As he withdrew, Vernon reportedly wrote that he would return after obtaining reinforcements in Jamaica. Lezo's reply is presented as saying that Britain would need a better and larger fleet because Vernon's surviving ships were fit only for carrying coal. The English version used in the lecture came from sections of a Spanish book translated by friends. The translation's official status and the precise publication are not securely recalled, and even the coal-route detail is questioned. The exchange should therefore be treated as a reported anecdote with a translation caveat.
Notable Point · 2:12:23-2:14:06
Lezo's reported reply about a fleet fit for coal
Vernon's promise to return prompted a reported insult about his battered fleet, but the English wording comes through an informally supplied translation.