Russell used patronage to test naval contractors

Naval infrastructure and Russell's estate could employ the same builders, a source of corruption allegations. One explanation is that estate work let him inspect their workmanship closely and compare it with what they supplied to the Navy. Formal inspection was limited, so his own knowledge helped him challenge poor work. Politically sponsored contractors also posed a problem: rejecting one without a defensible reason could anger the patron. In the example, a demonstrated fall in quality gave the patron a way to disown the contractor and allowed Russell to pursue the fault without creating a wider political dispute.