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XXI. — The  late  Lord  Vernon.  By  W.  Wells,  Holmewood, 
Peterborough,  Ex-President  of  the  Society. 
SUFFICIENT  time  has  perhaps  now  elapsed  since  the  sudden  and 
lamented  death  of  Lord  Vernon,  to  ensure  that  an  attempt  to 
give  some  short  record  of  his  life  and  estimate  of  his  character, 
even  by  one  who  had  with  him  a warm  and  unbroken  friendship 
of  many  years,  shall  at  least  be  calm  and  impartial. 
The  unexpected  death  of  men  of  greater  eminence  in  the  State 
has  often  occurred  without  so  wide  and  general  a feeling  of  a 
public  loss  being  evinced  as  when,  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd  of 
May,  it  was  publicly  announced  that  Lord  Vernon  had  died 
the  previous  evening.  His  life,  especially  in  his  later  years, 
though  one  of  unceasing  activity,  and  of  earnest  determination 
to  do  his  best  in  whatever  work  he  was  engaged  in,  was  yet  so 
little  obtrusive,  so  free  from  any  desire  on  his  part  to  attract 
popularity,  that  this  wide-spread  manifestation  of  grief  was  a 
remarkable  evidence  of  the  general  appreciation  of  his  singularly 
sterling  character. 
Augustus  Henry,  sixth  Baron  Vernon,  was  born  on  the  1st  of 
February,  1829.  For  a short  time  only  he  served  in  the  Navy  ; 
and  between  his  leaving  that  branch  of  the  Service  and  his  join- 
ing the  Scotch  Fusilier  Guards,  he  was  at  Magdalen  College, 
Cambridge,  though  not  long  enougn  to  take  his  degree.  He 
remained  in  the  Guards  until  1851,  in  which  year  he  married 
the  third  daughter  of  the  first  Earl  of  Lichfield.  He  succeeded 
his  father  in  1866. 
In  1859  he  contested  the  Division  of  South  Derbyshire  in  the 
Liberal  interest,  losing  the  seat  by  one  vote,  that  vote,  in  point 
of  fact,  being  his  own,  which  he  omitted,  or  declined  to  record 
for  himself.  Although  the  incidents  of  an  election  held  so  long 
ago  can  have  but  little  interest  now,  yet  a hustings  answer  given 
at  the  time  by  Lord  Vernon,  seems  so  characteristic  of  his  own 
life  as  to  be  worth  recording.  Being  asked  what  he  would 
give  as  an  equivalent  for  the  ballot,  his  reply  was,  “ Honesty 
and  straightforwardness  and  then  he  added  : “ If  it  should 
please  you  to  send  me  to  Parliament  as  your  representative,  I 
will  act  the  part  of  a free  and  independent  member,  not  fol- 
lowing this  or  that  minister  because  he  is  a minister,  but  voting 
in  favour  of  measures  rather  than  men.  I pledge  myself  to  do 
my  duty,  honestly,  diligently,  and  assiduously,  studying  to 
promote  to  the  utmost  of  my  ability  not  only  the  local  interests 
of  this  county,  but  the  common  good  of  our  common  country.” 
Though  by  no  means  a strong  politician,  Lord  Vernon  gave 
his  support  generally  to  the  Liberals,  with  whom  his  sympathies 
