that he should be able, by some successful enterprize, to obliterate the disgrace of the two former fruitless expeditions. After frequent councils of war, which appear to have been held too often for the good of the service, it was determined to land at Porto Bello, and, after marching across the isthmus of Darien, to attack Panama, a rich town situate on the South Sea, which Sir Henry Morgan, having formerly marched across the isthmus, with five hundred buccaneers, had taken with little difficulty. Accordingly the necessary preparations were made for the expedition, and the admiral put to sea about the middle of March, with eight sail of the line, five smaller vessels, and forty transports, having on board three thousand effective men, besides a body of five hundred negroes, raised for the expedition by General Trelawney, the governor of Jamaica, who accompanied it himself with several volunteers.

seas.

The armament arrived at Porto Bello, after a tedious passage of three weeks, occasioned by contrary winds and tempestuous The Spaniards, on the appearance of the British fleet, immediately quitted the town and fled to Panama, so that the troops landed without opposition. Vernon now believed that something decisive might be effected against the enemy; but great was his mortification to learn that it was resolved in a council of war, composed solely of land officers, to give up the enterprize; and, after many ineffectual remonstrances, he was obliged to re-embark the troops a very few days after they were landed. The fleet returned again to Jamaica, and nothing of consequence occurred during the subsequent part of the time that Admiral Vernon held the chief command on that station. In the month of September an order arrived at Port Royal for the admiral and general to return home. In December the admiral took his passage in the Boyne for England, and was soon after followed by Wentworth with the soldiers that survived.

Before the departure of Vernon from the West Indies, he

It is related of the great Duke of Marlborough, that he never held a council of war, until he had previously determined in his own mind how he would act; and, whatever might be the opinion of the council, he invariably adhered to his own. On what sound judgment this method of acting was formed, the glorious life of that illustrious general can best elucidate.

addressed the Secretary of State, informing him, "that he could not be insensible how great a concern the disappointments on the several expeditions must have been to his majesty; but begged leave, at the same time, to say, in behalf of himself and the officers and men that had served under his command, that no part of the disappointment was justly to be attributed to the sea forces: nor did he think it was in want of courage or inclination to serve his majesty in the land forces; but that this unhappy event was principally owing to the command falling into the hands of General Wentworth, who had approved himself no way equal to it. And though the vice-admiral pretended to little experience in military affairs, yet it was his opinion, that if the sole command had been entrusted to him, the British forces would have failed in neither of the expeditions, but would have made themselves masters both of Carthagena and St. Jago, and with the loss of much fewer men than had died through the imprudent conduct of General Wentworth." It must also be observed that this opinion was embraced by the nation at large, and Vernon's popularity suffered no diminution from the reverses of fortune he had experienced, while acting in conjunction with General Wentworth.

After his return to England, Vernon continued unemployed till the memorable year 1745. During his retirement, being passed over in a promotion of flag officers, he wrote the following indignant and sarcastic letter to the Admiralty, which is so excellent in its kind, and so characteristic of the temper and feelings of the writer, that no apology can hardly be requisite for its insertion here:

"SIR,

"Nacton, June 30, 1744.

"As we that live retired in the country often content ourselves with the information we derive from the newspapers on a marketday, I did not so early observe the advertisement from your office of the 23d of this month, that, in pursuance of his Majesty's pleasure, the right honourable the lords commissioners of the admiralty had made the following promotions therein mentioned, in which I could not but perceive there was no mention o my name amongst the flag officers, though by letters of the 10th

instant, you directed to me as vice-admiral of the red, and, by their lordship's orders, desired my opinion on an affair of his Majesty's service, which I very honestly gave them, as I judged most conducive to his honour, so that their lordships could not be uninformed that I was in the land of the living.

"Though promotions are said to be made by their lordships' orders, yet we all know the communication of his Majesty's pleasure must come from the first lord in commission, from whom principally his Majesty is supposed to receive the information, on which his royal orders are founded; and as it is a known maxim in our law, that the King can do no wrong, founded, as I apprehend, on the persuasion that the crown never does so but from the misinformation of those whose respective provinces are to inform his Majesty of the particular affairs under their care, the first suggestion that naturally occurs to an officer, that has the fullest testimonies in his custody of having happily served his Majesty in the command he was intrusted with, to his royal approbation, is, that your first commissioner must either have informed his Majesty that I was dead, or have laid something to my charge, rendering me unfit to rise. in my rank in the royal navy; of which, being insensible myself, I desire their lordships would be pleased to inform me in what it consists, having, both in action and advice, always, to the best of my judgment, endeavoured to serve our royal master with a zeal and activity becoming a faithful and loyal subject, and having hitherto received the public approbation of your board. I confess, at my time of life, a retirement from the hurry of business, to prepare for the general audit, which every Christian ought to have perpetually in his mind, is what cannot but be desirable, and might rather give occasion. to rejoice than any concern, which (I thank God) it does very little; yet, that I might not be thought by any one to have declined the public service, I have thought proper to remind their lordships I am living, and have (I thank God) the same honest zeal reigning in my breast, that has animated me on all occasions to approve myself a faithful and zealous subject and servant to my royal master and if the first lord commissioner, Daniel, Ear of Winchelsea, has represented me in any other light to my roya master, he has acted with a degeneracy unbecoming the descend

ant of a noble father, whose memory I reverence and esteem, though I have no compliments to make to the judgment or conduct of the son, &c. &c.

"To Thomas Corbett, Esq.

Secretary to the Admiralty."

"EDWARD VERNON."

That Vernon was passed over without promotion was perhaps less the result of any design to underrate his gallantry and talents, than the ordinary consequence of a general state of peace. That his capacity was fully rated, is proved by the fact that, upon the first prospect of danger in the spring of the year 1745, he was promoted to be Admiral of the White, and appointed to command a squadron of observation in the North sea, to watch the French equipments at Dunkirk and elsewhere, which were evidently intended for the invasion of Great Britain. The grandson of James the II. encouraged by promises of support from the French ministry, and allured by invitations from the disaffected in Scotland and England, determined to make an attempt to recover the crown of his ancestors, and at that time the kingdom beheld itself with the utmost consternation on the point of being invaded by a foreigner, supported in his claims by the power of France. At such a crisis the voice of the nation imperiously demanded that the ablest commanders should be called into service, and Admiral Vernon's appointment was received with universal approbation.

In the month of August, Admiral Vernon had his flag flying on board the St. George, in Portsmouth harbour, but soon after shifted it to the Norwich, and sailed to the Downs, to watch the French armaments in the opposite ports. This period of his commands was, perhaps, the most interesting of his whole life; and it is but bare justice to his memory to confess, that no man could have been more diligent or more successful in that particular service to which the necessities of his country called him.

He continued in this station till the first of January, 1746, when, in consequence of some disputes with the board of admiralty, he was ordered by the lords commissioners to strike his flag. He obeyed, and was never afterwards employed in

his Majesty's service. Various reasons have been assigned for the disagreement between Vernon and the board of Admiralty. There were probably faults on both sides. The naval administration of that period was feeble and imbecile, and he was not a man to conceal his sentiments. Constitutional pride, popular favour, and the self-consciousness of no ordinary degree of desert, had rendered Vernon, who was naturally of a lofty disposition, unaccommodating, and systematically blunt in manner and in principle. He submitted to his compulsive retirement with the greatest impatience, and published some pamphlets in vindication of his character. In these he is said to have inserted some private correspondence between himself and the board of Admiralty, the publication of which gave such offence to the King, that, by his Majesty's especial command, he was struck off the list of admirals. This happened on the 11th of April, 1746, and he was never afterwards restored to his rank. From this period he lived almost totally in retirement, troubling himself but seldom with public affairs, though attending the House of Commons as member for the borough of Ipswich. He died suddenly at his seat at Nacton, in Suffolk, on the 30th of October, 1757, in the 73d year of his age

Such was Admiral Vernon; in his actions always commanding respect, and often exciting admiration; and yet he lived the sport and died the prey of political rancour. Highly as every Briton must value the institutions of his country, exult in their liberality, and uphold their justice; yet is he undeserving of the blessings they confer, who can reflect upon the life and neglect of Vernon without a mingled feeling of sorrow and indignation. Here was a man, courageous to excess, and in the skill of his profession without a superior, whose integrity was as unimpeachable as his intrepidity was unconquerable; a man who had fought and bled and conquered for his country over and over and over again; and yet, during the whole course of his long career, no one post of honour or emolument -no, nor one title or distinction was ever conferred upon him in acknowledgment of the important benefits he rendered to his country. And how miserable is the only reason to be assigned for all this ingratitude and insult! Vernon honestly disapproved of the political measures pursued by the minister of the day; and for this, and nothing but this, he