The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-04-09 00:00:00

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 'sos.

had asked Ministers whether the Report was to be
duly fullowedup? from whom he received for answer,
that such was certainly the determination. An
Al of Parliament had passed on one of the
accounts brought forward by these Commissioners,
relative to the chest at Chatham. from which there.
was every reason to hope andexpea the most advan-
tageous and heeelleial results. If, said he, these
Commissioners have met with many more and much
greater difficulties than any other Commissioners
ever did before, the greater merit is attributable to
them. If they have met with more rebuffs from the
different offices, Clothe proceedings of which it was
their daty to examine; if, instead of information
being readily given them, it was most studiously
evaded, and they were reproached with ailing more
like Inquisitors thaa Commissioners, it redounded
so much more highly to their honour that they had
been able to fiiiish.their labours with so much suc-
cess, and with web beneficial effeofts. If they had
brought to light twitters in one particular depart•
ment which had chided the utmost vigilance of other
Commissioners, of which the present Speaker, he
said, was at the head, he thought any words he
could use, to shew the great care, skill, firmness,
wisdom, and industry, with which they had aged
in discharge of the important funaions entrusted
to them, would he unnecessary : they mast
he apparent to the House and to the public, and
he would not therefore trouble the House any further
on that point. It now remained, he said, for him
to endeavour to bring to punishment those delin-
quents they had pointed out—and, in doing so, it
would be necessary to begin with one who was the
most important, as being, at this moment. the very
first and highest Officer in the Naval Department ;
who, in another situation of that department, of
the highest trust and importance, stood charged by
them with having connived at ct imes, such as men,
entrusted with those high official stations, ought not
only to blush, but to shudder at. If it should ap-
pear, that this Noble Lord (Melville) should have
connived at iniquities, such as those mentioned in
this report, he could have little doubt hat the
House would think it necessary to adopt the reso-
lutions he should propose ; and, as he wished to ex-
plain laid) to ihe House the mode of proceeding it
was his intention to pursue, he would then inform
them, that if the House should agree to any nonsures,
he should deem it his duty to follow it up !searcher
proceedings, and to shew that public more rally
given, should he prudently and economically spent
by those into whose hands and care it is especially
entrusted ; and that if they, in any degree, abuse or
betray the sacred trust reposed in them, that House
will evince to the public and to the world at large,
that they shall be punished. If the coetrary should
ever unfinaunately be shecaw, and great delinquents
like these should bs suffered to escape with impuni-
ty, the people will most naturally say, they in that
House are all contending for offices, nterely and
solely for the sake of those benefits and emoluments
that are attached to then; ; that they have lost sight
of all that is honourable, noble. and high spirited
in man, all those generous feelings and patriotic
emotions which have formerly roused ram to
aaion in the service of their country, and mind
or attend to nothing but filthy lucre, self interest,
and sordid gain. He hoped, therefore, the
House would seriously contemplate the immense
importance of the subjea, and agree to the resolu-
tions he should have the honour to propose. In
the lOth Report, not only Lord Melville Was charged
with those delinquencies, but Mr. 'Protter. Mr. Wil-
son, and Mr. Sprott, were all equally and criminally
implicated ; and, from what he had heard and un-
derstood on the subjea, there was some blame at-
tached even on the Beek of England itself. There
WAS also an imputation thrown on the Right Hon.
Gentleman opposite to him (Mr. Pitt), which he
could not avoid mentioning, though he should do no
more. The sole objeCt of this night's consideration,
he said, is Lord Melville. Mr. Trotter may, and
he doubted not, would be an ohjea of future con-
sideration; and that he, Mr. Sprott, Mr. Wilson, and
others, would be deemed deserving the notice of the
Attorney General, to deal with them according to
the nature of their several trans.-talons respecting
the use they had made of the public money. If the
evidence given before the Commissioners he true.
the Bank are certainly not justified in parting with
the public money entrusted to their care, in the easy
and careless way they seem to have done in the very
teeth of a positive Ad of Parliament. 'lhe charge
against the Rt. Hon. Gent. opposite is, that he had been
some years ago informed, that sums of money were
drawn out of the Treasury, which ought not to have
been, and thathe, ai the first officer of that department,
had suffered it to go on unnoticed, and without a
check. In bringing forward an accusation against
Lord Melville, he was not interfering with an indi-
vidual of inconsiderable consequence. He was one
who, during the greatest part of his life, had en-
joyed and filled places of honour and emolument for
upwards of thirty years; and. certainly. if his ta-
' lent, were adapted and adequate to those places. he
WAS entitled to his share of the profits melting from
them ; he had also enjoyed more extensive patronage
than any other subjea had ever been known to possess ;
he must, of course, be surrounded by numerous
conueaions, both in and out of the House, and it
WAS a great satistaaina to him to think, that as hiss
Lordship could not be present when this charge is
le ought against him, he has relations and friends
I who are preient, and who will have an opportunity
of saying every thing within their knowledge and
capacity in his defence and exculpation. Fey
his own part, in proceeding nn this business, it
should be his endeavour, as it was always his
wish, to condua it with that mildness which
is best adapted to obtain the ends of pubhe
justice, but, at the same time, with that ed,
needy, and inflexible firmness, which is best suited
us the charaaer of a.public accuser, attested by no
other motive, than solely that of the common wel-
-1 fire of the.publie interest. There are circumstan-
ces, said Mr. Whitbread. which show most forcibly


.4

that Lord Melville, of all other men in the king-
dom, WAS most blameable for rafting the part he has
done. At or immediately after the close of the
American war. it was found that the expenditure
had been so lavish, and WAS sr) enormous in its
amount, that petitions were sent from every quarter
and corner of the country, praying for a reform.
At this time, Lord J. Cevenslish held the important
office now filled by the Right Hon. Gentleman op-
posite, and, in a Committee appointed by the House,
certain resolutions were agreed to ; one of which
especially relates to the regulation of the Treasurer
of the Navy. These Resolutions, by Commission.
ers of the House, were so well known, that it would
be almost ridiculous to state them, only that in so
serious a charge, no material circumstance should
be omitted ; and he hoped he might beitrmitted
to trespass a little on the time of the Home, in order
to comment on such matters as hatittormerly taken
place, fur the purpose of spewing that Lord Melville
could not be mistaken or ignorant of what was the in-
tention of the Legislature, in respek to the discharge
of the office aid duties of Treasures of the Navy,
and in those of the persons employed under bine
especially those who were appointed to their places
by himself. One of the greatest complaints of that
period to which he was now alluding. was the very
great balances left in the hands of the Treasurer
and Paymaster of the Navy, and when that subjed
came under the consideration of the Commission-
ers, they declared that the public ought to receive
the interest accruing from their own money; and
the Report concludes, that to remedy these griev-
ances, the Treasurer of the Navy should, from that
time, become the mere accountant of the public, and
not its banker. Immediately, or very soon after
this resolution, a reform was made in the office of
Treasurer of the Navy ; the salary was increased.
and certain fees and emoluments before taken, were
abolished. Mr. Barre, the then Treasurer. received
40001. a-year, in lieu of all fees, emoluments, Arc.
What did Mr. Barre do? He begged pardon for en•
tering so particularly into this part of the subjefl re-
lative to this office ? bat it was necessary to chew in
what Lord Melville differed, and how very widely
from Mr. Barre. That Gentleman, on coming into
the office ot Treasurer of the Navy, sent immedi-
ately all the money and balances in the office to the
Bank of England ; and it bad been proved to the
Commissioners of Naval inquiry, that neither he
nor any person whatever employed under him, ever
received the smallest emolument from any part of
the public money that passed through their hands.
Lord Melville succeeded Mr. Barre in his first trea-
surership, and whether he suffered the money to re-
main in the Bank, or placed in a sttong chest of his
own, or sent it to his private Bankers, he could not
tell, as there WAS no proof of what was done in the
first treasurership of Lord Melville. Lord Bavning
succeeded Lied Melville in the office ; and it was
proved totheCcrnmissieners that neither he, nor any
persoriernployed under him,ever received thesmallest
advantage or eneihratent from the use of she public
money. In 1711, Lord :Melville once more suc-
ceeded to the nth' ee of Treasurer of the Navy, and
continu-d is., during the course of sixteen years.
In coming thus into the office for the second time,
finding that the grant of money had not been com-
pleted to esanly 4,0001. a-year, he obtained an ad-
dition to the salary, in order to make it that sum
net, which be accepted in lieu of all fees, emolu-
ments, and other small contingencies, that had for-
merly been attached to it. In 1785, His Majesty,
in his Speech from the Throne, especially recom-
mended economy in the administration of the pub-
lic finances; and the Right lion. Gentleman oppo-
site (Mr. Pitt) then tendered to the Howe the pro-
positions of the Commissioners, and held out the
most splendid promises to the country, of the ad-
vantages that would certainly result front them ;
but he happened to be unfortunate in having named
.Lord Melville as the most proper person to carry
them into execution ; who, as if for the purpose of
screening the transaflions to be carried on in future,
had cunningly and dextrously put himself into the
foremost reek of the band of reformers, fur the
sole purpose of defeating all their aims, and pre-
venting the execution of that which WAS nearest their
hearts. Mr. ‘Vhithread then adverted to the Aft for
the better regulation of the Navy, which be said was
so worded, that no person he thought could possibly
mistake it. If, however, he should endeavour to
shelter himself under any looseness of expression, or
prevarication in its meaning, he was happy lathe idea,
that no lawyer, however dextrous in the art and
science of finding out flaws, would be able to find oat
there. By this aft, it was clearly and evidently meant
and intended that thenceforth the treasurer should
be the accountant and net the basher of the politic.
He would not then trouble the Huuse, hesaid, se go
over the aft; the House knew, and the Speaker
would recollea, that Lad Melville had flown di-
real), in theism of it, and had rendered it amine
nullity. The ad says expsessly. that the mosey
should be paid immediately into the Book. Lord
Melville contrived in Abe first instance to post-
pone the operation of the Act from July 1785 to
January 1786—.f0r what purpose? The excuse set
up was the distance of the Bank from the ot-

' fiat; but dna was amt .the tine cause; and when
•
i a oause ever assigned for a thing which is
ast true, it leads one very naturally to suspect that
faldity is impulable.to every thing which follows m-
inim to the same tmaiailion. On the 21st De-
, cashes., .17844 he .had 71.0001. and upwards, ba-
lances in his hands. sad in July following he had
upwards of .11360004. ; so that he bad increased the
balances-in bis hands. in defiance of the Act of Par-
hinhent, upwards of $ll.OOOl. in six months. and the
commission's* state itzpreesly that this was done
for.the privateemeleasasts ef same parson er.other.
In the mocesdpart of this acessation will be CM-
mined twro•eharies. The •Arst is. that Lord Mel-
ville, 'Wain .having the einem of Parliament,
dad at lha. viniatiost °this daty, has employed the
pahlie Matey for the private advantage -of indivi-
deals- Mrs lld,shat h: connived st.the speculatioas

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