integrity, he should, in case they acquitted him, feel satisfied. Whitbread concluded by moving that Henry, Lord Viscount Melville, be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanours. A long debate ensued, in the course of which Bond objected to an impeachment as cumbrous and expensive, and moved, as an amendment, that the attorney-genera! be directed to prosecute Lord Melville for the several offences which appeared to have been committed by him. The motion for impeachment was rejected by a majority of seventy-seven, and Bond's amendment adopted by two hundred and thirty-eight to two hundred and twenty-nine voices: it was, however, ultimately determined, on the 25th of June, that the mode of prosecution by impeachment should be resorted to, and Whitbread was appointed manager, with direction to acquaint the lords on the following day therewith. On this occasion Pitt delivered his last speech in the senate, and argued strongly in favour of a trial by impeachment, in preference to proceedings by a criminal prosecution. Due preparation being made in Westminster-hall for the trial, on the morning of April the 29th, 1807, the lords and commons assembled, and Lord Melville took his place within the bar. After the ceremonies of reading the charges, &c. were gone through, the lord-chancellor called on the managers of the house of commons to make good their charges; upon which Mr. Whitbread began a speech which lasted three hours and twenty minutes. At the conclusion the house adjourned to the next day. On the 30th the trial was resumed with the usual ceremony and witnesses examined. May 1st, 2d, and 3d, were alike employed in reading the report of the commissioners for naval inquiry, hearing exceptions by Lord Melville's counsel, examining witnesses, &c. On the 5th the examination of Mr Trotter commenced about 11 o'clock, and finished at 4 in the afternoon. He admitted that he was the private agent of Lord Melville as well as deputy-paymaster, and also that he had advanced his lordship several loans of money, but denied that his lordship had applied the public money to his own use or emolument. On the 6th the trial proceeded and was adjourned over to the 8th, on which day, as well as the 9th, several witnesses were examined. On the 10th Sir S. Romilly summed up the evidence for the prosecution. He spoke three hours and a half, and the court adjourned to the 13th, which day and the 14th were occupied by Mr Plomer, who spoke nearly four hours each day in defence of his lordship. Mr Adam, on the same side, engaged the attention of the court on the 15th. On the 16th and 17th Mr Whitbread replied to Mr Plomer and Mr Adam, and supported the prosecution, which finally closed the proceedings. The peers agreed to take the matter into consideration on the 28th. A motion of thanks to the managers was made on the 23d in the commons by General Fitzpatrick, and agreed to with only one dissentient voice. At the appointed period the peers assembled,-the assistance of the judges on certain points of law was resorted to,-and on the 12th of June their lordships proceeded to deliver their verdict. The result was, that his lordship was acquitted of all the charges; but in four of the articles the majority in his favour did not amount to double the number of those who gave a contrary judgment. The whole number of peers voting was one hundred and thirty-five. Lord Melville was subsequently restored to his seat at the council. board, but never again engaged in public life. He died at his seat in Scotland on the 27th of May, 1811. His lordship was a man of excellent business-habits and great powers of application. "His eloquence," says one of his eulogists, "was manly and vigorous; it rose superior to ornament, and was always more intent on convincing the understanding than pleasing the fancy. Unravelling with ease the most intricate details, and seizing with intuitive rapidity the strongholds of his subject, he could either convey it to his audience with the simplicity of statement, or impress it on their conviction with uncommon powers of argument and great dignity of language and address. His speeches in debate bore the stamp of a mind rich in common sense, in political sagacity, and in the perfect knowledge of life and of affairs. From these qualities even the splendid and argumentative eloquence of Mr Pitt has often received the most powerful support. In the affairs of his own department Lord Melville was always prepared to supply the fullest information, when the prudence of office permitted the disclosure; and in the bills which it belonged to his duty to propose, he was never anticipated by the suggestions of others; but whenever he chose to adopt them he always improved by making them his own." His early attachment to Pitt remained steadfast and unchangeable amidst all the vicissitudes of a long and arduous career. The strong affection he entertained for his person,-his unaffected grief for the premature death of his friend, the fond enthusiasm with which he dwelt upon his memory,-are seldom observed in the attachments of politicians, and are therefore the more striking and amiable when they appear. Sir Peter Parker, Bart. BORN A. D. 1723.-DIED A. D. 1811. SIR PETER PARKER, Bart. was son of Rear-admiral Christopher Parker, descended from a very respectable and ancient family in Ireland. He was born in 1723, and entered the navy at a very youthful age, under the auspices of his father. In 1743 Admiral Matthews, at that time commander-in-chief on the Mediterranean station, advanced him to the rank of lieutenant on board the Russel, Captain C. Long. During the year Parker filled this appointment the Mediterranean fleet continued in Hieres bay, blocking up the French and Spanish fleets in the harbour of Toulon. On the 6th of May, 1747, he was promoted to be post-captain of the Margate frigate; and thence advanced, at the beginning of the year 1749, to the command of the Lancaster, a third rate. In 1757 Captain Parker commanded the Woolwich of 44 guns, on the Leeward Island station, in the squadron under Commodore Moore. He remained on this station until after the capture of Guadaloupe, in which service he was very actively engaged, when the French squadron having sailed for St Domingo, and Commodore Moore having no longer any naval force to oppose, that officer shifted his pendant from the Cambridge to the Buckingham, and sent several of the large ships home with the convoy. Among these was the Bristol of 50 guns, then IV. 4 Q commanded by Captain Parker, who, on his arrival in England, was removed to the Montague. In this ship he for some time cruised in the Channel, where he met with considerable success, capturing several private ships of war and other vessels. Captain Parker's next command was that of the Buckingham of 70 guns. In this ship he had the good fortune to distinguish himself. In the spring of 1761, when Commodore Keppel sailed on the expedition against Belleisle, the Buckingham was employed in the commodore's squadron, and after the surrender of Belleisle continued to be engaged in covering the newly-acquired conquest, and in blocking up the small remains of the French naval force in the different contiguous ports. Immediately after the surrender of Belleisle Commodore Keppel detached a squadron under the command of Sir Thomas Stanhope, to attack such of the enemy's ships as might be lying in Basque road, and to destroy the works which had been erected on the Isle of Aix. The Buckingham was in this squadron, and to Captain Parker was intrusted the performance of the latter service. Towards the end of July the fortifications were completely destroyed; but, previously to the accomplishment of this business, Captain Parker had a brisk encounter with a number of praams belonging to the enemy, which, having been expressly constructed for the purpose of carrying very heavy cannon, were considered extremely formidable; while, from the circumstance of their lying remarkably low in the water, it was conceived that the guns of a ship could not be brought to bear upon them; but in this they were deceived, and the praams were obliged to abandon their ill-judged attack. The damage sustained by the ships under Captain Parker's command was very inconsiderable. Our officer continued to command the Buckingham till the year 1762, when that ship being extremely crazy and out of repair was ordered to be dismantled, and her captain appointed to the Terrible, a new ship of 74 guns just launched. A treaty of peace having been ratified at the beginning of the year 1763 the Terrible was put out of commission, and Captain Parker was not engaged in any service of importance until the commencement of the American war. In 1772 Captain Parker received the honour of knighthood, and in 1774 was nominated to the command of the Barfleur of 90 guns. Towards the end of the year 1775 Sir Peter Parker was appointed to a command on the American station with the rank of commodore. He accordingly hoisted his broad pendant on board the Bristol, a ship newly launched, and on the 26th of December sailed from Portsmouth with a squadron of ships of war and a fleet of transports, having on board a large body of troops under the command of Earl Cornwallis destined for an attack on Charlestown in South Carolina. Meeting, however, with extremely bad weather and other impediments on his passage, he did not arrive at Cape Fear till the beginning of May. He was here joined by General Clinton and a reinforcement of troops, but from some farther delay the squadron was prevented from proceeding to Charlestown till the beginning of the ensuing month. The fleet naving crossed the bar, it was found requisite, before they could advance higher up, to possess themselves of Sullivan's Island, which lay about six miles below the town, commanding the harbour. The Ame ricans had long exerted their utmost ability and ingenuity to put this place in a formidable state of defence,-they had expended considerable sums of money in the erection of fortifications, and it was garrisoned by 300 men. This island, however, it was resolved to attack; and on the 28th of June, in the morning, the general and commodore having finally settled their plan, the Thunderbomb took her station, covered by the Friendship armed ship, and began to throw shells into the fort; at the same time the Bristol, Experiment, and Solebay, opened a most furious cannonade. The Sphynx, Syren, and Actæon, owing to the unskilfulness of their pilots, in coming up to their stations, ran upon some shoals and stuck fast; the two first were with much difficulty got off, but not until it was too late for them to be of any service. It being found impossible to save the Actæon, her officers had her scuttled and burnt. The springs of the Bristol's cable being cut by the shot, she lay for some time exposed to a dreadful raking fire. Captain Morris, her commander, was severely wounded in several places, but refused to quit his station till a shot took off his arm. The Bristol's quarter-deck was twice entirely cleared, excepting the commodore, who displayed the most intrepid courage and resolution. Unfortunately the army under General Clinton could not co-operate in this attack, not having been able to cross that part of the river which the guides had represented as fordable. On the approach of night, Sir Peter Parker, finding all hope of success at an end, called off his shattered ships, and retired out of reach of the enemy's shot. After this failure Sir Peter repassed the bar, and sailed with his squadron for New York; where, on his arrival, he put himself, as instructed, under the orders of Lord Viscount Howe, the commander-in-chief. In December Sir Peter Parker and General Clinton were sent, with a squadron of ships of war and a body of land forces, to reduce Rhode Island. During the remainder of the time that he staid in America the commodore continued in command at New York, but the reduction of Rhode Island was the last service of importance in which he was engaged there. On the 29th of May, 1777, Sir Peter Parker was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral of the blue squadron; in the month of November following he was appointed to command on the Jamaica station, as successor to Admiral Gayton; and on the 29th of January, 1778, Rearadmiral Sir Peter Parker arrived at Port-Royal, and took on him the command of his majesty's squadron, in the Bristol of 50 guns. On the 19th of March, 1779, he was advanced to be vice-admiral of the blue. On the 26th of September, 1780, Sir Peter Parker was made viceadmiral of the white. He continued his command at Jamaica during the year 1781, his cruisers being uniformly successful; but in the following year he returned to England. This was the memorable year of Rodney's splendid victory, and Sir Peter Parker had the honour of conveying to the British shores the Conte de Grasse and several other French officers of rank who were taken on the 12th of April. Sir Peter Parker's progress in the navy had been regular, steady, and uniform; his private and professional character stood unimpeached; and shortly after his arrival in England, as a reward for his numerous services, he had the honour of being raised to the dignity of a baronet of Great Britain. During the peace which subsisted from 1783 to 1793, Admiral Parker held no command; but on the commencement of hostilities against France in the latter year, he hoisted his flag on board the Royal William, of 84 guns, as commander-in-chief at Portsmouth. At the general election in 1784 Sir Peter was a candidate for the borough of Seaford in Sussex, with the Honourable Mr Neville, and was returned; but the return was declared void. In 1787 he was elected for Malden. On the death of Admiral Howe he became admiral of the fleet. He died in 1811. Spencer Perceval. BORN A. D. 1762.—died a. D. 1812. SPENCER PERCEVAL was the second son of John, Earl of Egmont, by Catherine Compton, Baroness Arden, in her own right. He was educated at Harrow and Trinity college, Cambridge. In 1786 he was called to the bar, and in 1796 obtained a silk gown. He entered parliament in the latter year as member for Northampton, which borough he represented during the remainder of his life. He soon rose so high in the estimation of the premier, that when that minister was about to fight a duel with Tierney, he said, in reply to a question by Lord Harrowby, that, in the event of his death, Perceval appeared the best fitted to succeed him in office. His first speech, delivered on the 2d of June, 1797, was in support of the Sedition and mutiny bill. Under the Addington ministry, Perceval, in 1801, became solicitorgeneral, and the following year attorney-general, which office he retained until the death of Pitt. In this situation he was called upon to conduct the prosecution of Jean Peltier for a libel on Napoleon Bonaparte, first consul of France, before Lord Ellenborough and a special jury in Westminster-hall, on the 21st of February, 1803. Mr Abbot opened the pleadings on the part of the prosecution in the following manner: "Gentlemen of the jury, this is an information against the prisoner, Jean Peltier, for publishing, in a paper called 'L'Ambigu,' several libels against Napoleon Bonaparte, who was at the time of the said publication, and is now, first consul and chief magistrate of the French republic. The information states that there subsisted at the time of such publication, and does now subsist, peace and harmony between this United kingdom and the republic of France; and that the said libels tend not only to disturb this peace and harmony so happily subsisting between the said countries, by exciting animosities, jealousies, and resentments, but directly tend to degrade and vilify the said Napoleon Bonaparte in the eyes of the French nation, and to stir up and excite persons in France to assassinate and murder the said first consul." The learned counsel then read the translations of the different libels which were the subject of this prosecution. The first was in the form of an ode on the 18th Brumaire; the second was also in verse, and entitled The Prayer of a Good Patriot on the 14th of July, 1802;' the third was a long speech, supposed to have been delivered by Lepidus to the Romans on the dictatorship of Sylla. These pieces were extremely long. The first ode contained, among many other strong pas |