MDMD(11): The Jenkin's Ear Museum

[Dave Monroe]

"Awakening from a sort of Road-Trance, he finds
himself before the Jenkin's Ear Museum, dedicated to
the eponymous Organ whose timely Display brought
England in against Spain in the War of '39." (M&D, Ch.
17, p. 175)

Skipping ahead here for the moment (will be back to
Ch. 16, never fear ...), a whole lotta context here. 
"The Spaniard's Crime, The Ear Displayed to
Parliament, the Declaration of War" (M&D, Ch. 17, p.
177) ...

"Throughout the 1730's, Spanish privateers had been
harassing British merchantmen in the West Indies. It
all came to a head in 1739 when the merchant brig
Rebecca, commanded by a Captain Jenkins was accosted
by a Spanish privateer, and found to be smuggling
goods.  After detaining the crew, the privateer
Captain, Juan de leon Fandino then took the liberty of
cutting off one of Jenkin' ears. As a result of this
incident, England declared war on Spain in what was to
be known as the 'War of Jenkin's Ear', King George's
War, as it was called in America...."

http://home.wnclink.com/russell/Jenkins_Ear.htm

See also ...

http://www.floridafrontier.com/stories/jenkinsear.htm

Check out the St. Lucy-esque illus. @ ...

http://alpha.marsci.uga.edu/gsg/jenkinsEar.html

And it probably should be mentioned that ...

"It was ostensibly over the maltreatment by the
Spanish of a British seaman, Capt Jenkins, but was in
fact caused by the British attempt to break the
Spanish monopoly of trade with South America. The
capture by Admiral Vernon of Porto Bello (1739) was
followed by his unsuccessful raid on Cartagena (1741),
after which the war became absorbed in the wider
struggle of the War of the Austrian Succession
(1740-48)."

http://www.xrefer.com/entry.jsp?xrefid=362544

http://www.xrefer.com/entry.jsp?xrefid=361228

Incidentally, Mount Vernon of Geo. Washington fame was
named after the very Admiral Edward Vernon (1684-1757)
mentioned above ...

http://www.mountvernon.org/education/biography/gwbio1.asp

But, whilst I have something at hand which the Library
was kind enough to dig up for me ...  

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