of the White, and was ordered to hoist his flag on the 2nd August, 1745; to repair to the Downs, and take the command of that part of the Channel and of the North Sea, where he was indefatigable in making his arrangements, which were approved by the Admiralty. His correspondence with the Board, and with the officers of all ranks under his command, was however generally peevish and querulous; indeed, he appears to have been of a very unhappy temper, not only dissatisfied with every one about him, but with himself, and he frequently hinted to the Board an intention to resign. At length, without any apparent reason, he writes to the first lord of the Admiralty, to desire he may be relieved in his command; and the Board, on the day following, the 26th December, sent down by express the following not very usual order to strike his flag and come on shore.

"Whereas you have been appointed by us to command a squadron of his Majesty's ships in the Downs, in order to observe and watch the preparations and motions of the enemy at Dunkirk, and the neighbouring ports of Flanders and France, and to prevent their sending any succours from thence to his Majesty's rebellious subjects in Scotland; as also to guard the coasts of this kingdom from any attempts of the enemy to land there with an armed force; and whereas since our appointment of you to the command of that service, you have in several letters expressed to us your dislike and dissatisfaction with the situation you are placed in, and an inclination to resign your command, which uneasiness and desire of resigning you have again repeated to us, in your

letter of yesterday's date, we have taken the same into our consideration, and do, in regard to your so often-mentioned desire of laying down your command, and that there is an experienced officer upon the spot to succeed you in it, signify hereby our consent thereto, and therefore do require and direct you to deliver up the command of all his Majesty's ships, and also of all other ships and vessels employed in his Majesty's service, and that are under your orders, to ViceAdmiral Martin, and to give him either such original orders as are in your hands unexecuted, or else attested copies of the same; and having so done, you are to strike your flag, and come ashore, for which this shall be warrant. Given, &c., 26th Dec., 1745.

your

To ADMIRAL VERNON,

Downs.

Per express at past 8 o'clock P.M.

BEDFORD,

SANDWICH,

ANSON, &c.

That they should remove him from his command is by no means surprising. His self-conceit, his querulous disposition, his want of temper, and his abusive language, addressed through the secretary, rendered him unfit for such a command; and as all this was known to the Board, by his own publication of his quarrels and litigious conduct in the West Indies, the surprise is that they ever thought of appointing him. The extraordinary letter he addressed to the secretary of the Admiralty in June, 1744, might be deemed quite sufficient to disqualify him for such an office of trust and confidence. He says in this letter, Your First Commissioner must either have

informed his Majesty that I was dead, or have laid something to my charge ;" and he concludes it thus: "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 has represented me in any other light to my Royal Master, he has acted with a degeneracy unbecoming the descendant from a noble father, whose memory I reverence and esteem, though I have no compliments to make to the judgment or conduct of the son." His appointment, after this, bespeaks at least the good nature and forbearance of the son, the Duke of Bedford.

That unfortunate irritability, which was the ultimate ruin of this brave officer, would not allow him to remain quiet on the present occasion. His propensity for writing and indulging in intemperate and abusive language against the Board seemed to be more congenial with his feelings; nor did he stop here. To give the greater publicity to his grievances, and at the same time a vent to his angry and impetuous temper, he published two anonymous pamphlets, in which were inserted the official letters he had received from the Secretary of State, as well as those from the Lords of the Admiralty, together with his own voluminous correspondence, in which he goes out of his way to combat their opinions, passing

strictures on their acts, and giving his own notions in opposition to theirs, on matters that had no relation to his command. This seems to have been considered so outrageous a breach of confidence, that the Board directed their secretary to call upon him to avow or disavow his being the author of the said pamphlets. The letter of Mr. Cleveland was certainly not couched in such courteous terms, as were calculated to soothe the irritable feelings of this gallant officer, who said he disdained to answer a question that no one had any right to put to him, and that he should answer it, if at all, to the Board of Admiralty. He was accordingly summoned to appear before the Board, which he immediately did; and in consequence thereof the following proceeding took place. "At a meeting at the Admiralty-office, the 10th of April, 1746, in the evening,

"Present-His Grace the Duke of Bedford; Earl of Sandwich; Rear-Admiral Anson; Mr. Grenville; Mr. Legge; Lord Barrington.

"Admiral Vernon attending, was called in; and his Grace the Duke of Bedford acquainted him, that the Lords had taken notice of some things that had passed, and, as First Lord, he spoke to him as the mouth of the Board, who represented the Lord High Admiral. That, upon seeing two pamphlets published in print, called 'A Specimen of naked Truth, from a British Sailor,' and 'Some seasonable Advice from an honest Sailor to whom it might have concerned, for the service of the C-n and C-y,' they had ordered their secretary to write to him, to know whether

he was the publisher of them, or knew anything of their publication; and, as he had given no negative answer thereto, they now demanded from him a plain and categorical answer, whether he was the publisher of those pamphlets, or whether they were committed to the press by his direction, consent, or knowledge? Mr. Vernon replied, that he had always a great honour and veneration for his Grace; allowed his Grace was right in saying he represented the Lord High Admiral, but that he was mightily surprised at such questions, which were upon a matter of a private nature; and that, as he thought he had the liberty of a subject, he did not look upon himself obliged to answer them; that he had pleasure in saying he had always served as a faithful servant of the crown, and, as an officer, was always ready to obey their Lordships' commands.

"Upon which his Grace replied that he was sent for as an officer, and that he spoke to him the sense of the Board in telling him that, as he did not deny the questions put to him, with relation to the publication of the aforesaid pamphlets, they could not but look upon him as the publisher of them. To which Mr. Vernon replied, that he was surprised his Grace should ask such a question, and then withdrew.

66

Friday, 11th April, 1746. "Present-The same Board as on the preceding day.

"His Grace the Duke of Bedford acquainted the Lords, that he had attended the King this morning, and had informed his Majesty of what had passed between them and Admiral Vernon, with relation to the publication of two pamphlets, entitled A Specimen of naked Truth, from a British Sailor,' and 'Some seasonable Advice from an honest