office, in order to produce a net annual of the Treasurer of the Navy, and shall income of 40001. after the payment of all not be paid out of the Bank unless for taxes and charges on the same; and that naval services, and in pursuance of drafts this additional salary was considered by signed by the treasurer, or some person the said lord viscount Melville as granted or persons authorized by him, which drafts to him in lieu of all wages, fees, profits, shall specify the heads of service to which and other emoluments enjoyed by former such suns are to be applied, and that the regulations under the said act shall take place from the 31st of July, 1785.

treasurers.

9. That the execution of the said act was postponed till the month of January 1786, and from that time till the month of June 1800, when lord Melville left the

5. That the said lord viscount Melville continued in the said office till the 10th of April, 1783: that being asked, whether he derived any advantage from the use of the public money during that period, he, in his examination before the commis-office of Treasurer, contrary to the pracsioners of Naval Enquiry, declined answering any question on that head; but that he has, in a letter since written to the said commissioners, and dated the 28th of March last, declared, that, previous to 1786," he did not derive any advantage "from the use or employment of any mo"nies issued for carrying on the service of "the Navy." But Mr. Douglas, who was paymaster, being dead, and his lordship having refused to answer any question on this head as aforesaid, no evidence has been obtained as to the application of monies issued for the service of the Navy, or the mode of drawing the same from the Bank during this period.

tice established in the Treasurership of the right hon. Isaac Barré, contrary to the resolutions of the House of Commons, of 18th of June, 1782, and in defiance of the provisions of the above mentioned act of the 25th Geo. III. c. 31, large sums of money were, under pretence of naval services, and by a scandalous evasion of the act, at various times, drawn from the Bank, and invested in exchequer and navy bills, lent upon the security of stock, employed in discounting private bills in purchasing Bank and East India stock, and used in various ways for the purposes of private emolument.

io. That Alexander Trotter, esq. pay6. That the hon. C. Townshend, now master of the Navy, was the person by lord Bayning, held the office of Treasurer whom, or in whose name, the public moof the Navy from the 11th April, 1783, to ney was thus employed; and that in so the 4th of Jan. 1784; and that from the doing he acted with the knowledge and examination of his lordship it appears, consent of lord viscount Melville, to whom that, during his treasurership, no part of he was at the same time private agent, and the money issued for the service of the for whose use or benefit he occasionally navy, was applied to his private use or laid out from 10 to 20,000l. without conadvantage; and that he does not believe sidering whether he was previously in adthat Mr. Douglas, who acted under him vance to his lordship, and whether such as paymaster, derived any profit or ad-advances were made from his public or vantage from the use or employment of private balances. the public money, except the money issued for the payment of Exchequer Fees.

7. That the right hon. Henry Dundas was re-appointed Treasurer of the Navy on the 5th of Jan. 1784, and continued in the said office until the 1st of June, 1800.

11. That the right hon. lord viscount Melville having been privy to and connived at the withdrawing from the Bank of England, for purposes of private interest or emolument, sums issued to him as treasurer of the navy, and placed to his account in the Bank, according to the 8. That in the year 1785, An Act of provisions of the 25th Geo. III. c. 31, parliament was passed, (25 Geo. III. cap. has been guilty of a gross violation of the 31), intituled "An Act for better regu-law, and a high breach of duty. lating the office of Treasurer of his ma- 12. It further appears, that subsequent jesty's Navy;" whereby it is directed that to the appointment of lord Melville as no money shall be issued from the trea- treasurer of the navy, in 1784, and dursury to the treasurers of the navy; but ing the time he held that office, large sums that all monies issued for naval services of money, issued for the service of the shall be paid to the Bank on account of navy, were applied to other services; and naval services, and placed to the account that the said lord Melville, in a letter

written in answer to a precept issued by house would deny that such practices were the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry, re-a fit object of accusation in that house. quiring an account of money received by But that appeal to the feelings of gentlehim, or any person on his account, or by his men, and with reference to irrelevant toorder, from the paymaster of the navy, and pics, was by no means calculated to proalso of the time when, and the persons by mote a just and impartial decision on the whom, the same were returned to the merits of the case, according to any prinBank or Paymaster, has declared, that be ciple of equity or fairness. Whatever opihas no materials by which he could make nion might be entertained respecting any up such an account, and that, if he had part of the materials contained in the rematerials, be could not do it without dis-port, it was evident that it did not conclosing delicate and confidential transac-tain a single allegation of any mischief tions of government, which his duty to the having arisen to the public, or of any loss public must have restrained him from re- having been actually sustained-(a loud and vealing. tumultuous cry of "hear! hear!" from the 13. That lord Melville, in applying mo-opposition.) This indecent attempt to nies issued for the service of the navy to prevent the freedom of speech by clamour other services, stated to have been of was little suited to the dignity and soleniso delicate and confidential a nature, that uity of their proceedings, and he looked in his opinion, no account can or ought to upon it as no good omen that the mode be given of them, has acted in a manner ration professed by the hon. member in inconsistent with his duty, and incompa- the discussion had been departed from, if tible with those securities which the le-those gentlemen who approved of his argislature has provided for the proper ap-guments should interrupt those who might plication of the public money. undertake to reply to them. He was one

On the question being put, on the first resolution;

After the hon. gent. had read these Re-that would not be interrupted by clamour; solutions, he added, that he did not mean and he would repeat it, that such an apto press beyond the 11th, leaving the cir-peal to the passions was little consistent cumstances as to the application of the with the professions of temper and modemoney to other services, to some future ration with which the hon. gent. had set investigation. out. This would be the more evident, when it was recollected also with what industry similar misrepresentations had been The Chancellor of the Exchequer rose. propagated without doors, and on subjects He said, he could not but admit, that the the most dangerous and inflammatory, hon. gent, had, during the former part of for the purpose of raising a prejudice in his speech, adhered strictly to the ob- the public mind. It had been represented servance of that moderation and temper abroad, though not charged to the same which he had promised at the outset. extent by the hon. gent. that the pay of the Towards the end, however, of his speech, seamen had been delayed in the navy pay he had departed altogether from the tone office. So far from such a circumstance in which he had begun it; and in the ad- having taken place, he had the satisfaction dress, with which he concluded, to the to state, that that gallant and meritorious house, appeared to endeavour, by an ap-class of men had not suffered the delay of peal to the passions on topics not applica- a single day in the discharge of any of ble to the subject in discussion, to excite their demands. But he had not only to ani undue impression favourable to his pro-complain of the hon, gent. having deserted position. The hon. gent. had adverted to his moderation in the latter part of his the burthens which the exigencies of affairs speech, but also of the manner in which he had rendered necessary, and appeared to had represented the transaction and stated insinuate broadly, that the transaction, his charge. The hon. gent. had told the which was the object of his motion, had house that the noble lord, and the others been the means not only of augmenting implicated in his charge, had had an opthose burthens, but a cousiderable aggra-portunity of being tried, and informed vation of them. It was important to have them also of the manner in which this trial this inatter investigated, as, if the fact was conducted, Questions had beeg put were sc, that the public burthens had been to them, and they might have answered. aggravated to any extent by the miscon- They undoubtely had the opportunity of duct or malversation of any person or answering to such and such questions; but persons in office, there was no man in the whatever might be the character of such an

interrogation, it was not a trial. What ing the second for future crimination; and trial was there in which the party accused in urging this charge the hon. gent. had was not made acquainted with the charge stated, that though it formed but one of against him, had not an opportunity of the several heads of charge, it was impos hearing the evidence to the charge, and of sible for the house to form a judgment upon cross-examining that evidence; as also of it without considering the whole case. He adducing evidence in his favour? But in had at the conclusion of his speech left out a trial a man was not bound to criminate altogether the suspicion which he had so himself, and in this case that was the only strongly urged in the preceding parts, of feature, whilst every other character of a the participation of the noble lord in the trial was absent. The parties had no profits that had accrued from the applicaknowledge of the charge against them, tion of the public money to private specucould not confront nor cross-examine the lations. With regard to this suspicion, if witnesses, nor were allowed to call evi- the hon. gent. thought that it was borne dence in their defence, but were examined out by the Report, he ought not to have to criminate themselves by their evidence. brought it forward with a view to giving a He stated this only for the purpose of hav- complexion to other matters of charge, ing an opportunity of adding, that it was but be made a separate ground of crimina impossible for the house to accede to the tion. It was impossible that it should not hon. gent.'s propositions, because the ma- be revolting to the feelings of every person terials then before them were not sufficient connected with the noble lord, either by to enable them to come to a fair, impar- blood or by friendship, to have such a tial, and final decision on the merits of charge brought against him in such a way. the case. He admitted that the contents For his own part, he was desirous that the of the report were of a grave and serious house should look at the whole of the case, nature, and that it was important to have in all its circumstances and bearings, and it fully investigated; and he was ready also then do, without delay, whatever the into allow that, with reference to any interest of the public, a just sense of their stance of irregularity, it was the duty of own duty, and the nature of the case may the house to set their mark upon the trans-require. For this purpose, he thought action, after a full and fair consideration the best course to pursue would be to refer of all the circumstances of the case. But in the case of the present Report, he contended that there were not sufficient materials, to justify the house in a vote of censure, or to enable them to determine how far it might be necessary to follow it up with further proceedings. He contend-short time after the holidays, to make ed, therefore, from the documents on the their report to the house, upon which they table, that further explanation would be might come to a decision on the whole necessary, before the house could be justi- case, according to the dictates of impar fied in expressing any opinion on the tial justice, and a scrupulous regard to merits, or to state what lengths they should their duty. The hon. gent. had dwelt with proceed. If he had not entertained that much earnestness on the application of opinion before he came to the house, the certain sums for the accommodation of arguments of the hon. gent. founded not other branches of the public service; but on the report, but on a statement of num-in his own view of the question, the house bers which he had found in the appendix, was not in a situation to decide upon that on calculations taken from intricate and transaction. Did the hon. gent. mean to difficult accounts, would have excited it say, that in judging of this transaction, in him. He had also observed, that the the house was not to take into its conside hon. gent. had gradually changed the ration the motives, the circumstances, and grounds of his charge, which he had nar- the necessity of the transaction? Was the rowed at last to an intention to take the house, knowing only the bare fact, tha sense of the house on one particular point. the application of the money in such a The hon. member had divided his charge manner was a violation of the law, to deat first into three heads, which he then re-cide upon its merits without taking into duced to two, and at present he proposed consideration whether any loss had arisen to confine himself to one of them, reserv- from it? Whether the motives were justi

the Report to a select committee, inas much as there were many points contained in it which required further explanation. The committee might be appointed previous to the recess, so as to proceed in the business without delay, and to be able, a

fiable, wanton, or necessary; whether the doubt that the noble lord could satisfac circumstances were such as to warrant a torily account for the transaction. As to departure from the letter of the law, and the other part of the hon. gent.'s charge, what was the magnitude of the transaction? that lord Melville had connived at the It would not be necessary for him to ar- Paymaster of the Navy keeping the public gue the propriety of permitting such a money in his hands, and applying it to latitude with Englishmen, or with per-purposes of private profit, he confessed sons of liberal and enlightened minds, for that this appeared to him a fit object of athe was confident that all such would agree tention, when they should come to consi with him, that cases might occur when der the question in the whole of its bearthe circumstances under which such a ings. He was prepared to admit that the transaction might take place would make conniving at such conduct in a paymaster it meritorious in the public officer to incur of the navy was not justifiable, but thought, the heavy responsibility. This he stated, nevertheless, that much would depend on with a view to the stress that had been the circumstances, the extent, and the laid on the application of a particular sum danger that had been incurred. He mainto a different service from that for which tained that the commissioners had not it had been voted. There was an allega- stated that the issue had been greater than tion in the Report on this head, and the the service required; and he insisted that hon. gent. had stated a particular sum as from their report it was evident that they having been advanced in this way, and was believed that to be the case. It was also afterwards repaid by his right hon. friend agreed to by then, that the money had (Mr. Long). He had himself been a party not been applied so as not to be ready to to that transaction, and he should be satisfy any demand or sudden emergency; ashamed to address the house on the sub- and they had not even insinuated that any ject if he could not explain the matter, as effect had been produced in the increase far as related to the share he had had in of expence, or the aggravation or augmenthe business, to their entire satisfaction; tation of additional burthens; nor had so that however illegal the application they attempted to charge that any demand might have been in the first instance, and of any individual had been a single mohe was ready to take that for granted, it ment retarded. As to this application of would appear to have arisen from conside- the money to private purposes of profit, it rations of public interest, and to have been did not appear that lord Melville had/% transferred from the service for which it been aware of it; the hon. gent. however, had been voted only for a time, and, with- had dwelt much on this circumstance, out either any inconvenience or loss, re-founding his observations on the intricate placed afterwards. It was impossible to accounts of the commissioners, by which disclose the circumstances under which it it appeared that he had not considered had been applied; but if the house would the matter in detail. The hon. gent. had consent to appoint the committee, he said much of the risk that had been inshould produce the most convincing state-curred; and he was not disposed to deny ments, so far, at least, as he was concern- that if the danger had been great, the praced. The whole sum particularized amount- tice was unjustifiable; but the circumstance ed to 100,0001. out of which two different that no loss had been sustained, was a sums of 40,0001. each had been drawn with strong ground of presumption that na his privity, under circumstances which he great hazard had been incurred, and could fully justify to the house; and as these again, a more favourable circumstance sums made the much greater part of the was that no payment had been delayed, whole sum specified, there was every rea- Under all these circumstances, as there son to think that the whole had been ap-were many points in the matter of the Replied in a manner equally justifiable. The port which required considerable further noble lord had, at that time, other high explanation and elucidation, the house official situations, and might have had oc- would, he trusted, be persuaded of the rision, and could, without his privity, expediency of the course he had proposed; have applied sums occasionally to a diffe-and when the variety of the matter of rent service from that for which they had which the Report was composed was tabeen voted, with a view to the public in-ken into consideration, it would be ads terest; and though he was not in pos-mitted to be the duty of any member to session of the circumstances, he had no point out any error or inaccuracy that he

might discover. The commissioners had The balances in the hands of the paystated, that various sums had come into master were for two purposes, to advance the bank of Messrs. Coutts, which had not from day to day to the sub-accountants, been procured by draft on the bank, and and to have the means of satisfying asthey had supposed that these consisted of signments, outstanding to a considerable sums for other services in transitu, applied amount, for which the parties had a right in this way. One million had been parti- to demand immediate payment. The hon. cularly specified. But that million had gent, could have no difficulty in admitting been brought directly from the bank to that the transaction, so far as these assignthe house of Messrs. Coutts, by one of the ments went, was solely between the comforms of draft prescribed by the statute, missioners and the individuals; and it apand the whole of it had been issued thence, peared that the sums in the bands of in the course of a few days, to take up the paymaster and sub-accountants, in navy bills then due. So that this was one any year, had not exceeded the amount instance of an error, on which they had of these assignments. The commissionrested much, and which being capable of ers had stated, that the balances ought being thus satisfactorily explained, proved not to exist at all, and yet that ba the necessity of further investigation. The lances in the hands of the treasurer in sums that had been vested in Messrs. one year had amounted to 40,0001. and Coutts had been neither lodged there for in another to 33,000l.; this was very the benefit of the treasurer of the navy or material to have investigated. The comof the navy paymaster, but in the course missioners had examined a very intelligent of business; and this was another error gentleman, a clerk in one of the offices, of the Report; for the same practice pre-as to the number of days for which a payvailed at present of drawing in gross for master should have a supply in his hands, the multiplicity of small payments, instead and the result of his examination fixed the of drawing all the small sums in detail. number at fourteen or fifteen; the comThe act of parliament directed no such missioners were of opinion themselves, drafts for small sums, but for sufficient that ten were sufficient, so that the num, sums to enable the paymaster, from day ber of days necessary in advance was be to day, to issue the necessary sums to the tween ten and fourteen. In the next place, sub-accountants, so that the balances in the commissioners had divided the time hand appeared not to contravene the law, during which lord Melville had been in but to be in direct conformity with it, office into two periods in making the and necessary for the management of the average, instead of making the average business of the office. The question, there- for the whole of the time of his being in fore, was, whether more had been issued office. The first period they calculate up than was necessary, and whether an expence to 1796, the next to 1800; so that they to the public had been the consequence? The had not given the average on the whole, house was aware that no money was is-nor distinctly in the separate periods. They sucd to the treasurer of the navy, but on calculated the balances on the first period memorial from the different boards, and at 45 average, and the last at 33, but that consequently the treasurer could have they had taken the amount of the gross no power of increasing the issue to him. balances without deducting the assign The right hon. gent. here described the ments. When the commissioners had stated operation by which the treasurer of the ten days as the number, that ought to be navy drew money from the bank, and in advance in the paymaster's hands, proved thence that it was not in his power they calculated it exclusive of the outon any occasion, or under any circum-ports; and if the money at the out-ports stances, to draw for more than the oc- were to be deducted, the balances would casions of the different boards required.be in the first or most favourable period, There was no ground, therefore, in reason an average of seventeen days, and in the for the supposition apparently entertained latter period an average of eight days; by the commissioners, that the treasurer and on the whole period the average was had such a power, neither was there any but fourteen or fifteen, only five more foundation for it in fact. It was important than the commissioners had thought neto see what they had stated as to the fact; and this would afford another reason for instituting the inquiry he proposed.

cessary, and nearly the same number that the clerk bad stated in his examination. Now if it should turn out that this state