet Menride, as
his agent, aaJ was tram time to truss vat advance for the
said Viscount Melville in that respect, to the amount of
from 10 to 20,-001. or to erne weer great amount . and
which advances were taken from the said sums of mine,
so paced tg tie said A. (totter in the hands of the said
Medic Coon. and Co. cousotine in part of pubric money,
drawn by him from the Beak or E .gland, arid in part of Ins
own private mows muse I theitortn. and undistinguisned
therefrom as aforesaid; by means whirenf, the said Henry
Lord Viva:tont Melville did derive beuefit and advantage
from the atorstaid illegal acts of the said Alexander Treater.
And the and Alireasider Trotter did so gratuitoussy mans-
art the private burned of the said Visc,runt Melville, sod
make hint such advances of moms., in consideration of tie
taut Vttcriudt Metairie VAllliili.g at, and permitting and
suffering the sad Alexauder Trotter so to make use of the
and sums of public money. airproortated for purposes of
private advantage And the said Al-xmider Trotter would
not have been, and vu well known to toe said Viac nisi
Melville, not to have been able to m..ke such advances of
money en them d V imount ,lelvJle as aforesaid, otocrirt.e
tnan from publoc muttsy se drawn by the said A Trotter
from the dusk of England, wan the CDSIIII,IIICC and per-
mission
of the said V,ccunt Melville.
Aarictm Tee tit --• fhat Voenunt Melville, after His
Nfajesty bad. by Letters Patent, heart ig data the 19th day
of August, 17h4, granted unto him the Otfice of Treasurer
of His Matesty's Navy. did on divers days and times be-
tweeen that day and We ,blh day of January, 1714, and also
on divers days sad tiers between the NU sth day of Ja-
n uary,ll7ll4, and Vie Ist day of January, 1716, take and
receive from and oat of the nioosasimea time to time issued
or paid to him as Treasurer, as as ['Treasurer of H 3
Majesty's navy, frees kits blairey's Itentiegier or some
other sources, for naval services, cheers lairessins of money,
amounting together to a luxe sum, to vet, 27,0tU1. or
thereabouta i &odd I fraudulently and illegally convert and
apply the same to his owe use. or to some other ahru,it and
illegal purposes, and to other purposes than Weise of the
public naval setiices of this kingd nil, to which alone the
um, was lawful,' applicable; and did continue the said
fraudulent and illegal c.meeisida cad application adieus of
the said sumo of inu.sey, after the passing of the Act ef Par-
lament, for the better regulating the office of Treasurer of
Hle Majesty's Navy.
To all which charges the sa d Viscount Melville pleaded,
Not Guilty,
The 'Articles being read, Mr. WHITIREAD
1 arose. 29.1 crated the case as follows :
OMy Lords—l prescn: mrprit Ir:firre y.,,a, in
Ak '

''Terbe • ...Irtttob


FRIDAY, JUNE 13, tsos.

support of the Charges which have been exhi-
bited against Lord Viscount Melville. On this
solemn occasion, the Managers of the House of
Commons bare adopted that course which ap-
peared the most discreet and convenient. 1 fear,
that in what 1 have now to submit to the men-

tion of your Lordships, it will be necessary to
enter into a long and tedious detail of lath, which,
from their notoriety, is rendered the more un-
pleasing. Yet 1 will not offend you by imploaing
your patience, because the exercise of that quality
is absolutely necessary to public justice, nor will I
occupy your time with apologies for my defi-
ciencies. Not but that I am deep!), impressed with
the awfulness of the situation in which I stand,
especially when I relied on the known ability and
the great legal knowledge of those gentlemra who
are engaged as Counsel for the Noble Defendant.
Whatever may be their confidence, I frankly
confess, that when 1 look back to the memorable

day on which this trial was proposed, I am
proud of that day, and consider it a day glorious
to sr/ ensestry. Weasever ardour I may feel
frost my noillewto sappers siie charges brought ..
=l6.l3.l=kiefifill with truth assert,
WA* to avoid wounding
his feelings by any imeasperance of expression, in
the course of this prosecution."—After adverting
to the yeamble of the articles of impeach-
ment, which be said were in the form of pro-
positions, in themselves almost self-evident,
Mr. Whitbread entered into the history of the
Office of Treasurer of the Navy, and the
causes which lad to the increase of the salary
attached to it ; which increase was made for the
specific purpose that chi:Officer should not apply
aft', sums of money devolving to him from his
nation, so as to derive advantage or interest i
from them, direaly or indirealy. He contended,
that from this mornont, a new ara commenced,

and ttiat a person offending its this particular, was
impeachable at the Bar of the House. At that
mut, Colonel Barre held the situation of 'frea-
.nrer 4 the Navy, in which he was succeeded by
Viscount Melville, then Mr. Dundas, who ap-
pedued Mr. Douglas to be his Paymaner. The
first article of Charge against the Defendant was,
that while the Litter retaLied that o:bee, he (the
Defend:ha) did possess hi:melt of certain sums
of money, and applied them to his own purposes.
He adverted to a stain stated at 10,0001. ; in con-
.tdering which item, it would be uccessary for
their Lordships w take into their consideration,
the tenth or last article of the Charge, because
this sum was involved in the amount of 27,0001.
there :loused. This heavy Charge was supported
sy mitbit.g less than the positive avowal of the
...Attendant, woo hal declared. that he would not
dtvulg- to what purpose this 10,0001. was ap-
L pLed. This alone, unaccompanied try any eat
traneous circumstances, was as impeachable of-

niece. Neither he not any man in England has
• nght to place himself above the law. Bet
attuoagh he will not tell how he has applied the
money, he says he has given it a direction con-
Metier to die public bazar r and are we to be
setae.. with this naked declaration ? The
Noble ,liikferidant is charged not only with
baviug possessed himself of this 10,0001. ; but
with conuousng afterwards to direil and restrict
its appocation, and this will be proved by his own
confess's)°, through the means of his agent Mr.
Front:, to whom he acknowledged, in 1786 s
that he had this sum in small fraThoas, taken out
in a variety of ilatounts, and no portion of these
did be apply to the public service. But to de-
scend to a few more particulars :--t )n the 19th of
August,l7B2, the Defendant was tint appointed to
the office of Treasurer of tire Navy, and the very
neat day the soar of to,oo d. was paid into a
booking house by Mr. Drsu,;las, for the new
Treasurer. It was not pretended, that this sum
constituted any part of the public money, but he
noticed the transaaioa only to shew the first con-
ses:.tion between tee Defendant and Mr. Douglas.
A payment of a very different nature was not long
afterwards maze on behalf of the Defendant. On
the 6th of November, Mr. Douglas had to receive,
at the lizchequet, the sum of 45,0001. of which
be cheers to have 40,0001. io the Bank books, rood
the rat Bank notes. This 5,0001. was tint pot imo
the iron-chest in the Navy Pay-office ; but a bank-
note of 1,0001., which constituted part of the sum,
immediately found its way into the bands of the
Treasurer of the Navy, by whom it was paid to
his pnvate account at Messrs. Drommonds'.
Viscount Melville may assert, that the house of
Messrs. Drummond was a place where he might
deposit money without offence or crime ; and so
he might. if it arose from the produce of his es.
tams, or any other source of Knave itscome, bet
the imbibe seeney he could not deposit there with-
out crime or offince. In the month of December,
the same year, another suns was drawn out of the
Exchequer bY Mr Douglas. end!), in the same
form, aad other notes of 1,0001. were in Lke man-
ner taken to Messrs. Drummonds'. On: of these
notes went to Mr. Jellicoe for a private debt of
Viscount Melville's, and was paid into the house of
Messrs. Nlottatts, is discharge of a bill, drawn
by him from -Edinburgh. its this manner, doting
his conunuance in office, notes or cash were car-
ried to the chest account, to the amount of
16.0001. of which only 30001. was paid for any
official purpose whatever; and this, it may be
added, was paid to Mr. Jellicue. On the 10th
of April, 1783, he ceased to be Treasurer of the
Navy, and thus went out of office in debt to the
public 13,0001. ; and four days after his removal,
Mr. Douglas drew out to the order of Mr. Jelh-
coe. the su:n of 10,0001. of which Vise. Melville
possessed himself. Having adverted to the con-
nexion which subsisted between Viscount Melville,
dui ing his first Treasurership, and the house of
Muir and Aitkiuson, Mr. Whitbread expressed
Lis regret at being obliged to expose so much of
the personal concerns of the Defendant, at the
stria execution of his duty absolutely required. i
Ho then mitered into some particulars of his psi-
vase account, and proceeded. tle had already
strewn. that on the removal of Vi.count Mel-
ville from office, he was a debtor to the public, on
one acccelnt, 13,t001. and en another 10,(hAel..
Tiro l.rao balance was :eisc.'d to ?2,rithi; by

!.N
krtfo Zar
ot-A•

the payment of 1,0001. by a person who was in
the habit of defusing small sums for the Defend-
Ant. By a series of instalments, the debt was
et length reduced to 76001. and in this
situation it shed when the Defendant again be-
came Treasurer of the Navy, in January, 1764.
On his re-admission to this high Office. he tc ok up
drafts to the amount at 4.0001. and the second
was on the 25111 May, 1783, on the very day on
which his iiil,l for the better regulating the (Ace
of Treasurer of His Majesty's Navy made its
appearance ; and yet at that very num:tent, he
took up a considerable sum from the public ,
monies, and paid it into the hands of his Bankers,
for his private advantage. With sums so taken
up, he became a debtor to the State in 11,6001..
and to effed the reduftion of this debt, he denied
an.ausount to be applied from the produce of hit
own salary, which lessened it to 10,3001. Mr.
Douglas died in 1784, and such was the public
claim at the time of his decease. This balance Mr.
Dundas acknowledged to be disc, in the
of the Son and Executor of Mr. enna.

formation of of that balance. so that he has me
ground left on which to erect a defence. llf the
rafts now disclosed can be riatisfaetorily proved.
the first and tenth Articles of the Charges will
be completely established. " I with, bower*,
my Lords (continued Mr. Whitbrvad), to con-
ceal nothing which can teed to thew any meri-
torious condua in this unfortunate Nohleinan.

I with to Attribute nil blame where it is not de-

-
served; and hence it is, that with peculiar satis-
'Aaiun, I state to you, that during the time Vis-
count Melville was t'rev.vrer of the Navy, setretal-+
most beneficial regulations :‘,3k place in his ()ffices
and several Aas were passed for the protean:in
wad defence of those who were before unpro-
teaed and defenceless. The widows and orphans

of those gallant suns of the Empire, also were
fighting the battles of their Country, were the
objs.fts of his peculiar care, and a r.umber orlon
were preserved by his prudent and generous in-
terposition. However detestable the crime may
be, it had been the common !weak, to forge the
wills of those who fell in defence of the State,
and this atrocious condua, and its pernicious
consequences, have been, in a great degree, pet-•
vented, by the salutary plans recommended t,y the
Defendant, for which he deserves the ther.ks of
the British Nation ; and in justice to Mr. Trotter.
I must admit, and not only admit, but gladli pg.,'
claim, that he, when Paymaster of the Navy,
was eminently useful in assisting the Treasurer
in these beneficent designs."—After dwelling for
some time on the Ail pictured by Mr. Dundee,
for regulating the Office of Treasurer of the
Navy, and which the Honourable Managercoo-
tended was too clear and exp;icit to admit of any
misconception, particularly on the part of the
Defendant, who had framed it; he proceeded W
'hew, that if Viscount Melville had not eves vic-
lasted it himself. he was privy to its ittfrinewasnt
by his Paymaster, Mr. Trotter, from his own ac-
knbwledgrnent, Is his letter to the Commissioners •
of Inquiry. He referred to the sums of mosey
withdrawn from the Bank by Mr 'hotter, and
lodged in the hands of Messrs Coasts and Co
where it was paid in and out, and interchiaged
on a thousand occasions, totally unconnecclol with
the service of the navy. To uhete the extent to
which this was done, he read several items of dif-
ferent mnnths,co n si sting of amountsfrorn 20,01101.
to 171,0001 " And at last (said he), the transac-
tion was so prodigious as to reach to 490,1001.
just before Mr. Dundas went out of dhow".
Mr. Whitbread next proceeded to state the risk
'to which the public was exposed by this c-ndis•
of its servants ; for the money was not suffered.
to lie at Messrs. Coutts's, whose it might have
been as safe as any where else, but it was engaged
in various ways, and deposited in differeat places.
Not only was the power of disposing of this's.=
ney vested in Mr. Trotter, but it was delegated
by him to another, and is some cases to a third •
person, and no private banker could prevent its
being drawn at pleasure, whatever might be his
persuasion that i: belonged to the public. These
articles were charged ageism. Tie Defendant, who,
in allowing Mr. Trotter to commit these ass, had
promoted their commission, and consequently the
culpability must rest upon him in the same degree
as if himself had been the sole instrument. The
next charge was, that Viscount Melville had par-
ticipated in the profits made by Mr. Trotter, by
this misapplication of the public monies. Before
he entered upon the facts in support or Cris alle-
gation, the Hon. Manager made some obierva-
%ions on the case ci Mr. Jellicoe, and emphatically
continued : " If I could employ the voice of an
angel, and render it audible to the remotest cor-
ners of the earth, I would caution every friend of
virtue, bifore he accepts of any great public en-
gagement ; I would skew him that the tempta-
tions are great. and I would invite him to attend
to the punishment, which would be the conse-
quence of suiscnndikift. By these temptations.
Mr. Jell:coe, a respe&able member of society, was
br ought to a premature grave. Others have beta
overtaken by the same fate, and all the advantages
Mr. Trotter has derived, cannot repay him for
the misery of his present situation, and for the
wretchedness he must feel for the condition of his
li
friend. Look at Viscount Melville, look at time de-
huadation to V. hiCh he is descended, after having
ed the first offizes of the State ! With these in-
stances before me, 1 would say to the friend of
my bosom—"" as you would avoid the lowest
depths of horror, touch not the public money !"
Mr. Whitbread next stated the manner sn.which
the accounts between Viscount Melville and Mr.
Trotter, amotustieg to no less than thirteen', wire
kept, and animadverted on the agreement made
betieeers them, reciting the mutual destrudim of
all books and pipers, comainiug the diiferent
items of the palilic acc,:unts. This was a coatrae
of such a nature as even the learned ia- the law,
perhaps, Lever heard of, and which cermet fail to
excite the surprise of all the unlearned in the
science of legation. No example, nn prece ient is
to be found of such an ad. La this last/ascent
Mr. Trotter is stated to be a debtor to Lord Mel-
sale, in il e ',ins of between 14,0,01 and I .4001.