and
odd-fashioned, lank leather breeches, but otherwise well dressed and
cleanly, his hair powdered, etc. He was very courteous and cordial in
words and looks, but his carriage was stiff and strait, perhaps
naturally so. His face cold and harsh, rather selfish, but acute and
sensible. We took our seats after much reciprocal ceremony." Pitt
declined Fingall's request that he should present the Catholic petition,
though he admitted that the measure would be most salutary whenever the
proper time would arrive; but he added with a smile that he could not
tell when that would be. The deputation failed to move him from this
position, and thereafter committed its cause to the Opposition.[707]
Despite excellent speeches by Fox and Grey, and by Grenville and Holland
in the Lords, the motions for Catholic Emancipation were rejected by
large majorities. The speech of Pitt on 14th May, to which reference has
already been made, naturally lacked energy and fire; he opposed Fox's
motion solely on the ground of present expediency.[708]

The worst trial of the session was the impeachment of his old friend,
Lord Melville. As Treasurer of the Navy in Pitt's former Administration,
he had been guilty of a serious irregularity in not preventing Deputy
Treasurer Trotter from using the sum of L10,000 for private speculation.
Suspicions having been aroused on this and other grounds, a Commission
was appointed to sift the matter to the bottom. The tenth Report dealing
with these charges came out on 17th or 18th March; and Wilberforce, who
then chanced to be with Pitt, noted how eagerly, without waiting to cut
open the pages, he sought to tear out the secret. It proved to be highly
unfavourable to Melville. In vain did Wilberforce and Bankes seek to
persuade Pitt to adopt a judicial attitude on this question. Though his
friendship with Melville had cooled, yet it was still strong, and he
finally agreed with Lord Sidmouth to press for a committee of inquiry.
Only so could he count on the support of the Addingtonians. On 8th
April, then, he resolutely defended Melville against the aspersions of
Whitbread, maintaining that the evidence before the Commission was far
from conclusive, and moving that a select Committee of the House should
make further investigations.

The debate was long and stormy. Petty, Tierney, George Ponsonby, and Fox
censured Melville severely. Canning with his wonted brilliance,
Castlereagh with the usual laboured infelicity, s