The Sun.
London, England, 1806-03-08 00:00:00

LORD MELVILLE's IMPEACHMENT.

• Mr. W HITBREAD moved -the further consideration
of the Report from the Committee *for conduat-
:ing Lord Melville's Impeachment, This being
ao-reed to,
Mr, IPHITBREJJD agaiil rose, and observed,
that he would have been very unwilling to have oc-
cupied the time of theliouse by a long Speech, pre-
paratory • to the Motion which he was about to
submit to their consideration, and he was therefore
glad that it was unnecessary. But it might be ne.f,
cessary, however, notwithstanding the accuracy with
which the Report had been drawn up by an Hon.
and Learned' Gentleinan who was then in the
House, and Nebo was a Member of the Committee,
to say a few words, stating the. substance of the
proceeding which had taken place respeaing this
business.—That the. information which the cum--
mime bad received Ought not to have been withheld
all would agree ;. and he holed ilso that it would
be granted, that it could not have been presented to
the House sooner, nor in any other way than that
which the Comtn.mett had choen. It• appeared
•tlkat the_first Tmasurership of Lord
while Mr, Doughy,-; 'was Paymaster of the Navy,
NO;; Lora had taken 1 ‘1,0,04 of ;4 public

money ; ana by hi's own confession, and that of
Mr. Trotter, it was.evident that he had possessed
himself of very considerable sums. It appeared that
he was a debtor to the Public when he went out
of office the first time; that he continued a debtor
while lie was in office the second time; and that
he had the couragi (he might call it) to leave his
Office again while he was debtor to the Public for
this 10,0001. the application of which he refoSed to
account for. Now it was acertained, that instead
of applying this money tp the service of the Navy,
or any other public purpose,he had applied it for
his own private ends, to accommodate certain indi-
viduals with whop -he was conneeted; that he had
gone out of Office a debtor to the Public on this
account, and that on his again coming into Office,
he had increased his debt. It would be unnecessary
to enter more particularly,' at present, into these
transactions; but it might be material to observe,
that he was a debtor in this manner. at the time
when the Bill passed for regulating the Navy Pay-
office, and continued to be so during the whole
time he was. in office. '• It might, perhaps, have
been possible to bring the evidence respeding this
business under the .first article of the Impeachment.;
but then it might perhaps be objedionable, if
brought forward in this form ; and - the Com-
mittee certainly did not wish iat they should be
defeated from such a cause. Besides, it would have
been itdecorous' in themselves,- as well as unjust .to
the accused, to make use of the letter of an article,
in order to bring forward a charge upon, it, which.
its spirit did not authorise; because it was not in the
contemplation of the Committee, or of the Hous,e,
when the Article was framed. It had therefo're
been deemed, upon the whole, the most proper
mode of proceeditig, to apply to the HOuse in the
way in which the Committee had done by this Re-
port. With respect to the form' of the proceeding,
it might be
_saki that Lord Melville had given in
his answer to the Articles that had already been
preferred; and that, in the whole history tl;,. Parlia-
ment, there was no instance of any fresh Articles
having been brought forward after the answer had
been put in to The former Articles. But he hoped,
notwithstanding this, that no want of precedent.
would stand in the way of the justice of the case, or
prevent a fresh Article from being exhibited where
new matter had. conie to light. For if nothing could
be done on the part of the prosecution in such cases as
this, after the accused bad put in an answer, then it
might always be ip the power ofany one to preventany
fresh charge by an immediate general plea of—Not
Guilty to the first. But, in addition to the equity of
the case, which was in. their favour, the circumstances
in which tote Committee had been placed were
somewhat peculiar, and thesehe would shortly state :.
They had sat almost every day since, their appoint,
ment, arid the knowledge of the additional matters
had only come to them a few hours before the pro-
rogation of Parliament, and they had not at thA
time procured the papers and evidence that had of-.
terwards corroborated the circumstances. He would
say no more, as he understood that no opposition
was to be made, only it might be proper to state,
that as soon as the reply to this charge should be
put in, the Committee was ready to proceed to .trial
on the earliest day which the Lords might appoiut.
He concluded by moving, ". That the Committee
have leave to prepare a farther Article of impeach-
ment on the matters contained in the Report, and
report the same to the }Luse."
Leave was given accodinely ; and Mr. WHIN-
BREAD brought up the Report containing the addi-
tional Article, which merely charged Lord Melville
with having at divers times employed upwards of
27,mA. of the public money for his own use, of
which a considerable sum remained unpaid. As
this Article is merely an echo of the matters in the
Repori; it is unnecessary to detail it farther.
Mr. WHITBREAD moved that the Report should
be considered on Monday.
Mr. PitIICEVAL stated that there might be an
objection in point of forin by the Lords to this Ar-
ticle.

Mr. WHITBREAD replied, that as the reason of
the thing was so clear, they were not at present to
anticipate objections; but if the Lards should re-
fuse; then the Qommons ought to prefer a fresh Im-
peachment, whiCh they could not refuse. The
Motion was then carried, and the Article ordered
to be printed.