Chapter 1153: Political Situation in London
For Jervis, preserving the steam warship construction program he had personally initiated was about more than just the navy; it was about securing his position as First Lord of the Admiralty.
A knock sounded at the door. Jervis's assistant spoke from the hallway, "Admiral, Lieutenant Colonel McPherson is here to see you."
Jervis signaled the official currently delivering a report to leave before turning back to the door. "Let him in."
McPherson entered the room, offered a sharp salute, and placed a thick stack of documents on Jervis's desk. "Admiral, the results of the investigation are in."
Jervis weighed the report in his hand, his voice tinged with impatience. "Give me the summary. What are the conclusions?"
"Yes, Admiral," McPherson said with a slight bow. "Of all the warships that suffered mechanical failures, at least six cases were confirmed to be caused by fractured propeller shafts."
Because most of the vessels that encountered trouble never made it back to port, these were the only ones for which they had concrete evidence.
"Furthermore, we conducted inspections on the remaining steam warships. We have already discovered cracks in the main shafts of seven other vessels currently in service."
Jervis's face darkened instantly. "What about that man Kane?"
Robert Kane was the unfortunate purchasing officer who had been responsible for the procurement of Lignum Vitae from Jamaica years prior.
McPherson continued, "Additionally, I discovered extensive evidence of corruption at Chatham Dockyard during the construction of the steam engines."
He gestured toward the report. "Starting on page eleven, you will find that Nick Thompson, the hull construction supervisor, falsified labor hours to pocket 4,300 pounds...
"Vince Martelli, the quality inspector for ironwork and coatings, selected castings from a factory owned by his relatives, netting himself 6,000 pounds...
"Dennis Stanton, the accounting advisor..."
Jervis raised a hand to cut him off. "Just tell me the total amount."
"Thirty-three thousand pounds, Admiral."
The First Lord's expression remained neutral. Compared to the total investment of nearly 700,000 pounds, this figure did not shock him.
In reality, he and the Comptroller of the Navy Board, Middleton, were the ones taking the largest shares of the pie.
McPherson, however, was not finished. "There is also evidence that the Dockyard Director, Sir Hope, likely engaged in numerous private transactions with the Boulton-Watt Company and several others. These dealings involve over 500,000 pounds from the Government Investment Fund.
"We discovered that in the accounts from last April..."
The more Jervis heard, the more grave his expression became.
According to the head of the investigation committee, almost everyone at Chatham Dockyard—from Sir Hope down to the material managers—deserved to be behind bars.
The steam engine company would likely be implicated as well.
And yet, these people constituted the only established system the Empire had for building steam warships.
His hand pressed down firmly on the report. After a long moment of silence, he spoke in a stern, commanding tone.
"Suspend the investigation into the dockyard immediately. And the steam engine company as well. These documents are not to be seen by anyone else.
"The investigation committee is to focus its primary energy solely on the issue of the propeller shafts. That will be all. You may leave."
"Yes... yes, Admiral."
Once the door clicked shut, Jervis stood up, his mind far from peace. He paced the room, frowning as he muttered to himself, 'I need to make a trip to 10 Downing Street...'
This matter had spiraled out of control. It might have been overlooked if the Royal Navy had been victorious, but with so many warships lost, the rot within the system would be impossible to hide.
What he did not know was that the master of 10 Downing Street was currently facing a crisis even greater than his own.
Lord Grenville leaned casually against a window frame, his tone as light as if he were discussing a play he had seen the night before. "I am not in the least bit surprised that Mr. Fox chose this moment to resign from the cabinet.
"In fact, I suspect he is the one pulling the strings behind the upcoming vote of no confidence in the House of Commons."
It was true. After the disastrous collapse in Portugal, widespread riots across Britain, and a staggering fiscal deficit, the Grenville Cabinet's reputation had plummeted to rock bottom.
As for the "minor" issues—the stock market crash, the failed maneuvers in Italy, and the cold shoulder from Russia—there were so many failures that the opposition party had almost lost count.
The devastating losses suffered by the British Mediterranean Fleet, a defeat without precedent in a century, had finally become the last straw.
The no-confidence vote was scheduled for the following week, and the political winds in Parliament suggested that the fall of the Grenville Cabinet was a foregone conclusion.
William Pitt Junior sighed and joined him at the window, looking out at the street. "The disaster with the Mediterranean Fleet was a catastrophe. It was not your fault."
Grenville offered a faint smile. "Sacking Admiral Pix alone will not appease the fury of the MPs.
"Truthfully, I am not obsessed with the office of Prime Minister. I only wonder who could possibly take over in such a dire situation."
Pitt sighed again. "In fact, you could still use certain maneuvers to weather this storm.
"The French are withdrawing from Egypt soon. That can be framed as them being forced to abandon their occupation plans out of fear of the Mediterranean Fleet's overwhelming power. That would win back many of the disgruntled members of Parliament.
"Then there is Portugal. Despite facing superior enemy forces and a complete lack of cooperation from the locals, we still managed to hold the Porto anchorage and secure the safety of the Portuguese Royal Family..."
Grenville waved the suggestion away. "Even if I survive the no-confidence vote, my authority in Parliament has been shattered. Every policy I try to implement from now on will be blocked at every turn."
Pitt raised his voice. "You know as well as I do that you must continue to lead the Empire until victory is secured!
"Look at the gentlemen of the Whig Party. Mr. Fox? Sir Sheridan? They will only ruin everything!"
"There is still you, is there not?" Grenville said. "Given the Empire's current predicament, you are the most suitable man for the task."
Pitt froze for a moment, then shook his head. "No, no, I have already..."
Grenville cut him off immediately. "With the support of His Majesty the King, you can certainly form a new cabinet.
"Fox and Burke have massive disagreements regarding their stance on France. You only need to exploit that rift to dismantle their coalition."
Charles James Fox and Edmund Burke were the two giants of the Whig Party, but Fox advocated for de-escalation with France to allow Britain the breathing room to solve its internal problems.
Burke, however, was an extreme hardliner. He had delivered numerous speeches in Parliament urging the total dismemberment of France to maintain the balance of power in Europe.
Furthermore, the two men were secretly locked in a bitter struggle over which of them should claim the premiership.
Grenville continued, "Many MPs remember that the drafting of the Combination Act and the push to suspend Habeas Corpus were your doing. The aristocrats who value social stability support you immensely for those actions."
Indeed, when grain prices had skyrocketed last year and sparked the first signs of rebellion, Pitt had immediately advised Parliament to suspend Habeas Corpus. This allowed the British militia to arrest vast numbers of "insurgents" without trial, swiftly crushing the unrest.
"You must stand up," Grenville urged. "You must turn this disastrous situation around."
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