Browsing: Papers of John Adams, Volume 10

3. Gabriel de Sartine was replaced as naval minister by the Marquis de Castries on 13 October. His dismissal reflected the determination of Jacques Necker, director general of finance and opponent of the war, to enforce spending reforms and consolidate his power among the king's principal advisors at Vergennes' expense. But a more important reason may have been the need to appease Spain, which blamed Sartine for the failures that had plagued allied naval operations since January (Dull, French Navy and Amer. Independence, p. 199–202).