St Vincent and merit in officer promotion

St Vincent's correspondence exposes the tension between patronage and demonstrated service. He rejected the claim that an officer sitting comfortably ashore deserved promotion equal to someone who had risked health and life on active duty. He resisted influential advocates seeking unearned advancement, yet remained receptive when an officer with some merit had a less powerful supporter. In a navy expanding its frigates, brigs and sloops, St Vincent could offer a command that allowed such officers to earn rather than merely receive advancement. His complaint that aristocratic relatives and members of Parliament choked the promotion channel shows how patronage could exclude the sons of experienced officers. Personnel policy therefore became part of fighting power by widening the route through which demonstrated ability could reach command. St Vincent would probably have welcomed Admiral Fisher's later reforms to officer training and entry.