VERNON, ver'nen, Edward, English naval officer: b. Westminster, England, 12 Nov. 1684; d. Nacton, Suffolk, 30 Oct. 1757. He was edu cated at Westminster and Oxford and in 1700 entered the royal navy. In 1702 he was pro moted lieutenant and in 1704 was engaged un der Sir George lkooke at Malaga, continuing in the navy until 1721, when he retired on half pay. In 1722 he was returned to Parliament for Penryn, but in 1726 he assumed command of the Grafton in the Baltic fleet, and later joined the forces at Gibraltar. He returned to England on the conclusion of peace with Spain in 1728, and resumed his seat in Parliament. He vehemently insisted in the House on the weakness of the Spanish colonies, and upon declaring that he could take Porto Bello, on the Isthmus of Panama, with six ships, he was in 1739 appointed vice-admiral and given com mand of the West Indian expedition. He suc
ceeded in capturing Porto Bello in November of that year, but his attack upon Cartagena in 1741 was unsuccessful. In 1742 he returned to England, and having in his absence been elected to Parliament for both Penryn and Ipswich, he chose to sit for the latter. He was promoted admiral in 1745, but in 1746 was removed from his office by reason of a quarrel with the ad miralty. He continued to sit in Parliament until his death. His second attack off Carta gena is introduced in Smollet's novel