Chapter TwoDriving towards the Admiralty, the Earl of Arrow thought with admiration of the Prime Minister.
In defiance of the Cabinet and a great number of the Members of Parliament, William Pitt had appointed a man of his own choice to be First Lord of the Admiralty.
In the Earl’s opinion, no one could have been a better choice than Admiral Sir Charles Middleton, now Lord Barham.
Those who remembered him before he retired knew that he was the greatest Naval Administrator since Samuel Pepys.
After Viscount Melville was forced to resign, owing to a charge of malpractice concerning his Department, there had been a great number of applicants for the position, favoured not only by the Cabinet but also by the Opposition.
During the winter the Prime Minister had been struggling to form a Co
