[The Melville Monument, Edinburgh.] Manuscript 'Minute of a Meeting of the Committee of Subscribers to the Monument recently erected by the Navy to the Memory of the late Lord Viscount Melville.' By 'D. M.' [Admiral Sir David Milne?]

4pp., folio. Bifolium. In good condition, on aged paper. With covering leaf docketted: 'Minute of a Meeting of the Committee of Subscribers to the Monument recently erected by the Navy to the Memory of the late Lord Viscount Melville - held 24 January | 1827'. The document begins with a list of those present: 'Admiral Sir David Milne K.C.B. | Captain Tait R.N. | Captain Stoddart R.N. | Captain Dalyell R.N. | and | Michael Linning Secretary | Admiral Sir David Milne in the Chair'. The minute ends '(signed) D. M.', and is presumably the work of Milne, and in his hand. The meeting is said to have been 'called for the purpose of considering and determining upon the Ulterior Measures necessary for extinguishing the debt incurred, and providing the means necessary for the completion of the Monument by Surmounting it with the Statue [by Francis Chantrey] prepared for that purpose'. There is a long financial 'Statement of the debt due by theh Monument', with 'Funds', compiled by 'Mr. Linning'. It is the 'grand desideratum with the Committee [...] to raise a sum sufficient to pay off the debt of £1571 7s 0d for which purpose they authorised their Secretary to apply to the public in the name of the Committee'. The concluding paragraph concerns 'a letter from their Statuary Forest, containing a list of Lanarkshire yeomanry who, out of respect to the Navy - to the memory of the late Lord Viscount Melville, and as a Mark of attention to their Native Artist, had volunteered their Services in bringing the Statue to Edinburgh, as soon as the Committee should intimate their wish to have it done'.