Research topic: Henry Dundas 1st Viscount Melville

Henry Dundas Melville, 1st Viscount 1742-1811, British lawyer and politician. He was solicitor general for Scotland (1766-75), entered Parliament in 1774, and became lord advocate in 1775. During the American Revolution he favored harsh punishment of the colonists and considered Lord North much too conciliatory. A close friend and lieutenant of William Pitt the younger, he displayed remarkable administrative talents as treasurer of the navy (1783-1800), member of the board of control for India (1784-1801), home secretary (1791-94), secretary for war during the early Napoleonic Wars (1794-1801),... Read more