Lords Sitting of 25 March 1806

MINUTES.
The Committee of Privileges sat some time on the claim of the duke of Clarence to vote as a peer of Ireland in the election of representative peers for that country, but strangers were excluded.—Mr. Hawthorne brought up from the Commons the 1,500,000 l. and 10,500,000 l. Exchequer Bills bills, the Spirits Excise Duties bill, the Irish Common Lands Partition bill, and the Felons' Transportation bill, which were read a first time.—Lord Radnor moved, that the proper officer do lay before the house, Copies of the Enrolment of any Patent of Peerage in Ireland, granted since the Union with Great Britain and Ireland; which was ordered.
IMPEACHMENT OF LORD MELVILLE.
Mr. Whitbreadand several other members of the commons, presented at the bar, in the name of the commons of the United Kingdom, a Replication to the Answer of Henry lord Melville, declaring that the said lord Melville is guilty of the high crimes and misdemeanours charged against him in the Articles of Impeachment, and that the commons are ready to prove same. The Replication having been read at the table, earl Fitzwilliam moved, that a day be appointed for the trial of Henry lord Melville: that the trial of the said lord Melville take place at the bar of the house, on the 29th of April next, at 11 in the forenoon; and that a message be sent to the commons to acquaint them therewith, and require them to appoint a committee to manage the impeachment; all which motions were agreed to, after a few words from the earl of Radnor respecting a point of form.

VOTE OF THANKS TO ADMIRAL DUCKWORTH.
Lord Grenvillesaid he had requested a noble and learned friend to move
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yesterday, that their lordships should be summoned for this day, in order that he might submit to them a motion for a Vote of Thanks, on account of our late success in the West Indies, respecting which he did not conceive there could be any difference of opinion. It was scarcely necessary, indeed, to make any comment upon the subject, or any preface to his motion. A series of the most splendid achievements had raised the character of our navy to the highest point of pre-eminence, whilst they proved the unrivalled skill and valour of our officers, and the irresistible bravery of our seamen. The victory recently obtained by sir J. T. Duckworth in the West Indies, evinced that the gallantry and skill of our officers, and the bravery of our seamen, were undiminished. A circumstance had attended this success which very seldom happened any of our victorious contests with the enemy, that we had a trifling superiority of force, but this could not in the least take away from the brilliancy of the victory, or the merit of those by whom it was achieved. Every thing had been done that could be effected; every thing had been done that was admitted of by the possibility of the case. The enemy's force consisted of 5 ships of the line, and 5 ships of the line were taken and destroyed. He was one of those who thought that the thanks of the house ought not to be given except in those cases where such a vote was called for by great and exalted merit; that so high an honour ought only to be granted where it was eminently deserved, thus rendering the reward the greater, by the rarity by which it was conferred. He thought however, that this was one of those cases which called upon their lordships to confer that high honour, and that so brilliant a victory entitled those who had achieved it, to the thanks of the house for the skill and bravery they had evinced in thus diminishing the means of the enemy, and adding to the security of the country. He conceived it unnecessary to comment any further upon the subject; to enter into any lengthened detail would, he thought, derogate from the splendour of the achievement. His lordship concluded by moving for the thanks of the house, in the usual form, to vice-admiral sir J. T. Duckworth, K. B.; the hon. rear-admiral Cochrane; rear-admiral Louis; and the captains and officers of the fleet; and an acknowledgement of the services of the seamen and royal marines.
The Duke of Norfolksaid, he could not help taking this opportunity of again calling their lordships' attention to the case of sir Robert Calder. He thought it hard that the services of that gallant admiral in the action of the first day, when, with an inferior force, he achieved a victory, should not be acknowledged by some public mark of approbation. The thirteen gallant officers who composed the court martial, he had no doubt, decided most properly; still, however, the merit of the gallant admiral on the first day remained undiminished. He spoke on this subject entirely as a landsman, but it was the opinion of others as well as himself, that sir Robert Carder was hardly dealt with in not having the merit of his first day's rencontre with the enemy publicly acknowledged. He had not the honour of being personally acquainted with the gallant admiral, but merely spoke from the impulse of his feelings upon the subject, and he had hoped that the business would have been taken up by some other noble lord.
The Earl of Romneywas proceeding to speak on the same subject, when, he was interrupted by
Lord Grenvillewho spoke to order. He put it to his noble friend and relation, whether it would not be more advisable to avoid any discussion upon a subject which had no connection with the motion before the house. If what had been alluded to by the noble duke should ever become the subject of a motion in that house, which he hoped would not be the case, he should then deliver his sentiments regularly upon it, but at present he conceived it to be irregularly introduced.
The Earl of Romneyassured his noble friend and relation, that in addressing the house upon the subject, he had been solely actuated by feelings of friendship for the gallant admiral alluded to, which he trusted would plead his excuse with the house.—The motions of lord Grenville were agreed to, nem. diss and the lord chancellor directed to communicate them to vice-admiral sir J. T. Duckworth.