§ Mr. Whitbread rose, and said, that, previous to his moving the order of the day for the house proceeding to the further consideration of the articles of impeachment exhibited by the committee against Henry lord viscount Melville, he thought it right to give notice, that it was his intention to-morrow to move for leave to bring in a bill to empower the said committee to proceed with, and bring forward the impeachment formally against his lordship, notwithstanding the prorogation of parliament, should they think fit so to do. There were precedents for this mode of proceeding, and it was rendered necessary in the present instance for various reasons. There was a witness now on his way from Edinburgh to be examined on this business, who, it was' probable, might not arrive till after the prorogation of parliament.—Here the hon. gent. was proceeding at length, to shew the necessity for such a bill as the one he intended to suggest, when he was called to order by
§ The Speaker ,Who said there was at present no question before the house, and that the hon. gent. would have an opportunity to-morrow of explaining himself more fully.
§ Mr. Whitbreadthen moved the order of the day for the further consideration of the articles of impeachment, and suggested various trifling amendments in the preamble. The articles were then read over by the clerk one by one, and severally agreed to by the house without a dissenting voice.—Mr. Whitbread proposed an additional article nearly to the following purpose:—"That, after the said 10th day of September, 1796, when lord Melville was treasurer of the navy, the said Mr. Trotter did, with his lordship's connivance or authority, place large sums of money in the hands of Mr. Mark Sprott, after taking such sums out of the Bank of England for the purpose of private emolument and interest, or for purposes other than naval purposes." The above article was read, agreed to, and added to the others, and the whole ordered to be engrossed.
§ Mr. Whitbreadthen moved, also, that a clause be ordered to be prepared for the purpose of reserving to the house of commons the liberty of exhibiting any other articles against lord Melville that may afterwards occur to them to be necessary, and that the committee already appointed to prepare the impeachment be allowed to prepare the said clause; which was agreed to.—The hon. gent. then brought up the report of the said committee, relative to said saving clause. Their resolution was read, and agreed to, and the clause ordered to be added to the other articles.—Adjourned.