JERVIS, JOHN, Earl of St. Vincent, and Admiral of the Fleet, was born at Meaford in Staffordshire, January 9, 1734, 0.s.; entered the navy at teu years old ; was posted into the Gosport, 40 guns, in 1760 ; and appointed to the Foudroyant, 80, in 1774. In this ship, which was distinguished for her discipline and effective state, he fought in Keppol'a action in 1778; captured the Pdgase, French 74, in 1782, for which he received the order of the Bath; and in October of the same year sailed with Lord Howe to the relief of Gibraltar. He was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral, September 21, 1737 ; and sat in parliament for various boroughs from 1782 until the breaking out of the French Revolutionary war, when he sailed in command of a squadron to reduce the West India Islands, and captured Martinique, Guadeloupe, and St. Lucia. At the end of 1791 sickness drove him home. He was promoted to be Admiral of the Blue, June 1, 1795, and in the autumn took command of the Mediterranean fleet, with which he performed the great exploit of his life, by intercepting and defeating the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent, on February 14, 1797.
The disproportion of force was greater, it is said, than any modern officer had ventured to seek an encounter with, the Spaniards having nearly double our number of ships, and morn than double the number of guns and weight of metal. However Jervis, repeating Rodney's method of breaking the line, gained a complete victory, and captured four sail of the line. In this celebrated engagement the services of Nelson were pre-emineot. The actual loss sustained by the enemy was of less importance than the lustre 'cast on the British arms by a victory achieved against such odds. Thanks, couched in the most flattering terms, were voted by both houses of parliament ; and Sir J. Jervis was raised to the peerage by the title of Earl of St. Vincent and Baron Jervis of Meaford, and received a pension of 3000/. Shortly after, his presence of mind and moral courage were severely tried by the breaking out of a branch of the Channel mutiny in his fleet ; which however was speedily suppressed by his judicious and decisive severity.
Having suffered for some time from ill health, he returned home in 1799 ; but in April 1800 took command for a short time of the Channel fleet, on the resignation of Lord Bridport. He was made first Lord of the Admiralty in February 1801, on the formation of the Addington ministry ; and having through life had a sincere dislike of peculation and jobbing, at once set vigorously to cut down extravagant expenditure and to reform abuses. This of course made him very unpopular; and he was accused of rashness, and of crippling the resources of the country by a false economy. Charges of this sort were then sure to be made against those who exerted themselves to reform old and lucrative abuses. Mr. Pitt partook of the dissatisfac tion, and at his return to office, in May 1804, placed Viscount Melville at the head of the Admiralty. Earl St. Vincent again took command of the Channel fleet in 1800, in Fox's administration, but held it only for a year. His last appearance in parliament appears to, have been in 1810, in the debate upon the king's speech, when he spoke strongly in censure of the conduct of the war by ministers. He was appointed Admiral of the Fleet on the day of George IV.'s coronation, July 19, 1821, and died March 15, 1823, in the ninetieth year of his age. Having no children, the earldom became extinct : but the title of Viscount, by special grant, descended to his nephew Mr. Ricketts. A public monu ment was erected in honour of him in St. Paul's cathedral.
Earl St. Vincent's professional characteristics were courage, coolness, and decision, amounting almost to sternness of character : these, united with great skill and indefatigable activity, rendered him an admirable officer. He was very independent; and the disposal of his patronage, in which he paid great and unusual consideration to the claims of deserving officers, did him honour.