The anti-corruption campaign is linked to the eventual impeachment of Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, over misappropriation of public funds. Dundas was one of Scotland's most powerful politicians and a close ally of William Pitt, so the case reached far beyond dockyard management. When Pitt replaced Addington, Jervis lost the Admiralty after antagonizing a formidable political network. Later efforts to accuse him of neglect quickly collapsed, distinguishing the disruptive consequences of his reforms from personal dereliction.
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Henry Dundas and the political cost of naval reform
The anti-corruption campaign leads into Henry Dundas's impeachment and Jervis's removal when William Pitt replaced Addington, showing how naval reform became a struggle with powerful political allies.