The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-05-07 00:00:00

passed, I *hum& an humble Address to His Majes-
ty, for the removal of Viscount Melville from His Ma-
jesty's Presence and Councils for ever; but it then
appeared to be the sense of the House, that it would.
be better that the resolutions themselves should be
catried up to the foot of the Throne, in the expec-
tation that those consequences would result there-
-1 from, which have now adually taken place. Viscount
Melville, it is true, resigned his office, as First Lord of
the Admiralty, but his name has not been struck out
of the Council Book ; and the Right Hon. Gent. op-
posite has not only told us that Viscount Melville's
name has not been struck out of the book ; but that
be saw no reason to advise His Majesty to erase such
name. I trust, however, that this House and the
public will now call upon him to offer that advice
which circumstances so imperiously require. A
Committee has, indeed, been instituted for the pur-
pose of inquiring into the abuses which have pre-
vailed in the department of the Treasurer of the
Navy, whilst Viscount Melville held that office,
and a civil process has been ordered to be instituted
at the suit of His Majesty's Attorney.Gerieral..'
against Viscount Melville and Mr. Trotter, and oar
Gentleman has proposed, that this should be turned .
We a criminal process. It appears, at any rate,
Mill the vote of the House, and that vote founded
mem the Report of the Naval Commissioners, that
Viscount Melville has been guilty of a gross viola-
tion of his duty, and of the law; and yet no farther
process than that already referred to has been *ssti.
tuted. One Hon. and Learned Gentleman (Sir W:
Grant), indeed, alleged, that Viscount Melvillehas
already been sufficiently punished, and has asked
what farther- punishment would you wish to inflid ?
I make no scruple to answer such assertions and in-
quiries, whilst I maintain, that Viscount Melville
has so beet sufficiently punished. But 1 think I
understand the Learned Gentleman's meaning. If
humiliation and disgrace; if a voluntary degrada-
tion from office; if the relinquishment of a great
employment under the Crown, and one which Vis-
count Melville thought himself capable of filling; if
a broken heart and a contrite spirit be punishment,
undoubtedly Viscount Melville must feel this punish-
ment in one sense, superior to any other which can
be iniliEled upon him ; these " compunctious
rea‘egs" are of a nature very different from
say lesnishment which can be indidted.--,—But
A ass must not divert us from the execution of
OW linty. It is incumbent upon this House to
Islay care that others be not encouraged by the ex-
it...her this Noble Viscount's impunity; but that
the; be warned against similar dehnquelocy, by the
punishment which shall alight upon him. We
should take care that no man in the situation of
Viscount Melville should do what he has done,
and subjet himself to similar humiliation.--
We should take care that whilst others amongst
the lower ranks of society are suffering under
the punishment to which the law consigns
them, others in more exalted stations should
hot be exempted. If a common clerk be de-
tefted in the a& of embezzling the property of
his employers, the feelings be experiences ate at the
same time accompanied with the loss of character,
and of bread. He feels that, having thus degraded
himself, his wife and children and connedions are
all involved in suffering the bitter fruits of his mis-
eondnd. Juitice must have its vidim for the sake
of example. I say then, in the case of minor de-
li:went:, that if Viscount Melville be not punished,
they are cruelly treated ; I say in the name of the
Representative body of the Empire, that there must
be no connivance at the violation of the law ; in
the name of the House of Commons, whose vote
has already passed, I now call upon you to concur
in the vote which I shall propose this evening. In
former, and less favoured times, when disputes ran
high between King and Parliament, and when it was
necessary to lay down rules of proceeding, if in sod;
unhappy periods it had been moved in the House
that a great Public Officer had connived at the
Violation of the law which he himself had propired.
and of which the proof was incontrovertible ; if the
question then were, whether that Officer should es-
cape unpunished ? surely in such a case there could
have been no difference of sentiment. No House
of Commons ever existed which would not have
passed a vote of punishment upon such an offender.
If then it shall be recorded in the page of history,
that Viscount Melville was deteded by the Com-
missioners of Naval Enquiry of those offences laid
to his charge; if it shall be proved that those of-
fences were gross violations of the law ; if it shall
apoear in the sane fathful page that the House of
C.immons had ordered a civil process fi r the etc e-
very of the public money ; w mid it not be passing
strange if it also appeared that the same House of
Commons had not pressed for punishment upon the
delinquent ? What would the page of history say,
if it should be found that the House of Commons,
after all this, had stopped short in the punishment of
such an offender ? that he still continued to enjoy
the patronage of the Crown ? that he was supported
by his colleagues in office ? and that no farther pro-
ceedings had taken place ? How could such a
House of Commons stand justified to posterity is
such a &rein/lion of its public duty? And if it
were found also that the Commissioners of Naval
Enquiry, who had deteßed the malversation of the
Noble Viscount, were men of undoubted integrity ;
that the thanks of the House had been voted to
them for their condud, and that, by nn express vote,
they had been continued in their office ; if it were
found that the House of Commons were so divided
on the question, that it had been decided solely by
the Learned Gentleman in the Chair ; if found
that, instead of a deka of proof, there was tempo,-
km rem*. that Viscount Melville did not deny the
malversations imputed to him ; and if, after all
this, it should appear that nothing was done, what, I
844 a person in future times, reading the
caladld
birorjper, say,ha ifhenmo i
gfarther
induced proceedings
to
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d Fs .
proceedings
itt h a t
shouldtle r e hbedfoboufe enu thed ic t
House;lhaammt
mor
motions,
uo
or t osi
various
boutuntotso take , fgai doors o oad r
tr:
petition.,
insteadractgal :
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1 al
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haamdradposdrer HbadousecoormeCfamro
foi folios*" op their own Resolutions with e11e.%
it must said still more unaccountable, that no far-
ther proceedings should appear to have taken place I
His hlajesty's present Ministers hay., been much in
the habit of pluming themselves on their own indi-
vidual purity, and the impossibility of finding any
Maws in their principles ; but, if it should be bound,
that they made this pretended purity a cloak
•