The Sun.
London, England, 1806-06-13 00:00:00

•tip
sO•
•

the long, series of faets by which the Charges would
be incontestibly established. He was rejoiced sto
think that the Noble Lord who is as the object of
these Charges was a man of great talents and
experience; and that from the continued possession
of great political influence he had been enabled" to
! establish"powerful connexions, and to create attach-
ments even among. the Peers of the lkalm,. which
Would cling to and support him in the difficulties.
he had now to contend with. The liberal disposi-
' -tion of the Nbble Lord, remote from,every idea of
sordid avarice, and his habits of generous hospitality,
strengthened and confirmed the 2thachments that
power and patronage might at first have given rise
to, and preserved the friendship when the interest
could no longer operate so 'forcibly. Under these
circumstances, the tenderness and commiseration
that might be felt for a weak, .defenceless, destitute
criminal, could not be supposed to operate. The
Noble Lord had besides to be tried before a Court
in which there was reason to think so many were
favourably disposed towards hire. In addition to the
resources his own great talents . and experience al-
forded him, he had the further advantage of theaid
of two Gentlemen eminently distinguished -for their,
intimateknowledge of the Science of the Law, and
for their eloquence at the Bar. It was peculiarly
fOrtunate that one of those Gentlemen (Mr. Plomer)
had,been in a fordier instance engaged in a case of
this nature (Mr. Haitings's), and must be of course
particularly acquainted with the nature of such pro-
Ceedings. All these considerations might be consi,
dered sufficient to , deter the boldest man from the
business he had Undertaken : but. he would say,:
that so far from intimidating him, it roused and called'
forth every particle of native vigour, and kindled
every, spark of manly energy which nature had con-,
(erred upon him. If there was any thing that could
restrain him in •the exertions due to the importance
of the cause; the rank of the criminal, the dignity and
splendor of the high tribtinal before. which he was-
pleading, it was the presence of a person very near
and' dear to the Noble Lord (Mr. Dundis, Lord
Melville's son), for whose condu& and feelings in
the whole of the proceedings in this case he had the
highest respect. But his duty to his Country which
impelled him to institute the investigation of Lord
condu6t, as it elevated him above all ac,
cesi to intimidation, compelled., him also to over-
.come and supprCss all those feelings of ,tenderness
which the situation and connexions of the accused
were calculated to inspire. He shoUld proceed there,-
fore to state the substance of the Charges, and the
proofs by which they were to be made good. It
was in mind clear that these proofs would esta-
blish the guilt of the Noble Lord to evidence : but
If the
,Noble Lord; or his Counsel, possessed any
means of controverting those' proofs, so as to shew
the Noble Lord to be innocent, he should .be one
of the foremost in rejoicing at his acquittal. The
Noble Lord had, at a very early period' of life, turn- •
ed his attention to political' obleds. He attached
himself to Lord North during the American War,
and was one of the ablest and most zealous defenders
-of that Noble Lord's measures. In 1783, when
that brilliant luminary, whose..extindion.every one
lamented, was placed at the head of His Majesty's
Councils, Mr. Dundas had a high office assigned to
him ; and from that time to the period when, in
consequence of the Resolutions of the House of
Commons laid At the foot of the Throne, His Majesty
had thought fit to remove him from his presence and
councils, with the exception.of a very short interval,
he did not cease to possess. a high share, in the.
confide.nce of his Sovereign, united with some of the
most elevated offices in the State. In adverting to
Mr. Pitt, and the close and intimate connexion of
Lord Melville with him, he wished to fix the re-
colleaion-of their Lordships not so Much on that
transcendent eloquence with which every ore who
heard it were fascinated, nor on that firmness amidst
all the dangers and alarms of recent times, nor those
other eminent qualities which rendered 'his.loss so
particularly deplorable in the present eventful crisis.
There was in Mr. Pitt's charader a trait superior to
all these, and more apposite-to the present occasion :
it was that unsullied purity in the management of
the priblic money, which malice could never pre-
surhe to asperse. In being associated with such a
man Lord Melville had an example, if any example
were wanting to' enforce a point so clear, peculiarly
fitted to impress upon him the propriety of abstain-
ing from the conversion of the, contents of the pub-
lic purse to his own private purposes; and not.to
have availed himself of that example, but, on the
contrary, to have violated. the high public truSt're-
posed in him in the very face and presence of it,
must in every one's mind be a high aggraVation of
the crimes which he should prove the Noble Lord to
have committed. [Mr. Whitbread here traced the
history of 'the office of Treasurer of the Navy from
its origin in the beginning of the century, before the
last, in the reign of James I.
.down to the present
time. He also described the nature of the trust re-
posed in the Treasurer—a trust which he was par-
tieulatly Called upon to execute with fidelity,, as the
salary annexed to the office. was very liberal, and,
from the various provisions of the Legislature with
resped-to the subordinate departments of the civil
Administration of the Navy, the - duties were very
light.] He then adverted to the measures adopted
on the recommendation of that,sublime Orator and
distinguished Patriot; MI . Burke, for the correction
of the -Monstrous abuses that prevailedsin the pub-
lic
OfficeS. On the suggestion of the Commissioners
of Public Accounts the salary of the Treasurer of the
'Navy had been raised to 4,0001. A-year, .on the ex-
press condition that he should not employ the pub-
lic money committed tof'his, .charge to any purpose
of private emolument. The practice of so employ-.
ing it could not at any time have been right or legal,
but having 'been used and established, the Legisla-
ture, in insisting upon the. discontinuance of it,'
granted, with its usual liberality,an. increase of salary
in compensation. Mr. Whitbread then adveited to