Henry Dundas, Lord Melville

Henry Dundas, Lord Melville (1742-1811), click here. entered Parliament in 1774 and quickly assumed important positions in Lord North’s administration.  By the mid-1780s he had switched loyalties to Pitt, and soon became President of the Board of Control, exhibiting a keen interest in the promotion of the East India Company.  He remained in that capacity until 1801, when he resigned with Pitt over the issue of Catholic Emancipation.  At various times between 1784 and 1800, he served as Treasurer of the Navy, Secretary of War, and Home Secretary. He returned to office with Pitt in 1804 as Lord of the Admiralty, but he resigned in the spring of 1805 after being accused of mismanaging funds during his tenure as Treasurer of the Navy.  On 13 June 1805, the House of Commons failed to carry the vote of impeachment against Melville, passing a motion instead that he should face a criminal trial.  The House of Commons overturned that vote on 25 June, and a committee was consequently formed to draw up articles of impeachment.  He was formally charged the next day, and the articles of impeachment were presented to the House of Lords on 4 July 1805.  The trial did not commence, however, until 29 April 1806, lasting 15 days.  On 12 June 1806, the House of Lords acquitted Lord Melville on all counts. As a result of the humiliation of his impeachment, he never held public office again. Joseph Gurney and his son, William Brodie, were the shorthand transcribers for the trial. See The trial of Henry lord viscount Melville, before the right honorable the House of peers, in Westminster hall, in full Parliament, for high crimes and misdemeanors ... (1806); it was the last work printed by Joseph Gurney, and one of the last works sold by Martha Gurney.