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age of sevens /4 19 12 11 10 l I I I 10 e 8 4 I 3 1 0 1 and remained there till he was sixteen. Outside its walls he studied, with a view to his future profession, such branches of knowledge as See also:

GEOMETRY

geometry, See also:

GEOGRAPHY (Gr. yil, earth, and ypiickty, to write)

geography and the construction of military weapons. He entered the See also:

NAVY

navy in 1701, and from that See also:

time until 1707 took See also:

PART

part in many expeditions in the Mediterranean and the See also:

West Indies. He served with Sir See also:

George See also:

ROOKE, SIR GEORGE (1650-1709)

Rooke at the taking of See also:

GIBRALTAR

Gibraltar in See also:

JULY

July 1704; and on his return to See also:

England See also:

Queen See also:

Anne acknowledged his gallantry with the See also:

PRESENT

present of two See also:

HUNDRED

hundred guineas. He next served in the West Indies with See also:

COMMODORE (a form of " commander"; in the 17th century the term " commandore " is used)

Commodore Sir See also:

Charles See also:

WAGER (derived, through Fr. wagier, gagier, from Lat. vadiunz, a pledge)

Wager, a brave See also:

SEAMAN, OWEN (1861– )

seaman, who afterwards See also:

rose to the highest position at the See also:

ADMIRALTY, HIGH COURT OF

admiralty in the Whig See also:

MINISTRY

ministry of See also:

Walpole, and was pitted against Vernon both in the See also:

House of See also:

COMMONS

Commons and at the polling-See also:

booth. In 1715, and again in 1726, Vernon assisted in the See also:

NAVAL

naval operations in the Baltic, supporting Sir John See also:

Norris in the first enterprise, and on the latter serving under his old See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief, Sir Charles Wager. During the See also:

long supremacy of Walpole little opportunity arose for distinction in warfare, and Vernon's energies found See also:

RELIEF

relief in politics. At the See also:

general See also:

election of 1722 he was returned for both See also:

DUNWICH

Dunwich in See also:

Suffolk and See also:

PENRYN

Penryn in See also:

CORNWALL

Cornwall, but See also:

CHOSE (Fr. for " thing ")

chose the latter See also:

CONSTITUENCY (from " constituent," that which forms a necessary part of a thing; Lat. constituere, to create)

constituency. In the succeeding See also:

PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

parliament of 1727 he was again chosen member for Penryn; but he failed to retain his seat after the See also:

DISSOLUTION (from Lat. dissolvere, to break up into parts)

dissolution in 1734. At this See also:

period the English See also:

PEOPLE

people regarded the Spaniards as their legitimate enemies, and the See also:

ill-feeling of the two countries was fanned both in See also:

POETRY

poetry and in See also:

PROSE

prose.

The See also:

POLITICAL

political antagonists of Walpole charged him with pusillanimity to See also:

Spain. With Pulteney and most of his associates this See also:

BATTLE

battle-ground was selected rather from expediency than from principle; but Vernon represented the natural instincts of the See also:

sea-See also:

CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

captain, and with the sailor as with the soldier the See also:

MOTTO (an Italian word, from Late Lat. muttum, a low sound, a mutter or murmur, cf. mutere, to mutter; the Latin word also gives Fr. mot, word)

motto was " No See also:

peace with Spain." In debate he spoke often, and frequently with effect, but his See also:

LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language always savoured of extravagance. He pledged himself in 1739 to See also:

CAPTURE (from Lat. capere, to take; Fr. prise maritime; Ger. Wegnahme)

capture See also:

PORTO

Porto See also:

BELLO, ANDRES (1781–1865)

Bello with a See also:

SQUADRON

squadron of but six See also:

SHIPS

ships, and the See also:

MINISTER (Lat. minister, servant)

minister whom he had assailed with his invectives sent him, as See also:

VICE

vice-admiral of the See also:

BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

blue and See also:

COMMANDER

commander of the See also:

FLEET

fleet in the West Indies, to the enterprise with the force which he had himself called sufficient. Vernon weighed See also:

ANCHOR (from the Greek ayrcvpa, which Vossius considers is from 6yi17 , a crook or hook)

anchor from Spithead on the 23rd of July 1739 and arrived off Porto Bello on loth November. Next See also:

day the combat began with a See also:

BOMBARDMENT

bombardment of an outlying fort which protected the mouth of the See also:

HARBOUR (from M.E. hereberge, here, an army; cf. Ger. Heer and -beorg, protection or shelter. Other early forms in English were herberwe and haiborow, as seen in various place names, such as Market Harborough.. The French auberge, an inn, derived through

harbour, and on the 22nd of November the See also:

castle and See also:

TOWN

town surrendered with a loss on the English See also:

side of only seven men. The joy of the nation knew no See also:

BOUNDS, BEATING THE

bounds. Vernon's birthday was celebrated in 1740 in See also:

LONDON

London with public illuminations, and 130 medals were struck in his See also:

HONOUR (Lat. honos or lwnor, honoris; in English the word was spelled with or without the u indifferently until the 17th century, but during the 18th century it became fashion-able to spell the word " honor "; Johnson's and Webster's Dictionaries stereoty

honour. In See also:

FEBRUARY

February 1741 in a by-election at Ports-mouth Vernon was again sent to parliament. At the general election in the following May he was returned for See also:

IPSWICH

Ipswich, See also:

Rochester and Penryn, and all but succeeded in winning Westminster.' He elected to sit for Ipswich. A larger squadron was placed under Vernon's command at the See also:

close of 1740, and with this force he resolved upon attacking See also:

CARTAGENA, or CARTHAGENA

Cartagena. After a fierce struggle, the castle, which stood at the harbour's entrance, was gained; but in the attack upon the See also:

CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city the troops and sailors failed to See also:

ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

act in See also:

CONCERT (through the French from Lat. con-, with, and certare, to strive)

concert, and, with the See also:

numbers of his forces thinned by combat and by disease, the See also:

BRITISH

British aamiral retired to See also:

JAMAICA

Jamaica. The incidents of this disastrous at-tempt are described in See also:

SMOLLETT, TOBIAS GEORGE (1721-1771)

Smollett's See also:

RODERICK

Roderick See also:

RANDOM (older forms randon, randrun; from the French, cf. randir, to run quickly, impetuously; generally taken to be of Teutonic origin and connected with Ger. Rand, edge, brim, the idea being possibly of a brimming river)

Random, See also:

CHAP

chap. xxxi., &c.

A similar enterprise in July 1741 against See also:

SANTIAGO, or SANTIAGO DE CHILE

Santiago de See also:

CUBA (the aboriginal name)

Cuba met with a similar See also:

REVERSE

reverse, and Vernon attributed the defeat to the divided command of the British forces. During his command he did a See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good See also:

DEAL

deal for the See also:

HEALTH

health of his crews. He first introduced the See also:

CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom of mixing the See also:

rum served to the sailors in the West Indies with See also:

WATER

water. The word " grog " is said to be derived from the See also:

NICKNAME

nickname of " old Grog " given him by the sailors, because he wore a See also:

PECULIAR

peculiar grogram See also:

BOAT (0. Eng. bdt; the true etymological connexion with Dutch and Ger. boot, Fr. bateau, Ital. battello presents great difficulties; Celtic forms are from O. Eng.)

boat-cloak. He landed at See also:

Bristol on the 6th of See also:

JANUARY

January 1743, and on the 24th of January received the freedom of the city of London. When the See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country dreaded the See also:

march of See also:

Prince Charles to London, the fleet in the See also:

DOWNS

Downs was placed under Grego's See also:

PARLIAMENTARY

Parliamentary Elections (London, 1886), pp. 95-106.the command of Vernon; but his jealous disposition brooked no interference from the admiralty, and on the 1st of January 1746 he struck his See also:

FLAG (or " FLAGGE," a common Teutonic word in this sense, but apparently first recorded in English)

flag and handed over the command to another. His next act was to describe his grievances in a couple of angry See also:

PAMPHLETS

pamphlets, revealing the communications of his See also:

OFFICIAL (Late Lat. QJicialis, for class. Lat. apparitor, from officium, office, duty)

official chiefs, and for this indiscretion he was struck off the See also:

list of flag See also:

OFFICERS

officers (See also:

APRIL

April 11, 1746). He continued to represent the See also:

borough of Ipswich until his See also:

DEATH

death, but with this proceeding his public services practically ceased. He died suddenly at Nacton in Suffolk, the 3oth of See also:

OCTOBER

October 1757, and was buried in the See also:

church of the See also:

VILLAGE

village. Vernon's gallantry was unquestioned; but his valour not infrequently degenerated into foolhardiness, and he dwelt more often than is usual with British See also:

SEAMEN, LAWS RELATING TO

seamen on the merits of his own exploits. His politics were those of the Tory party, and his See also:

DIFFERENCES, CALCULUS OF (Theory of Finite Differences)

differences with the Whigs and with his colleagues in the services led to his See also:

PUBLISHING

publishing several pamphlets on his political conduct.

A Memorial of Admiral Vernon from Contemporary Authorities was printed by W. F. Vernon for private circulation in 1861.

End of Article: VERNON, EDWARD (1684-1757)

Additional information and Comments

Cartagena´s attack by admiral Vernon was the "largest and worst defeat suffered by England in the hands of the Spanish in the eighteen century". Vernon had the "biggest fleet ever seen of that time", and the biggest ever sent to America: from 23.600 to 30.000 sailors and soldiers -it depends of the sources- and a fleet of 120 to 180 ships, with ships of the line, frigates, fire ships and troops transports. Admiral Blas de Lezo had only 3000-5000 men. Vernon was so self-confident and arrogant that "had many bronze medals struck to commemorate the event" even before he left England. In those medals, valuable collectors items and England´s enemies mockery for many years, Lezo is kneeling before Vernon giving him the keys of the town. Funny since Lezo had only one leg, lost in Velez Malaga battle (1704),(plus having only one eye and one of his arms paralized too!, wounds and scars from several battles after a 40 years heroic service in the Spanish Royal Navy, something not achieved by any far too famous and decorated admirals). Of course he appears fully perfect in the medals. One -another- of most hushed up events in British history.

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