Dundas

Dundas, the RIGHT HON. HENRY, VISCOUNT MELVILLE and BARON DUNIRA, brother of the preceding, was born 28th April 1742, and educated at the High School and university of Edinburgh. He was admitted a member of the Scottish bar in 1763. As a younger son of a pretty numerous family, his circumstances were rather straitened; but his assiduity, his large share of the family talent and presumably also of the family influence, soon procured him advancement in his profession. He was successively appointed Deputy-advocate and Solicitor-general. In 1774 he was returned to parliament for Midlothian, in 1775 was appointed Lord Advocate. Two years later, he was made keeper of the King's Signet for Scotland. Dundas's career in parliament was highly successful, though not very creditable to his political consistency. Although elected in opposition to ministerial influence, he soon allied himself with the party in power, and became a strenuous supporter of Lord North's administration, being one of the most obstinate defenders of the war with the American colonists. When Lord North resigned in 1781, Dundas continued to hold the office of Lord Advocate under the Rockingham ministry. On the question of the war with America, Dundas had been opposed to Pitt; but when the Coalition Ministry was formed by Fox and Lord North, he passed over to the side of his old opponent, and became Pitt's ablest coadjutor. When Pitt returned to power in 1784, Dundas was appointed President of the Board of Control. That same year he introduced a bill for restoring the estates in Scotland forfeited on account of the rebellion of 1745. In 1791 he was appointed principal Secretary of State for the Home Department. He also held a great number of other offices, one of which, the treasurership of the navy, involved him some years after in much trouble. Dundas's aptitude for business was undeniable. Many of the most important public measures originated with or were directly promoted by him. Among such were the formation of the fencible regiments, the supplementary militia, the volunteer corps, and the provisional cavalry; in short, the whole of that domestic military force raised during the war consequent on the French Revolution. When Pitt resigned in 1801, Dundas did the same. In 1802, under the administration of Mr Addington, he was made Viscount Melville and Baron Dunira. In 1805 he was accused of 'gross malversation and breach of duty' while acting as treasurer of the navy. The trial commenced 29th April 1806; but in spite of the splendid array of Whig talent against him, Dundas was acquitted on all charges involving his honour, 'though it must now be allowed,' says Lockhart, 'that the investigation brought out many circumstances by no means creditable to his discretion.' Thereafter he lived mostly at Dunira, his seat near Comrie. He died at Edinburgh, 28th May 1811. A stately column, surmounted by a statue, was erected to his memory in Edinburgh in 1821, by officers and seamen of the navy. See Omond's Lord Advocates of Scotland (1883).