William Pitt Junior appeared very cautious and did not directly respond to Grenville's suggestion to form a cabinet.
That night, when the outgoing Mr. Prime Minister dragged his weary body home, his mind still pondering how to handle the conflict between Duncan and Jervis, he saw his wife Anna come up to greet him and help him remove his coat, saying:
"At today's charity bazaar, I met Lady Melville. You know, we don't usually keep in touch."
Grenville keenly sensed something unusual—Lord Melville had served as Minister of the Interior and Navy Board logistics officer, and currently presides over the Indian Affairs Committee, an absolute power player in politics.
He hurriedly asked his wife, "What did she say to you?"
"Oh, weather, fashion," Anna recalled, "Right, she also mentioned that the Portsmouth Shipyard has built a new battleship called 'Prince', using lots of new technology—something about sails and rigging—the smallest cannon is a 24-pounder…"
