ADMIRAL VERNON'S ANSWER TO Admiral Hosier's Ghost. WRITTEN IN 1740, By John Price, a land-waiter, in the port of Poole, In Dr. Percy's "Reliques of Antient Poetry,” vol. 2, p. 376. is an admirable ballad, intituled "Hosier's Ghost," being an address to Admiral Vernon, in Porto-Bello harbour, by Mr. Glover, the author of Leonidas. The case of Hosier was briefly this: In April 1726, he was sent with a strong fleet to the Spanish West Indies, to block up the galleons in the ports of that country; but being restricted by his orders from obeying the dictates of his courage, he lay inactive on that station, until he became the jest of the Spaniards. He afterwards removed to Carthagena, and continued cruizing in those seas, till far the greater part of his crews perished by the diseases of that unhealthy climate. This brave man, seeing his officers and men thus daily swept away, his ships exposed to inevitable destruction, and himself made the sport of the enemy, is said to have died of a broken heart. The ballad concludes, In 1739, Vice-Admiral Vernon was appointed commander in chief of a squadron then fitting out for destroying the settlements of the Spaniards in the West Indies; and, weighing anchor from Spit head on the 23rd of July, arrived in sight of PortoBello, with six ships only, under his command, on the 20th of Nov. following. The next day he commenced the attack of that town; when, after a most furious engagement, on both sides, it was taken on the 22nd, together with a considerable number of cannon, mortars and ammunition, and also two Spanish ships of war. He then blew up the fortifications, and evacuated the place for want of land forces sufficient to retain it; but first distributed 10,000 dollars, which had been sent to Porto-Bello for paying the Spanish troops, among the forces for their bravery. The two houses of parliament joined in an address of congratulation upon this success of his majesty's arms; and the nation, in general, was wonderfully elated by an exploit, which was certainly magnified much above its intrinsic merit. HOSIER! with indignant sorrow, On that day, when each brave fellow, From their lofty ships decending, My lov'd sailors work'd their way. Carthagena, tow'ring wonder! At the daring deed dismay'd, Shall ere-long by Britain's thunder, Smoaking in the dust be laid. Thou, and these pale spectres sweeping, Restless, o'er this wat'ry round, Whose wan cheeks are stain'd with weeping, Pleas'd shall listen to the sound. Still rememb'ring thy sad story, War shall be my constant care: And for England sham'd in thee. ON THE REMOVAL OF THE MARKET CROSS, At Ipswich: BY MR. BARNARD BARTON. Edmond Dandy, esq. a Portman of Ipswich, and a very rich and religious man, erected at his own expence the Market-Cross in the year 1510, during his Bailiwic. He was one of the Representatives for the Borough in the Parliaments of 1511, and 1514; and served the office of Bailiff three times, viz. in 1498, 1503, and 1510. In 1514, he founded a Chantry in the Church of St. Lawrence for a Secular Priest to offer, at the altar of St. Thomas the Martyr, in behalf of himself and his relations, amongst whom he reckoned Thomas Wolsey, the celebrated Cardinal, then Dean of Lincoln, and his parents Robert and Jone Wolsey, deceased. He nominated Sir James Crowfield the first priest; and to him and his successors he gave his house in St. Lawrence Parish, adjoining to the Crown in King's Street, for a residence, and his lands in Sproughton, Stoke and Alnesborne, for a maintenance. This Mr. Dandy was one of the most respectable men of the town; all his daughters married gentlemen of good fortune; and the issue of one of them was the wife of the Lord Keeper Bacon. He died in May 1515, and was buried in the church of St. Lawrence. Mr. Beaumont, who was Minister of that parish in 1729, says, that there was part of a white stone, then placed in one of the windows of the chancel, on which there had been brasses, and on which was the following inscription : Here under lies buried the body of Edm Dandy Some Time Portman and Bailief of Ipswich. The Antient Founder of ye Market Cross and of the Alms houses in Lady Lane. to Every one of wch he gave an 100 of wood agst winter to the maintenance whereof he gave certain Lands in Holbrook to ye Bailieves of Jpslrch and their Successors (or ever. He dyed May 1515 and had Issue by Alice his wife daughter of Bacon m Dandy of Cretingham in Suff who married Agnes daughter of Thomas Aluard of Jpswch Robert Dandy married Joice daughter of Thomas Read of Beccles in Sut. John Dandy Jone Dandy and Agnes Dandy, On a broken black stone, which was under the little seats in the north side of the chancel, and which seems to be a part of the flat stone which lies at the chancel door, was the following inscriptiou : Here lies intambo the body of Anne Dandy. daughter of Bacon of Blatenhain First Wife of Edmd Dandy Portman & bailief of This Town by whom She had Issue M. Dandy of Cretingham who married Agnes daughter of Thomas Aluard of Jvs. Esq Robert Dandy Portman & bailief of this Town who married Joan daughter of m Read of Beccles and Margaret his wife daughter of Pooley Johanna dandy Agnes dandy married to M Fernly of London Esq by whom she had Issue Jone Fernly married to Sir Nicholas Bacon Lord Keeper Jone dandy upon which Posterity God have Mercy. His second wife Margaret, after his death, became an Abbess. Hawes. 597. The deed for the foundation of the Chantry in the church of St. Lawrence is copied from Tanner's MSS. into the Register Book of that parish. An account of his charitable bequests to the town of Ipswich extracted from his Will, may be seen at large in "An Account of Gifts and Legacies that have been "given and bequeathed to Charitable Uses in the Town of Ipswich, &c. 1747." 8vo. pp. 163. 164. 195. |