It occurred to me, that the introduction of a few brief notices of the several administrations of the affairs of the Navy, under which, amounting to thirteen, Whig and Tory, I have served for forty years, and in all of which I must necessarily have borne a part, might not be considered as travelling out of the record of a Biographical Life. It is not, however, intended, by so doing, to give anything like a history of the naval transactions of that period, or of the many brilliant exploits that occurred in the course of a great portion of that time, each of such exploits and transactions furnishing, it may be said, a history of itself. I thought it might be interesting to bring together the names of the chief actors in the Principal Department of the Navy, the succession, duration, changes, and the cause thereof, where apparent; and to notice any alteration in the system of management that may have taken place; and, as next in weight and importance, I have added at the head of each article, after that of the First Lord, the name of the First Naval Lord, and of the First Secretary, who is required to have a seat in the House of Commons. I have acted as Second Secretary to all of them, with the exception of Lord Grey's short administration.

SECTION I.

Henry Viscount Melville