The 2nd Earl of Minto succeeded his cousin, Lord Auckland, on 19 September 1835 and held the office (with renewals of his commission in July 1837 and March 1839) until the fall of the Melbourne ministry in September 1841. He appears in the papers as a diligent administrator, though the presence in the service of a brother, son, nephew and other connexions led to later accusations of nepotism in The Times and other politically hostile journals. The correspondence reflects the great pressure for promotion by junior officers, who were frustrated by peace-time contraction of the service and the disproportionate number of veteran senior officers on the Navy List, and the 2nd Earl's own interest in, and encouragement of, scientific and technological developments.