THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 THE COLLECTION OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINLYNA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 W. L. Long 
 
 CB 
 
 J77k 
 
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 I 00032193340 
 
 This book must not 
 be fl-aken from the 
 Library building. 
 
 Form No. 471 
 
JOHN PAUL JONES. 
 
^Yjz 
 
 THE LIFE OF 
 
 JOHN PAUL JONES 
 
 EDITED AND COMPILED 
 
 By JAMES OTIS 
 
 Written from Original Letters and Manuscripts in pos- 
 session of His Relatives, and from the Collection 
 prepared by Henry Sherburne, together 
 with Chevalier Jones' own Account 
 of the Campaign of the Liman 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 A. L. BURT COMPANY, J^ J^ S' ^ 
 jt ^ ^ PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK 
 
Copyright, 1900, by A. L. Burt. 
 
 THE LIFE or JOHN PAUL JONES. 
 By James Otis. 
 
PKEFACE. 
 
 Paul Jones was an extraordinary man, and was 
 engaged suddenly, after having been in a compara- 
 tively humble employment, in a career connected 
 with events which occupied the attention of the 
 civilized world. Setting aside the services rendered 
 by him to the cause of American freedom, there 
 would be no need of preface or explanation in pre- 
 senting an account of his life, and selections from 
 the most interesting portions of his correspondence 
 to the public at large, were it not that several works 
 have already been published. 
 
 The first which the editor of the present work re- 
 members to have seen was a work in cheap paper 
 form, in which was a frontispiece representing Paul 
 Jones as large as the frigate he bestrode, shooting 
 a Lieutenant Grubb with a horse-pistol more grand 
 in its dimensions than any piece of artillery intro- 
 duced into the picture. This juvenile reminiscence 
 would be hardly worth recalling were it not that 
 later the writer saw in a well-known magazine a 
 detailed account, purporting to be a biographical 
 sketch of somebody who had recently died, who 
 had served under Paul Jones in the Serapis, describ- 
 ing the latter as shooting this Lieutenant Grubb, 
 
 y 
 
 ^ 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 with the same horse-pistol in the manner above 
 specified. 
 
 As no Lieutenant Grubb ever sailed under the 
 orders of Captain John Paul Jones, and as no such 
 person could, in consequence, have been shot by 
 him, it is evident that an unvarnished and full account 
 of the rear-admiral's life ousfht to be circulated in 
 regions where such fabulous and monstrous legends 
 obtain, in this age of light, admission into public 
 prints. 
 
 Many years ago, a large quantity of original 
 papers belonging to the legatees of Paul Jones were 
 sent to this countrv with a view to their beinof 
 properly connected and published. They were sub- 
 mitted to the Historical Society of New York. The 
 committee who examined them found that tbey 
 were valuable and interesting ; but circumstances 
 prevented their publication at the time. Mr. Sher- 
 burne, register of the United States navy, opened 
 a correspondence with the owners of these docu- 
 ments, with the view of preparing a life of Jones ; 
 but the negotiation failed. 
 
 Shortly after, some of the Chevalier's manuscripts 
 belonging to his legatees, if they had known how 
 and where to reclaim them, were accidentally found 
 by a gentleman of New York, in a house in the city. 
 They had been left in the custody of its former 
 proprietor. From these, with copies of letters and 
 documents on file in the department of state, Mr. 
 Sherburne prepared a volume which was published 
 in 1825. 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 Some singularly capricious demon, wonderfully 
 ingenious in producing puzzling and painful dis- 
 order, seems to have presided over the arrangement 
 of the materials. The appearance of order in some 
 parts of the compilation only makes the general and 
 particular entanglements more perplexing; and in 
 some places, the person who connected the docu- 
 ments did so in the most reckless chronological 
 manner. 
 
 From this chaos a clever writer in England con- 
 trived to select materials for a small book which 
 was published by Murray. It contained some er- 
 rors ; but was, on the whole, entertaining. 
 
 In 1830 a third life of the Chevalier appeared, 
 published in Edinburgh in two volumes, and was 
 the best which had then been compiled, since it con- 
 tained among other pertinent matter a translation 
 of the Admiral's personal narrative of the campaign 
 of the Liman. In that work the following account 
 is given concerning the author's material : 
 
 " By his will, dated at Paris on the day of his 
 death, Paul Jones left his property and effects of all 
 kinds to his sisters in Scotland and their children. 
 Immediately on his decease a regular, or rather an 
 official, inventory was made of his voluminous papers, 
 which were sealed up with his other effects, till 
 brought to Scotland by his eldest sister, Mrs. Tay- 
 lor, a few months after his death. They have ever 
 since remained in the custody of his family, and are 
 now, by inheritance, become the property of his 
 niece, Miss Janette Taylor, of Dumfries. They con- 
 
Viii PREFACE. 
 
 sist of several bound folio volumes of letters and 
 documents, which are officially authenticated, so far 
 as they are public papers ; numerous scrolls and 
 copies of letters ; and many private communications, 
 originating in his widely diffused correspondence in 
 France, Holland, America, and other quarters. 
 There is, in addition to these, a collection of writings 
 of the miscellaneous kind likely to be accumulated by 
 a man of active habits, who had for many years 
 mingled both in the political and fashionable circles, 
 wherever he chanced to be thrown. 
 
 " The Journal of the Campaign of 1788, against 
 the Turks, forms of itself a thick MS. bound volume. 
 This Journal was drawn up by Paul Jones for the 
 perusal of the Empress Catharine II., and was in- 
 tended for publication if the Eussian government 
 failed to do him justice. He felt that it totally failed ; 
 but death anticipated his long contemplated purpose. 
 To this Journal, Mr. Eton, in his survey of the Tur- 
 kish empire, refers, as having been seen by him. It 
 was, however, only the official report, transmitted by 
 Paul Jones to the admiralty of the Black Sea, that 
 this gentleman could have seen. This singular nar- 
 rative, which so confidently gives the lie to all the 
 Eussian statements of that momentous campaign, is 
 written in French. In the following work the lan- 
 guage of the original is as closely adhered to as is 
 admissible even in the most literal translation. 
 Several passages have been omitted, and others 
 curtailed, as they refer merely to technical details, 
 which might have unduly swelled this work, with- 
 
PREFACE. ix 
 
 out adding much to its interest. Much of the volum- 
 inous oificial correspondence which passed between 
 Paul Jones and the other commanders during the 
 campaign is also omitted." 
 
 Besides the documents named in the foregoing 
 extracts, the editor had before him the correspon- 
 dence of Jones with his relatives in Scotland, from 
 his boyhood to his death. lie has made but little 
 use of it, as his extracts from it are few. 
 
 From the manuscripts in Miss Ta^dor's possession, 
 the present compilation has been made. Public 
 documents have been referred to occasionally, and 
 in two or three instances, Sherburne's Collection has 
 been cited, where the editor had not certified copies 
 before him. 
 
 Kegarding Paul Jones, Cooper says in his "Naval 
 History " : 
 
 " That Paul Jones was a remarkable man, cannot 
 be justly questioned. He had a respectable English 
 education, and after his ambition had been awakened 
 by success, he appears to have paid attention to the 
 intellectual parts of his profession. In his enter- 
 prises are to be discovered much of that boldness 
 of conception that marks a great naval captain, 
 though his most celebrated battle is probably the 
 one in which he evinced no other very high qual- 
 ity than that of an invincible resolution to con- 
 quer. Most of the misfortunes of the Bon Homme 
 Eichard, however, may be very fairly attributed to 
 the insubordination of his captains, and to the bad 
 equipment of his own vessel. The expedient of 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 running the Serapis aboard was one like himself, and 
 it was the only chance of victory that was left. 
 
 " Paul Jones was a man rather under than above 
 the middle size, and his countenance has been de- 
 scribed as possessing much of that sedateness which 
 marks deep enthusiasm. There is no doubt that his 
 eminence arose from the force of his convictions, 
 rather than from his power of combiniDg, though 
 his reasoning faculties were respectable. His 
 associations in Paris appear to have awakened a 
 taste which, whenever it comes late in life, is almost 
 certain to come attended with exaggeration. Per- 
 sonally he would seem to have been vain ; a very 
 excusable foible in one of his education and previous 
 habits, that was suddenly exposed to the flattery 
 and seduction of Parisian society. An affectation 
 of a literary taste, that expended itself principally 
 in homage to those he admired, formed indeed one 
 of his principal weaknesses.' 
 
 " In battle, Paul Jones was brave ; in enterprise, 
 hardy and original ; in victor}'', mild and generous ; 
 in motive, much disposed to disinterestedness, though 
 ambitious of renown and covetous of distinction ; 
 in his pecuniary relations, liberal ; in his affections, 
 natural and sincere ; and in his temper, except in 
 those cases which assailed his reputation, just and 
 forgiving. He wanted the quiet self-respect of a man 
 capable of meeting acts of injustice with composure 
 and diguit}^ ; and his complaints of ill-treatment 
 and neglect, for which there was sufficient founda- 
 tion, probably lost him favor both in France and 
 
PREFACE. xi 
 
 America. Had circumstances put him in a situation 
 of high command, there is little doubt that he would 
 have left the name unsurpassed by that of any 
 naval captain, or have perished in endeavoring to 
 obtain it." 
 
 Benjamin Franklin, who was the Chevalier's firm 
 friend, wrote : " For Captain Paul Jones ever loved 
 close fighting." 
 
 John Adams declared : " If I could see a prospect 
 of half a dozen line-of-battle ships under the Amer- 
 ican flag and commanded by Commodore Paul Jones 
 engaged with an equal British force, I apprehend 
 the result would be so glorious for the United States, 
 and lay so sure a foundation for their prosperity, 
 that it would be a rich compensation for the con- 
 tinuance of the war." 
 
 JAMES OTIS. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGa 
 
 I. Early Life 1 
 
 IL The American Navy 24 
 
 III. Captain Jones' Service 84 
 
 rV. A Complaint 55 
 
 V. At Whitehaven 82 
 
 VI. Selkirk's Plate 97 
 
 Vn. Disappointment 116 
 
 VIII. Le Bonhomme Richard 132 
 
 IX. Battle with the Serapis 163 
 
 X. IntheTexel 177 
 
 XI. The Alliance Frigate 206 
 
 XII. The Ariel 234 
 
 XIII. Seeking Duty 252 
 
 XIV. In Europe 273 
 
 XV. Campaign of the Liman 299 
 
 XVI. The Gratitude of Kings 358 
 
 Appendix 885 
 
LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY LIFE. 
 
 John Paul, afterwards known as the celebrated 
 Chevalier John Paul Jones, was born on the 6th 
 of July, 174:7, at Arbigland, in the parish of Kirk- 
 bean, and stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in Scotland. 
 The family was originally from the shire of Fife ; 
 but it appears that the grandfather of the subject 
 of this memoir kept a garden, the produce of which 
 he sold to the public in Leith. His son, on finish- 
 ing his apprenticeship, entered as a gardener into 
 the employment of Mr. Craik, of Arbigland, in 
 which he remained until his death in 1767. It is 
 abundantly proved that he was a man of uniformly 
 respectable character and intelligence. In his pro- 
 fession he exhibited much skill and taste. The Eng- 
 lish memoir contains the following account of his 
 family, which was furnished by his descendants. 
 
 " Shortly after entering into the employment of 
 
 Mr. Craik, John Paul married Jean Macduff, the 
 
 1 
 
2 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 daughter of a small farmer in the neighborhood 
 parish of New-Abbey. The Macduffs were a re- 
 spectable rural race in their own district ; and some 
 of them had been small landed proprietors in the 
 parish of Kirkbean, for an immemorial period. Of 
 this marriage there were seven children, of whom 
 John, afterwards known as John Paul Jones, was 
 the fifth ; he may indeed be called the youngest, as 
 two children born after him died in infancy. The 
 first-born of the family, William Paul, went abroad 
 early in life, and finally settled and married in 
 Fredericksburg, in Virginia. He appears to have 
 been a man of enterprise and judgment. Beyond 
 his early education and virtuous habits he coald 
 have derived no advantage from his family ; and, in 
 1772 or 1773, when he died, still a young man, he 
 left a considerable fortune. Of the daughters, the 
 eldest, Elizabeth, died unmarried ; Janet, the second, 
 married Mr. Taylor, a watchmaker in Dumfries ; 
 and the third, Mary Ann, was twice married, 
 first to a Mr. Young, and afterwards to Mr. Lou- 
 don." 
 
 When John Paul, the fifth of this family, after- 
 guards became the terror of the seas, the hero of a 
 hundred fearful legends, and the subject of admira- 
 tion and jealousy in the most brilliant courts, it was 
 natural enough that so modest a paternity should 
 neither satisfy the romance of the imaginative, nor 
 the antipathy of the envious and intimidated ; and 
 many stories were current, some assigning to him 
 Mr. Craik, and others an earl of Selkirk, as his 
 
EARLY LIFE. 3 
 
 father. These weak inventions have long since 
 been exploded, though preserved in the pages of 
 fanciful novelists. In answer to an inquiry of Baron 
 Yander Capellan, in 1779, Jones says, " I never had 
 any obligation to Lord Selkirk, except for his good 
 opinion ; nor does he know me or mine, except by 
 character." This is verified by the whole tenor of 
 the correspondence which we shall have occasion to 
 introduce. 
 
 If ever localities might be inferred to have de- 
 termined the intellectual bias of an individual, the 
 birthplace of John Paul, and the scenery and asso- 
 ciations of its vicinity, may be cited as admirably 
 calculated to lay the groundwork for the restless 
 spirit of adventure, an inclination for poetry, and 
 an occasional imaginary longing for solitude, study, 
 and rural retirement, all of which, without any real 
 inconsistency, were subsequently developed in his 
 character. 
 
 His father lived near tlie shores of the Solwav, in 
 one of the most picturesque and beautiful points of 
 the Frith. The favorite pastime of his early years 
 was to launch his " fairy frigate " on the waters, 
 and issue commands to his supposed oificers and 
 crew. At this time, the town of Dumfries carried 
 on a considerable trade in tobacco with America, 
 the cargoes of which were unshipped at the Carse- 
 thorn, near the mouth of the river Nith, which was 
 not then navigable by foreign vessels. His daily 
 intercourse with seamen here tended of course to 
 strengthen and confirm his nascent passion. It is 
 
4 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 also observed that his regard for America, and his 
 willingness to descend with fire and sword, in her 
 cause, upon the shores of his native land, which 
 were thou^^ht unnatural, may have had their orig-in 
 in the conversations of mariners from the discon- 
 tented colonies. 
 
 Certain it is that his disposition to begin his 
 career upon the ocean was so strong, that his friends 
 deemed it proper to yield to it. At the age of 
 twelve, he was bound apprentice to Mr. Younger, a 
 respectable merchant in the American trade, resid- 
 ing at Whitehaven, on the opposite side of Solway 
 Frith. Yulgar invention, in its distorted picture of 
 his life and actions, assumed that he ran away to sea 
 against the will of his relations, a rumor which they 
 always declared to be totally without foundation. 
 Neither then, nor at any subsequent period, Avas he 
 wanting in affection for them, and solicitude for 
 their welfare. His anxiety for the comforts and 
 respectability of his sisters and their families was 
 warmly and substantially expressed in his prosperity, 
 and at his death he bequeathed to them all his 
 property. 
 
 His education at the parish school of Kirkbean 
 must of course have been limited, but there is no 
 doubt he improved it to the best advantage. The 
 general correctness of his style and orthography in- 
 dicate that he had been well instructed in the rudi- 
 ments of grammar. Notwithstanding his strong 
 relish for active and dangerous adventure, he devoted 
 its intervals to close application to study. While in 
 
EARLY LIFE. 
 
 port, whether abroad or at "Whitehaven, during the 
 period of his apprenticeship, he applied himself to 
 learning the theory of navigation, and to other 
 subjects of practical use. Many years after, we find 
 him in one of his letters, while modestly admitting 
 that much more accomplished seamen might be 
 found than himself, referring to hours of systematic 
 *' midnight " study. In the letters written in French, 
 which are in his own hand, the spelling is infinitely 
 more accurate than that of many of his illustrious 
 and titled correspondents. These circumstances 
 show that his mental culture w^as methodically and 
 well begun ; and these habits of mind are not such 
 as belong to a reckless adventurer in quest of mere 
 private emolument or personal fame. 
 
 He made his first voyage before he was thirteen, 
 in the Friendship, of Whitehaven, Captain Benson, 
 bound for the Rappahannock. His home, while in 
 port, was the house of an elder brother, William, 
 who had married and settled in Virginia. His pre- 
 possessions in favor of America, and sympathy with 
 colonial feelings, were here naturally fostered under 
 circumstances calculated to make them keen and 
 enduring; indissolubly connected as they were with 
 his first professional impressions. 
 
 The correctness of his conduct, and his extraordi- 
 nary intelligence and aptitude for acquiring knowl- 
 edge in naval matters, caused him to be most 
 favorably regarded by his masters. Mr. Younger, 
 however, soon found his affairs embarrassed ; 
 and was induced, in consequence, to give up Paul's 
 
6 UFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 indentures. This license to act for himself would 
 have been, to a boy whose purposes in living were 
 not in some measure fixed, and whose will was un- 
 decided as to the future, a passport to obscurity, if 
 not to disgrace. He availed himself of it wisely, 
 having confidence in himself. He obtained the 
 appointment of third mate of the King George, of 
 Whitehaven, a vessel engaged in the slave trade. 
 In 1766 he shipped, as chief mate, on board the 
 brigantine Two Friends, of Kingston, Jamaica, 
 which was engaged in the same traffic. It is said 
 by the friends of Paul that he became disgusted 
 with the business of stealing human beings, and left 
 the ship on its arrival in the "West Indies. In- 
 dependently of their evidence, which is in every 
 respect entitled to credit, the supposition will be 
 found to be confirmed by the uniform tenor of his 
 correspondence, whenever he speaks of the principles 
 of action which he asserts to have governed his 
 services and enterprises. And it is fair to infer 
 that the exhibition of these horrors, at which his 
 feelings revolted, strengthened his love for that 
 liberty in whose cause he afterwards fought ; and 
 for that land which knew how to vindicate the 
 cause of liberty. 
 
 It is stated, at any rate, by those from whom 
 alone any information can be derived, as to Paul's 
 adventures at this period, that he returned to Scot- 
 land from this second slaving-voyage, as a passenger, 
 in the brigantine John, of Kirkcudbright, Captain 
 Macadam commander. On this voyage the captain 
 
EARLY LIFE. 7 
 
 and mate both died of fever ; and there being no 
 one on board equally capable of navigating the ship, 
 Paul assumed the command, and brought her safe 
 into port. For this service he was appointed by 
 the owners, Currie, Beck & Co., master and super- 
 cargo. 
 
 It appears that Paul sailed for two voyages, as 
 master, in the emplo}- ment of this firm, and, some- 
 time in the course of the year 1780, found it neces- 
 sary, in order to preserve his authority and enforce 
 discipline, to punish a man named Mungo Maxwell, 
 borne on the books as carpenter of the vessel. 
 Mungo, being whipped, stated to the authorities at 
 Tobago that his back was sore, and that his feelings 
 were hurt ; both of which representations they seem 
 to have believed in, without feeling themselves called 
 upon to heal the one, or to soothe the other. But it 
 appears that he subsequently instituted a prosecu- 
 tion against Paul in England, which gave the latter 
 some trouble, as will be seen bv a letter from him 
 to his mother and sisters, which we shall presently 
 introduce. 
 
 There would scarcely be any necessity of mention- 
 ing this circumstance at all, were it not that calumny 
 founded upon it one of its grossest charges against 
 him who was afterwards the Chevalier Paul 
 Jones; that he was accused by vulgar rumor of 
 torturing Mungo, by the process of flagellation, in 
 a manner which caused his death ; and that his 
 enemies did not disdain to rake up this legend, w^hen 
 he had the glory and the misfortune of exciting 
 
8 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the jealousy of the Eussian courtiers. All the au- 
 thentic particulars of the transaction which we can 
 obtain now are, that beino: invested with a leo:iti- 
 mate authority, which it was more peculiarly nec- 
 essary for the preservation of the vessel and cargo, 
 on that account, to sustain, Paul punished a sailor 
 for rebellion and sullen impudence; and that the 
 subject of discipline was displeased, as was naturally 
 to be expected. The following are the official doc- 
 uments which Paul thought proper, or found it ex- 
 pedient, to procure in relation to this transaction : 
 
 " Tobago. 
 
 " Before the Honorable Lieutenant-Governor 
 William Young, Esq., of the island aforesaid, per- 
 sonally appeared James Simpson, Esq., who, being 
 duly sworn upon the Holy Evangelists of Almighty 
 God, deposeth and saith, That some time about the 
 beeinninn^ of Mav, in the vear of our Lord, one 
 thousand seven hundred and seventy, a person in 
 the habit of a sailor came to this deponent (who was 
 at that time Judge Surrogate of the Court of Yice- 
 Admiralt}^ for the island aforesaid with a complaint 
 against John Paul (commander of a brigantine then 
 lying in Rockley Bay, of the said island), for having 
 beat the then complainant (who belonged to the 
 said John Paul's vessel), at the same time showing 
 this deponent his shoulders, which had thereon the 
 marlis of several stripes, bnt none that were either 
 mortal or dangerous, to the best of this deponent's 
 opinion and belief. And this deponent further saith. 
 
EARLY LIFE. 9 
 
 that he did summon ine said John Paul before him, 
 who, in his vindication, alleged that the said com- 
 plainant had on all occasions proved very ill 
 qualified for, as well as very negligent in, his duty ; 
 and, also, that he was very lazy and inactive in the 
 execution of his, the said John Paul's, lawful com- 
 mands, at the same time declaring his sorrow for 
 having corrected the complainant. And this de- 
 ponent further saith that, having dismissed the 
 complaint as frivolous, the complainant, as this de- 
 ponent believes, returned to his duty. And this de- 
 ponent saith that he has since understood that the said 
 complainant died afterwards on board of a different 
 vessel, on her passage of the Leeward Islands, and 
 that the said John Paul (as this deponent is informed) 
 had been accused in Great Britain as the immediate 
 author of the said complainant's death, by means 
 of the said stripes hereinbefore mentioned, w^hich 
 accusation this deponent, for the sake of humanity 
 and justice, in the most solemn manner declares, 
 and believes to be, in his judgment, without any 
 just foundation, so far as relates to the stripes before 
 mentioned, which this deponent very particularly 
 examined. And further this deponent saith not. 
 
 "James Simpson. 
 
 ** Sworn before me, this 30th day of 
 June, 1772, William Young." 
 
 " James Eastment, mariner, an .ate master of 
 the Barcelona packet, maketh oath, and saith, That 
 Mungo Maxwell, carpenter on board the John, 
 
10 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 Captain John Paul, master, came in good health on 
 board his, this deponent's, vessel, then lying in Great 
 Hockley Bay, in the island of Tobago, about the 
 middle of the month of June, in the year one thou- 
 sand seven hundred and sevent}^, in the capacity of 
 a carpenter, aforesaid ; that he acted as such in 
 every respect in perfect health for some days after 
 he came on board this deponent's said vessel, the 
 Barcelona packet ; after which he v^as taken ill of a 
 fever and lowness of spirits, which continued for 
 four or five daj-s, when he died on board the said 
 vessel, during her passage from Tobago to Antigua. 
 And this deponent further saith, that he never 
 heard the said Mungo Maxwell complain of having 
 received any ill usage from the said Captain John 
 Paul ; but that he, this deponent, verily believes the 
 said Muno^o Maxwell's death was occasioned bv a 
 fever and lowness of spirits, as aforesaid, and not by 
 or through any other cause or causes whatsoever. 
 
 "James Eastment. 
 
 ** Sworn at the Mansion House, London, 
 
 this 80th day of January, 1773, before me, 
 James Townsend, Mayor." 
 
 *' These do certify to whom it may concern, that 
 the bearer, Captain John Paul, was two voyages 
 master of a vessel called the John, in our employ in 
 the West India trade, during which time he approved 
 himself every way qualified both as a navigator and 
 supercargo ; but as our present firm is dissolved, the 
 vessel is sold, and of course he is out of our employ, 
 
EARLY LIFE. 11 
 
 all accounts between him and the owners being ami- 
 cably adjusted. Certified at Kirkcudbright this 1st 
 
 of AprH, 1771. 
 
 " CuRKiE, Beck & Co." 
 
 The following is the letter to his mother and sisters, 
 written more than two years after the affair in ques- 
 tion, during which time he must have made other 
 voyages ; 
 
 " London, 24:th September, 1772. 
 
 " My dear Mother and Sisters, — 
 
 " I only arrived here last night from the Grenadas. 
 I have had but poor health during the voyage ; and 
 my success in it, now having equaled my first san- 
 guine expectations, has added very much to the as- 
 perity of my misfortunes, and, I am well assured, 
 was the cause of my loss of health. I am now, how- 
 ever, better, and I trust Providence will soon put 
 me in a way to get bread, and which is by far my 
 greatest happiness, be serviceable to my poor but 
 much-valued friends. I am able to give you no ac- 
 count of my proceedings in the future, as they de- 
 pend upon circumstances which are not fully deter- 
 mined. 
 
 "I have enclosed you a copy of an afiidavit made 
 before Governor Young by the Judge of the Court 
 of Vice-Admiralty of Tobago, by which you will see 
 with how little reason my life has been thirsted after, 
 and, which is much dearer to me, my honor, by ma- 
 liciously loading my fair character with obloquy and 
 
12 LIFE OF PAUL JOIS^ES. 
 
 vile aspersions. I believe there are few who are 
 hard-hearted enough to think I have not long since 
 given the world every satisfaction in my power, 
 being conscious of my innocence before Heaven, who 
 will one day judge even my judges. I staked my 
 honor, life, and fortune for six long months on the 
 verdict of a British jury, notwithstanding! was sen- 
 sible of the general prejudices which ran against me ; 
 but, after all, none of my accusers had the courage 
 to confront me. Yet I am willing to convince the 
 world, if reason and facts Avill do it, that they have 
 had no foundation for their harsh treatment. I 
 mean to send Mr. Craik a copy properl}^ proved, as 
 his nice feelings will not perhaps be otherwise satis- 
 fied ; in the meantime, if you please, you may show 
 him that enclosed. His ungracious conduct to me 
 before I left Scotland I have not j^et been able to get 
 the better of. Every person of feeling must think 
 meanly of adding to the load of the afflicted. It is 
 true I bore it w4th seeming unconcern, but Heaven 
 can witness for me, that I suffered the more on that 
 very account. But enough of this. ..." 
 
 The precise nature of the ungracious conduct of 
 Craik, referred to in the foregoing letter, cannot now 
 be explained w^ith precision, but may easily be con- 
 jectured. Paul looked up to this gentleman as the 
 former patron of his father, and existing protector 
 of his mother and sisters, with gratitude and defer- 
 ence, and probably with a warmth of respectful re- 
 gard, which was chilled by the mortifying coldness 
 of a cautious reception, such as it is reasonable to in- 
 
EARLY LIFE. 13 
 
 fer he may have met with from Mr. Craik, to whom 
 his conduct had been misrepresented. He had, no 
 doubt, taken it for granted that his own simple 
 statements would be sufficient to satisfy what he 
 calls the '*nice feelings" of that gentleman; in 
 Avhich expectation it would seem that he was disap- 
 pointed. It is known that Mr. Craik subsequently 
 exculpated him from all blame in the affair of 
 ]\rungo. The following letter appears to have been 
 the last which Paul ever addressed to him. 
 
 " St. George, Grenada, hth August, 1770. 
 " Sir,— 
 
 " Common report here says that my owners are 
 going to finish their connections in the West Indies 
 as fast as possible. How far this is true, I shall not 
 pretend to judge ; but should that really prove the 
 case, 3^ou know the disadvantages I must of course 
 labor under. 
 
 " These, however, would not have been so great 
 had I been acquainted with the matter sooner, as in 
 that case I believe I could have made interest with 
 some gentlemen here to have been concerned with 
 me in a large ship out of London ; and as these gentle- 
 men have estates in this and the adjacent islands, I 
 should have been able to make two voyages every 
 year, and always had a full ship out and home, etc., 
 etc., etc. 
 
 " However, I by no means repine, as it is a maxim 
 with me to do my best, and leave the rest to Prov- 
 
14 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 idence. I shall take no step whatever without your 
 knowledge and approbation. 
 
 " I have had several very severe fevers lately, 
 which have reduced rae a good deal, though I am 
 now perfectly recovered. 
 
 " I must beg 3^ou to supply my mother, should she 
 want anything, as I well know your readiness. 
 
 " I hope yourself and family enjoy health and 
 happiness. I am, most sincerely, sir, yours always, 
 
 " John Paul." 
 
 Shortly after this period, Paul commanded the 
 Betsey of London, a vessel engaged in the West 
 India trade. He has been accused of being con- 
 cerned in the smuggling business, which was at that 
 time carried on to a great extent by those who 
 lived along the shores of the Solway; a charge 
 Avhich he always solemnly denied, and which there 
 is not a particle of evidence to support. On the 
 contrarj^, the very first entry of licensed goods from 
 Eno:land, made in the Isle of Man after it was an- 
 nexed to the crown, stands in his name in the 
 Custom House books at Douglas, being of the first 
 rum regularly imported there. His commercial 
 speculations in the AYest Indies were various and 
 extensive. In 1771 he saw his relations in Scotland 
 for the last time. In 1773 he went to Virginia, to 
 arran^re the affairs of his brother "William, who had 
 died childless and intestate. He left funds at To- 
 baero and elsewhere, which the faithlessness of his 
 agents prevented him from realizing as he had ex- 
 
EAKLY LIFE. 15 
 
 pected. He was soon to be called upon to act in 
 the great struggle for liberty, whose coming events 
 were to swallow up in their importance the calcula- 
 tions of private interest. 
 
 There can be no doubt that at this time he thought 
 he had determined to devote the rest of his life to 
 the peaceful pursuits of agriculture, stud}^, and 
 domestic life ; or as he phrases it, in one of his 
 favorite quotations, to "calm contemplation and 
 poetic ease." In his letter to the Countess of Sel- 
 kirk, in which he affirms that such was his fixed 
 purpose, he also speaks of having been led to " sac- 
 rifice not only his favorite schemes of life, but the 
 softer affections of his heart, and his hopes of do- 
 mestic happiness." We have no data from w^hich to 
 infer that these schemes, affections, and hopes re- 
 volved around any ascertained and existing orb 
 and center of attraction ; or that Paul felt any more 
 distinct longing than that inspired by the general 
 lesoin (Taimer, proper to his age and imaginative 
 temperament. Paul's letters show throughout that 
 he had a sense of moral and religious obligation, 
 tinged with a true chivalric feeling, such as does not 
 belong to robbers and cut-throats. His early edu- 
 cation was in Scotland. We find, too, that Thomson 
 was his favorite poet. 
 
 It is not unlikely that at this time the details and 
 associations of West India trading voyages seemed 
 disgusting to him. It would appear, indeed, from 
 the following passage in a letter already referred to, 
 addressed to the Hon. Eobert Morris three years 
 
10 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 after this period, that his commercial affairs had be. 
 come temporarily entangled. He says, "I conclude 
 that Mr. Hewes has acquainted you with a very 
 great misfortune which befell me some years ago, 
 and which brought me into North America. I am 
 under no concern whatever that this, or any other 
 past circumstance of my life, will sink me in your 
 opinion. Since human wisdom cannot secure us 
 from accidents, it is the greatest effort of human 
 wisdom to bear them well." It is evident from his 
 relations to the distinguished person he was writing 
 to, from the frankness of his language, and his 
 subsequent arrangement of all his obligations, that 
 this " great misfortune " must have been a disap- 
 pointment in business, on which no shadow of cen- 
 sure could, without iniquity, be cast. This disap- 
 pointment, or one which was connected with it, is 
 probably referred to in the letter inserted below, 
 addressed to a valued friend, Mr. Stuart Mawey of 
 Tobago, just before Jones sailed from Boston, fully 
 commissioned as an officer of the United States : 
 
 " Boston, Uh May, 1777. 
 " Dear Sir, — 
 
 " After an unprofitable suspense of twenty months 
 (having subsisted on fifty pounds only during that 
 time), when my hopes of relief were entirely cut off, 
 and there remained no possibility of my receiving 
 wherewithal to subsist upon from m}^ effects in your 
 island, or in England, I at last had recourse to 
 strano^ers for that aid and comfort which was denied 
 
EARLY LIFE. 17 
 
 me by those friends whom I had intrusted with my 
 all. The good offices which are rendered to persons 
 in their extreme need ought to make deep impres- 
 sions on grateful minds ; in my case I feel the truth 
 of that sentiment, and am bound by gratitude, as 
 well as honor, to follow the fortunes of my late 
 benefactors. 
 
 "I have lately seen Mr. Sicaton (late manager 
 on the estates of Arch. Stuart, Esq.), who informed 
 me that Mr. Ferguson had quitted Grange Yalley, 
 on being charged with the unjust application of the 
 property of his employers. I have been, and am, 
 extremely concerned at this account ; I wish to dis- 
 believe it, although it seems too much of a piece with 
 the unfair advantage which, to all appearances, he 
 took of me, when he left me in exile for twenty 
 months, a prey to melancholy and want, and withheld 
 my property, without writing a word in excuse for 
 his conduct. Thus circumstanced, I have taken the 
 liberty of sending you a letter of attorney by Cap- 
 tain Cleaveland, who undertakes to deliver it himself, 
 as he goes for Tobago via Martinico. You have 
 enclosed a copy of a list of debts contracted with 
 me, together with Ferguson's receipt. And there 
 remained a considerable property unsold, besides 
 some best Madeira wine which he had shipped for 
 London. By the state of accounts which I sent to 
 England on my arrival on this continent, there was a 
 balance due to me from the ship Betsy of nine hundred 
 and nine pounds, fifteen shill ings, three pence sterling ; 
 and in my account with Eobert Young, Esq., 29th 
 
 2 
 
X8 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 January, 1773, there appeared a balance in my 
 favor of two hundred and eighty-one pounds, one 
 shilling, eight pence sterling. These sums exceed my 
 drafts and just debts together ; so that, if I am 
 fairly dealt with, I ought to receive a considerable 
 remittance from that quarter. You will please to 
 observe that there were nine pieces of coarse 
 camlets shipped at Cork, over and above the quantity 
 expressed in the bill of lading. It seems the ship- 
 pers, finding their mistake, applied for the goods ; 
 and, as I have been informed from Grenada, Mr. 
 Ferguson laid hold of this opportunity to propagate 
 a report that all the goods which I put into his 
 hands were the property of that house in Cork. If 
 this base suggestion hath gained belief, it accounts 
 for all the neglect which I have experienced. But 
 however my connections are changed, my principles 
 as an honest man of candor and integrity are the 
 same; therefore, should there not be a sufficiency 
 of my property in England to answer my just debts, 
 I declare that it is ray first wish to make up such 
 deficiency from my property in Tobago ; and were 
 even that also to fall short, I am ready and willing 
 to make full and ample remittances from hence upon 
 hearing from you the true state of affairs. As I 
 hope my dear mother is still alive, I must inform 
 you that I wish my property in Tobago, or in Eng- 
 land, after paying my just debts, to be applied for 
 her support. Your own feelings, my dear sir, make 
 it unnecessary for me to use arguments to prevail 
 with you on this tender point. Any remittances 
 
EARLY LIFE. I9 
 
 which you may be enabled to make, through the 
 hands of my good friend, Captain John Plaince, of 
 Cork, will be faithfully put into her hands ; she 
 hath several orphan grandchildren to provide for. 
 I have made no apology for giving you this 
 trouble : my situation will, I trust, obtain your free 
 pardon. 
 
 ^•^ I am always, with perfect esteem, dear sir, your 
 very obliged, very obedient, and most humble 
 servant, 
 
 " J. Paul Jones. 
 *♦ Stuart Mawey, Esquire, Tobago." 
 
 His taking possession of his brother's estate en- 
 couraged for the time being his imaginary predilec- 
 tion for still life ; and he looked for sufficient 
 remittances from those to whom he had confided 
 the management of his affairs to enable him to 
 realize his vision of tranquil seclusion from the 
 bustle of the world. In the latter hope, as has been 
 mentioned, he was disappointed; and from this 
 reason, if from no other, retirement must have 
 become insufferable to a young man of his temper, 
 at the stirring epoch. 
 
 When transatlantic Liberty arose, 
 
 Not in the sunshine, and the smile of heaven, 
 
 But wrapped in whirlwinds, and begirt with woes. 
 
 In every point of view he was thus fitted to act 
 the part it fell to his lot to perform in the ensuino- 
 
20 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 drama. Nature had made him a hero ; circum. 
 stances had prepared him to command men and 
 give an emphatic direction to the development of 
 their energies; and these qualifications, united with 
 the integrity of his heart and mind, rendered him 
 worthy of co-working with the band of brave spirits 
 who came forth with free and uncorrupted souls, 
 and in the power and majesty of truth, to vindicate 
 the rio^hts which thev knew how to exercise, as well 
 as to assert. 
 
 Though his education as a seaman had been prin- 
 cipally in the merchant service, he had sailed fre- 
 quently in armed vessels; and how sound his 
 opinions were, acquired by observation or study, on 
 the subject of naval discipline, will appear from his 
 letters to the continental authorities ; while his 
 gTeat practical skill in all his maneuvers and en- 
 gagements is perhaps more admirable than his dar- 
 ing and desperate courage. One of his English 
 biographers observes : "It is singular that during 
 the first years of the American navy, with the 
 exception of Paul Jones, no man of any talent 
 is to be found directing its operations. Had it not 
 been for the exertions of this individual, who was 
 unsupported by fortune or connections, it is very 
 probable that the American naval power would 
 have gradually disappeared." 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1775, as will appear 
 from one of his letters, his immediate pecuniary re- 
 sources, from the causes he mentions, had almost 
 entirely failed him, and for the two years following, 
 
EARLY LIFE. 21 
 
 he lived, as he expresses it, " upon fifty pounds " 
 Mere necessity, however, could not have determined 
 bis election of an occupation, when he accepted a 
 commission from the Continental Congress. A man 
 who had begun life with nothing but " health and 
 good spirits " for his patrimony, who, while a mere 
 boy, had known how to obtain profitable employ- 
 ments of much responsibility, and who was now in 
 the incipient prime of mental and bodily vigor 
 could have been at no loss in investing the capital 
 of his abilities, his credit, and his "fifty pounds" 
 in many speculations, which must, to ordinary minds 
 at this epoch, have seemed far more promising than 
 the cause of the colonists. 
 
 An English compiler of his memoirs, with very 
 good intentions, speaks in an equivocal manner in 
 his analysis of Paul's motives. He also enters into 
 an unnecessary apology for his consenting to bear 
 arms against the mother countrv. The following 
 remarks, made by him, are, however, worthy of 
 being quoted here : 
 
 « Though in the heat of a struggle, which, from 
 Its very nature, was, like the feuds of the nearest 
 relatives, singularly rancorous and bitter, Jones was 
 branded as a traitor and a felon, and after his most 
 brilliant action, his capture of the Serapis, formally 
 denounced by the British ambassador of the Hao-ue 
 as a rebel and a pirate according to the laws of w\r 
 It must be remembered that he bore this stio-ma in 
 common with the best and greatest of his contem- 
 
22 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 poraries — with Franklin, and "Washington ; which 
 last had actually borne arms in the service of the 
 king of England. The memory of Paul Jones now 
 needs little vindication for this important step. 
 After the peace he enjoyed the esteem and private 
 friendship of Englishmen who might have forgiven 
 the most imbittered political hostility, but never 
 could have overlooked a taint on personal honor. 
 Of this number was the Earl of Wemyss, who after 
 the peace endeavored to promote the views of Jones 
 on various occasions. He himself, however, dis- 
 covers a lurking consciousness of having incurred, 
 if not of meriting, suspicion on this delicate ground. 
 This is chiefly displayed by his eloquent though 
 rather frequent assertions of purity of motive, su- 
 periority to objects of sordid interest, and disin- 
 terested zeal for the cause, now of America, now of 
 human nature, as was best adapted to the supposed 
 inclinations of his correspondents. In ordinary 
 circumstances, much of this might have appeared 
 uncalled for ; but the situation of Jones was in many 
 respects peculiar both as a native-born Briton, and 
 as a man of obscure origin, jealous — and pardonably 
 so — of his independence and dignity of character. 
 Somewhat of his heroic vaunting which marks other 
 parts of his correspondence appears incident to the 
 enthusiastic temperament of many great naval com- 
 manders. How would Nelson's tone of confident 
 prediction, and boasts of prowess, have sounded 
 from the lips of an inferior man? In any other 
 than himself, the customary language of Drake 
 
EARLY LIFE. 23 
 
 would have been reckoned that of an insolent 
 braggart." 
 
 Writing to Baron Yander Capellan, some years 
 after the conflict began, Jones says, in a spirit of 
 bitterness, provoked by his being stigmatized as a 
 pirate, rebel, etc., in the British prints : 
 
 " I was born in Britain ; but I do not inherit the 
 degenerate spirit of that fallen nation, which I at 
 once lament and despise. It is far beneath me to 
 reply to their hireling invectives. They are stran- 
 gers to the inward approbation that greatly ani- 
 mates and rewards the man who draws his sword 
 only in support of the dignity of freedom. America 
 has been the country of my fond election from the 
 age of thirteen, when I first saw it. I had the 
 honor to hoist with my own hands the flag of free- 
 dom, the first time it was displayed on the Dela- 
 ware ; and I have attended it with veneration ever 
 since, on the ocean." 
 
 At the time when Paul settled (or more properly, 
 supposed he meant to settle) in Virginia, it would 
 seem that he assumed the additional surname of 
 Jones. Previous to this date, his letters are 
 signed John Paul. "We are left to conjecture the 
 reason of this arbitrary change. His relations were 
 never able to assign one ; there is no allusion to the 
 circumstance in the manuscripts which he left, and 
 tradition is silent on the subject. It was, however, 
 a caprice by no means singular in a seafaring man. 
 
24 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE .A3IERICAN NAVY, 
 
 It is not within the province of this narrative to 
 sketch the early history of the American navy, or 
 its operations during the Revolutionary war, except 
 where Jones was connected with them. Of these 
 he is his own historian. 
 
 With the view of cutting off the supplies sent in 
 store ships to Boston, then in possession of the 
 British, and in a state of blockade, — of obtaining 
 powder and the munitions of war, which were not 
 to be had in the colonies, — and of retaliating for 
 depredations committed by British emissaries along 
 the coast, the General Court of Massachusetts 
 on the 13th of November, 1775, passed an act 
 authorizing letters of marque and reprisal to be is- 
 sued against ships infesting the seacoast of America, 
 and elected courts to try and condemn such as 
 should be captured. 
 
 General Washington, as Commander-in-chief, 
 gave commissions to a number of vessels, to intercept 
 the supplies intended for Boston. Privateers 
 swarmed in the bay of Boston, and off the neighbor- 
 ing seacoast. 
 
THE AMERICAN NAVY. 25 
 
 Instances of gallant and ingenious enterprises 
 were numerous, and the names of those by whom 
 they were conducted will be entitled to a place in 
 our national history. On the 13th of December, 
 1775, the Continental Congress adopted a report of 
 the Committee appointed to devise ways and means 
 for fitting out a naval armament; in which it was 
 recommended that thirteen frigates should be got 
 ready for sea ; five to be of thirty-two guns, five 
 of twenty-eight, and three of twenty -four. They 
 also commissioned a small fleet collected in the 
 Delaware to cruise against the enemy, and passed the 
 following resolution : 
 
 " In Congress, 22d December, 1775. 
 
 " Besolved, that the following naval officers be 
 appointed : 
 
 '* Ezek. Hopkins, Esq., Commander-in-Chief of the 
 fleet. 
 
 Dudley Saltonstall, Captain of the Alfred. 
 
 Abraham AV hippie, " " Columbus. 
 
 Nicholas Biddle, " " Andrew Doria. 
 
 John B. Hopkins, " " Cabot. 
 
 *' First Lieutenants, John Paul Jones, Khodes 
 Arnold, Stansbury, Ilersted Hacker, Jonathan 
 Pitcher. 
 
 " Second Lieutenants, Benjamin Seabury, Joseph 
 
 Olney, Elisha Warner, Thomas Weaver, M'Dou- 
 
 gall. 
 
 " Third Lieutenants, John Fanning, Ezekiel Bor- 
 roughs, Daniel Vaughan. 
 
26 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 " Eesolved, that the pay of the Commander-in- 
 Chief of the fleet be one hundred and twenty-five 
 dollars per month." 
 
 To this small fleet were added the sloop Providence, 
 the command of which Jones declined for the reasons 
 stated in his narrative, which we shall presently 
 follow. 
 
 The force consisted of : 
 
 Alfred, Commodore Hopkins, 30 guns and 300 
 men. 
 
 Columbus, Whipple, 28 guns and 300 men. 
 
 Andrew Doria, Biddle, 16 guns and 200 men. 
 
 Sebastian Cabot, Hopkins, Jr., 14 guns and 200 
 men. 
 
 Providence, Hazard, 12 guns and 150 men. 
 
 The flag of America was hoisted by Jones, as he 
 records, being the first time it was displayed, on 
 board of the Alfred, of which he was first-lieutenant. 
 He does not mention the date of this transaction, 
 which it would be extremely interesting to ascertain. 
 His commission to act as lieutenant bore date on the 
 7th December. 
 
 The squadron was originally destined to act 
 against Lord Dunmore, who was committing acts 
 of outrage and depredation along the coast of Vir- 
 ginia. The navigation of the Delaware was, how- 
 ever, interrupted by the ice, and the fleet did not 
 leave Cape Henlopen until the 17th of February, 
 1776. 
 
THE AMERICAN NAVY. 27 
 
 The most succinct and clear account of this period 
 of his service is given by Jones in the commence- 
 ment of a Journal, drawn up at the request of the 
 king of France, and read by that unfortunate 
 monarch Avhen he was a prisoner. It is as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " When Congress thought fit to equip a naval 
 force towards the conclusion of the year 1775, ' for 
 the defense of American liberty, and for repelling 
 every hostile invasion thereof,' it was a very dif- 
 ficult matter to find men fitly qualified for oflBcers, 
 and willing to embark in the ships and vessels that 
 were then put into commission. The American 
 navy at first was no more than the ships Alfred and 
 Columbus, the brigan tines Andrew Doria, and Cabot, 
 and the sloop Providence. A commander-in-chief 
 of the fleet w^as appointed ; and the Captains Sal- 
 tonstall, Whipple, Biddle, and Hopkins were named 
 for the ships and brigantines. A captain's com- 
 mission for the Providence, bought, or to be bought, 
 about the time, from Captain Whipple, which Mr. 
 Joseph Hewes of the Marine Committee ofi'ered to 
 his friend Mr. John Paul Jones, was not accepted, 
 because Mr. Jones had never sailed in a sloop, and 
 had then no idea of the declaration of independence 
 that took place the next year. It was his early wish 
 to do his best for the cause of America, which he 
 considered as the cause of human nature. He could 
 have no object of self-interest ; and having then no 
 prospect that the American navy would soon become 
 an established service, that rank was the most 
 
2S LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 acceptable to him by which he could be the most 
 useful in that moment of public calamity. 
 
 " There were three classes of lieutenants ap- 
 pointed, and Mr. Jones was appointed the first of 
 the first-lieutenants, which placed him next in com- 
 mand to the four captains already mentioned. This 
 commission under the united colonies is dated the 
 7th day of December, 1775, as first lieutenant of the 
 Alfred. On board of that ship, before Philadelphia, 
 Mr. Jones hoisted the flag of America with his own 
 hands, the first time it was ever displayed, as the 
 commander-in-chief embarked on board the Alfred. 
 All the commission for the Alfred were dated before 
 the commissions for the Columbus, etc. All the 
 time this little squadron was fitting and manning, 
 Mr. Jones superintended the affairs of the Alfred ; 
 and as Captain Saltonstall did not appear at Phila- 
 delphia, the commander-in-chief told Mr. Jones he 
 should command that ship. A day or two before 
 the squadron sailed from Philadelphia, manned and 
 fit for sea, Captain Saltonstall appeared, and took 
 command of the Alfred. 
 
 " The object of the first expedition was against 
 Lord Dunmore in Virginia. But instead of proceed- 
 ing immediately on that service, the squadron was 
 hauled to the wharfs at Reedy Island, and lay there 
 for six weeks frozen up. Here Mr. Jones and the 
 other lieutenants stood the deck, w^atch and watch, 
 night and day, to prevent desertion ; and they lost 
 no man from the Alfred. 
 
 " On the 17th of February, 1776, the squadron 
 
THE AMERICAN NAVT. 29 
 
 sailed from the bay of Delaware, having been joined 
 the day before by a small sloop and a very small 
 schooner from Baltimore. 
 
 " On the 1st of March the squadron anchored at 
 Abaco, one of the Bahama Islands, and carried in 
 there two sloops belonging to New Providence. 
 Some persons on board the sloops informed that a 
 quantity of powder and warlike stores might be 
 taken in the forts of New Providence. An expedi- 
 tion was determined on against that island. It was 
 resolved to embark the marines on board the two 
 sloops. They were to remain below deck until the 
 sloops had anchored in the harbor close to the 
 forts, and they were then to land and take posses- 
 sion. 
 
 " There was not a single soldier in the island to 
 oppose them ; therefore the plan would have suc- 
 ceeded, and not only the public stores might have 
 been secured, but a considerable contribution might 
 have been obtained as a ransom for the town and 
 island, had not the whole squadron appeared off the 
 harbor in the morning, instead of remaining out of 
 sight till after the sloops had entered and the 
 marines secured the forts. 
 
 " On the appearance of the squadron the signal 
 of alarm was fired, so that it was impossible to 
 think of crossing the bar. The commander-in-chief 
 proposed to go round the west end of the island, 
 and endeavor to march the marines up and get be- 
 hind the town ; but this could never have been 
 effected. The islanders would have had time to 
 
30 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 collect ; there was no fit anchorage for the squadron, 
 nor road from that part of the island to the town. 
 
 " Mr. Jones finding by the Providence pilots that 
 the squadron might anchor under a key three 
 leagues to windward of the harbor, gave this 
 account to the commander-in-chief, who, objecting 
 to the dependence on the pilots, Mr. Jones under- 
 took to carry the Alfred safe in. He took the pilot 
 with him to the fore-top mast-head, whence they 
 could see every danger, and the squadron anchored 
 safe. 
 
 " The marines, with two vessels to cover their 
 landing, were immediately sent in by the east 
 passage. The commander-in-chief promised to 
 touch no private property. The inhabitants aban- 
 doned the forts, and the governor, finding he must 
 surrender the island, embarked all the powder in 
 two vessels, and sent them away in the night. 
 This was foreseen, and might have been prevented, 
 by sending the two brigantines to lie off the bar. 
 
 " The squadron entered the harbor of Xew Prov- 
 idence, and sailed thence the ITth of March, having 
 embarked the cannon, etc., that was found in the fort. 
 
 " In the night of the 9th of April, on the return 
 of the squadron from the Providence expedition, 
 the American arms by sea were first tried in an ac- 
 tion with the Glasgow, a British frigate of 2tl: guns, 
 off Block Island. Both the Alfred and Columbus 
 mounted two batteries. The Alfred mounted 30, 
 the Columbus 28, guns. The first battery was so 
 near the water as to be fit for nothing except in a 
 
THE AMERICAN NAVY. 31 
 
 harbor or a very smooth sea. The sea was at times 
 perfectly smooth. 
 
 " Mr. Jones was stationed between decks to com- 
 mand the Alfred's first battery, which was well 
 served whenever the guns could be brought to bear 
 on the enemy, as appears by the official letter of 
 the commander-in-chief giving an account of that 
 action. Mr. Jones therefore did his duty ; and as 
 he had no direction whatever, either of the general 
 disposition of the squadron, or the sails and helm 
 of the Alfred, he can stand charged with no part of 
 the disgrace of that night. 
 
 " The squadron steered directly for "New London, 
 and entered that port two days after the action. 
 Here General Washington lent the squadron 200 
 men, as was thought, for some enterprise. The 
 squadron, however, stole quietly round to Ehode 
 Island, and up the river to Providence. Here a 
 court-martial was held for the trial of Captain 
 Whipple, for not assisting in the action with the 
 Glasgow. 
 
 " Another court-martial was held for the trial of 
 Captain Hazard, who had been appointed captain 
 of the sloop Providence at Philadelphia, some time 
 after Mr. Jones had refused that command. Cap- 
 tain Hazard was broke, and rendered incapable of 
 serving in the navy. 
 
 " The next day, the 10th of May, 1776, Mr. Jones 
 was ordered by the commander-in-chief to take 
 command *as captain of the Providence.' This 
 proves that Mr. Jones did his duty on the Prov- 
 
-83 LITE or PAUL JONES. 
 
 idence expedition. As the commander-in-chief had 
 in his hands no blank commission, this appoint- 
 ment was written and signed on the back of 
 the commission that Mr. Jones had received at 
 Philadelphia the 7th of December, 3775. 
 
 " Captain Jones had orders to receive on board 
 the Providence the soldiers that had been borrowed 
 from General Washington, and to carry them to 
 New York, there enlist as many seamen as he could, 
 and then return to New London, to take in from 
 the hospital all the seamen that had been left there 
 by the squadron, and were recovered, and carry 
 them to Providence. 
 
 " Captain Jones soon performed these services ; 
 and having hove down the sloop and partly fitted 
 her for war at Providence, he received orders from 
 the commander-in-chief, dated Phode Island, June 
 10th, 1776, to come immediately down to take a 
 sloop then in sight, armed for war, belonging to 
 the enemy's nnvy. Captain Jones obeyed orders 
 with alacrity ; but the enemy had disappeared before 
 he reached Newport. 
 
 "On the 13th of June, 1776, Captain Jones re- 
 ceived orders, dated that day at Newport, Rhode 
 Island, from the commander-in-chief, to proceed to 
 Newburyport to take under convoy some vessels 
 bound for Philadelphia; but first to convoy Lieu- 
 tenant Hacket in tlie Fly, with a cargo of cannon, 
 into the sound for New Yorlc, and to convoy some 
 vessels back from Stoningtou to the entrance of 
 Newport. 
 
THE AMERICAN NAVY. 83 
 
 " In performing these last services, Captain Jones 
 found great difficulty from the enemy's frigates, 
 then cruising round Block Island, with which he had 
 several rencontres ; in one of which he saved a brig- 
 antine that was a stranger, from Ilispaniola, closely 
 pursued by the Cerberus, and laden with public mil- 
 itarj'' stores. That brigantine was afterwards pur- 
 chased by the Continent, and called the Hampden. 
 
 " Captain Jones received orders from the command- 
 er in chief to proceed for Boston instead of New- 
 buryport. At Boston he was detained a consider- 
 able time by the backwardness of the agent. He 
 arrived with his convoy from Boston, safe in the Dela- 
 ware, the 1st of August, 1776. This service was 
 performed while the enemy were arriving daily at 
 Sandy Hook from Halifax and England, under the 
 escort and protection of Lord Howe, and Captain 
 Jones saw several of their ships of war which he had 
 the address to avoid. 
 
 "Captain Jones received a captain's commission 
 under the United States of America, from the presi« 
 dent of Congress the 8th of August." 
 3 
 
^ LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 CAPTAIN JONEs' SERVICB. 
 
 CoNTiNTTiNo his joumal written for the perusal of 
 the king of France, Jones writes : 
 
 " It was proposed to Captain Jones by the Marine 
 Committee of Congress to go to Connecticut, to com- 
 mand the brigantine Hampden ; but he, choosing 
 rather to remain in the sloop Providence, had orders 
 to go out on a cruise against the enemy *for six 
 weeks, or two or three months.' 
 
 " He was not limited to any particular station or 
 service. He left the Delaware the 21st of August, 
 and arrived at Ehode Island on the 7th of October, 
 1776. Captain Jones had only seventy men when 
 he sailed from the Delaware, and the Providence 
 mounted only 12 four-pounders. 
 
 " Near the latitude of Bermudas he had a very 
 narrow escape from the enemy's frigate, the Solebay, 
 after a chase and an engagement for six hours with- 
 in cannon-shot, and considerable part of that time 
 within pistol-shot. 
 
 " Afterwards, near the isle of Sable, Captain Jones 
 had a running fight with the enemy's frigate the 
 Milford ; and the firing between them lasted from 
 ten in the morning till after sunset. 
 
CAPTAIN JONES' SERVICE. 35 
 
 " The day after this rencontre, Captain Jones en- 
 tered the harbor of Canso, where he recruited several 
 men, took the Tories' flags, destroyed all the fishery, 
 burned the shipping, and sailed again the next morn- 
 ing on an expedition against the Island of Madame. 
 
 " He made two descents at the principal ports of 
 that island at the same time ; surprised, burned, and 
 destroyed all their shipping, and the fishery, though 
 the place abounded with men, and they had arms. 
 
 " All this, from the Delaware to Khode Island, was 
 performed in six weeks and five days ; in which 
 time Captain Jones made sixteen prizes, besides a 
 great number of small vessels and fishery which he 
 destroyed. 
 
 " The commander-in-chief of the navy was at 
 Rhode Island, who, in consequence of the informa- 
 tion given him by Captain Jones, adopted an expedi- 
 tion against the coal fleet of Cape Breton and the 
 fishery, as well as to relieve a number of Americans 
 from the coal mines, where they were compelled to 
 labor by the enemy. 
 
 " The Alfred had remained idle ever since the 
 Providence expedition, and was without men. It 
 was proposed to employ that ship, the brigantine 
 Hampden, and sloop Providence, on this expedition, 
 under the command of Captain Jones, who had 
 orders given him for that purpose on t*he 22d of 
 October, 1776, and then removed from the sloop 
 Providence to command the ship Alfred. 
 
 " Finding he could not enlist a sufficient number of 
 men for the three to sail before the season would be 
 
3(5 UFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 lost, Captain Jones determined to leave the sloop 
 Providence behind ; but Captain Hacker ran the 
 Hampden upon a ledge of rocks on the 27th, and 
 knocked off her keel, which obliged Captain Jones 
 to remove him into the sloop Providence. 
 
 " The Alfred and Providence sailed together on 
 this expedition the 2d of November, 1776, Captain 
 Jones having only 140 men on his muster-roll for 
 the Alfred, though that ship had 235 men when she 
 left the Delaware. Captain Jones passed between 
 the enemies' frigates at Block Island and the shore, 
 and anchored for the night at Tarpawling Cove, 
 near Nantucket, because daylight was necessary to 
 pass through the shoals. 
 
 " Finding there a privateer schooner belonging to 
 Rhode Island inward bound, he sent his boat to 
 search for deserters from the navy. His officers 
 found four deserters carefully concealed on board. 
 They were taken on board the Alfred, with a few 
 other seamen, agreeably to orders from the com- 
 mander-in-chief. Those concerned in the privateer 
 brought an action against Captain Jones for 10,000 
 pounds damages, and the commander-in-chief had 
 the politeness not to support him. 
 
 " Captain Jones proceeded on his expedition. Off 
 Louis bourg he took a brig with a rich cargo of dry 
 goods, a scow with a cargo of fish, and a large ship 
 called the Mellish, bound for Canada, armed for war, 
 and laden with soldiers' clothing. The day after 
 taking these prizes (18th November) the snow fell, 
 and the wind blew fresh off Cape Breton. 
 
CAPTAIN JONES' SERVICE. 37 
 
 " To prevent separation, and not from the violence 
 of the weather, Captain Jones made the signal to 
 lay to, which was obeyed ; but as soon as night began, 
 Captain Hacker bore away. He made shift to ar- 
 rive at Rhode Island a day or two before the place 
 was taken by the enemy. 
 
 " Captain Jones ordered his prizes, the brigantine 
 and the scow, to steer for American ports ; but de- 
 termined not to lose sight of the Mellish, unless in 
 case of necessity. After a little gale and some 
 contrary winds, he fell in with Canso, and sent his 
 boats in to destroy a fine transport that lay aground 
 in the entrance, laden with Irish provision. The 
 party burnt also the oil-warehouse, and destroyed 
 the materials for the whale and cod fishery. 
 
 " Off Louisbourg, on the 24:th of November, ho 
 took three fine ships out of the coal-fleet, then bound 
 for New York, under the convoy of the frigate 
 Flora, that would have been in sio-ht had the iog; 
 been dispersed. Two days after this, Captain Jones 
 took a strong letter-of-marque ship with a rich cargo, 
 from Liverpool. 
 
 " He had now a hundred and fifty prisoners on 
 board the Alfred, and a great part of his water and 
 provisions was consumed. He found by his prisoners 
 that the harbor at the coal-mines was frozen up, and 
 necessity obliged him to seek a hospitable port with 
 the five prize-ships under his convoy. 
 
 " No separation took place till the 7th of December, 
 on the edge of St. George's Bank, where Captain 
 Jones again fell in with the Milford frigate. Cap- 
 
38 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 tain Jones drew the whole attention of the enemy 
 toward the Alfred, and by running the greatest risk 
 himself, saved all his prizes except the letter-of- 
 marque from Liverpool, and she would not have 
 been taken had not the prize-master, who was three 
 leagues to windward, foolishly run down under the 
 Mil ford's face. 
 
 "The Mellish arrived safe with the clothing at 
 Dartmouth, and Captain Jones, after meeting with 
 much tempestuous weather, arrived at Boston the 
 15th of December, 1776, having only two days' water 
 and provisions left. The news of the supply of 
 clothing reached General Washington's army just 
 before he re-crossed the Delaware, and took the 
 enemy's garrison at Trenton. 
 
 " By a letter from the commander-in-chief of the 
 Navy, dated on board the Warren, at Providence, 
 January 14th, 1777, Captain Jones was superseded 
 in the command of the Alfred, in favor of Captain 
 Hinman. 
 
 " Captain Jones paid off the crews of the Alfred 
 and Providence, for which he was not reimbursed 
 until the end of the war, and then without any in- 
 terest. 
 
 " On the 18th of February he received an appoint- 
 ment by order of Congress from the Hon. Kobert 
 Morris, Esq., Vice-President of the Marine Com- 
 mittee, dated Philadelphia, February the 5th, 1777, 
 to command private expeditions against Pensacola 
 and other places, with the Alfred, Columbus, Cabot, 
 Hampden, and sloop Providence. Many important 
 
CAPTAIN JONES' SERVICE. 39 
 
 schemes were pointed out ; but Captain Jones was 
 left at free liberty to adopt whatever he thought 
 best. 
 
 " This appointment fell to nothing ; for the com- 
 mander-in-chief would not assist, but affected to 
 disbelieve in the appointment. Captain Jones made 
 a journey by land from Boston to Philadelphia, in 
 order to explain matters to Congress in person." 
 
 There are two other documents written by Jones, 
 recapitulating in a much more summary manner 
 the events of the cruises in which he was engaged 
 during the time passed over in the foregoing extract. 
 One of these is a letter or memorial, addressed to 
 the President of Congress, written from the Texel, 
 December 7th, 1779, which he elsewhere styles " a 
 refreshing memorial ; " the other, a letter addressed 
 to Mr. Morris, Minister of the Marine, etc., dated 
 Philadelphia, October 13th, 1783. 
 
 The narrative drawn up for the king of France is 
 by far the most precise ; on which account it has 
 been introduced. It will be necessary, however, to 
 revert to some of its details, for the purposes of il- 
 lustrating the circumstances it records, and explain- 
 ing the subsequent passages in the history of Jones. 
 
 The affair with the Glasgow is briefly alluded to. 
 Jones felt that no glory was gained by it, and such 
 was the, perhaps, unreasonable opinion of the Ameri- 
 can public at the time. Commodore Hopkins al- 
 leged in his justification that, if he had pursued the 
 escaping frigate, it might have brought him into an 
 engagement with the whole of Wallace's fleet, then 
 
4(^ LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 committing great depredation on the coast of Bliodo 
 Island. 
 
 As Jones observes, it was the business of the com- 
 mander and captains to answer for the escape of the 
 frigate ; yet a sensibilit}^ not unallied, perhaps, to 
 a premature and morbid apprehension that censure 
 would light upon himself, caused him always to 
 speak of this affair as if his personal conduct stood 
 in need of exculpation. 
 
 In the letter to the President of Congress, last 
 referred to, Jones says : " I continued in that ship 
 (the Alfred), and had ray share of the dishonor 
 which attended the first essay of American arms 
 by sea with the Glasgow. Permit me, however, to 
 observe that, as I w^as stationed to command the 
 lower battery of the Alfred, I had no share in the 
 government of the sails or helm ; and as the artillery 
 under my direction was well served, whenever it 
 could be brought to bear, I hope Congress will not 
 find that the disgrace of that night was owing to me." 
 
 Writing to Mr. Hewes, shortly after the transac- 
 tion, he says : " My station confined me to the 
 Alfred's lower gun-deck, where I commanded during 
 the action ; yet, though the commander's letter, 
 which has been published, says, 'all the officers in 
 theAlfred behaved well,' still the public blames me 
 among others for not taking the enemy. But a little 
 consideration will place the matter in a true light; 
 but no officer, under a superior, who does not stand 
 charged, by that superior, for cowardice or miscon- 
 duct, can be blamed on any occasion whatever." 
 
CAPTAIN JONES' SERVICH. 4J 
 
 It is to be observed that, while thus disavowing 
 any responsibility, as a subaltern, Jones by no means 
 imputes blame to Commodore Hopkins. He saj-s, 
 in his letter to Mr. Hewes : " I have the pleasure 
 of assuring you that the commander-in-chief is re- 
 spected throughout the fleet ; and 1 verily believe 
 that the officers and men, in general, would go to 
 any length to execute his orders." In the same 
 letter he refers to the minutes of the action with 
 the Glasgow, as entered by himself on the Alfred*s 
 log-book : 
 
 " At 2 A.M. cleared ship for action. At half -past 
 two the Cabot, being between us and the enemy, 
 began to engage, and soon after we did the same. 
 At the third glass, the enemy bore away, and by 
 crowding sail at length got a considerable way a- 
 head, made signals for the rest of the English fleet 
 at Ehode Island to come to her assistance, and steered 
 directly for the harbor. The commodore then 
 thought it imprudent to risk our prizes by pursuing 
 farther ; therefore, to prevent our being decoyed 
 into their hands, at half-past six made the signal to 
 leave off chase and haul by the wind to join our 
 prizes. The Cabot was disabled at the second broad- 
 side ; the captain being dangerously wounded, the 
 master and several men killed. The enemy's whole 
 fire was then directed at us, and an unluck}^ shot 
 having carried away our wheel-block and ropes, the 
 ship broached to, and gave the enemy an opportunity 
 of raking us with several broadsides before we were 
 again in condition to steer the ship and return the 
 
4d LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 fire. In the action we received several shot under 
 water, which made the ship very leaky ; we had, 
 besides, the mainmast shot through, and the upper 
 works and the rigging very considerably damaged; 
 yet it is surprising that we only lost the second lieu- 
 tenant of Marines and four men, one of whom 
 (Martin Gillingwater) was a midshipman, prisoner, 
 who was in the cockpit, and had been taken in the 
 bomb brig Bolton yesterday ; we had no more than 
 three men dangerously and four slightly wounded." 
 In the 87th number of the " Constitutional 
 Gazette," published in New York, May 29th, 1776, 
 is a statement of Captain David HawJey, who had 
 arrived at Hartford, from Halifax, whence he had 
 escaped, having been a prisoner on board the Glas- 
 gow during the skirmish in question. He says that, 
 "on the — th of April, the Glasgow sailed from 
 Newport; came up and hailed the brig, who an- 
 swered that they were from Plymouth ; then the 
 brig hailed the Glasgow, and was told who they 
 were. Upon signals being made and not answered, 
 as it was still dark, the Glasgow received a heavy 
 broadside from the brig, killed one man, and slightly 
 wounded another. Then the Alfred came up, and 
 closely engaged her for near three glasses, while the 
 black brig attacked the Glasgow on her lee bow. 
 It was observed by the motion of the Alfred, that 
 she had received some unlucky shot. The sloop of 
 twelve guns fired upon her stern without any great 
 effect. The most of her shot went about six feet 
 above the deck 5 whereas, if they had been properly 
 
CAPTAIN JONES' SERVICE. 43 
 
 leveled, they must soon have cleared it of men. 
 The Glasgow got at a distance, when she fired 
 smartly; and the engagement lasted about six 
 glasses, when they both seemed willing to quit. 
 The Glasgow was considerably damaged in her hull ; 
 had ten shot through her mainsail, and eighty-eight 
 through her foresail ; had her spars carried away, 
 and her rigging cut to pieces. On the 6th they got 
 into Rhode Island ; early in the morning of the 7th, 
 were fired upon from the shore, cut her cables, and 
 run up to Hope Island, where the hospital ship 
 followed them. The wind shifting to the north- 
 ward, they went out and joined Commodore Wallace, 
 and after two days sailed for Halifax, where Captain 
 Hawley tarried a fortnight, and on the 7th of April, 
 made his escape with eight others, in a small boat, 
 and came to Old York." 
 
 The seventy-fifth number of the same newspaper, 
 of April 17th, 1776, contains the following account 
 under date of ISTewport, April 8th, which throws 
 light upon the result of the affair with the Glasgow, 
 and from its quaintness may not be uninterest- 
 ing. 
 
 " Last Friday the ministerial fleet went a little 
 without the mouth of our harbor, and in the even- 
 ing they all returned and anchored between Gould 
 Island and Coddington's Point, except the Glasgow, 
 of twenty -four guns, and a small tender, which kept 
 out all night. As soon as it was light, the next 
 morning, a part}^ of the troops stationed on the 
 island got down two of their eigh teen-pounders upon 
 
44 LIFE or PAUL JONEa. 
 
 the point, and played so well upon these worse than 
 Algerine rovers, that they hulled the Rose two or 
 three times, the Nautilus once or twice, and sent a 
 shot through and through one of the armed tenders, 
 upon which Captain Wallace, of the Rose, sent off 
 a boat to cut away the buoy of his anchor, then 
 slipped his cable, and made off as fast as possible ; 
 and the rest of his fleet followed in the utmost hurry 
 and confusion, having fired about fifteen cannon 
 upon our people without the least effect, though 
 they stood in considerable numbers, as open as they 
 could well be, without the least breastwork or other 
 shelter. 
 
 " For several hours before, and during, the above 
 engagement, a vast number of cannon were heard 
 from the southeast and about sunrise eight or ten 
 sail of ships, brigs, etc., were seen a little to the east- 
 ward of Block Island, and indeed the flashes of the 
 cannon were seen by some people about daybreak. 
 These things caused much speculation, but in a few 
 hours the mystery was somewhat cleared up, for 
 away came the poor Glasgow, under all the sail she 
 could set, yelping from the mouths of her cannon 
 like a broken-legged dog, as a signal of her being 
 sadly wounded. And though she settled away, and 
 handed most of her sails just before she came into 
 the harbor, it w^as plainly perceived by the holes in 
 those she had standing, and by the hanging of her 
 yards, that she had been treated in a very rough 
 manner. The other vessels seen off stood up the 
 western sound, and by very authentic intelligence 
 
CAPTAEf JONES' 6ERVICB. i$ 
 
 on Saturday evening, we are fully convinced they 
 were twelve sail of the Continental navy, very 
 deeply laden with cannon, mortars, cannon-shot, 
 bombs, and other warlike stores from the West 
 Indies, so that it is probable their precious cargoes 
 were the sole cause of Mrs. Glasgow's making her 
 escape. Her tender was taken, as also the bomb 
 brig, and a schooner which had been out near a 
 week in search of prey. 
 
 " As soon as the Glasgow got in, the Rose, Cap- 
 tain Wallace, the Nautilus, Captain Collins, the Swan, 
 Captain Ascough, with several tenders and pirated 
 prizes, stood out to sea, leaving the Glasgow, a large 
 scow, and two small sloops at anchor, about three- 
 quarters of a mile fron Brenton's point. The ensu- 
 ing night, a party of troops carried one eighteen- 
 pounder, one nine, one six, and two four-pounders, 
 on said point, and early yesterday morning saluted 
 the Glasgow with such warmth that she slipped her 
 cable and pushed up the river without firing a gun, 
 under all the sail she could make, and the others fol- 
 lowed with great precipitation. By the terrible 
 cracking on board the Glasgow, the noise and confu- 
 sion among her men, it is thought the cannon did 
 good execution. The wind shifting to the northward 
 about noon, those vessels ran down the back of 
 Conanicut and stood out to sea, supposed to have 
 gone in quest of Captain Wallace, to make a woful 
 complaint of the incivility of the Yankees." 
 
 The adventure with the Glasgow cannot, from the 
 evidence now left, be considered as discreditable to 
 
^6 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the infant navy of America. The promotion of Jones 
 by the commander-in-chief of the navy, to be acting 
 commandant of the Providence, proves, as he states 
 himself, that the officer under whose immediate 
 command he had served, approved of his con- 
 duct. 
 
 While convej^ng military stores and troops be- 
 tween Newport and Xew York, he appears from his 
 journal to have had several rencontres with the Cer- 
 berus frigate and with others. 
 
 In his *' refreshing memorial " to the President of 
 Congress, written from the Texel, he says, when 
 speaking of this period of his service : 
 
 " The first task I performed in the Providence was 
 to transport a number of soldiers from Providence 
 to Xew York, which General Washington had lent 
 us at New London to inspire us with courage to ven- 
 ture round to Rhode Island. 
 
 " The Commodore employed me afterwards for 
 some time to escort vessels from Rhode Island into 
 the Sound, etc," while the Cerberus and other ves- 
 sels cruised round Block Island. At last I received 
 orders to proceed to Boston, to take under convoy 
 some vessels laden with coal for Philadelphia. I 
 performed that service about the time when Lord 
 Howe arrived at Sandy Hook. It was proposed to 
 send me from Philadelphia by land to take command 
 of the Hampden in Connecticut, but I preferred to 
 continue in the Providence, the Hampden being a 
 far inferior vessel to the description that had been 
 given of her to Congress." 
 
CAPTAIN JONES' SERVICE. 47 
 
 He was commissioned to sail from the Delaware 
 on a cruise " with unlimited orders," as he expressed 
 it in his memorial ; and this was certainly the sort 
 of trust which he best loved to execute. Some ex- 
 tracts from his letters to the marine committee of 
 Congress, relative to his adventurers in this cruise 
 of " six weeks and five days," so briefly mentioned 
 in his journal, will probably be acceptable to the 
 reader. 
 
 " Providence, at sea, in K. Lat. 37° 40'. 
 S. W. Longitude, 64°, Sejpt. Uh, 1776. 
 
 " Gentlemen, — 
 
 " I had the honor of writing to you August 27th, 
 per the brigantine Britannia, which I sent under the 
 care of Lieutenant Wm. Grinnell. Since that, I 
 have been to the southward, near the parallel of 
 Bermuda, and brought to four sail of French, Spanish, 
 and Danish ships, homeward bound, but without 
 gaining any useful information. On the first current 
 1 fell in with a fleet of five sail, one of them being 
 very large, it was the general opinion here, that she 
 was either an Old Indiaman, outward bound, with 
 stores, or a Jamaica three-decker, bound homewards. 
 We found her to be an English frigate, mounting 
 twenty guns upon one deck. She sailed fast, and 
 pursued us by the wind, till, after four hours' chase, 
 the sea running very cross, she got within musket 
 shot of our lee-quarter. As they had continued fir- 
 ing at us from the first, without showing colors, I 
 now ordered ours to be hoisted, and began to fire at 
 
4g LIFE or PAUL JONES. 
 
 them. Upon this, they also hoisted American colors, 
 and fired guns to leeward. But the bait would not 
 take, for, having everything prepared, I bore away 
 before the wind, and set all our light sail at once ; 
 so that before her sails could be trimmed, and steer- 
 ing sails set, I was almost out of reach of grape, and 
 soon after out of reach of cannon shot. Our 'hair- 
 breadth escape,' and the saucy manner of making it, 
 must have mortified him not a little. Had he fore- 
 seen this motion, and been prepared to counteract it, 
 he might have fired several broadsides of double- 
 headed and grape shot, which would have done us 
 very material damage. But he was a bad marksman ; 
 and, though within pistol shot, did not touch the 
 Providence with one of the many shots he fired. I 
 met with no other adventure till last night, when I 
 took the Bermuda-built brigantine Sea Nymph, etc." 
 
 He concludes this letter by observing that he did 
 not expect much success in his cruise, as it was too 
 late for the season ; a remark which he repeats in 
 his next letter, dated three days after, when sending 
 in the brigantine Favorite laden with sugar, from 
 Antigua, for Liverpool, which he had captured 
 on the evening of September 6th, being his third 
 prize. 
 
 The following characteristic letter, giving an ac- 
 count of the manner in which he " ridicules " the 
 Milford frigate and took or destroyed the shipping 
 in Canso harbor, seems worthy of bein^; inserted 
 entire ; 
 
CAPTAIN JONES' SERTICE. 4^ 
 
 " Providence, off the Isle of Sable, 
 Sejptemler 30th, 1776. 
 " Gentlemen, — 
 
 " From that time of despatching the Favorite, I 
 cruised without seeing any vessel. I then spoke 
 the Columbus' prize, the ship Koyal Exchange, 
 bound for Boston. By this time, my water and 
 wood began to run short, which induced me to run 
 to the northward, for some port of Nova Scotia or 
 Cape Breton. I had, besides, a prospect of destroy- 
 ing the English shipping in these parts. The 16th 
 and 17th, I had a very heavy gale from the N. W. 
 which obliged me to dismount all my guns, and 
 stick everything I could into the hold. The 19th, 
 I made the Isle of Sable, and on the 20th, beino- 
 between it and the main, I met with an English 
 frigate, with a merchant ship under her convoy. I 
 had hove to, to give my people an opportunity of 
 taking fish, when the frigate came in sight directly 
 to windward, and was so good-natured as to save 
 me the trouble of chasing him, by bearing down 
 the instant he discovered us. When he came within 
 cannon-shot, I made sail to try his speed. Quarter- 
 ing and finding that I had the advantage, I shor- 
 tened sail to give him a wild-goose chase, and tempt 
 him to throw away powder and shot. Accordingly, 
 a curious mock engagement was maintained between 
 us for eight hours ; until night, with her sable cur- 
 tains, put an end to this famous exploit of English 
 knight-errantry. 
 
 " He excited my contempt so much by his con- 
 
 4 
 
50 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 tinued firing, at more than twice the proper dis- 
 tance, that when he rounded to to give his broadside, 
 I ordered my marine officer to return the salute 
 with only a single musket. We saw him, next 
 morning, standing to the westward ; and it is not 
 unlikely that he hath told his friends at Halifax 
 what a trimming he gave to a 'rebel privateer' 
 which he found infesting the coast. 
 
 "That night I was off Canso harbor, and sent 
 my boat in to gain information. On the morning 
 of the 22d, 1 anchored in the harbor, and, before 
 night, got off a sufficiency of wood and water. 
 Here I recruited several men, and finding three 
 English schooners in the harbor, we that night 
 burned one, sunk another, and, in the morning, 
 carried off the third, which we had loaded with 
 what fish was found in the other two. 
 
 *' At Canso, I received information of nine sail of 
 ships, brigs, and schooners, in the harbor of Narrow 
 Shock and Peter de Great, at a small distance from 
 each other, in the Island of Madame, on the east 
 side of the bay of Canso. These I determined to 
 take or destroy ; and, to do it effectually, having 
 brought a shallop for the purpose from Canso, I 
 despatched herewith twenty-five armed men to 
 Karrow Shock, while my boat went, well manned 
 and armed, to Peter de Great ; and I kept off and 
 on with the sloop, to keep them in awe at both places. 
 The expedition succeeded to my wish. So effectual 
 was this surprise, and so general the panic, that 
 numbers yielded to a handful, without opposition, 
 
CAPTAIN JONES' SERVICE. 51 
 
 and never was a bloodless victory more complete. 
 As the shipping that were unloaded were all un- 
 rigged, I had recourse to an expedient for despatch. 
 I promised to leave the late proprietors vessels 
 sufficient to carry them home to the Island of Jersey, 
 on condition that they immediately fitted out and 
 rigged such of the rest as might be required. This 
 condition was readily complied with ; and they assisted 
 my people with unremitting application, till the busi- 
 ness was completed. But the evening of the 25th 
 brought with it a violent gale of wind, with rain, 
 which obliged me to anchor in the entrance of Nar- 
 row Shock, where I rode it out, with both anchors 
 and whole cables ahead. Two of our prizes, the 
 ship Alexander and Sea Flower, had come out 
 before the gale began. The ship anchored under a 
 point, and rode it out ; but the schooner, after 
 anchoring, drove, and ran ashore. She was a valu- 
 able prize ; but, as I could not get her off, I next 
 day ordered her to be set on fire. The schooner 
 Ebenezer, taken at Canso, was driven on a reef of 
 sunken rocks, and there totally lost; the people 
 having with difficulty saved themselves on a raft. 
 Towards noon on the 26th, the gale began to abate. 
 The ship Adventure being unrigged, and almost 
 empty, I ordered her to be burnt. I put to sea in 
 the afternoon with the brigantine Kingston Packet, 
 and being joined by the Alexander, went off Peter 
 de Great. I had sent an officer round in a shallop 
 to order the vessels in that harbor to meet me in the 
 offing, and he now joined me in the brigantine Suc« 
 
59 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 cess, and informed me that Mr. Gallagher (the 
 officer who had commanded the party in that harbor) 
 had left it at the beginning of the gale in the brig- 
 antine Defense, and taken with him my boat and all 
 the people. I am unwilling to believe that this was 
 done with an evil intention. I rather think he con- 
 cluded the boat and people necessary to assist the 
 vessel getting out, the navigation being difficult, and 
 the wind at that time unfavorable; and when the 
 gale began, I knew it was impossible for them to 
 return. 
 
 " Thus weakened, I could attempt nothing more. 
 With one of our brigs and the sIoojd, I could have 
 scoured the coast and secured the destruction of a 
 large boat fleet that was loading near Louisbourg, 
 with the savage only to protect them. 
 
 " The fishery at Canso and Madame is effectually 
 destroj^ed. Out of twelve sail which I took there, 
 I only left two small schooners and one small brig, 
 to convey a number of unfortunate men, not short 
 of three hundred, across the Western Ocean. Had 
 I gone further, I should have stood chargeable with 
 inhumanitv. 
 
 " In my ticklish situation it would have been mad- 
 ness to lose a moment. I therefore hastened to the 
 southward, to convey my prizes out of harm's way, 
 the Damono brig having been within fifteen leagues 
 of the scene of action during the whole time. 
 
 *' On the 27th, I saw two sail, which we took for 
 Quebec transports. Unable to resist the tempta- 
 tion, having appointed a three days' rendezvous on 
 
CAPTAIN JONES' SERVICE. 53 
 
 the S. W. part of the Isle of Sable, I gave chase, 
 but could Dot come up before tbey bad got into 
 Louisbourg, a place where I had reason to expect a 
 far superior force ; and therefore returned, and this 
 day I joined my prizes at the rendezvous. 
 
 " If my poor endeavors should meet with your 
 approbation, I shall be greatly rewarded in the 
 pleasing reflection of having endeavored to do my 
 duty. I have had so much of stormy weather, and 
 been obliged on divers occasions, to carry so much 
 sail, that the sloop is in no condition to continue 
 long out of port. I am, besides, very weak handed ; 
 and the men I have are scarce able to stand on deck, 
 for want of clothing, the weather here being ver}' 
 cold. These reasons induce me to bend my thoughts 
 towards the continent. I do not expect to meet 
 with much, if any success, on my return. But if 
 fortune should insist on sending a transport or so 
 in my way, weak as I am, I will endeavor to pilot 
 him safe. It is but justice to add, that my ofiBcers 
 and men behaved incomparably w^ell on the occa- 
 sion. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, etc. etc., 
 " John P. Jones. 
 
 " The Honorable the Marine Committee, 
 Philadelphia.'' 
 
 The following is the list of prizes, taken, burnt, 
 and sunk by Jones during this cruise : Brigantine 
 Britannia, Whaler; Brigantine Sea Nymph, West 
 Indies; Brigantine Favorite, West Indies; Ship 
 
54 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 Alexander, Newfoundland ; Brigantine Success, 
 Newfoundland ; Brigantine Kingston Packet, 
 Jamaica ; Brigantine Defiance, Jersey ; Sloop Port- 
 land, Whaler. The above named were manned and 
 sent in. Ship Adventure, Jersey ; Brigantine Friend- 
 ship, Jersey ; Schooner John, London ; Schooner 
 Betsy, Jersey ; Schooner Betsy, Halifax ; Schooner 
 Sea Flower, Canso ; Schooner Ebenezer, Canso ; 
 Schooner Hope, Jersey. 
 
A COMPLAINT. 55 
 
 OHAPTEK lY. 
 
 A COMPLAINT. 
 
 One of the objects of the expedition to Cape Bre- 
 ton, that of rescuing the hundred American prison- 
 ers confined in the coal pits, was not effected ; and 
 other projects were abandoned, from the lateness 
 of the season, and the difficulty of procuring men. 
 Jones indeed met with more success than he had 
 anticipated, as will be seen from the following ex- 
 tract of his letter written to Mr. Morris, and dated 
 October 17th. 
 
 " I have been successfully employed in refitting 
 and getting the Providence in readiness, and am 
 under the greatest apprehension that the expedi- 
 tion will fall to nothing, as the Alfred is greatly 
 short of men. I found her with only about thirty 
 men, and we have with much ado enlisted thirty 
 more ; but it seems the privateers entice them away 
 as fast as they receive their month's pay. 
 
 " Governor Hopkins tells me that he apprehends 
 that I am appointed to the Andrew Doria ; she is 
 a good cruiser, and would, in my judgment, answer 
 much better, were she mounted with 12 six-poun- 
 ders, than as she is at present, with 14 fours. An 
 expedition of importance may be effected this 
 
56 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 winter, on the coast of Africa, with part of the 
 original fleet. Either the Alfred or Columbus, with 
 the Andrew Doria and Providence, would, I am 
 persuaded, carry all before them ; and give a blow 
 to the English African trade which would not soon 
 be recovered, bv not leavino^ them a mast standing: 
 on that coast. This expedition would be attended 
 with no great expense ; besides, the ship and vessels 
 mentioned are unlit for service on a winter coast, 
 which is not the case with the new frigates. The 
 small squadron for this service ought to sail early, 
 that the prizes may reach our ports in March or 
 April. If I do not succeed in manning the Alfred, 
 so as to proceed to the eastward, in the course of 
 this week, the season will be lost ; the coal fleet 
 will be gone to Halifax, the fishermen to Europe." 
 
 This cruise, however, of Jones, from Khode Island, 
 was attended with many useful and some brilliant 
 results. The capture, in particular, of the clothing 
 in the Mellish, while it furnished a seasonable supply 
 to the American army, was a serious privation to 
 that of the enemy. In his letter to the Marine 
 Committee dated November 12th, Jones says : 
 
 " This prize is, I believe, the most valuable that 
 has been taken by the American arms. She made 
 some defense, but it was trifling. The loss will 
 distress the enemy more than can be easily imagined, 
 as the clothinc: on board of her is the last intended 
 to be sent out for Canada this season, and all that 
 has preceded it is already taken. The situation of 
 
A COMPLAINT. 57 
 
 Burgoyne's army must soon become insupportable. 
 I shall not lose sight of a prize of such importance, 
 but will sink her, rather than suffer her to fall again 
 into their hands." 
 
 His account of his second meetinsr with the Mil- 
 ford, given in the memorial from the Texel, is as 
 follows: 
 
 " On the edge of St. George's Bank, I again met 
 with the Milford. The wind was at K W., the 
 enemy to windward, and we on our starboard tack. 
 He could not come up before night ; and, in the 
 meantime, I placed the Alfred and the letter of 
 marque from Liverpool between the other prizes 
 and the enemy. I ordered them to crowd sail on 
 the same tack all night, without paying regard to 
 my light or signals. At midnight, the Alfred and 
 the letter of marque tacked, and I afterwards car- 
 ried a top light till morning. 
 
 " This led the Milford entirely out of the way of 
 the prizes, and particularly the clothing ship Mel- 
 lish ; for they were all out of sight in the morning. 
 I had now to get out of the difficulty the best way 
 I could. In the morning we again tacked; and as 
 the Milford did not make much appearance, I was 
 unwilling to quit her, without a certainty of her 
 superior force. She w\as out of shot, on the lee 
 quarter ; and as I could only see her bow, I ordered 
 the letter-of-marque, Lieutenant Saunders, that 
 held a much better wind than the Alfred, to drop 
 slowly astern, until he could discover by a view of 
 
58 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the enemy's side, whether she was of superior or 
 inferior force, and to make a signal accordingly. 
 
 " On seeing Mr. Saunders drop astern, the Milford 
 wore suddenly, and crowded sail towards the N. E. 
 This raised in me such doubts as determined me to 
 wear also, and give chase. Mr. Saunders steered by 
 the wind, while the Milford went lasking, and the 
 Alfred followed her with a pressed sail, so that Mr. 
 Saunders was soon almost hull down to windward. 
 At last the Milford tacked again ; but I did not tack 
 the Alfred till I had the enemy's side fairly open, 
 and could plainly see her force. I then tacked, 
 about ten o'clock. 
 
 " The Alfred being too light to be steered by the 
 wind, I bore away two points, while the Milford 
 steered close by the wind, to gain the Alfred's wake ; 
 and by that means he dropped astern, notwithstand- 
 ing his superior sailing. The weather too, which 
 became exceedingly squally, enabled me to outdo 
 the Milford, by carrying more sail. I began to be 
 under no apprehension from the enemy's superiority, 
 for there was every appearance of a severe gale, 
 which really took place in the night. To my great 
 surprise, however, Mr. Saunders, towards four 
 o'clock, bore down on the Milford, made the signal of 
 her inferior force, ran under her lee, and was taken ! " 
 
 The delay experienced by Captain Jones at Boston, 
 where he arrived with his prize, in getting rid of his 
 prisoners and being delivered, as he phrases it, from 
 the ^* honorable office of a jail-keeper," — the inaction 
 
A COMPLAINT. 59 
 
 in which he was obliged to remain for want of a 
 command, — the neglect of Commodore Hopkins, 
 from unwillingness or inability, to tender him any as- 
 sistance, — and his being superseded in the command 
 of the Alfred by the orders of that officer, were 
 circumstances of an irritating character, which drew 
 from him many letters of indignant remonstrance. 
 
 Writing to the commodore on the 28th of 
 February, he says : " It is only necessary for me to 
 inform you, as I have already done, that I am ap- 
 pointed by a letter from the Honorable the Vice- 
 President of the Marine Board, dated the 5th cur- 
 rent, to take command of the Alfred, Columbus, 
 Cabot, Hampden, and sloop Providence, and to call 
 on you for every possible assistance within your 
 power, to enable me to proceed forthwith on a 
 private enterprise, of the greatest importance to 
 America. The letter has the sanction and full 
 authority of Congress. It is written in their name. 
 Therefore, sir, I repeat my application, and demand 
 your hearty and immediate concurrence with me in 
 the outfit. It is in vain for you to affect to dis- 
 believe my appointment. 
 
 " I should have appeared personally at Providence, 
 had you justified my conduct in obeying your ex- 
 press orders, instead of leaving me, as you have done, 
 in the lurch.* I could then have convinced you of 
 
 *This refers to the action commenced against Jones for 
 damages, by the men taken from the Rhode Island privateer. 
 Commodore Hopkins left him to defend the suit himself, 
 saying that his orders had not been given in writing. 
 
60 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 its being your indispensable duty to give me every 
 possible assistance. When I placed a confidence in 
 3^ou, I did not think you capable of prevarication. 
 I then, when you needed friends, gave you the most 
 convincing proof of my sincerity. This you must 
 remember. I have asked Captain Saltonstall how 
 he could in the beginning suspect me, as you have 
 told me, of being unfriendl}^ to America. He seemed 
 astonished at the question ; and told me it was your- 
 self who prompted it. However, Avaiving ever^^thing 
 of a private nature, the best way is to co-operate 
 cheerfully together, that the public service may be 
 forwarded, and that scorn may yet forbear to point 
 her finger at a fleet under your command. I am 
 earnest in desiring to do everything with good 
 nature. Therefore to remove your doubts, if you 
 have any, I send this by express, to inform you that 
 I will meet you at Pawtucket, or at any other place, 
 on as early a day as you please to appoint, and will 
 there produce credentials to your satisfaction. In 
 the meantime, it is your duty to prevent the de- 
 parture of the Cabot, or any other vessel of the 
 squadron. I am astonished to hear that you have 
 ordered the Hampden out, without desiring an ex- 
 planation, after you received my last letters. My 
 appointment was unsolicited and unexpected, and it 
 must be owin^: to the hurrv of business that vou 
 have received no similar orders. I am, honored sir, 
 your very obliged, most humble servant, 
 
 " J. P. Jones. 
 
A COMPLAINT. 61 
 
 " P. S. I have sent by the bearer the coat which 
 you desired, likewise one for Mr. Brown. If I can 
 render you any service here, in procuring other 
 articles, acquaint me with the particulars, and my 
 best endeavors shall not be wanting." 
 
 The mixture of conciliatory overtures with the 
 peremptory language of this epistle, shows that 
 personal pique was tempered with a predominating 
 desire to serve the cause of the country at all sacri- 
 fices. It may be remarked, in passing, that Com- 
 modore Hopkins had been ordered to be censured 
 b}'- the sentence of a Court Martial ; and that when 
 the rank and station of the commanders of the navy 
 was determined by Congress, his name was omitted. 
 
 In relation to the manner in which Jones was 
 superseded, as he conceived himself to have been, by 
 junior officers, he has given a full account in his 
 letter addressed to Mr. Morris from Philadelphia in 
 1783, the whole of which document is given in the 
 appendix numbered I. It was an arrangement of 
 which he never ceased to complain, and as the 
 facts stated by him are uncontradicted, it seems that 
 he had good reasons for so doing. 
 
 Three grades of lieutenants were established by 
 the act of Congress of December 22d, 1775. Jones 
 was at the head of the first. At this time it is true 
 that Congress had not granted general letters of 
 reprisal, nor had the allegiance of the colonies to 
 the British crown been renounced. After the Dec- 
 laration of Independence, the organization of the 
 
62 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 navy could only properly take place, and the rank 
 of its officers be settled, as Congress in its wis- 
 dom should determine. Still a regard was due to 
 meritorious services, and to former precedence, 
 where the imperfect right was supported by 
 them. 
 
 The appointment of Jones to command the Prov- 
 idence as Captain, by the commander-in-chief of 
 the fleet, Commodore Hopkins, though it cannot be 
 considered as establishing his rank, was entitled to 
 respect. On the 8th of August, 1776, he received 
 an appointment as Captain, under the United States, 
 from President Hancock. 
 
 Congress had passed a resolution on the I7th of 
 April preceding, that " the nomination or appoint- 
 ment of captains or commanders should not establish 
 rank, which should be settled before commissions 
 were granted ; " and it was not until the 10th of 
 October following, that by another resolution they 
 settled the delicate and embarrassing question. 
 But Jones conceived, as it was natural he should, 
 that the date of his appointment ought not to have 
 been wholly overlooked, and fairly entitled him to 
 priority over those who were commissioned as cap- 
 tains, for the first time, on the 10th of October. In 
 what terms that appointment Avas couched cannot 
 be ascertained, as it appears it was mislaid by Pres- 
 ident Hancock, who had requested Jones to leave 
 it with him for a day or two. In the eloquent ar- 
 gument made for himself by the latter, in the re- 
 monstrance in the appendix to which we refer, h© 
 
A COMPLAINT. 6S 
 
 evidently confounds occasionally the terms appoint- 
 ment and commission. 
 
 On this subject he thus Avrote to the Marine Board 
 at Philadelphia : 
 
 " I am now to inform you, that by a letter from 
 Commodore Hopkins, dated on board the "Warren, 
 January 14th, 1777, which came to my hands a day 
 or two ago, I am superseded in the command of the 
 Alfred, in favor of Captain Hinman, and ordered 
 back to the sloop in Providence River. Whether 
 this order doth or doth not supersede also your 
 orders to me of the 10th ult., you can best deter- 
 mine ; however, as T undertook the late expedition 
 at his (Commodore Hopkins') request, from a prin- 
 ciple of humanity, I mean not now to make a dif- 
 ficulty about trifles, especially when the good of the 
 service is to be consulted. As I am unconscious of 
 any neglect of duty, or misconduct, since my ap- 
 pointment at the first as eldest lieutenant of the 
 navy, I cannot suppose that you can have intended 
 to set me aside, in favor of any man who did not 
 at that time bear a captain's commission, unless 
 indeed that man, by exerting his superior abilities, 
 hath rendered or can render more important services 
 to America. Those who stepped forth at the first, 
 in ships altogether unfit for war, were generally 
 considered as frantic rather than as wise men ; for 
 it must be remembered that almost everything then 
 made against them. And, although the success in 
 the affair with the Glasgow was not equal to what 
 
64 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 it might have been, yet the blame ought not to be 
 general. The principal or principals in command 
 alone are culpable; and the other officers, while 
 they stand unimpeached, have their full merit. 
 There were, it is true, divers persons, from misrepre- 
 sentation, put into commission at the beginning, 
 without fit qualification, and perhaps the number 
 may have been increased by later appointments ; 
 but it follows not that the gentleman or man of 
 merit should be neglected or overlooked on their 
 account. Kone other than a gentleman, as well as 
 a seaman both in theory and practise, is qualified 
 to support the character of a commissioned officer in 
 the navy; nor is any man fit to command a ship of 
 war who is not also capable of communicating ideas 
 on paper in language that becomes his ranlc. If 
 this be admitted, the foregoing operations will be 
 sufficiently clear; but if further proof is required, it 
 can easily be produced. 
 
 " When I entered into the service, I was not ac- 
 tuated by motives of self-interest. I stepped forth 
 as a free citizen of the world, in defense of the vio- 
 lated rights of mankind, and not in search of riches, 
 whereof, I thank God, I inherit a sufficiency ; but I 
 should prove my degeneracy were I not in the high- 
 est degree tenacious of my rnnk and seniority. As 
 a gentleman, I can yield this point up only to per- 
 sons of superior abilities and superior merit ; and 
 under such persons it would be my highest ambition 
 to learn. As this is the first time of my having ex- 
 pressed the least anxiety on my own account, I must 
 
A COMPLAINT. g5 
 
 entreat your patience until I account to you for the 
 reason which hath given me this freedom of senti- 
 ment. It seems that Captain Hinman's commission 
 is 'No, I, and that, in consequence, he who was at 
 first my junior officer by eight hath expressed him- 
 self as my senior officer in a manner which doth 
 himself no honor, and which doth me signal injury. 
 There are also in the navy persons who have not 
 shown me fair play after the service I have rendered 
 them. I have ever been blamed for the civilities 
 which I have shown to my prisoners ; at the re- 
 quest of one of whom I herein inclose an appeal, 
 which I must beg leave to lay before Congress. 
 Could you see the appellant's accomplished lady, 
 and the innocents, their children, arguments in their 
 behalf would be unnecessary. As the base-minded 
 only are capable of inconsistencies, you will not 
 blame my free soul, which can never stoop where 
 I cannot also esteem. Could I, which I never can, 
 bear to be superseded, I should indeed deserve your 
 contempt and total neglect. I am therefore to en- 
 treat you to employ me in the most enterprising 
 and active service,— accountable to your Honorable 
 Board only, for my conduct, and connected as imich 
 as possible with gentlemen and men of good sense." 
 
 "My conduct hitherto," he says, in the memorial 
 addressed to Congress from the Texal, " was so much 
 approved of by Congress, that on, the 5th of Feb- 
 ruary, 1777, I was appointed, with unlimited orders, 
 to command a little squadron of the Alfred, Colum. 
 
66 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 bus, Cabot, Hampden, and sloop Providence. Vari- 
 ous important services were pointed out, but I was 
 left at free liberty to make my election. This service, 
 however, did not take place ; for the Commodore, 
 who had three of the squadron blocked in at Provi- 
 dence, affected to disbelieve my appointment, and 
 would not at last give me the necessary assistance. 
 Finding that he trifled with my applications as well 
 as the orders of Congress, I undertook a journey 
 from Boston to Philadelpia, in order to explain 
 matters to Congress in person. I took this step 
 also because Captan Hinman had succeeded me in 
 the command of the Alfred, and, of course, the 
 service could not suffer through my absence. I 
 arrived at Philadelphia in the beginning of April. 
 But what was my surprise to find that, by a new line 
 of navy rank, which had taken place on the 10th 
 day of October, 1776, all the officers that had stepped 
 forth at the beginning were superseded ! I was my- 
 self superseded by thirteen men not one of whom 
 did (and perhaps some of them durst not) take the 
 sea against the British flag at the first ; for several 
 of them who were then applied to refused to 
 venture, — and none of them have since been very 
 happy in proving their superior abilities. Among 
 these thirteen there are individuals who can neither 
 pretend to parts nor education, and with whom as a 
 private gentleman, I would disdain to associate. 
 
 '•' I leave your Excellency and the Congress to 
 judge how this must affect a man of honor and 
 sensibility. 
 
A COMPLAINT. 67 
 
 "I was told by President Hancock, that what 
 gave me so much pain had been the effect only of a 
 multiplicity of business. He acknowledged the 
 injustice of that regulation, said it should make but a 
 nominal, and temporary, difference, and that in the 
 meantime I might assure myself that no navy 
 officer stood in the opinion of Congress higher than 
 
 mvself." 
 
 »/ 
 
 Jones repaired from Boston to Philadelphia, in 
 the beginning of April, 1777. His suggestions as to 
 the proper government of the navy, and his projects, 
 of annoying the enemy, were listened to with respect- 
 ful attention. Whatever cause he conceived him- 
 self to have for complaining of the nominal rank as- 
 signed to him, the command which it was first resolved 
 to give him, and that with which he was in the issue 
 entrusted, were calculated to satisfy his sense of 
 what was due to his deserts, and he expressed 
 himself as being highly gratified. 
 
 In his Journal, written for the king of France, 
 he says : " The President assured Captain Jones that 
 this matter of rank should be arranged at a future 
 day to his satisfaction, and in the meantime he 
 should have a separate command, etc. Three ships 
 were ordered to be fitted out in the eastern states, 
 and Captain Jones was, by a resolve of Congress, 
 directed to take his choice of them, ^ until better 
 provision could be made for him.' Captain Jones 
 spared no pains to execute this last scheme ; but be- 
 fore it was well begun, he received an appointment 
 
eS LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 from the marine and secret committee to proceed 
 to France in the French ship Amphitrite from Kew 
 Hampshire, with a letter to the American Commis- 
 sioners at Paris, containing orders to invest him 
 immediately with the command of ' a fine ship' (the 
 Indian, built for America at Amsterdam,) 'as a re- 
 ward for his zeal, and the important services he had 
 performed, in vessels of little force.' His departure 
 in the Amphitrite did not succeed, because the 
 terms offered the French commander were not ac- 
 cepted." 
 
 Speaking of this resolution of Congress, he says 
 elsewhere : " This was generous indeed ; and I shall 
 feel the whole force of the obligation to the last 
 moment of my life." 
 
 " Philadelphia, JUay 9ih, 1777. 
 
 " Honorable Gentlemen — 
 
 " This letter is intended to be delivered to you by 
 John Paul Jones, Esq., an active and brave com- 
 mander in our navy, who has already performed 
 signal services in vessels of little force ; and in re- 
 ward for his zeal we have directed him to go on board 
 the Amphitrite, a French ship of twenty guns, that 
 brought in a valuable cargo of stores from Mons. 
 Hostalez & Co., and with her to repair to France. 
 He takes with him his commission, some officers 
 and men, so that we hope he will, under that sanc- 
 tion, make some good prizes with the Amphitrite ; 
 
A COMPLAINT. 09 
 
 but our design of sending him is (with the approba- 
 tion of Congress) that you may purchase one of 
 those fine frigates that Mr. Deane writes us you 
 can get, and invest him with the command thereof 
 as soon as possible. We hope you may not delay 
 this business one moment, but purchase, in such 
 port or place in Europe as it can be done with most 
 convenience and despatch, a fine, fast-sailing frig- 
 ate or larger ship. Direct Captain Jones where he 
 must repair to, and he will take with him his offi- 
 cers and men towards manning her. You will 
 assign him some good house or agent to supply 
 him with everything necessary to get the ship 
 speedily and well equipped and manned — some 
 body that will bestir themselves vigorously in 
 the business, and never quit it until it is accom- 
 plished. 
 
 *' If you have any plan or service to be performed 
 in Europe by such ship, that you think will be more 
 for the interest and honor of the States than send- 
 ing her out directly. Captain Jones is instructed to 
 obey your orders ; and, to save repetition, let him 
 lay before you the instructions we have given him, 
 and furnish you with a copy thereof. You can then 
 judge what will be necessary for you to direct him 
 in, and whatever you do will be approved, as it will 
 undoubtedly tend to promote the public service of 
 this country. 
 
 " You see by this step how much depend 
 ence Congress places in your advices ; and you 
 must make it a point not to disappoint Cap- 
 
YO LIFE CF PAUL JONES. 
 
 tain Jones' wishes and expectations on this oc- 
 casion. 
 
 "We are, etc. 
 
 (Signed) " Egbert Morris, 
 
 " Richard Henry Lee, 
 " Wm. Whipple, 
 " Phil. Livingston. 
 
 " The Honorable Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and 
 Arthur Lee, EsQL^RES, Commissioners," etc. 
 
 In Marine Committee. 
 
 " Philadelphia, May 9th, 1777. 
 
 " John Paul Jones, Esq. 
 
 " Sir, — Congress has thought proper to authorize 
 the Secret Committee to employ you on a voyage 
 in the Amphitrite, from Portsmouth to Carolina 
 and France, where it is expected you will be provided 
 with a fine frigate ; and as your present commission 
 is for the command of a particular ship, we now 
 send you a new one, whereby you are appointed a 
 captain in our navy, and of course may command any 
 ship in the service to which you are particularly or- 
 dered. You are to obey the orders of the Secret 
 Committee, and we are, sir, etc. 
 
 ( Signed) " John Hancock, 
 
 " Rob. Morris, 
 " Wm. Whipple." 
 
 In Marine Committee. 
 <* Phiuldelphl^, September 6th, 1777, 
 
A COMPLAINT. 71 
 
 ** SiE, — As soon as these instructions get to hand, 
 you are to make immediate application to the proper 
 persons to get your vessel victualed and fitted for 
 sea with all expedition. When this is done, you 
 are to proceed on a voyage to some convenient port 
 in France ; on your arrival there, apply to the agent, 
 if any in or near said port, for such supplies as you 
 may stand in need of. You are at the same time 
 to give immediate notice, by letter, to the Honorable 
 Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee, 
 Esquires, or any of them at Paris, of your arrival, 
 requesting their instructions as to your further 
 destination, which instructions you are to obey as 
 far as it shall be in your power. 
 
 " You are to take particular notice, that whilst on 
 the coast of France, or in a French port, you are, 
 as much as you conveniently can, to keep your 
 guns covered and concealed, and to make as little 
 warlike appearance as possible. Wishing you," 
 etc., etc. 
 
 Jones had recommended, in a letter to a member 
 of Congress, that the Mellish be converted into a 
 ship of war ; and the secret committee had passed a 
 resolution to that effect ; but the intention was 
 abandoned in consequence of letters from him. On 
 the 14th of June, Congress resolved, " that the flag 
 of the United States should be thirteen stripes, al- 
 ternate red and white : that the Union be thirteen 
 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new 
 constellation." By another resolution, passed the 
 
I[% LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 same day, Jones was appointed to command the 
 ship Ranger ; on board of which he hoisted the 
 national flag for the first time it was disphiyed on 
 board of a man-of-war, as he had formerly hoisted 
 the colonial one, in the Delaware. ( See Appendix 
 No. II. ) He began to fit out this vessel in July ; 
 but was not ready for sea before the 15th of Nov- 
 ember following. She was scarcely half rigged 
 when he took charge of her, and much difficulty 
 was experienced in arming and equipping her. He 
 wrote as follows to the Marine Committee on the 
 29th of October : — " With all my industry I could 
 not get the single suit of sails completed until the 
 20th current. Since that time the winds and 
 weather have laid me under the necessity of con- 
 tinuing in port. At this time it blows a very 
 heavy gale from the N. E. The ship with difficulty 
 rides it out, with yards and top-mast struck, and 
 whole cables ahead. "When it clears up, I expect 
 the wind from the IST. W., and shall not fail to em- 
 brace it, although I have not now a spare sail, nor 
 materials to make one. Some of those I have are 
 made of Hessings ( a coarse, thm stuff). I never 
 before had so disagreeable a service to perform as 
 that which I have now accomplished, and of which 
 another will claim the credit as well as the profit. 
 However, in doing my utmost, I am sensible that I 
 have done no more than my duty. I have now to 
 acknowledge the honor of having received your 
 orders of the 6th ultimo ; and that I have before 
 me the pleasing prospect of being the welcome mess- 
 
A. COMPLAINT. 73 
 
 enger at Paris of the joyful and important news of 
 Burgoyne's surrender. I have received despatches 
 from the Council of Massachusetts, for the commis- 
 sioner, b}^ express. I shall, therefore, not go out of my 
 course, unless I see a fair opportunity of distressing 
 the enemy, and of rendering services to America." 
 
 Twenty-six guns were provided for the Ranger; 
 but Jones wrote that he purposed to carry no more 
 than eighteen six-pounders, as he thought the 
 ship incapable of carrying a greater number so 
 as to be serviceable. He complained that they were 
 all three diameters of the bore too short. He found 
 no difficulty in procuring men, but he was badly 
 provided with stores, having only thirty gallons of 
 rum for his whole crew. With this indifferent 
 armament he sailed from Portsmouth on the first 
 of November, and arrived at Nantes on the 2d of 
 December following. He found the Eanger very 
 crank, ovring to the improper quality of her ballast; 
 which induced him on his arrival to shorten her 
 lower masts, and ballast with lead. 
 
 The following particulars of his cruise are given 
 in his letter from Nantes to the Marine Committee : 
 
 " After passing the Western Islands, I fell in 
 with and brought to a number of ships, but met 
 with no English property, till within eighty leagues 
 of Ushant. I then fell in with a fleet of ten sail 
 with a strong convoy, bound up the channel; but 
 notwithstanding my endenvors, I was unable to de- 
 tach any of them from tlie convoy. I took two 
 
74 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 brigantines from Malaga with fruit for London. 
 One of the prizes has arrived here. The other, I 
 am now told, is in Quiberon Bay. I arrived here 
 on the 2d current, without having met with any 
 misfortune on the passage, though I met with some 
 very severe weather. Besides the fleet already men- 
 tioned, I fell in with several ships in the night ; so 
 that I have had agreeable proofs of the active 
 spirit of my officers and men. Though they have 
 not formerly been conversant in the management 
 of ships of war, yet I am persuaded they will be- 
 have well, should I have an opportunity of bring- 
 ing them to action, etc." 
 
 He does not mention in this letter the particulars of 
 his meeting with the Invincible, a ship of seventy- 
 four guns, which was giving convoy to a few ships 
 from Gibraltar. 
 
 He speaks of the affair in his narrative for the 
 king of France, as a " near rencontre " ; and in his 
 letter from Texel, he says, " I could not help chas- 
 ing the Invincible, by the way." 
 
 Determined to attend to the necessary alterations 
 and equipment of the Ranger in person, his first act 
 on arriving at Nantes was to write on the 5th of 
 December to the commissioners of Congress at Paris, 
 — Dr. Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee. 
 The following is an extract from the letter : 
 
 " I yesterday enclosed you copies of two letters 
 which I wrote you previous to my departure from 
 Portsmouth, together with a plan which I drew up 
 
A COMPLAINT. 75 
 
 in Philadelphia, on the regulation and equipment of 
 our infant navy. It is ray first and favorite wish to 
 be emplo3^ed in active and enterprising services, 
 when there is a prospect of rendering acceptable 
 services to America. The singular honor which 
 Congress has done me by their generous acknowledg- 
 ment of my past services, hath inspired me with senti- 
 ments of gratitude which I shall carry with me to 
 my grave ; and if a life of services devoted to Amer- 
 ica can be made instrumental in securing its inde- 
 pendence, I shall regard the continuance of such ap- 
 probation as an honor far superior to what kings 
 even could bestow. 
 
 " I am ready to lay before you any orders, which 
 I have received from Congress. At present I take 
 the liberty of enclosing for your inspection a very 
 honorable and unexpected appointment, etc. I have 
 always, since we have had ships of war, been per- 
 suaded that small squadrons could be employed to 
 far better advantage on private expeditions, and 
 would distress the enemy infinitel}^ more than the 
 same force could do, by cruising either jointly or 
 separately. Were strict secrecy observed on our 
 part, the enemy have many important places in such 
 a defenseless situation, that they might be effectu- 
 ally surprised and attacked, with no very consider- 
 able force. We cannot yet light their navy; as 
 their numbers and force are so far superior to ours. 
 Therefore it seems to be our most natural province 
 to surprise their defenseless places ; and thereby 
 divert their attention, and draw it off from the 
 
76 LITE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 coasts. But you see that my honorable correspond- 
 ent is, and I know that many others are, of the 
 same opinion." 
 
 The course here recommended by Jones was the 
 only one which eventually was found feasible. He 
 was soon summoned to Paris by the Commissioners, 
 to consult with them upon the measures to be adopted 
 for annoying the enemy. France was not yet in open 
 hostility with England, nor had the commissioners 
 been recognized as plenipotentiaries. Jones was 
 directed to keep his guns as much concealed as pos- 
 sible while on the French coasts. 
 
 He was destined to meet with a serious disappoint- 
 ment, in being obliged to assent to the transfer of 
 the Indian, the " fine ship " of which he had expected 
 to receive the command, and which was building at 
 Amsterdam, to the French Government. Consider- 
 ing the irritability of his character, we do not find 
 that he bore this miscarriage very ungraciously. 
 Congress certainly had intended that he should take 
 command of this vessel, or of one of equal force ; 
 and he made their resolution a ground for claiming 
 the rank which such a command would have given 
 him. But he submitted to parting with the Indian 
 with tolerable good humor, as the extracts from his 
 letters will show. This is mentioned, because he 
 has been charged with writing to Congress " in no 
 very modest terms." 
 
 In his first despatch from Nantes to the Marine 
 Committee, he says : 
 
A. COMPLAINT. >f7 
 
 "I understand, though I have yet received no 
 letter, that the commissioners had provided for me 
 one of the finest frigates that ever was built ; calcu- 
 lated for thirty guns on one deck ; and capable of 
 carrying thirty-six pounders ; but were under the 
 necessity of giving her up, on account of some diffi- 
 culties which they met with at court. Perhaps the 
 news of our late successes may now put that court 
 in a better humor. But my unfeigned thanks are 
 equally due for the intention as for the act." 
 
 Writing again to the same committee, on the 22d 
 of December, the day after he had received a request 
 from the commissioners to attend them at Paris, he 
 declared his intention to proceed to sea with the 
 Ranger, without loss of time, should there be any 
 delay in obtaining additional force. 
 
 In his narrative for the king of France, corrected 
 by himself, in speaking of the " assignment of the 
 property of that famous frigate, the Indian," he has 
 interlined, " with the consent of Captain Jones." 
 
 Writing to the Marine Committee subsequently, 
 on the subject, he said : 
 
 "Deeply sensible of the honor which Congress 
 has conferred upon me communicated in the orders 
 of the Secret Committee to the commissioners, I can 
 bear the disappointment with philosophy. Yet I con- 
 fess I was rather hurt, when at Paris, I understood 
 that the new frigate at Amsterdam had never been 
 intended for me, before my appearance, but for the 
 constructor," 
 
76 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 After conferring with the commissioners on the 
 various schemes he had to suggest, he returned to 
 JS^antes to complete the Hanger's equipments, and on 
 the 16th of January, 1788, he received from them 
 their instructions as to his conduct on the cruise he 
 proposed making. They were as follows, giving 
 him almost unlimited discretion ; which he was 
 perfectly willing to assume, though it seems from 
 one of his despatches that he did not understand 
 the commissioners as " promising even to justify 
 him, should he fail in any bold attempt : " 
 
 " Paris, January \^th^ 1788. 
 " Captain Jones, 
 
 *^ Sir, — As it is not in our power to procure 3^ou 
 such a ship as you expected, we advise you, after 
 equipping the Eanger in the best manner for the 
 cruise you propose, that 3^ou proceed with her in the 
 manner you shall judge best for distressing the ene- 
 mies of the United States, by sea or otherwise, con- 
 sistent with the laws of war, and the terms of your 
 commissions.". . . "If you make an attempt on 
 the coast of Great Britain we advise you not to 
 return immediately into the ports of France, unless 
 forced by stress of weather, or the pursuit of the 
 enemy ; and in such case you can make the proper 
 representation to the officers of the port, and ac- 
 quaint us with your situation. We rely on your 
 ability, as well as your zeal, to serve the United 
 States, and therefore do not give you particular in- 
 
A COMPLAINT. 79 
 
 structions as to your operations. We must caution 
 you against giving any cause of complaint to the 
 subjects of France or Spain, or of other neutral 
 powers; and recommend it to you to show them 
 every proper mark of respect, and real civility, 
 which may be in your power." 
 
 Mr. Arthur Lee did not approve of a part of these 
 instructions, directing the sale of the prizes to be 
 entrusted to other hands than those of the commer- 
 cial agents. He expressed his want of confidence 
 in Mr. Gourlade, one of the persons mentioned, at 
 rOrient, and did not sign the letter. Messrs. Frank- 
 lin and Deane knew of nothing done by Gourlade 
 to impair their confidence in him. 
 
 Agreeably to the suggestion of Jones, they ad- 
 dressed an intimation to the crew of the Kanger, 
 promising " in case of their good and gallant be- 
 havior, to recommend them to Congress for a gener- 
 ous gratification, proportioned to their merits." 
 
 On the 10th of February, Jones says in his 
 Journal to the king of France, " on receiving ao-ree- 
 able news of affairs in America, and the position of 
 Lord Howe's fleet, he wrote a letter to Mr. Deane, 
 one of the commissioners of Congress at Paris, con- 
 taining the plan that was adopted for Count d'Es- 
 taing's expedition; which would have ended the 
 war, had it been immediately pursued." 
 
 He has been censured for assuming to himself the 
 original merit of devising this important measure. 
 It is certain, that he repeatedly makes the assertion 
 
80 LITE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 that he furnished the outline of the project. (See 
 Appendix No. III.) In a letter to M. De Sartine, 
 the French minister of marine, written subsequently, 
 he says : 
 
 " Had Count d'Estaing arrived in the Delaware a 
 few days sooner, he might have made a most glori- 
 ous and easy conquest. Many successful projects 
 may be adopted from the hints which I had the 
 honor to draw up ; and if I can still furnish more, or 
 execute any of these already furnished, so as to 
 distress and humble the common enerav, it will 
 afford me the truest pleasure." It may naturally be 
 inferred that the operations of Count d'Estaing's 
 fleet was a subject discussed in the consultations 
 held by Jones with the commissioners, on his first 
 brief visit to Paris, though he does not intimate 
 that any such conversation took place. It cannot 
 be doubted that he v\'as peculiarly qualified to give 
 important advice, from his accurate acquaintance 
 with the localities of the Delaware, and the naviga- 
 tion of the waters in the vicinitv of the scene se- 
 lected for the intended operation. It will also be 
 doubted that his advice would naturally be of a 
 daring character, recommending bold measures as 
 best calculated to lead to great results. 
 
 There can be no reason forimpeacliing his voracity, 
 when he affirms that he forwarded his plan to Mr. 
 Deane at the time mentioned ; nor does it appear 
 that he exclusively arrogated the praise due to the 
 wisdom with which the scheme was conceived. He 
 put in a claim for his fair share of honor ; and there 
 
A COMPLAINT. 81 
 
 is no evidence against his title to it. As secrecy 
 was essential in effecting the proposed object, no 
 mention is of course made of it in his general cor- 
 respondence at the time. It failed, as is well known, 
 from the delay which occurred, and which enabled 
 Lord Howe to place his fleet and transports in 
 safety. 
 6 
 
S% LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTEE Y. 
 
 AT WHITEHAVEN. 
 
 From ]N"antes Jones proceeded in the Eanger for 
 Quiberon Bay, whither he convoj^ed some American 
 vessels, that desired to sail out under the protection 
 of the French squadron in that road, commanded 
 by Monsieur La Motte Picquet. From that brave 
 officer Captain Jones claimed and obtained the first 
 salute the flag of America ever received. 
 
 Some days afterwards he claimed and obtained 
 the same honor from Count d'Orvilliers, command- 
 er-in-chief of the fleet at Brest. Both these 
 salutes preceded the publication of the treaty of 
 alliance. 
 
 This first salute was not obtained, however, with- 
 out some diplomacy and negotiation, in which Jones 
 showed both firmness and address. The following 
 letters were written by him on the occasion : 
 
 ''February Uthy 1778. 
 " Dear Sir, — 
 
 " I am extremely sorry to give you fresh trouble, 
 but I think the Admiral's answer of yesterday re- 
 quires an explanation. 
 
 " The haughty English return gun for gun to 
 foreign officers of equal rank, and two less only to 
 
AT WHITEHAVEN. gg 
 
 captains by flag-officers. It is true, my command 
 at present is not important, yet, as the senior 
 American officer at present in Europe, it is my duty 
 to claim an equal return of respect to the flag of 
 the United States that would be shown to any 
 other flag whatever. 
 
 " I therefore take the liberty of enclosing an 
 appomtment, perhaps as respectable as any which 
 the French Admiral can produce; besides which I 
 have others in my possession. ' 
 
 " If, however, he persists in refusing to return an 
 equal salute, I will accept of two guns less, as I 
 have not the rank of Admiral. 
 
 " It is my opinion that he would return four less 
 to a privateer or a merchant ship ; therefore, as I have 
 been honored oftener than once with a chief com- 
 mand of ships-of-war, I cannot, in honor, accept of 
 the same terms of respect. 
 
 " You will singularly oblige me by waiting upon 
 the Admiral ; and I ardently hope you will succeed 
 m the application, else I shall be under the necessity 
 of departing without coming into the bay. I have 
 the honor to be, etc., etc. 
 
 " To WaLiAM Carmich^l, Esq. 
 
 " K E.— Though thirteen guns is your greatest 
 salute in America, yet if the French Admiral should 
 prefer a greater number, he has his choice, on con- 
 ditions." 
 
 Writing to Mr. Jonathan Williams on the follow- 
 
$4 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 ing day, he says, " I propose to salute the Admiral 
 in open day ; that no evasion may afterwards be 
 made." He wrote as follows to the Marine Com- 
 mittee, on the 22d of February : 
 
 " I am happy in having it in my power to con- 
 gratulate you on my having seen the American 
 flas: for the first time recoo^nized in the fullest and 
 completest manner by the flag of France. I was off 
 their bay the 13th, and sent my boat in the next 
 day, to know if the Admiral would return my salute. 
 He answered that he would return to me, as the 
 senior American continental officer in Europe, the 
 same salute which he was authorized by his court 
 to return to an Admiral of Holland or of any other 
 Republic, which was four guns less than the salute 
 given. I hesitated at this ; for I had demanded 
 gun for gun. Therefore, I anchored in the entrance 
 of the bay, at a distance from the French fleet, but 
 after a very particular inquiry on the 14th, finding 
 that he had really told the truth, I was induced to 
 accept of his offer, the more so as it was in fact an 
 acknowledgment of American Independence. The 
 wind being contrary, and blowing hard, it was after 
 sunset before the Ranger got near enough to salute 
 La Motte Picquet with thirteen guns ; which he 
 returned with nine. However, to put the matter 
 beyond a doubt, I did not suffer the Independence 
 to salute till next morning, w^hen I sent the Admiral 
 word that I should sail through his fleet in the brig, 
 and would salute him in open day. He was ex- 
 
AT WHITEHAVEN. 85 
 
 ceedinglj pleased, and returned the compliment also 
 with nine guns. 
 
 " I have in contemplation several enterprises of 
 some importance. . . . When an enemy thinks a 
 design against him improbable, he can always be 
 surprised and attacked with advantage. It is true, 
 I must run great risk ; but no gallant action was 
 ever performed without danger. Therefore, though 
 I cannot ensure success, I will endeavor to deserve it." 
 
 "Writing on the same date to the secret committee, 
 thanking them for the flattering terms in which he 
 had been recommended to the commissioners, and 
 his services been spoken of, he enclosed an ode of a 
 patriotic nature, which had been written in France, 
 begging that it might be laid before Congress, and 
 intimating a hope that the author would be con- 
 sidered worthy of the attention of that body. 
 
 He says that at this time '' Count d'Orvilliers, 
 through whom he communicated his idea for an ex- 
 pedition to America to M. De Sartine, offered, on 
 account of the smallness of his frigate, to procure 
 for him a commission of Captain in the Royal J^avy 
 of France, which he refused." 
 
 He sailed from Brest on the 10th of April, on 
 his first memorable cruise. The commissioners had 
 no exact idea of his intentions. He " at first had 
 thoughts of striking a blow on the south side of 
 England ; but, being detained for some time by con- 
 trary and stormy winds at Brest, he abandoned that 
 scheme." The most ample and interesting account 
 
86 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 of this cruise is given in his letter to the American 
 Commissioners, written on the 27th of May, from 
 Erest. It is said to be confirmed, in all its details, 
 by log-books in th possession of individuals in 
 Scotland. It has been very frequently published, 
 but its insertion entire is essential here. 
 
 " I have now to fulfil the promise made in my 
 last, by giving j^ou an account of my late expedi- 
 tion. 
 
 " I sailed from Brest the 10th of April ; my plan 
 was extensive, I therefore did not at the beginning 
 wish to encumber myself with prisoners. On the 
 14th I took a brigantine between Scilly and Cape 
 Clear, bound for Ostend, with a cargo of flaxseed 
 for Ireland, sunk her, and proceeded into St. George's 
 Channel. 
 
 " On the 17th I took the ship Lord Chatham, 
 bound from London to Dublin, with a cargo con- 
 sisting of porter and a variety of merchandise, and 
 almost within sight of her port ; this ship I manned 
 and ordered for Brest. 
 
 " Towards the evening of the day following, the 
 weather had a promising appearance, and, the wind 
 being favorable, I stood over from the Isle of Man 
 w^ith an intention to make a descent at Whitehaven ; 
 at ten I was off the harbor with a party of volun- 
 teers, and had everything in readiness to land ; but 
 before eleven the wind greatly increased and shifted, 
 so as to blow directly upon the shore ; tlie sea in- 
 creased of course, and it became impossible to effect 
 
AT WHITEHAVEN. 87 
 
 a landing. This obliged me to carry all possible 
 sail so as to clear the land and to await a more favor- 
 able opportunity. 
 
 " On the 18th, in Glentinebay, on the south coast 
 of Scotland, I met with a revenue wherry ; it being 
 the common practise of these vessels to board mer- 
 chant ships, the Kanger then having no external 
 appearance of war, it was expected that this rover 
 would have come alongside ; I was, however, mis- 
 taken ; for though the men were at their quarters, 
 yet this vessel outsailed the Eanger, and got clear 
 in spite of a severe cannonade. 
 
 " The next morning, off the Mull of Galloway, I 
 found myself so near a Scotch coasting schooner, 
 loaded with barley, that I could not avoid sinking 
 her. Understanding that there were ten or twelve 
 sail of merchant ships, besides a Tender brigantine, 
 with a number of impressed men on board, at 
 anchor in Lochryan, in Scotland, I thought this an 
 enterprise worthy my attention ; but the wind, which 
 at the first would have served equally well to have 
 sailed in or out of the Loch, shifted in a hard squall, 
 so as to blow almost directly in, with an appearance 
 of bad weather. I was therefore obliged to abandon 
 my project. 
 
 " Seeing a cutter off the lee-bow steering for 
 the Clyde, I gave chase, in hopes of cutting her off ; 
 but finding my endeavors ineffectual, I pursued no 
 farther than the Eock of Ailsa. In the evening I 
 fell in with a sloop from Dublin, which I sunk, to 
 prevent intelligence. 
 
8S LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 " The next day, the 21st, being near Carrickfergug, 
 a fishing-boat came off, which 1 detained. I saw a 
 ship at anchor in the road, which I was informed 
 by the fishermen was the British ship-of-war Drake, 
 of twenty guns. I determined to attack her in the 
 night; my plan was to overlay her cable, and to fall 
 upon her bow, so as to have all her decks open and 
 exposed to our musketry, etc. ; at the same time, it 
 was ray intention to have secured the enemy by grap- 
 plings, so that, had they cut their cables, they would 
 not thereby have attained an advantage. 
 
 " The wind was high, and unfortunately the 
 anchor was not let go so soon as the order was 
 given, so that the Eanger Avas brought to upon the 
 enemy's quarter at the distance of half a cable's 
 length. We had made no warlike appearance, of 
 course had given no alarm ; this determined me to 
 cut immediately, w^hich might appear as if the cable 
 had parted, and at the same time enable me, after 
 making a tack out of the Loch, to return with the 
 same prospect of advantage w^hich I had at the first. 
 I was, however, prevented from returning, as I with 
 difficulty weathered the lighthouse on the lee-side of 
 the Loch, and as the gale increased. The w^eather 
 now became so very stormy and severe, and the 
 sea ran so high, that I was obliged to take shelter 
 under the south shore of Scotland. 
 
 " The 22d introduced fair weather, though the 
 three kingdoms ^vere, as far as the eye could reach, 
 covered with snow. I now resolved once more to 
 attempt Whitehaven; but the wind became very 
 
AT WHITEHAVEN. 39 
 
 light, so that the ship would not in proper time 
 approach so near as I had intended. 
 
 " At midnight I left the ship with two boats and 
 thirtv-one volunteers : when we reached the outer 
 pier, the day began to dawn ; I would not, however, 
 abandon my enterprise, but despatched one boat 
 under the direction of Mr. Hill and Lieutenant 
 "Wallingsford, with the necessary combustibles to 
 set fire to the shipping on the north side of the 
 harbor, while I went with the other party to attempt 
 the south side. 
 
 " I was successful in scaling the walls and spiking 
 up all the cannon on the first fort ; finding the sen- 
 tinels shut up in the guard-house, they were secured 
 without being hurt. Having fixed sentinels, I now 
 took with me one man only (Mr. Green), and spiked 
 up all the cannon on the southern fort, distant from 
 the other a quarter of a mile, 
 
 " On my return from this business, I naturally 
 expected to see the fire of the ships on the north 
 side, as well as to find my own party with every- 
 thing in readiness to set fire to the shipping on the 
 south ; instead of this, I found the boat under the 
 direction of Mr. Hill and Mr. Wallingsford returned, 
 and the party in some confusion, their light having 
 burnt out at the instant it became necessary. 
 
 " By the strangest fatality, my own party were 
 in the same situation, the candles being all burnt 
 out. The day too came on apace, yet I would by no 
 means retreat while any hopos of success remained. 
 Having again placed sentinels, a light was obtained 
 
90 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 at a house disjoined from the town, and a fire kin- 
 dled in the steerage of a large ship, which was sur- 
 rounded by at least a hundred and fifty others, chiefly 
 from two to four hundred tons burthen, and lying 
 side by side, aground, un surrounded by the water. 
 
 " There were, besides, from seventy to a hundred 
 large ships in the north arm of the harbor, aground, 
 clear of the water, and divided from the rest only 
 by a stone pier of a ship^s height. I should have 
 kindled fires in other places if the time had per- 
 mitted ; as it did not, our care was to prevent the 
 one kindled from being easily extinguished. After 
 some search, a barrel of tar was found, and poured 
 into the flames, which now ascended from all the 
 hatchways. The inhabitants began to appear in 
 thousands, and individuals ran hastily towards us. 
 I stood between them and the ship on fire, with a 
 pistol in my hand, and ordered them to retire, which 
 they did with precipitation. The flames had already 
 caught the rigging, and begun to ascend the main- 
 mast ; the sun was a full hour's march above the 
 horizon, and as sleep no longer ruled the world, it 
 was time to retire. We re-embarked without opposi- 
 tion, having released a number of prisoners, as our 
 boats could not carry them. After all m}^ people 
 had embarked, I stood upon the pier for a consider- 
 able space, yet no person advanced ; I saw all the 
 eminences round the town covered with the amazed 
 inhabitants. 
 
 " When we had rowed to a considerable distance 
 from the shore, the English began to run in vast 
 
AT WHITEHAVEN. 91 
 
 numbers to their forts ; their disappointment may 
 easily be imagined when they found, I suppose, at 
 least thirty heavy cannon (the instrument of their 
 vengeance) rendered useless. 
 
 " At length, however, they began to fire, having as 
 I apprehend, either brought down ships' guns, or used 
 one or two cannon which lay on the beach at the 
 foot of the walls, dismounted, and which had not 
 been spiked. They fired wuth no direction, and the 
 shot, falliBg short of the boats, instead of doing us 
 any damage, afforded some diversion, which my 
 people could not help showing, by discharging their 
 pistols, etc., in return of the salute. 
 
 " Had it been possible to have landed a few hours 
 sooner, my success would have been complete. ISTot 
 a single ship out of more than two hundred could 
 possibly have escaped, and all the world would not 
 have been able to save the town. What was done, 
 however, is sufficient to show that not all their 
 boasted navy can protect their own coasts ; that the 
 scenes of distress, w^hich they have occasioned in 
 America, may be soon brought home to their own 
 door. One of my people w^as missing; and must, I 
 fear, have fallen into the enemies' hands after our 
 departure. 
 
 " I w^as pleased that in this business we neither 
 killed nor wounded any person. I brought off three 
 prisoners as a sample. 
 
 " We now stood over for the Scotch shore ; and I 
 landed at noon at St. Mary's Isle, with one boat 
 only, and a very small party. The motives which 
 
93 LIFE OF PAtJL J0NE3. 
 
 induced me to land there are explained in the within 
 copy of a letter which I have addressed to the 
 Countess of Selkirk, dated the 8th instant. 
 
 " On the morning of the 24:th, I was again off 
 Carrickfergus, and would have gone in, had I not 
 seen the Drake preparing to come out. It was very 
 moderate, and the Drake's boat was sent out to re- 
 con noiter the Eanger. As the boat advanced, I 
 kept the ship's stern directly toward her ; and 
 though they had a spy-glass in the boat, they came 
 on within hail, and alongside. 
 
 " When the officer came on the quarter-deck, he 
 was greatly surprised to find himself a prisoner ; 
 although an express had arrived from "Whitehaven 
 the night before. I now understood, what I had 
 before imagined, that the Drake came out in conse- 
 quence of this information, with volunteers, against 
 the Ranger. The officer told me, also, that they 
 had taken up the Ranger's anchor. The Drake was 
 attended by five small vessels full of people, who 
 were led by curiosit}^ to see an engagement. But, 
 when they saw the Drake's boat at the Ranger's 
 stern, they wisely put back. 
 
 " Alarm smokes now appeared in great abundance, 
 extending along on both sides of the channel. The 
 tide was unfavorable, so that the Drake worked out 
 but slowly. This obliged me to run down several 
 times, and to lay with courses up, and main-topsail 
 to the mast. At lens^th the Drake weathered the 
 point, and having led her out to about mid-channel, 
 I suffered her to come within hail. 
 
AT WHITEHAVEN. 93 
 
 " The Drake hoisted English colors, and at the 
 same instant the American stars were displayed on 
 board the Ranger. I expected that preface had been 
 now at the end, but the enemy soon after hailed, de- 
 manding what ship it w'as ? I directed the master 
 to answer, ' The American Continental ship Eanger ; 
 that we waited for them, and desired that they 
 would come on ; the sun was now little more than 
 an hour from setting, it was therefore time to begin.' 
 The Drake being astern of the Eanger, I ordered 
 the helm up, and gave her the first broadside. The 
 action was warm, close, and obstinate. It lasted an 
 hour and four minutes, when the enemy called for 
 quarters; her fore and main-topsail yards being 
 both cut away, and down on the cap ; the top-gallant 
 yard and mizzengaff both hanging up and down 
 along the mast ; the second ensign w^hich they had 
 hoisted shot J^V/^ay, and hanging on the quarter 
 gallery in the water ; the jib shot away, and hang- 
 ing in the water ; her sails and rigging entirely cut 
 to pieces ; her masts and yards all wounded, and her 
 hull also very much galled. 
 
 "I lost only Lieutenant Wallingsford and one 
 seaman, John Dougall, killed, and six wounded; 
 among whom are the gunner, Mr. Falls, and Mr. 
 Powers, a midsl^ipman, w^ho lost his arm. One of 
 the wounded, Nathaniel Wills, is since dead ; the 
 rest will recov^-r. The loss of the enemy in killed 
 and wounded fras far greater. All the prisoners 
 allow that tbey came out with a number not less 
 than a hundred and sixty men ; and many of them 
 
^4 LITE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 affirm that they amounted to a hundred and ninety. 
 The medium may, perhaps, be the most exact ac- 
 count ; and by that it will appear that they lost in 
 killed and wounded forty-two men. The captain 
 and lieutenant were among the wounded; the 
 former, having received a musket-ball in the head 
 the minute before they called for quarters, lived, 
 and was sensible some time after the people boarded 
 the prize. The lieutenant survived two days. They 
 were buried with the honors due to their rank, and 
 with the respect due to their memory. 
 
 " The night and almost the whole day after the 
 action being moderate greatly facilitated the refit- 
 ting of both ships. A large brigantine was so near 
 the Drake in the afternoon that 1 was obliged to 
 bring her to. She belonged to Whitehaven, and was 
 bound for JSTorway. 
 
 " I had thought of returning by the south channel ; 
 but the wind shifting, I determined to pass hy the 
 north, and round the west coast of Ireland. This 
 brought me once more off Belfast Lough, on the 
 evening after the engagement. It was now time to 
 release the honest fishermen, whom I took up here 
 on the 21st. And as the poor fellows had lost their 
 boat, she having sunk in the late stormy weather, I 
 was happy in having it in my power to give them 
 the necessary sum to purchase everything which 
 they had lost. I gave them also a good boat to 
 transport themselves ashore ; and sent with them 
 two infirm men, on whom I bestowed the last guinea 
 in my possession, to defray their traveling expenses 
 
AT WHITEHAVEN. 05 
 
 to their proper home in Dublin. They took with 
 them one of the Drake's sails, which would suffi- 
 ciently explain what had happened to the volunteers. 
 The grateful fishermen were in rapture ; and ex- 
 pressed their joy in three huzzas as they passed the 
 Ranger's quarter. 
 
 " I again met with contrary winds in the mouth 
 of the North Channel, but nothing remarkable 
 happened, till, on the morning of the 5th, Ushant 
 then bearing S. E. by S., distance fifteen leagues, 
 when seeing a sail to leeward steering for the 
 Channel, the wind being favorable for Brest, and 
 the distance trifling, I resolved to give chase, having 
 the Drake in tow. I informed them of mv inten- 
 tions, and ordered them to cast ojff. They cut the 
 hawser. The Ranger in the chase went lasking 
 between N. N. E., and Isr.N. W. It lasted an hour 
 and ten minutes, when the chase was hailed and 
 proved a Swede. I immediately hauled by the wind 
 to the southward. 
 
 " After cutting the hawser, the Drake went from 
 the wind for some time, then hauled close by the 
 wind, steering from S. S. E. to S. S. W. as the wind 
 permitted, so that when the Ranger spoke the chase, 
 the Drake was scarcely perceptible. In the course 
 of the day many large ships appeared, steering into 
 the Channel, but the extraordinary evolutions of the 
 Drake made it impossible for me to avail myself of 
 these favorable circumstances. 
 
 " Towards noon it became very squally, the wind 
 backed from the S. W. to the W. The Ranger had 
 
90; LIFE OP PAUL JONES. 
 
 come up with the Drake, and was nearly abreast of 
 her, though considerably to the leeward, when the 
 wind shifted. The Drake, however, was kept by the 
 wind, though, as I afterward understood, they knew 
 the Ranger and saw the signal which she had hoisted. 
 After various evolutions and signals in the night, I 
 gave chase to a sail which appeared bearing S. S. AV. 
 the next morning at a great distance. The chase 
 discovered no intention to speak with the Hanger ; 
 she was, however, at length brought to, and proved 
 to be the Drake. I immediately put Lieutenant 
 Simpson under suspension and arrest for disobedience 
 of my orders, dated the 26th ult., a copy of which is 
 here enclosed. On the 8th both ships anchored safe 
 in the Road, the Ranger having been absent only 
 twenty-eight days." 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. 97- 
 
 CHAPTER TL 
 bblkibk's platb. 
 
 The surprise produced in Great Britain by this 
 daring* and successful attempt upon her coasts must 
 have been as great as the latter was unexpected. 
 
 One of Paul Jones' first acts on returning to Brest 
 was to address the Countess on the subject of the 
 plate taken from her residence, in the well-known 
 letter, which we shall insert here. To be assured of 
 its reaching the lady, he forwarded triplicates, one 
 of which was enclosed open to Dr. Franklin, for his 
 perusal. In the letter enclosing it, he says : " I can- 
 not but feel myself hurt, by the dirty insinuation of 
 the enemy, that my enterprise at Whitehaven was 
 in consequence of a capital sura ; paid me in hand by 
 the court of France. They have more visits of the 
 same kind to expect, if I am not deprived of the 
 means of making them ; and that, too, without my 
 having either a certainty, or a hope of gain." 
 
 " Ranger, Brest, May 8^A, 1778. 
 
 " To THE COTJNTESS OF SELKIRK, 
 
 " Madam, — It cannot be too much lamented that, 
 in the profession of arms, the officer of fine feeling 
 and of real sensibility should be under the necessity 
 of winking at any action of persons under his 
 
98 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 command which his heart cannot approve ; but the 
 reflection is doubly severe when he finds himself 
 obliged, in appearance, to countenance such actions 
 b}^ his authority. 
 
 " This hard case was mine, when, on the 23d of 
 April last, I landed on St. Mary's Isle. Knowing 
 Lord Selkirk's interest with his king, and esteeming, 
 as I do, his private character, I wished to make him 
 the happy instrument of alleviating the horrors of 
 hopeless captivity, when the brave are overpowered 
 and made prisoners of war. 
 
 " It was, perhaps, fortunate for you. Madam, that 
 he was from home ; for it was my intention to have 
 taken him on board the Eanger, and to have detained 
 him until, through his means, a general and fair ex- 
 change of prisoners, as well in Europe as America, 
 had been effected. 
 
 " When I was informed, bv some men whom I 
 met at landing, that his lordship was absent, I walked 
 back to my boat, determined to leave the island. By 
 the way, however, some officers, who were with me, 
 could not forbear expressing their discontent ; ob- 
 serving that, in America, no delicacy was shown by 
 the English, who took away all sorts of movable 
 property — setting fire, not only to towns and to the 
 houses of the rich, without distinction, but not even 
 sparing the wretched hamlets and milch-cows of the 
 poor and helpless, at the approach of an inclement 
 winter. That party had been with me, the same 
 morning, at "Whitehaven ; some complaisance, there- 
 fore, was their due. I had but a moment to think 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. 99 
 
 how I might gratify them, and at the same time do 
 your ladyship the least injury. I charged the two 
 officers to permit none of the seamen to enter the 
 house, or to hurt anything about it — to treat you, 
 Madam, with the utmost respect — to accept of the 
 plate which was offered — and to come away without 
 making a search, or demanding anything else. 
 
 " I am induced to believe that I was punctually 
 obeyed ; since I am informed that the plate which 
 they brought away is far short of the quantity ex- 
 pressed in the inventory which accompanied it. I 
 have gratified my men ; and when the plate is sold, 
 I shall become the purchaser, and will gratify my 
 own feelings by restoring it to you, by such con- 
 veyance as you shall please to direct. 
 
 " Had the earl been on board the Ranger the fol- 
 lowing evening, he would have seen the awful 
 pomp and dreadful carnage of a sea engagement ; 
 both affording ample subject for the pencil, as well 
 as melancholy reflection to the contemplative mind. 
 Humanity starts back from such scenes of horror, 
 and cannot sufficiently execrate the vile promoters 
 of this detestable war. 
 
 " For they, 'twas they unsheathed the ruthless blade, 
 And heaven shall ask the havoc it has made." 
 
 " The British ship-of-war Drake, mounting twenty 
 guns, with more than her full complement of officers 
 and men, was our opponent. The ships met, and 
 the advantage was disputed with great fortitude on 
 each side, for an hour and four minutes, when the 
 
100 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 gallant commander of the Drake fell, and victory 
 declared in favor of the Ranger. The amiable 
 lieutenant lay mortally wounded, besides near forty 
 of the inferior officers and crew killed and wounded ; 
 a melancholy demonstration of the uncertainty of 
 human prospects, and of the sad reverse of fortune 
 which an hour can produce. I buried them in a 
 spacious grave, with the honors due to the memory 
 of the brave. 
 
 " Though I have drawn my sword in the present 
 generous struggle for the rights of men, yet I am 
 not in arms as an American, nor am I in pursuit of 
 riches. My fortune is liberal enough, having no 
 wife nor family, and having lived long enough to 
 know that riches cannot ensure happiness. I pro- 
 fess myself a citizen of the world, totally unfet- 
 tered by the little, mean distinctions of climate or 
 of country, which diminish the benevolence of the 
 heart and set bounds to philanthropy. Before this 
 war was begun, I had, at an early time of life, with- 
 drawn from sea service, in favor of * calm contem- 
 plation and poetic ease.' I have sacrificed not only 
 my favorite scheme of life, but the softer affections 
 of the heart, and my prospects of domestic happi- 
 ness, and I am ready to sacrifice my life also, with 
 cheerfulness, if that forfeiture could restore peace 
 and good will among mankind. 
 
 " As the feelings of your gentle bosom cannot but 
 be congenial with mine, let me entreat you, madam, 
 to use your persuasive art, with your husband's, to 
 endeavor to stop this cruel and destructive war, ia 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. 101 
 
 which Britain never can succeed. Heaven can never 
 countenance the barbarous and unmanly practice of 
 the Britons in America, which savages would blush 
 at, and which, if not discontinued, will soon be re- 
 taliated on Britain by a justly enraged people. 
 Should you fail in this (for I am persuaded that you 
 will attempt it, and who can resist the power of 
 such an advocate?), your endeavors to effect a gen- 
 eral exchange of prisoners will be an act of humanity 
 which will afford you golden feelings on a death-bed. 
 
 "I hope this cruel contest will soon be closed; 
 but should it continue, I wage no war with the fair. 
 I acknowledge their force, and bend before it with 
 submission. Let not, therefore, the amiable Countess 
 of Selkirk regard me as an enemy ; I am ambitious 
 of her esteem and friendship, and would do anything, 
 consistent with my duty, to merit it. 
 
 " The honor of a line from your hand in answer 
 to this will lay me under a singular obligation ; and 
 if I can render you any acceptable service in France 
 or elsewhere, I hope you see into my character so 
 far as to command me without the least grain of 
 reserve. 
 
 " I wish to know exactly the behavior of my peo- 
 ple, as I am determined to punish them if they have 
 exceeded their liberty. I have the honor to be, 
 with much esteem and with profound respect, 
 madam, etc., etc., 
 
 " John Paul Jones." 
 
 The subsequent history of this plate is briefly as 
 
102 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 follows : Lord Selkirk wrote a letter in reply to that 
 addressed by Jones to his Countess, intimating that 
 he would accept of its return, if made by order of 
 Congress, but not if redeemed by individual gen- 
 erosity. The letter was detained several months at 
 London, in the General PostoiBce, and returned to 
 the Earl, who requested a gentleman to communi- 
 cate the cause of its miscarriage and its tenor, 
 orally, to Doctor Franklin. 
 
 The Doctor immediately informed Jones of the 
 substance of this communication. It was not until 
 the beo:innino: of 17S0 that the latter was enabled 
 to get the property he was determined to restore 
 into his possession. It had fallen into the hands of 
 the prize agents, from whom it was obtained with 
 considerable difficulty ; and not till after several 
 valuations, and until it cost him who redeemed it 
 more, as he intimates, than it was intrinsically worth ; 
 though he carefully avoids mentioning that circum- 
 stance in his second letter to the Countess. 
 
 When he had succeeded in effecting this object, 
 he wrote again to the Countess of Selkirk ; but his 
 voyage to America, and other circumstances, re- 
 tarded its delivery until 1784. It was eventually 
 returned in the same condition in which it had been 
 removed, and a letter from Lord Selkirk acknowl- 
 edged in terms satisfactory, though formal, the un- 
 wearied pains which Captain Jones had taken to 
 procure its restoration. 
 
 The copy of the order given to Lieutenant Simp- 
 son when the latter was put in charge of the Drake, 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. 103 
 
 for disobeying which he was put under arrest, as is 
 mentioned in the letter to the Plenipotentiaries, is 
 said in the copy of that letter, certified from the 
 office of the secretary of Congress, to be missing. It 
 is intimated, upon what authority does not appear, 
 that Simpson had been insubordinate from the be- 
 ginning ; that he excited the men to discontent ; and 
 that frequent disagreements had taken place between 
 liim and his commander. 
 
 It is also plausibly suggested that, when the Ran- 
 ger left Portsmouth, he expected to be in command 
 of her on her arriving at France, where a large ship 
 had been promised to Jones. There is every reason 
 to believe that Simpson was little inclined to submit 
 to that discipline, for which Jones was so stern and 
 rigid an advocate. He is probably referred to as the 
 wise officer, w^ho objected to " burning poor people's 
 houses." On the night when Jones made his second 
 attempt to take the Drake while at anchor, he relates 
 in his Journal for the king of France that " the Lieu- 
 tenant having held up to the crew that, being 
 Americans, fighting for liberty the voice of the 
 people should be taken before the Captain's orders 
 were obeyed, they rose in mutiny ; and Captain Jones 
 was in the utmost danger of being killed or thrown 
 overboard." He adds that this danger was averted, 
 by an accidental circumstance, —the capture of the 
 Drake's boat ; upon which trifling success, the " voice 
 of the people" was no longer against fighting. 
 
 The news of the result of Jones' expedition was 
 at such a moment gratifying and inspiring to the 
 
104 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. - 
 
 French court. He had praises and promises in pro- 
 fusion. But he found himself immediately^ under the 
 pressure of painful embarrassments, which these 
 could not remove. In the conclusion of his letter to 
 the commissioners, on the 27th of May, he says : 
 
 " Could I suppose that my letters of the 9th and 
 16th current (the first advising you of my arrival, 
 and giving reference to the events to my expedition ; 
 the last advising you of my draft in favor of Mon- 
 sieur Bersolle, for 24,000 livres, and assigning reasons 
 for that demand ), had not made due appearance, I 
 would hereafter, as I do now, enclose copies. Three 
 posts have already arrived here from Paris, since 
 Count d'Orvilliers showed me the answer which 
 he received from the minister, to the letter which 
 enclosed mine to j^ou. Yet you remain silent. M. 
 Bersolle has this moment informed me of the fate of 
 my bills ; the more extraordinary, as I have not yet 
 made use of your letter of credit of the 10th of 
 January last, whereby I then seemed entitled to be 
 thought extravagant, when, on the 16th current, I 
 doubled that demand. 
 
 " Could this indignity be kept secret I should 
 disregard it ; and, though it is already public in 
 Brest, and in the fleet, as it affects only my private 
 credit I will not complain. I cannot, however, be 
 silent when I find the public credit involved in the 
 same disgrace. I conceive this might have been pre- 
 vented. To make me completely wretched. Monsieur 
 Bersolle has told me that he now stops his hand, not 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. 105 
 
 only of the necessary articles to refit the ship, but 
 also of the daily provisions. I know not whereto 
 find to-morrow's dinner for the great number of 
 mouths that depend on me for food. Are then the 
 continental ships of war to depend on the sale of their 
 prizes for a daily dinner for their men ? ' Publish it 
 not in Gath ! ' 
 
 *' My officers, as well as men, want clothes, and 
 the prizes are precluded from being sold before far- 
 ther orders arrive from the minister. I will ask you, 
 gentlemen, if I have deserved all this. Whoever 
 calls himself an American ought to be protected 
 here. I am unwilling to think that you have inten- 
 tionally involved me in this sad dilemma, at a time 
 when I ought to expect some enjoyment. There- 
 fore I have, as formerly, the honor to be, with due 
 esteem and respect, gentlemen, yours, etc." 
 
 It is to be observed that before Jones left America, 
 as he mentions in a subsequent letter, he was more 
 than 1,500 pounds in advance for the public ser- 
 vice, exclusive of his own investment in fittincr out 
 the Eanger, and had never received any compen- 
 sation. 
 
 He was, however, left, such was the inability of 
 the commissioners to afi'ord him relief, for more 
 than a month with " two hundred prisoners of war, 
 a number of sick and wounded, and a ship, after a 
 severe engagement, in want of stores and provi- 
 sions," to depend upon his own resources. 
 
 " Yet," he says in his Journal for the king, "duj> 
 
100 LIFE OF PAUL JOIST^S. 
 
 ing that time, by his personal credit with Count 
 d'Orvilliers, the Due de Chatres, and the Intendant 
 of Brest, he fed his ])eople and prisoners, cured his 
 wounded, and refitted both the Ranger and Drake 
 for sea." During the same period he had also to 
 contend with the formal delays or personal cupidity 
 of the prize agents, and to suppress the discontents 
 among the crew, who were naturally impatient un- 
 der privation and misery when they had looked for 
 their wages and prize money. 
 
 These discontents were further aggravated by Lieu- 
 tenant Simpson, who, " while under arrest on board 
 the Drake, had constant intercourse with the crew, 
 who thereby became insolent so as to refuse duty, 
 and go all hands below, repeatedly, before the Cap- 
 tain's face. It was impossible to trifle at that time, 
 as Count d'Orvilliers had assured Captain Jones 
 that, unless he could get the Drake ready to trans- 
 port the prisoners to America before orders arrived 
 from court, they would in all probability be given 
 up without an exchange, to avoid immediate war 
 with England. It therefore became impossible to 
 suffer the lieutenant to remain any longer among 
 them. Captain Jones had him removed to the ship 
 called the Admiral, where the French confine even 
 the first officers in the service. He had there a 
 good chamber to himself, and liberty to walk the 
 deck. The lieutenant endeavored to desert out of the 
 Admiral, and behaved so extravagantly, that Count 
 d'Orvilliers, without the knowledge of Captain 
 Jones, ordered him to the prison of the port, AvherQ 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. lOY 
 
 he also had a good chamber ; and Captain Jones 
 paid his expenses out of his own pocket." 
 
 What rendered the dishonor of his draft peculiarly 
 vexatious, independent of the distress to which it 
 exposed him, and the fact that in January preced- 
 ing he had been furnished with a bill of credit on 
 Jonathan Williams for five hundred louis d'ors, 
 signed by the three commissioners, was the circum- 
 stance that he had, under the sanction of the Marine 
 Committee, before leaving Portsmouth, made him- 
 self accountable to his crew for the regular payment 
 of their wages. 
 
 In the midst of all these trials of temper, as well 
 as of fortitude and patriotism, Jones was longing 
 to be again employed in active service and in ac- 
 quiring renown ; and Avas projecting high schemes 
 for annoying the enemy. The situation of the 
 American Commissioners at this time (Messrs. 
 Franklin A. Lee, and Adams, Mr. Deane having 
 been recalled) is well known. Their authority was 
 limited, and the funds subject to their control were 
 still more so. On the 25th of May, they wrote to 
 Mr. Jonathan Williams, at Kantes, whom thej" had 
 appointed commercial agent, as follows : " The ne- 
 cessities of our country demand the utmost frugality, 
 which can never be obtained Avithout the utmost 
 simplicity in the management of her affairs ; and as 
 Congress has authorized Mr. W. Lee to superintend 
 the commercial affairs in general, and he has ap- 
 pointed Mr. Schweighauser, and as your authority 
 is under the commissioners at Paris only, we think 
 
108 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 it prudent and necessary to revoke, etc., all the 
 powers and authorities heretofore granted to you, 
 etc., to the end that hereafter the management of 
 the affairs, commercial and maritime, of America, 
 may be under one sole direction, that of Mr. Schweig- 
 hauser, within his district." " We shall this day 
 acquaint Captain Jones how far it is in our power 
 to comply with his desires, and in what manner." 
 
 Such was the position in which Jones found him- 
 self after his return to Brest. In citing such ex- 
 tracts from his correspondence as explain the mul- 
 tifarious difficulties and projects of this period, there 
 seems to be but one mode of avoiding confusion, 
 which is to preserve chronological order. 
 
 His first object was to make provision for the 
 seamen. In mentioning to the commissioners, in 
 his letter of May 16th, that he had drawn for the 
 24,000 livres, he says : 
 
 '' I mean to distribute it among the officers and 
 crew, to whom I owe my late success. It is but 
 reasonable that they should be furnished with the 
 means of procuring little necessaries and comforts 
 of life for themselves ; and the interests of the serv- 
 ice, as well as the claims of humanity and justice, 
 plead in behalf of their wives and helpless families, 
 who are now unprovided in America, and will nat- 
 urally expect a supply of clothing, etc., by the 
 Drake." 
 
 On the 27th of May, Franklin wrote to Jones as 
 follows : 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. 109 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I received yours of the 18th, enclos- 
 ing one for the Countess of Selkirk, which I for- 
 warded this day, via Holland. It is a gallant letter, 
 and must give her ladyship a high and just opinion 
 of your gallantry and nobleness of mind. The dirty 
 insinuation you mention is of a piece with many 
 others from the same quarter, the natural produce 
 of base minds ; who, feeling no other motive can 
 exist in others, and therefore it is to that alone, 
 they ascribe the most praiseworthy actions. 
 
 " The Jersey privateers do us a great deal of 
 mischief by intercepting our supplies. It has been 
 mentioned to me that your small vessel, commanded 
 by so brave an officer, might render great service by 
 following them where greater ships dare not venture 
 their bottoms ; or, being accompanied and supported 
 by some frigates from Brest, at a proper distance, 
 might draw them out and then take them. I wish 
 you to consider of this, as it comes from high au- 
 thority, and that you would immediately think of 
 it, and let me know when your ship will be ready. 
 I have written to England about the exchange of 
 your prisoners. I congratulate you most cordially 
 on your late success, and wish for a continuance and 
 increase of the honor you have acquired." 
 
 While the matter and manner of the beginning of 
 this letter were well calculated to give Jones pleasure, 
 his own phraseology being nearly echoed, it afforded 
 no prospect of immediate relief. No mention is 
 made of the draft ; and the service proposed was 
 
110 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 not of such a character as was particularly calculated 
 to gratify the appetite of any ambitious commander, 
 just flushed with success ; much less that of Jones, 
 who would thus have been made subservient to the 
 objects of others, Avho would reap the glory while he 
 was playing the humbler part of hunting out game 
 for them. In his reply, however, he declares his 
 readiness to comply, while he intimates very plainly 
 his longing for more dignified employment. This 
 is not unskilfully introduced. The letter, dated 
 June 1st, is as follows : 
 
 " His Excellency Benjamin Feanklin, 
 
 ^•'Honored and Dear Sir, — Accept my grateful 
 thanks for your much esteemed favor of the 27th 
 ult. Such a mark of your good opinion and appro- 
 bation really affords me the most heartfelt satisfac- 
 tion. It shall always be my ambition to do my 
 duty, as far as my judgment and small abilities 
 enable me ; — but you will see by the within papers, 
 that my roses are not without thorns ; and, perhaps, 
 it will seem romance that I have succeeded, which 
 I am sure I should not have done, had I not been 
 my own counselor. 
 
 " Nothing would give me more pleasure than to 
 render essential services to America, in any measure 
 which you may find expedient. Should I be able 
 to lead m}^ present crew, it can be done onl}^ by the 
 seldom failing bait for sordid minds, great views of 
 interest. 
 
 "If in bringing about the plans you propose, I 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. HI 
 
 may take the liberty to assure them of the protection 
 of the French flag, in the channel, against enemies of 
 superior force, with the free liberty to attack, and 
 take under that sanction, such of the enemy's ships of 
 war, or merchantmen, as may be met with, of equal 
 or inferior force, perhaps I may succeed and gain 
 them over by that means, nor will it be necessary to 
 tell them our real object. 
 
 " If I am not at liberty to give them such assur- 
 ances, and their home-sickness should continue, I 
 could wish that such officers as may appear danger- 
 ously ill might have liberty to lay down their com- 
 missions and warrants, and that others may be given 
 to men of stronger nerves, who would be too proud 
 to think themselves servants by the year. I believe 
 many such may be found among American subjects 
 in France. 
 
 " If it should be consistent to order the Boston 
 frigate here from Bordeaux, perhaps such exchanges 
 might be made as would be for the interest and 
 harmony of the service ; and we might perhaps be 
 able to assemble a sufficient number of officers to 
 form a court. 
 
 " The Due de Chatres has shown me sundry at- 
 tentions, and expressed his inclination to facilitate 
 my obtaining the ship built at Amsterdam. I be- 
 lieve I could easily obtain letters to the same effect, 
 from the principal people here, but shall take no 
 step without your approbation. If the prisoners 
 should be exchanged in Europe, I believe it would 
 be possible to man that ship with Americans. I 
 
112 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 could have manned two such with French volunteers 
 since I arrived. 
 
 *' The Eanger is crank, sails slow, and is of a 
 trifling force. Most of the enemy's cruisers are 
 more than a match, yet I mean not to complain. 1 
 demand nothing ; and although I know that it was 
 the intention of Congress to give me that ship, I am 
 now ready to go wherever the service calls me. 
 
 " If two or three fast sailing ships could be col- 
 lected, there is a great choice of private enter- 
 prises, some of which might succeed, and add more 
 to the interest and honor of America than cruising 
 w^ith twice the force. It appears to me to be the 
 province of our infant navy to surprise, and spread 
 alarms with fast sailing ships. When we grow 
 stronger, we can meet their fleets, and dispute with 
 them the sovereignty of the ocean. These are my 
 private sentiments, and are therefore submitted 
 with the utmost diffidence to your superior under- 
 standing. 
 
 " Both the Ranger and the Drake were so much 
 disabled that they needed to be entirely new rigged. 
 We, however, made shift from the wreck of both 
 ships to rig the Drake, which is now completed. 
 The Ranger's late rigging was twice laid and much 
 too thick and heavy. The relitting her shall be 
 continued with unremitting application." 
 
 He thus complains of the detention of the cap- 
 tors' part of one of the Ranger's prizes by Mr. 
 Delap, a nominal sub-prize agent, and of the sacri- 
 fice of another prize at Nantes. Half the proceeds 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. 113 
 
 of the latter was all the prize money yet received. 
 In a postscript he says : " The written papers I send 
 you in confidence ; leaving it to you to show them 
 or not to such persons as you may think proper." 
 
 The letter addressed by the commissioners to 
 Jones, on the 2oth of May, referred to in their letter, 
 to Mr. Jonathan Williams, of the same date, is not 
 among any of the published documents or manu- 
 scripts before the compiler. In it, according to their 
 letter to Mr. Williams, they " acquainted Captain 
 Jones howjar it was in their power to comply with 
 his desires, and in what manner." He thus wrote 
 in reply on the 3d of June : 
 
 " Gentlemen, — 
 
 " Your letter of the 25th ult. I received by yes- 
 terday's post. I frankly ask your pardon for the 
 undue liberty I took on the 16th ult. when I ventured 
 to sign a draft upon you for the purpose of supply- 
 ing the people under my command with necessary 
 clothing, etc. ; and I promise you never to be guilty 
 of the like offense again. I hope you do not, how- 
 ever, mean to impute to me a desire to receive 
 * presents of the public money,' or even to touch a 
 dollar of it, for any private purpose of my own. 
 On the contrary, I need not now assert that I 
 stepped forth at the beginning from nobler motives. 
 My accounts, before I left America, testify that I 
 am more than fifteen hundred pounds in advance 
 for the public service, exclusive of any concern 
 with the Eanger; and as for wages, I never re- 
 
114 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 ceived any. Had I not previously determined to 
 keep the prisoners here, they would have been sent 
 away in the Drake, long before now. My embar- 
 rassed situation will, in the eyes of candor, apologize 
 for my not sending you a more early information of 
 the particulars of my cruise, and of the prizes which I 
 have made. On ray passage from America I took 
 two brigantines, both from Malaga for England. 
 The one arrived safe at Nantes ; and being sold by 
 Messrs. Morris and Williams, the captors' part was 
 paid to them. The other arrived at Bordeaux, 
 and was, I understand, sold by Mr. J. H. Delap, 
 who, though he had my orders to remit the captors' 
 part immediately into the hands of Mr. Williams of 
 !N"antes, yet still retains it in his own hands. On 
 my late expedition, three prizes were sunk. The 
 ship Lord Chatham was sent here (to Brest) to re- 
 main under the care of the Intendant. She now re- 
 mains in the port, locked and nailed up under a 
 guard. The ship-of-war Drake, with her stores on 
 board, and the brigantine Patience in ballast, are 
 with the Ranger at anchor in the Eoad. M. de 
 Sartine can inform you that the sales of the prizes 
 are precluded, until he sends further orders here. 
 Had it been otherwise, I cannot see how you could 
 suppose that I had created agents to dispose of the 
 public property. And yet if I had done this, per- 
 haps my public wants would justif}^ me. 
 
 " The rules whereby Congress has been pleased to 
 command me to regulate the conduct in the navy, 
 authorizes me to issue my warrant to the agent, 
 
SELKIRK'S PLATE. 115 
 
 etc., and I humbly conceive that it is his province to 
 furnish me with an estimate of the amount of ex- 
 penses. If you wish for an estimate from me, unac- 
 quainted as I am with prizes, besides the delay, it 
 may be very far from exact. 
 
 " When you determined to change the continental 
 ao:ent, I could wish vou had sent that information 
 in a letter to meet me here on my arrival — as I had 
 advised you of my intention to return to Brest. All 
 disagreeable altercation might then have been 
 avoided. My situation is not now mended by your 
 last, the gentleman being at Nantes, and no person 
 appearing in his behalf at Brest. 
 
 " A space of sixteen months is now elapsed since 
 Congress thought of me, and placed under my com- 
 mand seven times my present force, leaving me at 
 liberty how and where to apply it. And if I am 
 not now capable of supporting the internal govern- 
 ment of a single sloop-of-war, I wish that some per- 
 son more deserving had my place, and I in America 
 to answer for my misconduct. I have ' well con- 
 sidered ' and yet shall persist in justifying the steps 
 which I have taken, and to which you allude. 
 
 " I am happy in having it in my power to furnish 
 you with the enclosed resolution of Congress, re- 
 specting the capture of the enemy's ships-of-war, 
 agreeably to your desire ; and, if you are in posses- 
 sion of any resolution of Congress which will author- 
 ize me to . . . send to America, I should be obliged 
 to you for a copy of it," 
 
11^ LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 DISAPPOINTMENT. 
 
 From this day until many months had passed 
 Jones was doomed to the most irritating disappoint- 
 ments. He wrote in part to the newly-appointed 
 commercial agent : 
 
 " In a word, if you consider yourself the agent or 
 instrument for victualing and repairing the ships-of- 
 "war of the American navy, as I came here in distress 
 the 8th ult. in want of provisions, with a number of 
 wounded men and prisoners, you have not done your 
 duty ; as you have not, to this hour, given or 
 offered me any assistance; thereby 3^ou have oc- 
 casioned a loss of money and time to the United 
 States. It was your duty to have appeared on the 
 spot, and to have ministered to our wants. If, on 
 the contrary, as I rather think, you consider your- 
 self only as the instrument for selling the continental 
 part of prizes, yet in this case, too, you have not 
 done your duty. It was your duty to have appeared 
 at Brest, to have taken care of the public property, 
 and to have brought on the sales ; whereas some of 
 it may now be perishing, through your absence and 
 neglect. I have been thus explicit, that you may 
 not henceforth misunderstand me ; and that, so far 
 
DISAPPOINTMENT. 1^7 
 
 as we may be connected, we may henceforth co- 
 operate for the public good of the American United 
 States." 
 
 Then it was, June 1st, 1778, Franklin wrote to 
 Jones : 
 
 " I have the pleasure of informing you that it is 
 proposed to give you the command of the great ship 
 we have built at Amsterdam. By what you wrote 
 to us formerly, I have ventured to say in your be- 
 half, that this proposition would be agreeable to 
 you. You will immediately let me know your res- 
 olution; which, that you may be more clear in 
 taking, I must inform 3^oa of some circumstances. 
 She is at present the property of the king ; but as 
 there is no war yet declared, you will have the 
 commission and flag of the States, and act under 
 their orders and laws. The Prince de Is'assau will 
 make the cruise with you. She is to be brought 
 here under cover as a French merchantman, to be 
 equipped and manned in France. We hope to ex- 
 change your prisoners for as many American sailors ; 
 but if that fails, you have your present crew to be 
 made up here with other nations and French. The 
 other commissioners are not acquainted with this 
 proposition as yet ; and you see by the nature of it, 
 that it is necessary to be kept a secret till we have 
 got the vessel here, for fear of difficulties in Holland, 
 and interception; you will therefore direct your 
 answer to me alone. It being desired that the affair 
 
lis LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 should rest between you and me, perhaps it may 
 be best for you to take a trip up here to concert 
 matters, if in general you approve of the idea.'' 
 
 It is unnecessary to say that Jones was delighted 
 by the prospect, and much correspondence passed 
 between him and Benjamin Franklin relative to the 
 scheme. It seemed necessary Jones should go to 
 Yersailles, and, full of hope he set out ; but before 
 leaving he wrote in his journal relative to Simpson : 
 
 "Finding the lieutenant appeared more reason- 
 able than formerly, he took his parole in writing, 
 not to serve again in the navy before he was ac- 
 quitted by a court-martial, and set him at liberty. 
 A day or two afterwards, the commissioners thought 
 fit to interfere respecting the lieutenant of the 
 Ranger, which, it is presumed, they had no au- 
 thority to do, as it laid the ax to the root of in- 
 subordination.'' 
 
 He proceeds to say that " having the prisoners 
 still under his care, the prizes being unsold, and the 
 crew naked, Captain Jones, having completely re- 
 fitted the Eanger, had no immediate business at 
 Brest ; and therefore went privately up to Yer- 
 sailles, on the invitation of the Court." On the 16th 
 of June, he addressed a letter to the commissioners, 
 from Passy, in which he says : 
 
 " At the time when I took Lieutenant Simpson's 
 parole, I did not expect to have been so long absent 
 
DISAPPOINTMENT. II9 
 
 from America; but as circumstances have now- 
 rendered the time of my return less certain, I am 
 willing to let the dispute between us drop forever, 
 by giving up that parole, which will entitle him to 
 command the Eanger. I have no malice, and if I 
 have done him any injury, this will be making him 
 all the present satisfaction in my power. If, on the 
 contrary, he has injured me, I will trust for an 
 acknowledgment." 
 
 The very event which arrayed the fleets of France 
 and England against each other, deprived Jones of 
 the command of the " great ship " at Amsterdam. 
 He says in his journal for the king : " The action of 
 the Belle Poule, which began the war between 
 France and England, deranged the plan in contem- 
 plation, and greatly interfered with the views of 
 court respecting Captain Jones. It was understood 
 the States of Holland made great diflficulty, respect- 
 ing the Indian, that still remained at Amsterdam. 
 Captain Jones oflPered to give up the project, and 
 return to the Eanger. To prevent this, the minister 
 wrote a letter to the commissioners, requesting their 
 permission for Captain Jones to remain for a time 
 in Europe, where he would be honorably employed 
 to promote the common cause." 
 
 The embryo schemes agitated between Jones, 
 Franklin, and the minister, whatever they may 
 have been, were abandoned, as well as the command 
 of the Indien. In reply to the request of the latter, 
 above alluded to, the commissioners acquiesced, in 
 
120 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the following terms : " "We readily consent that he 
 should be at your excellency's disposition ; and shall 
 be happy if his services may be in any respect use- 
 ful to the designs your excellency may have in con- 
 templation." 
 
 It was well known that the king contemplated 
 loaning the frigate Epervier to the United States, 
 with the understanding that she was to be com- 
 manded by Jones, and the latter lost no time in 
 addressing M. de Sartine a letter of thanks for the 
 honor thus bestowed. 
 
 The offer of the Epervier was little more than a 
 compliment. The ratifications of the treaties be- 
 tween the United States and France were ex- 
 changed on the same day on which the foregoing 
 letter was written. War had not even yet been 
 formally declared, but had in fact begun at sea, 
 with large preparations on both sides. A violent 
 impress had been made in England among the crews 
 of merchantmen, and France required all her own 
 seamen. The commissioners, or more properh^, the 
 plenipotentiaries, found great difficulty in procuring 
 loans, even in small amounts, and were apprehensive 
 that they would not be able to meet the drafts of 
 Congress for the interest of certificates. 
 
 !N^egotiations on various points, growing out of the 
 treaties, the intimation that England would recognize 
 the independence of America, provided the latter 
 would make a separate peace, occupied the attention 
 of the commissioners. M. de Sartine entertained 
 one of the numerous projects which Jones had sub- 
 
DISAPPOINTMENT. 121 
 
 mitted to him, either to appease his impatience, or 
 with the real intention of carrying it into execu- 
 tion. This was the capture or destruction of the 
 Baltic fleet. He says, in his Journal, " For this ob- 
 ject three frigates and two cutters were destined ; 
 and Captain Jones appointed to command the 
 whole." 
 
 On the 10th of August, 1778, Jones left Passy 
 for Brest, in anticipation of receiving this com- 
 mand ; but arrived only to find that the honor had 
 been bestowed by Count d'Orvilliers upon a French 
 officer. 
 
 It may be readily supposed that he was not in 
 the best possible humor to brook what he conceived 
 to be a downright indignity offered to himself. Yet 
 such he had to encounter. It will be recollected 
 that on the 16th of June, he had offered to give up 
 the parole of Lieutenant Simpson, and on the 4th 
 of July, had consented to let him take command of 
 the ship. The lieutenant was not backward in ac- 
 cepting these concessions, and it appears he went 
 much farther. 
 
 Jones wrote to the commissioners in an indignant 
 strain, and also to Captain Abraham Whipple, who 
 was then at Brest, asking that a court-martial be 
 summoned for the trial of Simpson. 
 
 This request was refused on the grounds that 
 there were not a sufficient number of American of- 
 ficers then in France. Jones says, " Simpson took 
 command of the Banger, without accepting the Cap- 
 tain's proposal, or having his parole given up. On 
 
lis LIFE or PAUL J0NE8. 
 
 the contrary, it seemed afterwards he rather gave 
 out that Capain Jones had been called to account 
 by the commissioners, and turned out to make way 
 for him." 
 
 Lieutenant Simpson sailed in the Eanger for 
 America. On the 30th of August, the Captain's 
 friend, Mr. Williams, writing to him from Nantes 
 in relation to the pending sale of the Drake, said : 
 
 " I am sorry your affair with Lieutenant Simpson 
 was not settled with mutual satisfaction. If he was 
 not gone, I should answer his charge of falsehood 
 with the following paragraph of his own letter to 
 me, of the 1st of August, to mine, which you say 
 he calls false, viz., ' I recollect my telling you when 
 at Brest that, if Captain Jones had condescended 
 to have made any inquiry, or permitted me to speak 
 to him on the matter of my confinement, I was ready 
 to give him any satisfaction consonant to truth.' It 
 is stranofe he should recollect this when he wrote me 
 the letter, and forget it again when he told Mr. Hill 
 it was false. Lieutenant Simpson's letter to me is 
 in very respectful terms, and I wrote him a letter of 
 thanks in return. He desired me in it to present his 
 respects to you, and to tell you that ' your recom- 
 mendation to the commissioners, which I mentioned, 
 would, with any services you had done him, be ever 
 remembered with gratitude. This gave me great 
 pleasure, etc' " 
 
 The Providence, Boston, and Eanger arrived 
 $af e in America, having taken two or three mer^ 
 
DISAPPOINTMENT. 123 
 
 chant vessels. Lieutenant Simpson was not after- 
 wards employed in the continental service. In 
 February following, the commissioners addressed a 
 letter to Jones, stating that, as his separation from 
 the Ranger, and the appointment of Lieutenant 
 Simpson to the command of her would be liable to 
 misinterpretations, they certified that his leaving 
 her was by their consent, at the express request of 
 M. de Sartine, who informed them that he had oc- 
 casion to employ Jones in some public service ; that 
 Simpson was appointed to the command by the con- 
 sent of Jones, who had released him from the 
 arrest he had placed him under ; that Jones' rank 
 in the navy was not prejudiced by his leaving the 
 Ranger ; and that his commission remained in full 
 force. 
 
 After this Jones wrote to the Prince of Nassau, 
 imploring the latter to interest himself in his behalf, 
 and begging that the command of the frigate 
 L'Orient be given him. 
 
 On the 28th he wrote pressingly to Count 
 d'Orvilliers for directions to M. Pr^valdye to per- 
 mit his embarkation with the fleet, should a vessel 
 be sent in with letters. " I ardently wish," he says 
 " to attend you with my eyes, even to the pinnacle 
 of fame ; and to learn from so great and good a 
 general how I may hereafter ascend the slippery 
 precipices, beyond which the edifice is erected." 
 
 M. Pr6valJlye, the commandant, who did not feel 
 at liberty to allow the captain to go on board of the 
 fleet, also refused to furnish any guard for the 
 
124 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 prisoners, after the armed vessels of France had left 
 the port. 
 
 After much trouble, an exchange had been agreed 
 upon, and a cartel provided for ; and in these 
 circumstances, there was nothing to prevent the 
 prisoners from defeating the object of the protracted 
 negotiation, by departing of their own accord. 
 
 Jones wrote in terms of authority to Mr. T. Lee, 
 the deputy agent, and of earnest request to the 
 Intendant of the port and the commissioners, to 
 prevent this catastrophe. For his perseverance in 
 procuring a guard, he received the hearty com- 
 mendation of Franklin, who, in his letter of the 6th 
 of February, said : " Your letter was sent to the 
 Prince de Nassau. I am confident something will 
 be done for you, though I do not yet know what. 
 I sympathize with you in what I know you must 
 suffer, from your present inactivity ; but have 
 patience." But nothing was done ; and patience 
 was not perhaps the most prominent virtue in Jones' 
 character. 
 
 On the 31st he wrote to Franklin, desiring, as the 
 American frigates had sailed on the 22d, that his 
 letter of the 15th demanding a court-martial fcr 
 Simpson might be suppressed, if it had not been pre- 
 sented to the commissioners. He adds : " It is 
 here reported that the Jamaica fleet of seventy sail, 
 under convoy of the Portland and four frigates, 
 passed in sight of the Brest fleet, and got clear, be- 
 cause Count d'Orvilliers would not break his line 
 to give chase. I wish to disbelieve this account; 
 
DISAPPOINTMENT. 125 
 
 because I had written to him that such a fleet 
 was expected. I endeavor to console myself with 
 the reflection that my own situation cannot well 
 be altered for the worse. I must acknowledge, 
 however, that I have need of some of your philos- 
 ophy." 
 
 On the 13th of September he wrote to the minister 
 what, in his epistle to Franklin, he calls an explicit 
 letter, and which was but a summary of his past 
 disappointments. 
 
 On the 18th he wrote to Franklin that he had 
 seen the Fox, a sloop-of-war mounting 24 guns, 
 which had been taken by the Hancock and Adams, 
 and that he would accept of her, attended by the 
 Alert as a tender, if nothing better should offer. 
 On the 21st he addressed the Due de Chatres, ex- 
 pressing his warm sense of the kindness shown to 
 him at court by that nobleman, and repeating his 
 successive disappointments. He concluded by say- 
 ing : " If the minister has no farther occasion for 
 my services, I have then only to ask permission to 
 have the Alert, and to carry with me to America 
 his good opinion, before the winter. As in my 
 present mysterious situation here, I am considered 
 an officer in disgrace, I am persuaded I need make 
 no further apology to a brave officer, and a noble- 
 minded prince, for the liberty I take." 
 
 He received at this period encouraging letters 
 from his friend Dr. "Bancroft, at Paris. " This very 
 day" (September 23d), he said, " M. Chaumont has 
 gone to Yersailles, to press M. de Sartine to give 
 
Ue LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 you the Fox frigate. If this should be denied, we 
 are all determined to let the great man know in 
 strong terms our opinions of his faithless and dis- 
 honorable proceedings." 
 
 On the 9th of October Jones wrote in terms of 
 strong expostulation to the Due de Rochefoucault, 
 in which he said : 
 
 " The minister, to my infinite mortification, after 
 possessing himself of my schemes and ideas, has 
 treated me like a child five times successively, lead- 
 ing me on from great to little, and from little to 
 less." 
 
 At length Jones determined, as a last resort, to 
 address the king in person. The following were 
 the terms in which he wrote : 
 
 " Beest, October 19^A, 1778. 
 
 " Sire, — After my return to Brest in the Ameri- 
 can ship-of-war the Eanger, from the Irish Channel, 
 his excellency Dr. Franklin informed me by letter, 
 dated June the 1st, that M. de Sartine, having a 
 high opinion of my conduct and bravery, had deter- 
 mined, with your Majesty's consent and approba- 
 tion, to give me the command of the ship-of-war 
 the Indien, which was built at Amsterdam for 
 America, but afterwards, for political reasons, made 
 the property of France. 
 
 " I was to act with unlimited orders, under the 
 commission and flag of America ; and the Prince 
 de Nassau proposed to accompany me on the ocean. 
 
DMAPPOINTMENT. 127 
 
 " I was deeply penetrated with the sense of the 
 honor done me by this generous proposition, as well 
 as of the favor your Majesty intended thereby to 
 confer on America. And I accepted the offer Avith 
 the greater pleasure, as the Congress had sent me 
 to Europe in the Ranger, to command the Indien 
 before the ownership of that vessel was changed. 
 
 " The minister desired to see me at Versailles to 
 settle future plans of operation, and I attended him 
 for that purpose. I was told that the Indien was 
 at the Texel, completely armed and fitted for sea ; 
 but the Prince de Nassau was sent express to Hol- 
 land, and returned with a very different account. 
 The ship was at Amsterdam, and could not be got 
 afloat or armed before the September equinox. 
 The American plenipotentaries proposed that I 
 should return to America ; and as I have repeatedly 
 been appointed to the chief command of an Ameri- 
 can squadron to execute secret enterprises, it w^as 
 not doubted but that Congress would again show 
 me a preference. M. de Sartine, how*ever, thought 
 proper to prevent ray departure, by writing to the 
 plenipotentiaries (without my knowledge), request- 
 ing that I might be permitted to remain in Europe, 
 and that the Ranger might be sent back to America 
 under another commander, he having special services 
 which he wished me to execute. This request they 
 readily granted, and I was flattered by the prospect 
 of being enabled to testify, by my services, my grati- 
 tude to your Majesty, as the first prince who has so 
 generously acknowledged our independence, 
 
128 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 " There was an interval of more than three 
 months before the Indien could be gotten afloat. 
 To employ that period usefully, when your Maj- 
 esty's fleet was ordered to sail from Brest, I pro- 
 posed to the minister to embark in it as a volunteer, 
 in pursuit of marine knowledge. He objected to 
 this, and at the same time approved of a variety of 
 hints for private enterprises, which I had drawn up 
 for his consideration. Two gentlemen were ap- 
 pointed to settle with me the plans that were to 
 be adopted, who gave me the assurance that three 
 of the best frigates in France, with two tenders, 
 and a number of troops, should be immediately 
 put under my command, to pursue such of my own 
 projects as I thought proper ; but this fell to noth- 
 ing, when I believed that your Majesty's signa- 
 ture only was wanting. 
 
 "Another armament, composed of cutters and 
 small vessels, at L'Orient, was proposed to be put 
 under my command, to alarm the coasts of England 
 and check the Jersey privateers ; but, happily for 
 me, this also failed, and I was saved from ruin and 
 dishonor, as I now find that all the vessels sailed 
 slow, and their united force is very insignificant. 
 The minister then thought fit that I should return 
 to Brest to command the Lively, and join some 
 frigates on an expedition from St. Malo to the 
 North Sea. I returned in haste for that purpose, 
 and found that the Lively had been bestowed at 
 Brest before the minister had mentioned that ship 
 to me at Yersailles. This was, however, another 
 
DISAPPOINTMENT. X29 
 
 fortunate disappointment, as the Lively proves^ 
 both in sailing and equipment, much inferior to the 
 Eanger ; but more especially, if it be true, as I have 
 since understood, that the minister intended to give 
 the chief command of the expedition to a lieu- 
 tenant, which would have occasioned a very dis- 
 agreeable misunderstanding; for, as an officer of 
 the first rank in the American marine, who has 
 ever been honored with the favor and friendship of 
 Congress, I can receive orders from no inferior 
 officer whatever. My plan was the destruction of 
 the English Baltic fleet, of great consequence to 
 the enemy's marine, and then only protected by a 
 single frigate ' I would have held myself respon- 
 sible for its success, had I commanded the expedi- 
 tion. 
 
 " M. de Sartine afterwards sent orders to Count 
 d'Orvilliers to receive me on board the fleet, agree- 
 ably to my former proposal ; but the order did not 
 arrive until after the departure of the fleet the last 
 time from Brest, nor was I made acquainted with 
 the circumstances before the fleet returned here. 
 
 "Then have I been chained down to shameful 
 inactivity for nearly five months. I have lost the 
 best season of the year, and such opportunities of 
 serving my country and acquiring honor, as I can- 
 not again expect this war ; and to my infinite mor- 
 tification, having no command, I am considered 
 everywhere an officer cast off and in disgrace for 
 secret reasons. 
 
 " I have written respectful letters to the minister 
 9 ' 
 
130 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 none of which he has condescended to answer ; I 
 have written to the Prince de Nassau with as little 
 effect ; and I do not understand that any apology 
 has been made to the great and venerable Dr. 
 Franklin, whom the minister has made the instru- 
 ment of bringing me into such unmerited trouble. 
 
 " Having written to Congress to reserve no com- 
 mand for me in America, my sensibility is the more 
 affected by this unworthy situation in the sight 
 of your Majesty's fleet. I, however, make no remark 
 on the treatment I have received. 
 
 "Although I wish not to become my own panegy- 
 rist, I must beg your Majesty's permission to ob- 
 serve that I am not an adventurer in search of 
 fortune, of which, thank God, I have a sufficiency. 
 
 " When the American banner was first displayed, 
 I drew my sword in support of the violated dignity 
 and rights of human nature ; and both honor and 
 duty prompt me steadfastly to continue the right- 
 eous pursuit, and to sacrifice to it, not only my 
 private enjoyments, but even life, if necessary. I 
 must acknowledge that the generous praise which I 
 have received from Congress and others exceeds 
 the merit of my past services ; therefore I the more 
 ardently wish for future opportunities of testifying 
 my gratitude by my activity. 
 
 "As your Majesty, by espousing the cause of 
 America, hath become the protector of the rights 
 of human nature, I am persuaded that you will not 
 disregard my situation, nor suffer me to remain 
 any longer in this insupportable disgrace. 
 
DISAPPOINTMENT. 13j 
 
 " I am, with perfect gratitude and profound re- 
 spect, Sire, your Majesty's very obliged, very obedi- 
 ent, and very humble servant, 
 
 " J. Paul Jones." 
 
 In a letter of the same date, Jones solicited the 
 Duchess of Chatres to present the foregoing rep- 
 resentation to his majesty. He also wrote to 
 Franklin, enclosing it for his inspection, a wise pre- 
 caution which he adopted in all cases of a similar 
 nature. One of the principal sources of his vexa- 
 tion was the supposition which he believed to be 
 current, that he had incurred the displeasure of his 
 venerated "guide, philosopher, and friend," now 
 the minister plenipotentiary at the court of Yer- 
 sailles. This rumor he often mentions as the climax 
 of his embarrassments. There is no reason to sup- 
 pose that the letter to the king was ever delivered. 
 
132 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTEE Yin. 
 
 LE BONHOMME BICHARD. 
 
 At this time, also, several offers were made to 
 Jones to take command of privateering expeditions. 
 Among others, M. Montieu of IN'antes, who had pur- 
 chased a new ship on which Jones had had his eye, 
 offered him the command of an armament for such 
 purposes. In replying through his friend, Mr. 
 Williams, Jones says : " Were I in pursuit of prof- 
 it, I should accept the offer without hesitation. 
 But I am under such obligations to Congress that I 
 cannot think myself my own master ; and as servant 
 of the imperial republic of America, honored with 
 the public approbation of my past services, serve 
 either myself or even my best friends in any private 
 line whatsoever, unless where the honor and in- 
 terest of America is the premier object." 
 
 On the 30th of November, he wrote to M. Chau- 
 mont that, by waiting until that time for orders or 
 powers, he had lost the opportunity of purchasing 
 a suitable ship, and was in great danger of losing 
 a number of American seamem ; and that he was 
 about to proceed to L'Orient on his own responsi- 
 bility, unless otherwise directed by the next post. 
 " If we can do no better, I hope the Duras will 
 answer." "I repeat to you that, if the Alert 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. I33 
 
 were now at my disposal, I could engage a number 
 of American seamen, from a privateer that still re- 
 mains here." " My best respects and most grateful 
 thanks await the minister, for the very honorable 
 things which he said of me to the Due de la Koche- 
 foucault. It shall be my ambition, when he gives 
 me opportunities, to merit his favor and affection." 
 
 From L' Orient he wrote to the commissioners 
 on December 9th, enclosing the memorial of the 
 pi'isoners confined there on board the Patience. 
 They Avere originally two hundred in number, but 
 one hundred and thirty-one alone remained, and it 
 was to be inferred that the others had been suffered 
 to escape. Their condition was a melancholy one. 
 The prisoners had full confidence in Father John, 
 the chaplain of the Due d'Orvilliers, and begged 
 for an answer through him. The memorial, signed 
 by the officers of the Drake, represented, no doubt, 
 too trul}^ the miseries they had endured in their 
 close confinement, at a distance from the shore, for 
 seven months. In January following, M. Sartine 
 granted an order for the release of such Americans 
 as would enroll under Jones. 
 
 For nearly two months, a singular gap in his in- 
 defatigable correspondence, we find no letters to or 
 from Jones preserved among the originals or copies 
 of his papers. His Journal for the king supplies the 
 vacuum. " ]S"one of the ships at L'Orient appeared 
 very suitable for the purpose, except one, the * Mar- 
 shal de Broglio,' a fine ship, bought soon afterwards 
 by the king, and fitted for war with sixty-four guns." 
 
134 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 As nothing was done, Captain Jones determined to go 
 himself to court, to know why he was detained idle 
 in Europe. The minister pressed him to accept 
 the command of the Marshal de Broglio ; but Cap- 
 tain Jones was obliged to decline it, as he saw no 
 means to procure a crew of Americans sufficient for 
 that ship. 
 
 The king then bought the Due de Duras, a much 
 smaller ship, of fourteen years old. This ship was 
 given to Captain Jones ; and at his request called 
 Le Bonhomme Richard, in compliment to a saying 
 of Poor Eichard : " if you would have your busi- 
 ness done, come yourself; if not, send." 
 
 The official intimation of this appointment was 
 not given by M. de Sartine until the 4:th of February, 
 who informed Jones that he was about to give 
 orders for completely fitting and victualing the 
 Duras ; that Jones was to hoist the flag of the 
 United States, under the commission he had received 
 from Congress when he left America, and to use 
 his powers to form a ship's company of American 
 volunteers. But he also informed him that it was 
 the king's pleasure that he should raise volunteers 
 to make up the necessary number of his crew. 
 
 As to his operation at sea, the minister in fact 
 gave him carte hlanche^ asking only for an account 
 of his proceedings, whenever he should enter a port 
 within the king's dominions. He assented to the 
 ship's changing her name, in compliance with the 
 request of Jones. Jones made his acknowledgments 
 warmly, and in his best sstyle, for the first actual 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. I35 
 
 favor he had received; and a prospect of action 
 opened before him. 
 
 " M. Garnier was appointed by the court to ar- 
 range a plan for the armament. Four or fiv^e sail 
 was to be added to the Bonhomme Eichard, two of 
 them to be fire-ships. Five hundred chosen troops 
 were to embark, from one of the Irish regiments, 
 under the command of the Chevalier de Fitz Mau- 
 rice, who was to be entirely under the command of 
 Captain Jones. A plan was laid between M. Gar- 
 nier and Captain Jones which promised perfect suc- 
 cess ; and had it succeeded, would have astonished 
 the world."* 
 
 Jones proceeded forthwith to Nantes to engage 
 seamen, several of whom he enlisted at that place ; 
 the Americans, as he says, being generally pleased 
 with the character of the " Poor Eichard." The 
 ship was calculated to mount only one battery of 
 eighteen-pounders, and he found some diflBculty in 
 procuring suitable ordnance to be cast. Writing 
 to M. Garnier from Nantes, he urged that, as the 
 new American frigate, the Alliance, which had been 
 put under the command of a French ofl5cer, was 
 then at Brest, it would be a useful addition to the 
 force which was to sail under him. Understanding 
 that Lafayette had brought out the credentials of 
 Franklin as ambassador, and that the Alliance 
 would in consequence be under his control, he sug- 
 gested that an application should be made to this 
 effect. 
 
 ♦ The plan was to attack Liverpool. 
 
136 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 From Nantes he went to L'Orient, whence he 
 wrote that finding the necessary cannon could be 
 made at Bordeaux, he should repair there imme- 
 diately ; that he had procured several seamen at 
 Brest and Nantes, and many valuable men for offi- 
 cers ; that volunteer soldiers enlisted with him daily, 
 to serve during the war, and that he had accepted 
 the offer of a captain in the American army to com- 
 mand them. After passing several times between 
 Bordeaux and Angouleme, before the contract for 
 casting the cannon was completed, he received on 
 his return to L'Orient, an express summoning him 
 to court. The Marquis de Lafayette, had expressed 
 a wish to join with him in an expedition, and com- 
 mand a body of select troops assigned to him by the 
 king for that purpose. Franklin, at the request of 
 the French government, made the Alliance a part 
 of the force, which now began to assume the ap- 
 pearance of an armament with which much might 
 be effected. It was to consist of the Bonhomme 
 Eichard, the Alliance, Pallas, Yengeance brig, and 
 Cerf, a remarkably fine cutter. 
 
 On his return to L'Orient, he found that two- 
 thirds of the men sent as American volunteers from 
 Nantes were, as he describes them, " unfit to bear 
 arms," a " set of dirty beings," who were to be sent 
 to their homes at an additional expense. The rest 
 were English prisoners, whose names he had blotted 
 out of the list previously, because, during his absence 
 at Bordeaux, they had enlisted to serve in a priva- 
 teer. He rated very soundly the officer (Mr. 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. 137 
 
 Thompson), under whose auspices these apologies for 
 soldiers were forwarded for his use. 
 
 On the 27th of April Franklin addressed to him 
 the following letter, under the impression that La- 
 fayette would co-operate with him. It would be 
 improper to omit it here, though it is found in other 
 collections. Jones duly appreciated the sound sense 
 of its precepts. With Lafayette, as with Franklin, 
 he never would have openly differed. This may be 
 safely affirmed, though he never w^as put to the test. 
 
 " I have, at the request of M. de Sartine, postponed 
 the sending of the Alliance to America, and have 
 ordered her to proceed immediately from Nantes to 
 L'Orient, where she is to be furnished with her com- 
 plement of men, join your little squadron, and act 
 under your command. 
 
 "The Marquis de Lafayette will be with you 
 soon. It has been observed that joint expeditions 
 of land and sea forces often miscarry through 
 jealousies and misunderstandings between the offi- 
 cers of the different corps. This must happen where 
 there are little minds, actuated more by personal 
 views of profit or honor, to themselves than by the 
 warm and sincere desire of good to their country. 
 Knowing you both, as I do, and your just manner 
 of thinking on these occasions, I am confident noth- 
 ing of the kind can happen between you, and that it 
 is unnecessary for me to recommend to either of 
 you that condescension, mutual good will and 
 harmony which contribute sc much to success in 
 
138 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 such undertakings. I look upon this expedition as 
 an introduction only to greater trusts and more 
 extensive commands, and as a kind of trial of both 
 your abilities, and of your fitness in temper and 
 disposition for acting in concert with others. I 
 flatter myself, therefore, that nothing will happen 
 that may give impressions to the disadvantage of 
 either of you, when greater affairs shall come under 
 consideration. 
 
 " As this is understood to be an American expe- 
 dition, under the Congress commission and colors, 
 the Marquis, who is a major-general in that service, 
 has of course the step in point of rank, and he must 
 have the command of the land forces, which are 
 committed by the king to his care ; but the com- 
 mand of the ships will be entirely in you, in which 
 I am persuaded that whatever authority his rank 
 mio^ht in strictness o^ive him, he will not have the 
 least desire to interfere with you. There is honor 
 enough to be got for both of you, if the expedition 
 is conducted with a prudent unanimity. The cir- 
 cumstance is indeed a little unusual ; for there is not 
 only a junction of land and sea forces, but there is 
 also a junction of Frenchmen and Americans, which 
 increases the difficulty of maintaining a good under- 
 standing ; a cool, prudent conduct in the chiefs is 
 therefore the more necessary, and I trust neither of 
 you will in that respect be deficient. With my best 
 wishes for your success, health, and honor, I re- 
 main, dear sir, your affectionate and most obedient 
 servant." 
 
LB BONHOMME RICHARD. 1^9 
 
 On the same day with Franklin, Lafayette 
 wrote to Jones, approving of his measures, and re- 
 gretting that he heard the cannon were promised to 
 other people. lie said that he wished the expedi- 
 tion to be soon over, as his return in the middle of 
 the summer would be useful to the common cause ; 
 and he hoped everything would be in readiness by 
 the Tth of May. He did not wish, if it could be 
 avoided, to put land troops on board of the Alliance, 
 because disputes would occur between their officers 
 and Captain Landais. 
 
 In reply to Franklin, Jones said : " The letter I 
 had the honor to receive from you to-day, together 
 with your liberal and noble-minded instructions, 
 would make a coward brave. You have called up 
 every sentiment of public virtue in my breast, and it 
 shall be my pride and ambition, in the strict pursuit 
 of your instructions, to deserve success. 
 
 And to Lafayette, he wrote as follows : " So 
 flattering and affectionate a proof of your esteem 
 and friendship, has made an impression on my mind 
 that will attend me while I live. This I hope to prove 
 by more than words. Where men of fine feelings 
 are concerned there is seldom misunderstanding ; 
 and I am sure I should do violence to my sensibility, 
 if I were capable of giving you a moment's pain by 
 any part of my conduct. Therefore, without any 
 apology, I shall expect you to point out my errors, 
 when we are together alone, with perfect freedom, 
 and I think I dare promise you your reproof shall 
 not be lost." 
 
140 L^FE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 On the 30th of April, he informed M. Chaumont, 
 that if a battery of twenty -eight good twelve-pound- 
 ers, with others of less caliber could be procured, he 
 was willing to put to sea ; that he had on his muster 
 roll 329 officers, seamen, and volunteer soldiers, and 
 would not lie idle for want of men. He expressed 
 his deep regret at the political disappointments his 
 friend M. Garnier had met with. 
 
 The proposed co-operation of Lafayette with 
 Jones was soon abandoned for reasons which the 
 general history of the times easily furnishes. Spain 
 was preparing to act with France against England, 
 and her hostile manifesto was delivered by her am- 
 bassador a few weeks subsequently. In the attitude 
 in which Great Britain then stood, it was by no means 
 chimerical to anticipate important results from the 
 combined operations of the two fleets. A general 
 invasion was projected ; forces were ordered to be 
 raised in the northern provinces of France, and 
 marched to the coast, and general officers were 
 named to conduct the grand enterprise. On the 22d 
 of May, Lafayette wrote to inform Jones of the 
 change in the purposes of the ministr}^ He simply 
 stated that political reasons had occasioned it, and 
 added, " I am only to tell you, my good friend, how 
 sorry I feel not to be a witness of your success, 
 abilities, and glory." " What will be further 
 determined about your squadron is yet uncertain, 
 and the ministers are to consult with Dr. Franklin." 
 It will be seen, that Jones wrote under a partial, if 
 not total misunderstanding of the causes which led 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. 141 
 
 to a modification of the plan first proposed, in part of 
 the following extract for his journal for the king, 
 though it was composed many years afterwards. 
 
 " M. le Kay de Chaumont was appointed commis- 
 sary of the expenses of the squadron, and unwisely 
 intrusted with the secret of the expedition. The 
 cannon had not arrived for the Bonhomme Richard, 
 and she was in great haste mounted with a battery 
 of indifferent twelve-pounders. Six old-fashioned 
 long eighteen-pounders Avere mounted in the gun- 
 room ; and ports were cut to fight them six on one 
 side. Thus, wath the guns on the quarter-deck and 
 forecastle, the Bonhomme Richard mounted forty 
 guns ; and with the Alliance of thirty-six the Pallas 
 of thirty-two, the Cerf of eighteen, and the Venge- 
 ance of twelve, composed the little squadron. A 
 crew was hastily procured for the Bonhomme 
 Richard, from among the English prisoners, and by 
 enlisting raw French peasants as volunteers. Cap- 
 tain Jones had not more than thirty Americans 
 among the crew. 
 
 In the Alliance, there had been a mutiny on the 
 passage from America, and the captain and officers 
 were ready to cut one another's throats. The first 
 and second lieutenants deserted. The Pallas, a 
 merchant ship, had been built for the king, and 
 hastily fitted at Nantes. The Vengeance was bought 
 by the commissary, and fitted in the same manner. 
 The commissary took upon himself the whole direc- 
 tion at L'Orient, and went far beyond the powers of 
 a commissary ; but the secret was too big for him 
 
142 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 to keep. All Paris rang with the expedition from 
 L'Orient; and government was obliged to drop the 
 plan, when the squadron lay ready for sea, and the 
 troops ready to embark." 
 
 On the 10th and 14:th of June, M. Chaumont sent 
 to Jones his official hints and suggestions, as to the 
 government of the fleet, and the disposition of the 
 prizes. He observed, that as the situation of the 
 officers, who had accepted commissions from Con- 
 gress to join the armament of the Bonhomme 
 Richard, might be in contradiction with the in- 
 terest of their own ships, he was induced to request 
 Jones to enter into an engagement with him, 
 not to require from those vessels any services, not 
 conformable to the orders such officers might have; 
 and not to make any change in the formation of 
 their crews. " He also requested that all prizes might 
 be addressed to such consignees as he should point 
 out, for the preservation of the interests of all con- 
 cerned. 
 
 By the orders of the minister, Jones was at this 
 time employed in giving convoy to a fleet bound for 
 Bordeaux, and other ports in the Bay of Biscay, 
 containing troops, stores, and other merchandise. 
 He was also directed, on his return, to drive the 
 enemy's cruisers out of the bay. This service, he 
 says in his Journal, he performed. On the night of 
 June 20th, while the fleet lay to off Rochefort, 
 "the Bonhomme Richard and Alliance got foul 
 of each other ; which carried away the B. H. R.'s 
 head and bowsprit and the Alliance's mizzen-raast.'* 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. 143 
 
 This accident was allowed on all hands to have been 
 owing to the clumsy management of the Alliance, 
 but it was further supposed that the collision w^as 
 not altogether unintentional on the part of Landais. 
 Among the articles subsequently attested by the 
 officers of the squadron, the first was, " that the 
 captain of the Alliance did not take the steps in his 
 power to prevent his ship from getting foul of the 
 Bonhomme Kichard, in the Bay of Biscay ; for, 
 instead of putting his hehn a-weather and bearing 
 up to make way for his commanding officer (which 
 was his duty), he left the deck to load his pistols." 
 The offense, however, was visited upon the lieutenant 
 of the Bonhomme Kichard, who had the watch, 
 and was broken by a court-martial held shortly 
 afterwards. Jones observes that there were faults 
 on both sides. 
 
 On the 21st of June Jones sent the Cerf to recon- 
 noiter two sail. She fell in with a sloop of fourteen 
 guns ; and after a warm engagement was obliged to 
 abandon her prize, on the approach of a superior 
 force, and went to L'Orient to refit. The next day 
 three ships-of-war were discerned to windward. 
 They bore down in order ; but, finding the squadron 
 prepared to receive them, escaped by superior sail- 
 ing. A few days after, the Alliance and Pallas 
 separated from the two other ships in a fog. On 
 coming in sight of the road of Groix, the wind be- 
 ing contrary, Jones gave the Vengeance leave to 
 make the best of her way in, and found himself, at 
 the approach of night, near two large frigates. He 
 
144 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 steered for them for half an hour, to prepare for 
 action, and then tacked to engage. When thej saw 
 this, the pursuers ran away ; and, as Jones says, 
 " to his great mortification out sailed the Bon- 
 homme Kichard and got clear." 
 
 Unapprised of the necessarj^ delay which the 
 repairs of the squadron would create, Franklin ad- 
 dressed to Jones, the same day on which he arrived 
 at the Isle de Groix, the following instructions : 
 
 "Being arrived at Groix, you are to make the 
 best of your way with the vessels under jour com- 
 mand to the West of Ireland, and establish your 
 cruise on the Orcades, the Cape of Derneus, and the 
 Dogger Bank, in order to take the enemy's property 
 in those seas. 
 
 " The prizes you may make send to Dunkirk, 
 Ostend, or Bergen, in Norway, according to your 
 proximity to either of those ports. Address them to 
 the persons M. de Chaumont shall indicate to you. 
 
 " About the 15th of August, when you vriil have 
 sufficiently cruised in these seas, you are to make 
 route for the Texel, where you will meet ray further 
 orders. 
 
 " If by any personal accident you should be 
 rendered unable to execute these instructions, the 
 officer of your squadron next in rank is to endeavor 
 to put them in execution." 
 
 In the letter from Jones, giving an account of his 
 proceedings, which crossed these instructions on the 
 
LE BOXHOMME RICHARD. I45 
 
 road, he said : " I have traversed the Gulf de Gas- 
 cogne, over and over, both within and without 
 soundings, from half a degree to the southward of 
 the island of Bordeaux, to the Ras passage, in sight 
 of Brest. I have fallen in with and chased various 
 other ships and vessels, which I believe were enemies, 
 but all such as I have been able to overtake proved 
 either Dutch, Spanish, or other neutral property." 
 " If the court is yet disposed to give me the ship 
 which they at first offered, I think it possible in the 
 present situation of my affairs to make a useful and 
 honorable cruise that way, with the force now under 
 my command, and afterwards to bring that ship 
 out with the crew I now have." 
 
 Franklin stated in reply : " I have no other orders 
 to give ; for, as the court is at the chief expense, I 
 think they have the best right to direct. I observe 
 what you write about a change of the destination ; 
 but when a thing has been once considered and de- 
 termined on in council, they do not care to resume 
 the consideration of it, having much business on 
 hand, and there is not now time to obtain a recon- 
 sideration." lie threw out, however, the consoling 
 intimation, that it had been hinted to him that 
 " the intention of ordering the cruise to finish at 
 the Texel, was with a view of getting out the Indien ; 
 but this should be kept a secret." He confirmed 
 absolutely the instructions of M. Chaumont ; and 
 added the following significant postscript : 
 
 " If it should fall in your way, remember that the 
 
 Hudson's Bay ships are very valuable," 
 10 
 
146 LIFE OF PAUL JONEa 
 
 On the 2d of July, the Alliance and Pallas 
 arrived with an Irish brig laden with wine, etc., 
 which they had captured, and the squadron went to 
 L'Orient for repairs. The Pallas, Cerf, and Venge- 
 ance were ordered on a short cruise, from which thev 
 returned without eJffecting anything of consequence. 
 
 The Bonhomme Pichard, on inspection, at 
 L'Orient, was found too old for necessary alterations, 
 and fit only for extemporary service. The bowsprit 
 was found to be sprung, which required attention. 
 The Alliance was also hove down and careened. 
 " ISTotwithstanding," Jones wrote to Franklin, 
 " the little squadron will not be detained, so as to in- 
 terfere with the execution of your orders. When we 
 meet with the enem^^'s property of no great value, 
 or that cannot be conveniently sent into ports, would 
 it not be proper to ' sink, burn, or otherwise destroy ' 
 such property \ I have had such charge in my in- 
 structions from Congress ; and it is therefore that 
 I mention it noAV. I would also beg leave to ask, 
 whether I may or may not attempt to avail myself 
 of every opportunity that may seem to present itself 
 to distress the enemy." In a marginal note, he says, 
 " I have ever made this my study." 
 
 In pursuance of the desire of M. de Sartine, M. 
 Chamillard de Yarville was admitted to the com- 
 mand en second of the Bonhomme Pichard. On 
 the 19th Franklin lengthened the cruise, at De 
 Sartine's request, to the end of September, to give 
 a longer time for finishing it at the Orcades. On 
 the 26th Jones wrote Franklin that he had advices 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. I47 
 
 that the Jamaica fleet would sail liomewards, escorted 
 by a fifty -gun ship and two frigates, and that he 
 should certainly engage them if he fell in with them, 
 though his ships would probably be too much cut 
 up to prevent the escape of the convoy. He urged 
 the convenience of attaching the Monsieur frigate, 
 a privateer, to his command, which had been spoken 
 of when he was at Paris, and which would give him 
 a superiority over the convoy. 
 
 On the 28th he wrote, in relation to the proceed- 
 ings of a court-martial which had been held for the 
 trial of several alleged offenses, on board the Bon- 
 homrae Kichard. Notwithstanding the " martial 
 spirit " shown by his seamen in the affair with the 
 two frigates, he observed a mutinous disposition 
 among the English, ** who remained on board from 
 necessity, and not from choice,'^ after he had been 
 forbidden to enlist the French seamen. He had 
 learned from Franklin that accounts of these in- 
 surrectionary symptoms had reached the ears of 
 M. de Sartine, with whom he was not in immediate 
 correspondence; and was much annoyed by it. 
 While the proceedings before the court-martial were 
 pending, the suggestions made by Jones to Franklin 
 are creditable to his good sense. Two quarter- 
 masters were charged with conspiracy at sea, against 
 whom the evidence was strong. " Should any 
 person," he says, " be condemned to death, I will 
 suspend the execution of the sentence, until I have 
 your orders on the subject. In the meantime, as I 
 wish to give no offense in a foreign port, I submit 
 
148 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 to you, whether it would not be better to make this 
 proceeding known at Versailles. Should I depart 
 from thence, before I receive your orders, if there 
 be any sentence of death, I will leave the condemned 
 in prison on shore ; and you may be assured that 
 the court will proceed with due circumspection and 
 lenity, as far as may be consonant with the rules of 
 the service." The sentences of this court, however, 
 except in the case of the lieutenant of the Bon- 
 homme Richard, who was cashiered, as before men- 
 tioned, amounted only to whipping. 
 
 Any further delay than that which repairs oc- 
 casioned would have been particularly vexatious at 
 this time, as in compliance with the minister's desire, 
 Franklin would have given orders to the Alliance to 
 sail on a separate cruise. One hundred and nine- 
 teen American prisoners had arrived in a cartel at 
 Nantes, and M. Chaumont paid a visit to the sea- 
 board to obtain a better crew for the Bonhomme 
 Bichard. On the eve of his departure, he informed 
 Franklin in a note that it would probably be neces- 
 sary to retard the sailing of that vessel, until she 
 was more properly manned ; in which case M. de 
 Sartine desired that Captain Landais might have 
 orders to put to sea forthwith from L'Orient to 
 cruise on the north of Scotland until the end of 
 September. 
 
 The strange commander of the Alliance, if he did 
 not instigate this order, would no doubt have been 
 well pleased with its going into effect. What figure 
 he would have cut upon the coasts, on his own 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. 149 
 
 account, cannot be conjectured. But the visit of 
 M.Chaumont was in every respect unacceptable to 
 Jones, who told the minister, " this second journey 
 of M. Chaumont was altogether unnecessary ; as I 
 had, before his arrival at L'Orient, sent officers to 
 Kantes to enlist Americans, and had also enlisted 
 as many of the strangers as were w^illing to embark 
 at L'Orient." 
 
 The contents and date of a letter addressed to 
 Jones' eldest sister about this time, Avhich has been 
 accidentally preserved, make us acquainted with a 
 pleasing trait in his character, which should not be 
 overlooked, though it here interrupts the current of 
 the narrative. The letter is dated Cork, June Ist, 
 and incloses a bill of exchange drawn for thirty 
 pounds sterling on a person in Carlisle, in favor of 
 Captain Pliance, a friend of Jones' relations, for 
 whose use he had made the remittance. The drawee 
 could not be heard of, and, with similar remittances 
 which Jones had made from time to time, this failed 
 in coming to the hands of those for whom it was 
 destined. But the circumstances, with many others, 
 some of which will appear, proves that he never 
 forgot or ceased to cherish those Avho were nearest 
 to him in blood. In reply to a letter from his sister, 
 Mrs. Taylor, at a subsequent period, informing him 
 of the death of his mother and eldest sister, he says, 
 " The loss of those dear friends is the more affecting: 
 to me, as they never received the remittances I 
 intended for them, and as they had not, perhaps, a 
 truQ idea of my affection," 
 
l^Q LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 The Monsieur, described as a fine privateer of 
 forty guns, and the Grand ville of fourteen, joined 
 the squadron. Their captains, Jones says, " requested 
 him to permit them to follow his motions, and share 
 his fortune ; and offered to come under any obliga- 
 tion not to leave the squadron. But the commissary 
 thought fit to leave the privateers to act on the great 
 scale of honor, and would hear of no obligation being 
 taken from them." 
 
 M. Chaumont was either instructed, or deemed it 
 necessary, to require the commanders of the squadron 
 to sign a paper, called a concord. Jones subsequently 
 complained that it was imposed upon him at the 
 moment of departure, and said he would have re- 
 jected it with indignation if offered at the beginning. 
 It is to be observed, however, that, having read it, 
 he did sign it ; and that, in his earlier letters to M. 
 Chaumont after sailing, he made no allusion to it. 
 
 By this instrument, the five captains, Jones, 
 Landais, Cottineau, Yarage, and Eicot, " composing 
 a squadron to be commanded by the oldest officer of 
 the highest grade, and so on in succession, in case of 
 death or retreat," agreed that, unless separated 
 from the squadron by order of the minister, each 
 should act only by virtue of the brevet which they 
 should have obtained from the United States, whose 
 flag was to be displayed. The division of prizes to 
 the officers and crews was to be made according to 
 the American laws ; but the proportion of each vessel 
 was to be regulated by the minister of the French 
 marine and the American minister. A copy of the 
 
LE BONHOMIVrE RICHARD. I5I 
 
 American laws was to be annexed to the agreement, 
 after having been certified by Jones. Where their 
 provisions were inadequate, the matter was to be de- 
 termined as above mentioned. The orders of the 
 French minister of marine and of the American 
 plenipotentiary were to be executed. The prizes 
 were to be remitted to M. le Eay de Chaumont, 
 who had furnished the expenses of the armament of 
 the squadron, and who was to be requested not to 
 give up the part of the prizes accruing to all the 
 crews, and to any individual of the squadron, but to 
 their order, and to be answerable in his own name. 
 Armed vessels, whether French or American, might 
 be associated with the squadron by common consent, 
 and have such proportion of the prizes as the laws 
 of their respective countries allowed. In case of the 
 death of a commander, he was to be replaced accord- 
 ing to the order of the tableau ; with liberty to the 
 person entitled, however, to remain in his own vessel 
 and yield the vacancy to the next. In case of any 
 accident happening to M. Yarage, of the Cerf, he 
 was to be replaced by his second in command, etc. 
 
 On the face of these articles there appears nothing 
 that does not seem plain and equitable. 
 
 On the 10th of August Jones issued his circular to 
 the captains, of the squadron, directing them never to 
 chase so as to lose company, and, if separated from 
 the Bonhomme Eichard, to open their letters of 
 rendezvous. 
 
 At daybreak on the 14th of August the squadron 
 sailed from Groix, consisting of seven sail, including 
 
152 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the two privateers. " Unfortunately," says Jones, 
 " there was neither secrecy nor subordination. 
 Captain Jones saw his danger ; but, his reputation 
 being at stake, he put all to the hazard." On the 
 18th they " retook a large ship belonging to Holland, 
 laden chiefly with brandy and wine, that had been 
 destined from Barcelona for Dunkirk and taken eight 
 days before by an English privateer. The captain 
 of the Monsieur, however, took out of this prize such 
 articles as he pleased in the night, and the next da}^ 
 being astern of the squadron and to windward, he 
 actually wrote orders in his proper name, and sent 
 away the prize under one of his own officers." The 
 commodore, however, not understanding the pro- 
 priety of this disposition of die Yerwagting (the 
 name of the Dutch ship), sent her to L'Orient, with 
 a letter to M. Chaumont ; and the Monsieur, after 
 detaining the squadron for twenty-four hours, by 
 lagging behind, separated from it altogether. On 
 the 21st a brigantine was taken, loaded with provi- 
 sions, from Limerick to London, and sent to L'Orient. 
 On the 23d, in sight of Cape Clear and the south- 
 west part of Ireland, Jones had the first specimen of 
 what he was to expect from Captain Landais. We 
 quote from his official account : 
 
 " That afternoon, it being calm, I sent some armed 
 boats to take a brigantine that appeared in the north- 
 west quarter. Soon after, in the evening, it became 
 necessary to have a boat ahead of the ship to tow, as 
 the helm could not prevent her from laying across 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. 153 
 
 the tide of flood, which would have driven us into a 
 deep and dangerous bay, situated between the rocks 
 on the south called the Skallocks, and on the north 
 called the Blaskets. The ship's boats being absent, 
 I sent my own barge ahead to tow the ship. The 
 boats took the brigantine ; she was called the For- 
 tune, and bound with a cargo of oil, blubber, and 
 staves, from Newfoundland for Bristol ; this vessel 
 I ordered to proceed immediately for ISl antes or St. 
 Malo. Soon after sunset the villains who towed the 
 ship cut the tow rope and decamped with my barge. 
 Sundry shots were fired to bring them to, without 
 effect ; in the meantime the master of the Bon- 
 homme Richard, without orders, manned one of the 
 ship's boats, and with four soldiers pursued the barge 
 in order to stop the deserters. The evening was 
 clear and serene, but the zeal of that officer, Mr. 
 Cutting Lunt, induced him to pursue too far, and a 
 fog which came on soon afterward prevented the 
 boats from rejoining the ship, although I caused sig- 
 nal guns to be frequently fired. The fog and calm 
 continued the next day till towards evening. In the 
 afternoon. Captain Landais came on board the Bon- 
 homme Richard and behaved toward me with great 
 disrespect, affirming in the most indelicate manner 
 and language that I had lost my boats and people 
 through my imprudence in sending boats to take a 
 prize ! He persisted in his reproaches, though be 
 was assured by Messrs. De "Weibert and De Chamil- 
 lard that the barge was towing the ship at the time 
 of elopement, and that she had not been sent in pur- 
 
154 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 suit of the prize. He was affronted, because I would 
 not the day before suffer him to chase without my 
 orders, and to approach the dangerous shore I have 
 already mentioned, where he was an entire stranger, 
 and where there was not sufficient wind to govern a 
 ship. He told me he was the only American in the 
 squadron, and was determined to follow his own 
 opinion in chasing when and where he thought prop- 
 er, and in every other matter that concerned the 
 service ; and that, if we continued in that situation 
 three days longer, the squadron would be taken." 
 
 This account of the behavior of Landais on this 
 occasion is confirmed, with immaterial variations, by 
 several respectable officers present. His gestures 
 were as violent and indecorous as his language. 
 Colonel Weibert says : " The commodore did not say 
 to M. Landais, ' you lie,' but, ' it is an untruth ' (refer- 
 ring to the manner in which the boats had been lost), 
 which M. Landais was pleased to interpret as a 
 formal giving the lie ; who was never able to over- 
 come his peevish, obstinate, turbulent, and ungovern- 
 able temper, which he constantly showed during the 
 whole of the campaign." He adds that Landais 
 rendered his insulting expressions in English im- 
 mediately into French; in order that M. Cha- 
 millard, who was present, might apprehend their 
 import. 
 
 The Cerf was sent to reconnoiter the coast, and 
 endeavor to recover the boats and people. After 
 standing off and on the coast till the evening of the 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. 153 
 
 26th, neither the Cerf nor the boats appeared. The 
 Cerf, Jones says in his Journal, was seen by Mr. 
 Limt, the master, on the day she was sent to recon- 
 noiter ; and he approached her gladly, " but that 
 cutter then hoisting English colors and firing at the 
 boat, the unhappy Mr. Lunt imagined himself mis- 
 taken, landed, and was made prisoner. Thus Captain 
 Jones lost from the crew of the Bonhomme Rich- 
 ard the master and another officer, with twenty of 
 his best seamen. Mr. Lunt was reconducted to a 
 wretched dungeon in England, where he formerly 
 had long experience of English cruelty, from whence, 
 it is reported, he was at last relieved by death." 
 The cutter w^as not subsequently found at the first 
 or second rendezvous. She had returned to France ; 
 and the Grandville having secured a prize, on the 
 26th, followed her example. 
 
 The evening of that day was very stormy ; and, 
 against his own judgment, as he says, but in con- 
 sequence of assertions made by Landais, he left a 
 station where he would have preferred remaining a 
 week longer. In his Journal for the king, he says, 
 "It was his intention to cruise off the southwest 
 coast of Ireland for twelve or fifteen davs, in order 
 to interrupt the enemy's homeward bound East 
 India ships, that he had been informed from England 
 would return without convoy, and steer for that 
 point of land. But Captain Landais of the Alliance 
 began to speak and act as though he had not been 
 under the command of Captain Jones ; and made 
 great objections to remaining on that coast, express- 
 
156 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 ino" apprehensions, that the enemy would send a 
 superior force." Jones made the signal for the 
 course, and steered to the northward ; but Captain 
 Landais chose to alter his course two points by the 
 compass, on the same night, and was not seen again 
 until the 31st, when he rejoined the squadron with 
 a letter of marque, which he had taken, of twenty 
 guns, bound from Liverpool for Jamaica, with a 
 valuable cargo. He appeared in sight while Jones 
 was giving chase to another letter of marque, off 
 Cape Wrath, which proved to be the Union, of 
 twent^^-two guns, from London for Quebec, with a 
 cargo of great value, consisting of sails, rigging, 
 anchors, cables, etc., etc., for the enemy's vessels on 
 the lakes, l^either of these vessels made any 
 resistance. 
 
 Owing to Landais hoisting American colors, 
 though English were flying on board the Bon- 
 homme Kichard, the public despatches on board 
 the Union were lost. Landais sent a quaint mes- 
 sage, to know whether Jones or he should man the 
 prize ; as, in the latter case, he would suffer no boat 
 nor person from the Bonhomme Richard to go 
 near her. Eidiculous as this was, Jones says he 
 yielded to it for the sake of peace, and received the 
 prisoners on board his ship, while the prize was 
 manned from the Alliance. On the same afternoon, 
 and on the next morning, Landais refused to obey 
 Jones' signals, and on the 3d of September acted in 
 direct opposition to his orders, in relation to the 
 two prizes he had been ordered to bring to the ren- 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. 157 
 
 dezvous. He sent them to Bergen in Korway, 
 where they were given up to the English by the 
 Danish government. 
 
 In the evening of the 4th the commodore sent 
 for the captains to come on board of his ship, to 
 consult on future operations. Landais refused to 
 comply, and sent back several uncivil messages, and 
 an extraordinary letter. Mr. Mease, the purser, a 
 very gallant man, at first alone, and subsequently 
 with Captain Cottineau and M. Chamillard, in vain 
 went on board of the Alliance, to intercede with the 
 doughty sea Achilles. He " spoke of Captain Jones 
 in terms highly disrespectful and insolent ; and said 
 he would see him on shore, when they must kill one 
 or the other," etc. 
 
 A gale commenced blowing on the afternoon of 
 the 5th, which continued for some days, and Landais 
 separated from his consorts with two small prizes 
 which he had picked up. The Pallas and Vengeance 
 alone remained with the Bonhomme Richard ; and 
 the winds continued contrary, so that land was not 
 seen until the evening of the 13th, when the Cheviot 
 hills in the south of Scotland became visible. Jones 
 proceeds to say in his Journal : '' Though much weak- 
 ened and embarrassed with prisoners, he was anxious 
 to teach the enemy humanity, by some exemplary 
 strokes of retaliation, and to relieve the remainder 
 of the Americans from captivity, in England, as well 
 as to make a diversion in the north, to favor a for- 
 midable descent which he then expected would have 
 been made on the south side of Great Britain, under 
 
158 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 cover of the great combined fleet. He sent for tlie 
 captains of the Pallas and Vengeance, and communi- 
 cated to them his intentions ; but, after spending the 
 whole night, all his arguments on the side of honor 
 and humanity failed. He then spoke to their ruling 
 passion, and showed them a large heap of gold, at 
 the end of the prospect. He was now heard with 
 attention ; and they entered warmly into his project, 
 which Avas, to lay Leith, and perhaps Edinburgh, 
 under a contribution." He was apprised that an 
 armed ship of twenty guns and two or three fine 
 cutters lay in Leith road ; and, had he been alone 
 he says, " the wind being favorable, I would have, 
 proceeded directly up the Firth, and must have suc- 
 ceeded ; as they lay there in a state of perfect indo- 
 lence and security, which would have proved their 
 ruin. Unfortunately for me, the Pallas and Venge- 
 ance were both at a considerable distance in the off- 
 ing ; they having chased to the southward ; this obliged 
 us to steer out of the Firth again to meet them." 
 
 The prospect of levying 200,000 pounds upon the 
 inhabitants of Leith having prevailed upon the 
 French commanders to assent to the enterprise, 
 every order was given for taking the guard ship and 
 cutters, and every disposition made for landing 
 troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Chamillard. The 
 summons to the magistrates of Leith, and the 
 capitulation they were to sign were prepared ; but 
 " so much time had been unavoidably spent in 
 pointed remarks and sage deliberations that night, 
 that the wind became contrary in the morning." 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. 169 
 
 The following note, in his own handwriting, is 
 subjoined to a copy of this summons : " N. B. — The 
 sudden and violent storm which arose in the moment 
 when the squadron was abreast of Keith Island 
 (Inchkeith Island), which forms the entrance of the 
 road of Leith, rendered impracticable the execution 
 of the foregoing project." Jones did not, however, 
 abandon readily what he had so resolutely under- 
 taken, notwithstanding he must have been aware, 
 as was the fact, that the alarm had become general 
 on the shore, and in the interior. An express 
 reached Edinburgh on the 15th, announcing that 
 three strange ships were seen off Eyemouth on 
 the afternoon of the preceding day, and that a ship, 
 supposed to mount forty or fifty guns, had been 
 seen off Dunbar. At 5 p. m. on the 15th they were 
 distinctly seen from Edinburgh, sailing up the Frith 
 of Forth ; but whether they were French vessels, or 
 the squadron of Paul Jones, was not ascertained. 
 Batteries were hastily erected at Leith, and the 
 trades petitioned for arms, which were supplied from 
 the castle of Edinburgh. So runs the oft-told story 
 which I transcribe. Jones says : "We continued 
 working to windward up the Frith without being 
 able to reach the road of Leith, till on the morning 
 of the 17th, when, being almost within cannon-shot 
 of the town, having everything in readiness for a 
 descent, a very severe gale of wind came on, and 
 being directly contrary, obliged us to bear away, 
 after having in vain endeavored for some time to 
 withstand its violence. The gale was so sever© 
 
160 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 that one of the prizes that had been taken on the 
 14th sunk to the bottom, the crew being with diffi- 
 culty saved. As the alarm by this time had reached 
 Leith, by means of a cutter that had watched our 
 motions that morning, and as the wind continued 
 contrary (though more moderate in the evening), I 
 thought it impossible to pursue the enterprise with 
 a good prospect of success ; especially as Edinburgh, 
 "where there is always a number of troops, is only a 
 mile distant from Leith ; therefore I gave up the 
 project." 
 
 An incident which showed how much the spec- 
 tators on shore were yet in the dark occurred on 
 the 16th, which Jones thus relates in his Journal : 
 " A member of the British Parliament sent off a 
 boat from the north shore, to give information that 
 he was greatly afraid of Paul Jones, and begging 
 for some powder and shot. Captain Jones set his 
 fears to rest by sending him a barrel of powder, with 
 a kind message, but had no suitable shot.'' The 
 principal messenger he detained as pilot for the 
 road of Leith. It appears that he also employed the 
 captain of a small collier, taken on the loth, to 
 assist hirr- by his knowledge of the coast ; and when 
 he afterwards abandoned the enterprise, he gave 
 this man up his vessel, " on account of his attach- 
 ment to America, and the faithful information and 
 important services he rendered by his general knowl- 
 edge of the east coast of Britain. I had given 
 orders to sink the old vessel, when the tears of this 
 honest man prevailed over my intention." 
 
LE BONHOMME RICHARD. i^i 
 
 Thus were the good citizens of Leith preserved 
 from the necessity of opening their coffers, when 
 two tacks more would have brought Jones alongside 
 the enemy in the road. He would not 3^et give up 
 the design of effecting some enterprise of pith upon 
 the coast. He treated the humors of the wind as 
 policy and necessity compelled him to treat those 
 of his absent associate, Landais ; and, as soon as the 
 gale abated, he endeavored to prevail on the captains 
 of the Pallas and Vengeance to co-operate. But 
 these gentlemen did not like the " glory " they had 
 got, the gale, or the preparation on shore. M. Cot- 
 tineau told him that a superior force would be sent 
 against him ; and that, if he continued two days 
 longer on the coast, they would all be taken. Being 
 aware, by some means, which Jones ascribed to the 
 communicativeness of M. Chaumont, of the limita- 
 tion of the cruise, and its termination at the Texel, 
 one of the captains informed a lieutenant of the 
 Bonhomme Kichard that *'they would leave the 
 commodore if he did not agree to steer for the 
 port of destination." Setting aside the question of 
 subordination, the gallantry of these gentlemen is 
 not to be impeached. They felt like men attacking 
 in the dark, with a comparatively ridiculous force, 
 a fortress, the strength of which they had reason 
 to suppose was great. Jones knew the weakness 
 of some of the outworks ; but he had not yet had 
 opportunities to convince them of his extraordinary 
 shrewdness, local information, and capacity to exe- 
 cute designs, which to them appeared visionary. 
 
162 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 Their education (independent of their national feel- 
 ing, involving personal and professional pride, not 
 unallied to captious jealousy), had been probably 
 selon les regies. Jones had educated himself as to 
 detail, and had learned from Count d'Orvilliers 
 the duties of a commander of great fleets. With his 
 force at that time, provided he did not contravene 
 the laws of Congress, his own moral sense, or what 
 would seem justifiable in the eyes of Dr. Franklin, 
 he was not particular as to the manner in which he 
 " retaliated " upon the enemy. He found it, however, 
 necessary to yield to the opposition of the French 
 commanders. In his official account, he says : " I 
 am persuaded even now that I would have suc- 
 ceeded ; and, to the honor of my young officers, I 
 found them as ardently disposed to the business as 
 I could desire ; nothing prevented me from pursuing 
 my design but the reproach that would have been 
 cast upon my character, as a man of prudence, had 
 the enterprise miscarried. It would have been said, 
 ^ "Was he not forewarned by Captain Cotfcineau and 
 others ? ' " 
 
 Many coasters and colliers were taken, several of 
 which were sunk by the squadron in the Frith of 
 Forth. Much damage was done to the coal trade ; 
 but it is unnecessary to Aveary the reader with par- 
 ticulars. Captain Cottineau undertook to ransom a 
 sloop, though Jones had told him previously he had 
 no authority to ransom prizes. It was probably an 
 inexcusable act, and the commodore does not subse- 
 quently dwell upon it. 
 
BATTLE WITH THE SERAPIS. 163 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 BATTLE WITH THE SERAPIS. 
 
 And now, after having agonized through a period 
 of fifteen months, during which hope was not only 
 deferred, but crucified in each lunar circle ; after 
 having set sail with a force that mocked all the 
 promises made to him, in an old ship, fit only for a 
 great sacrifice by which her rotten timbers might 
 be eternized ; after having been abandoned by half 
 of his squadron, and having taken a few prizes, of 
 which, the most valuable had been lost by disobe- 
 dience and caprice. Captain Jones was making for 
 the Texel, in that frame of mind which heroic pro- 
 jectors of original enterprises, who have been foiled 
 by the weakness of their agents and the ever vary- 
 ing elements, can alone understand. 
 
 The battle between the Bonhomme Richard and 
 the Serapis must always be told to disadvantage, 
 if uot in the woixls of the conqueror. It was fought 
 on the evening and in the night of September 23d, 
 under a bright and beautiful harvest moon, and its 
 issue awaited by multitudes (thousands, it is said), 
 who watched the engagement from the shore. The 
 remark often made, that it has no parallel in the 
 history of naval engagements, has no exception of 
 
164 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 which we are aware, if restricted to those between 
 ships of civilized nations. The official account of 
 Jones follows : 
 
 " On the 21st we saw and chased two sail off 
 Flam borough Head ; the Pallas chased in the N. 
 E. quarter, while the Bonhomme Richard, followed 
 by the Vengeance, chased in the S. AY. ; the one I 
 chased, a brigantine collier in ballast, belonging to 
 Scarborough, was soon taken, and sunk immediately 
 afterwards, as a fleet then appeared to the south- 
 ward. This was so late in the day that I could not 
 come up with the fleet before night ; at length, how- 
 ever, I got so near one of them as to force her to 
 run ashore between Flam borough Head and the 
 Spurn. Soon after I took another, a brigantine 
 from Holland, belonging to Sunderland, and at day- 
 light the next morning, seeing a fleet steering to- 
 wards me from the Spurn, I imagined them to be a 
 convoy bound from London for Leith, which had 
 been for some time expected. One of them had a 
 pennant hoisted, and appeared to be a ship of force. 
 They had not, however, courage to come on, but 
 kept back, all except the one which seemed to be 
 armed, and that one also kept to the windward, very 
 near the land, and on the edge of dangerous shoals, 
 where I could not with safety approach. This in- 
 duced me to make a signal for a pilot, and soon after- 
 wards two pilots' boats came off. They informed 
 me that a ship that wore a pennant was an armed 
 merchantman, and that a king's frigate lay there in 
 
FIGHT BETWEEN THE BONHOMME RICHARD AND THE SERAPIS. 
 
BATTLE WITH THE SERAPIS. 165 
 
 Sight, at anchor, within the Ilumber, waiting to 
 take under convoy a number of merchant ships 
 bound to the northward. The pilots imagined the 
 Bonhomme Richard to be an English ship-of-war, 
 and consequently communicated to me the private 
 signal which they had been required to make. I 
 endeavored by this means to decoy the ships out of 
 the port ; but the wind then changing, and with the 
 tide becoming unfavorable for them, the deception 
 had not the desired effect, and they wisely put back. 
 The entrance of the Humber is exceedingly difficult 
 and dangerous, and as the Pallas was not in sight, 
 I thought it imprudent to remain off the entrance, 
 therefore steered out again to join the Pallas off 
 Flamborough Head. In the night we saw and 
 chased two ships until three o'clock in the morning, 
 when, being at a very small distance from them, I 
 made the private signal of reconnoissance, which I 
 had given to each captain before I sailed from Groix : 
 one half of the answer only was returned. In this 
 position both sides lay to till daylight, when the 
 ships proved to be the Alliance and the Pallas. 
 
 " On the morning of that day, the 23d, the brig 
 from Holland not being in sight, we chased a brig- 
 antine that appeared laying to, to windward. About 
 noon we saw and chased a large ship that appeared 
 coming round Flamborough Head, from the north- 
 ward, and at the same time I manned and armed 
 one of the pilot boats to send in pursuit of the brig- 
 antine, which now appeared to be the vessel that I 
 had forced ashore. Soon after this, a fleet of forty- 
 
166 LITE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 one sail appeared off Flamborough Head bearing 
 N. N. E. This induced me to abandon the single 
 ship which had then anchored in Burlington Bay ; 
 I also called back the pilot boat, and hoisted a signal 
 for a general chase. When the fleet discovered us 
 bearing down, all the merchant ships crowded sail 
 towards the shore. The two ships-of-war that pro- 
 tected the fleet at the same time steered from the 
 land, and made the disposition for battle. In ap- 
 proaching the enemy, I crowded every possible sail, 
 and made the signal for the line of battle, to which 
 the Alliance showed no attention. Earnest as I was 
 for the action, I could not reach the commodore's 
 ship until seven in the evening, being then within 
 pistol shot, when he hailed the Bonhomme Eichard. 
 "We answered him by firing a whole broadside. 
 
 " The battle, being thus begun, was continued with 
 unremitting fury. Every method was practised on 
 both sides to gain an advantage, and rake each 
 other ; and I must confess that the enemy's ship, 
 beino: much more manao^eable than the Bonhomme 
 Eichard, gained thereby several times an advan- 
 tageous situation, in spite of my best endeavors to 
 prevent it. As I had to deal with an enemy of 
 greatly superior force, I was under the necessity of 
 closing with him, to prevent the advantage which 
 he had over me in point of maneuver. It was my 
 intention to lay the Bonhomme Eichard athwart 
 the enemj'-'s bow; but as that operation required 
 great dexterity in the management of both sails 
 and helm, and some of our braces being shot away, 
 
BATTLE WITH THE SERAPIS. 197 
 
 it did not exactly succeed to my wish. The 
 enemy's bowsprit, however, came over the Bon- 
 fa omme Kichard's poop by the mizzen-mast, and I 
 made both ships fast together in that situation, 
 which, by the action of the wind on the enemy's 
 sails, forced her stern close to the Bonhomme 
 Kichard's bow, so that the ships lay square along- 
 side of each other, the yards being all entangled, 
 and the cannon of each ship touching the opponent's. 
 When this position took place, it was eight o'clock, 
 previous to which the Bonhomme Bi chard had re- 
 ceived sundry eighteen-pound shots below the water, 
 and leaked very much. My battery of twelve- 
 pounders, on which I had placed my chief depend- 
 ence, being commanded by Lieutenant Dale and 
 Colonel Weibert, and manned principally with 
 American seamen and French volunteers, was en- 
 tirely silenced and abandoned. As to the six old 
 eighteen-pounders that formed the battery of the 
 lower gun-deck, they did no service whatever, except 
 firing eight shot in all. Two out of three of them 
 burst at the first fire, and killed almost all the men 
 who were stationed to manage them. 
 
 " Before this time, too. Colonel de Chamillard, 
 who commanded a party of twenty soldiers on the 
 poop, had abandoned that station after having lost 
 some of his men. I had now only two pieces of 
 cannon (nine-pounders) on the quarter-deck, that 
 were not silenced, and not one of the heavier can- 
 non was fired during the action. The purser, M. 
 Mease, who commanded the guns on the quarte^ 
 
^QQ LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 deck, being dangerously wounded in the head, I was 
 obliged to fill his place, and with great difficulty 
 rallied a few men, and shifted over one of the lee 
 quarter-deck guns, so that we afterwards played 
 three pieces of nine-pounders upon the enemy. 
 
 " The tops alone seconded the fire of this little 
 battery, and held out bravely during the whole of 
 the action, especially the maintop, where Lieutenant 
 Stack commanded. I directed the fire of one of the 
 three cannon against the main-mast, with double- 
 headed shot, while the other two were exceedingly 
 well served with grape and canister shot, to silence 
 the enemy's musketry and clear the decks, which 
 was at last effected. The enemy were, as I have 
 since understood, on the instant of calling for 
 quarter, when the cowardice or treachery of three of 
 my under-officers induced them to call to the enemy. 
 The English commodore asked me if I demanded 
 quarter, and I having answered him in the most 
 determined negative, they renewed the battle with 
 double fury. 
 
 " They were unable to stand the deck ; but the 
 fire of their cannon, especially the lower battery, 
 which was entirely formed of ten-pounders, was in- 
 cessant; both ships were set on fire in various 
 places, and the scene was dreadful beyond the reach 
 of language. To account for the timidity of my 
 three under-officers, I mean, the gunner, the carpen- 
 ter, and the master-at-arms, I must observe that the 
 first two were slightly wounded, and, as the ship 
 had received various shot under water, and one of 
 
BATTLE WITH THE SERAPIS. 169 
 
 the pumps being shot away, the carpenter expressed 
 his fears that she would sink, and the other two 
 concluded that she was sinking, which occasioned 
 the gunner to run aft on the poop, without my 
 knowledge, to strike the colors. Fortunately for 
 me, a cannon ball had done that before, by carrying 
 away the ensign-staff ; he was therefore reduced to 
 the necessity of sinking, as he supposed, or of call- 
 ing for quarter, and he preferred the latter. 
 
 *' All this time the Bonhomme Eichard had sus- 
 tained the action alone, and the enemy, though 
 much superior in force, would have been very glad 
 to have got clear, as appears by their own 
 acknowledgments, and by their having let go an 
 anchor the instant that I laid them on board, by 
 which means they would have escaped, had I not 
 made them well fast to the Bonhomme Eichard. 
 
 " At last, at half-past nine o'clock, the Alliance 
 appeared, and I now thought the battle at an end ; 
 but, to my utter astonishment, he discharged a 
 broadside full into the stern of the Bonhomme 
 Eichard. We called to him for God's sake to for- 
 bear firing into the Bonhomme Eichard ; yet they 
 passed along the off-side of the ship, and continued 
 firing. There was no possibility of his mistaking 
 the enemy's ship for the Bonhomme Eichard, there 
 being the most essential difference in their appear- 
 ance and construction. Besides, it was then full 
 moonlight, and the sides of the Bonhomme Eich- 
 ard were all black, while the sides of the prize were 
 all yellow. Yet, for the greater security, I showed 
 
170 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the signal of our reconnoissance, by putting out 
 three lanterns, one at the head, another at the stern, 
 and the third in the middle, in a horizontal line. 
 
 " Every tongue cried that he was firing into the 
 wrong ship, but nothing availed ; he passed round, 
 firing into the Bonhomme Richard's head, stern, 
 and broadside, and by one of his volleys killed 
 several of my best men, and mortally wounded a 
 good officer on the forecastle only. My situation 
 was really deplorable ; the Bonhomme Richard re- 
 ceived various shot under water from the Alliance ; 
 the leak gained on the pumps, and the fire increased 
 much on board both ships. 
 
 Some officers persuaded me to strike, of whose 
 courage and good sense I entertain a high opinion. 
 My treacherous master-at-arms let loose all my 
 prisoners without my knowledge, and my prospects 
 became gloomy indeed. I would not, however, give 
 up the point. 
 
 " The enemy's main-mast began to shake ; their 
 firing decreased fast ; ours rather increased, and the 
 British colors were struck at half an hour past ten 
 o'clock." 
 
 The main-mast went by the board just as the 
 enemy struck, so both Captain Jones and Captain 
 Pearson report. 
 
 Jones notices it as very remarkable how well the 
 three light quarter-deck guns were seized during the 
 whole action, and the confusion that ensued when 
 
BATTLE WITH THE SERAPIS. 171 
 
 the water was gaining below, the ships alternately 
 catching fire from each other, the Alliance firing 
 at the Bonhomme Eichard, and the prisoners set 
 loose. 
 
 " He got one of the off guns over soon after 
 the Alliance raked the first time, but could nev^er 
 muster strength sufficient to bring over the other." 
 In the clear moonlight, the enemy's mast being 
 painted yellow, the flames of the main shrouds, etc., 
 made the main-mast a distinct mark. 
 
 " There was no occasion for a boat or bridge be- 
 tween the two ships. Captain Pearson stepped on 
 board the Bonhomme Richard, and delivered up 
 his sword to Captain Jones, who returned it to him, 
 because he had bravely used it. He then heard, 
 and the next morning saw, with astonishment, the 
 inferior force and mangled condition of the Bon- 
 homme Eichard. 
 
 "This prize proved to be the British ship-of- 
 war Serapis, a new ship of forty-four guns, built on 
 the most approved construction, with two complete 
 batteries, one of them of eighteen-pounders, and 
 commanded by the brave Commodore Eichard 
 Pearson. I had yet two enemies to encounter, far 
 more formidable than the British, I mean fire and 
 water. The Serapis was attacked only by the first ; 
 but the Bonhomme Eichard was assailed by both ; 
 there was five feet of water in the hold, and though 
 it was moderate from the explosion of so much gun- 
 powder, yet the three pumps that remained could 
 with difficulty only keep the water from gaining. 
 
1Y2 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 The fire broke out in various parts of the ship, in 
 spite of all the water that could be thrown in to 
 quench it, and at length broke out as low as the 
 powder magazine, and within a few inches of the 
 powder. 
 
 " In that dilemma, I took out the powder upon 
 deck, read^'' to be thrown overboard at the last 
 extremitv, and it was ten o'clock the next dav, the 
 24:th, before the fire was entirely extinguished. 
 
 " With respect to the situation of the Bonhomme 
 Kichard, the rudder was cut entirely off, the stern 
 frame and transoms were almost entirely cut away, 
 and the timbers by the lower deck, especially from 
 the main-mast towards the stern, being greatly 
 decayed with age, were mangled beyond the power 
 of description, and a person must have been an eye- 
 witness to form a just idea of the tremendous scene 
 of carnage, wreck, and ruin, which everywhere ap- 
 peared. 
 
 " The Bonhomme Richard received little damage 
 in her masts ; but was cut entirely to pieces between 
 decks, especially from the main-mast to the stern. 
 In that space, there was an entire break on both 
 sides, from the gun-deck, almost to the water's edge ; 
 so that towards the end of the action, almost all the 
 shot of the Scrap is had passed through the Bon- 
 homme Eichard, without touching. The rudder 
 and transoms were cut off ; and here and there an 
 old rotten timber, besides the stern-post, was the 
 only support that prevented the stern from falling 
 down on the gun-room deck. Eight or ten of the 
 
BATTLE WITH THE SERAPIS. 173 
 
 Bonhomme Kichard's men took away a fine cutter 
 boat, that had been at the stern of the Serapis dur- 
 ing the action, and landed at Scarborough. Some 
 others were so much afraid as to swim on board the 
 Alliance after the action. 
 
 " After the carpenters, as well as Captain Cotti- 
 neau and other men of sense, had well examined 
 and surveyed the ship (which was not finished before 
 five in the evening), I found every person to be con- 
 vinced that it was impossible to keep the Bon- 
 homme Eichard afloat so as to reach a port, if the 
 wind should increase, it being then only a very 
 moderate breeze. I had but little time to remove 
 my wounded, which now became unavoidable, and 
 which was effected in the course of the night and 
 next morning. 
 
 "I was determined to keep the Bonhomme 
 Kichard afloat, and, if possible, to bring her into 
 port. For that purpose, the first lieutenant of the 
 Pallas continued on board with a party of men to 
 attend the pumps, with boats in waiting ready to 
 take them on board, in case the water should gain 
 on them too fast. The wind augmented in the night, 
 and the next day, the 25th, so that it was impossible 
 to prevent the good old ship from sinking. They 
 did not abandon her till after nine o'clock ; the 
 water was then up to the lower deck, and a little 
 after ten I saw, with inexpressible grief, the last 
 glimpse of the Bonhomme Kichard. No lives were 
 lost with the ship, but it was impossible to save the 
 stores of any sort whatever. I lost even the best 
 
174: LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 part of my clothes, books, and papers ; and several 
 of my officers lost all their clothes and effects. 
 
 "Captain Cottineau engaged the Countess of 
 Scarborough, and took her, after an hour's action, 
 while the Bonhomme Richard engaged the Serapis. 
 The Countess of Scarborough is an armed ship of 
 twenty six-pounders, and was commanded by a 
 king's officer. In the action, the Countess of Scar- 
 borough and the Serapis were at a considerable 
 distance asunder ; and the Alliance, as I am in- 
 formed, fired into the Pallas and killed some men. 
 
 " If it should be asked why the convoy was 
 suffered to escape, I must answer that I was myself 
 in no condition to pursue, and that none of the rest 
 showed any inclination ; not even Mr. Eicot, who 
 had held off at a distance to ^\'indward during the 
 whole action, and withheld by force the pilot boat 
 with my lieutenant and fifteen men. The Alliance, 
 too, was in a state to pursue the fleet, not having a 
 single man wounded, or a single shot fired at her 
 from the Serapis, and only three that did execution 
 from the Countess of Scarborough, at such a distance 
 that one stuck in the side, and the other two just 
 touched, and then dropped into the water. The 
 Alliance killed one man only on board the Serapis. 
 As Captain de Cottineau charged himself with 
 manning and securing the prisoners of the Countess 
 of Scarborough, I think the escape of the Baltic 
 fleet cannot so well be chare^ed to his account. 
 
 " I should have mentioned that the main-mast 
 and mizzen-top-mast of the Serapis fell overboard, 
 
BATTLE WITH THE SERAPIS. 176 
 
 soon after the Captain had come on board the Bon- 
 hoinme Richard." 
 
 The oflGlcial loss of the wounded on board the 
 Serapis, of whom eight had died when it is dated, 
 September 30th, amounts to 68, besides a few whose 
 names could not be ascertained. Of the dead there 
 is no official return before me. In the roll of the 
 Bonhomme Richard's equipage, published in Sher- 
 burne's Collections, 42 are returned killed, and 
 40 wounded. There are, however, but 228 names 
 on this imperfect document, which is without date 
 or vouched ; and in which the master, Mr. Cutting 
 Lunt, is called the third lieutenant, Mr. Stacey, act- 
 ing master, the master, etc. Captain Pearson says, 
 " Our loss in the Serapis was very great." Jones 
 says in his Journal for the king : 
 
 " By a return of the surgeon of the Serapis, they 
 had an hundred men dangerously wounded on board 
 that ship in the action. Their loss appears to be 
 that number killed. They having taken on board 
 some East India seamen at Copenhagen, over and 
 above their complement, their crew appears to have 
 been four hundred effective men, when the action 
 began. Captain Jones had but three hundred and 
 eighty, good and bad, when he left France. He 
 had manned several prizes, which, with desertions 
 on the coast of Ireland and Scotland, and the ab- 
 sence of the pilot boat, with two officers and sixteen 
 of his best men, reduced him to three hundred and 
 
176 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 forty, including the disaffected, which were a great 
 majority of the whole, as they were chiefly British, 
 w^ho had enlisted from the prisons of France. 
 
 " It may also be observed, the officers and men 
 placed in the gun-room, sixty in number, did not 
 discharge a second shot, nor otherwise assist, and 
 cannot properly be said to have been in the action. 
 To say nothing of the damage done by the Countess 
 of Scarborough and the Alliance, the enemy was 
 superior in cannon, as 576 is to 390, besides a greater 
 superiority of men ; and had thirteen feet three 
 inches between her guns ; whereas, the guns of the 
 Bonhomme Richard were only nine feet six inches 
 asunder. 
 
 " Captain Jones took command of the Serapis, 
 and erected jury-masts. After tossing about to and 
 fro in the North Sea, for ten days, in contrary winds 
 and bad weather, in order to gain the port of Dun- 
 kirk, on account of the prisoners, the captains under 
 his command, after some cabal, bore away for the 
 Texel, and left him to windward, with the choice to 
 follow or proceed. (Captain Jones never had three 
 hours' sleep in the twenty-four, in the whole cam- 
 paign, from L'Orient to the Texel.) The squadron 
 anchored oif the Texel the 3d of October, 1779; 
 and they persisted in working into the port, though 
 the wind was fair for Dunkirk the next morning." 
 
JOHN PAUL JONES BOARDING THE SERAPIS. 
 
IN THE TEXEL. 17T 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 IN THE TEXEL. 
 
 In the blaze of his renown, and with the spoil of 
 his victory, Jones was a second time to contend with 
 a series of difficulties, more intricate than the court 
 intrigues which had before exhausted his patience ; 
 but not, fortunately, so protracted, before he was 
 to leave the port he had entered in triumph. This 
 he effected with all his honor saved, gained addi- 
 tional fame by his perfect seamanship, and was 
 directly and materially instrumental in producing 
 an open rupture between England and Holland. It 
 is not doubted that this contingency was contem- 
 plated, when he had orders to make the Texel his 
 port of destination. 
 
 The reader will have understood the difficulties 
 which prevented any vessels or naval stores intended 
 for the service of the United States from being 
 openly taken out of the ports of Holland, a nomi- 
 nally neutral power, which had not yet recognized 
 the independence of the abjuring Colonies, and was 
 bound to England by ancient treaties. Both the 
 letter and the spirit of these had indeed been vio- 
 lated; and so far as that of 1678, which bound their 
 high mightiness to break with any aggressor against 
 their ally, it had been treated as obsolete. And 
 
 12 
 
178 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 they were preparing to accede to the system of an 
 armed neutrality, proposed by Kussia, though the 
 treaty was not signed until the middle of the follow- 
 ing year. The merchants of Amsterdam and the 
 Grand Pensionary were earnestly desirous of the 
 success of the American arras. Secret negotiations 
 had been pending, and the form of a treaty of amity 
 and commerce was found among the papers of Mr. 
 Laurens, thrown overboard by him previous to his 
 capture, but recovered, which led the government 
 of Britain to give immediate attention to all that 
 was passing in the ports of Holland, and to give 
 particular instructions to their minister, Sir Joseph 
 Yorke, who faithfully executed them. 
 
 M. de la Sartine addressed Franklin on the 5th 
 of September, in relation to the scheme of bringing 
 out the Indien and other ships, designated as Dutch 
 and neutral, which were at the King's charge, and 
 sundry munitions of war, which the minister styles, 
 " tres interessantes," from the ports of Holland into 
 those of France. He had given orders, he said, that 
 they should be in readiness by the expiration of the 
 month, when the limitation of Jones' cruise would 
 expire ; in order that he might attend to them, under 
 the instructions of the American ambassador. A 
 copy of this letter awaited Jones on his arrival in 
 the Texel road, with a request from Franklin that 
 "he would do his utmost to render the service 
 therein mentioned effectual; which would, in the 
 then pending instance, be very advantageous to the 
 common cause, and very acceptable to his majesty." 
 
IN THE TEXEL. JY9 
 
 "It TTOuld b© well for him," it was added, « to keep 
 his intention of conveying those vessels as secret as 
 possible, lest notice of it should be sent to England, 
 and ships placed to intercept him." Jones has made 
 a memorandum on this passage, which has been 
 already referred to: "I found our object in the 
 public papers, when I arrived in Holland ; and Sir 
 Joseph Yorke had sent oif an express to England, 
 informing also that part of my business here would 
 be to take out the Indien. I was then under the 
 necessity to represent the want of secrecy of M. 
 Chaumont to court, and to complain of his conduct 
 towards me in the affair of the Concordat." 
 
 As the eyes of the English ministry were fixed 
 upon Holland, and there was no lack of agents to 
 give them information, that of M. Chaumont would 
 seem, at the present day, to have been gratuitous. 
 ISTor was there any want of ships to intercept Jones. 
 The battle with the Serapis had not been fought in 
 a corner. 
 
 The following is an extract from the London 
 Chronicle under date of October 17th, 1779 : 
 
 " Amsterdam, October 7th.— Last Tuesday Paul 
 Jones, with the prizes Serapis and Scarborough, 
 entered the Texel, and this day he appeared on the 
 Exchange, where business gave way to curiosity. 
 The crowd pressing upon him, by whom he was 
 styled the terror of the English, he withdrew to a 
 room fronting a public square, where Monsieur 
 Donneville, the French agent, and the Americans, 
 
130 T^TFF. OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 paid him such a volley of compliments and such 
 homage as he could only answer with a bow ; he 
 was dressed in the American uniform, with a Scotch 
 bonnet edged with gold ; is of a middling stature, 
 stern countenance, and swarthy complexion. It 
 was supposed he was going to Paris to receive the 
 congratulations of the Grand Monarque and Dr. 
 Franklin ; but I am now informed he is gone to the 
 Hague to solicit the French ambassador the repair 
 of his shipping, which if he should succeed in, he 
 will probably elude the vigilance of a 74-gun ship 
 Avaiting before the Texel." 
 
 Immediately on arriving in the Texel road, on the 
 3d of October, he addressed an account of his cruise 
 to the American ambassador, copies of which were 
 sent to the President of Congress, and to the French 
 minister. The conclusion of this despatch was as 
 follows : 
 
 "I am in the hio^hest deo:ree sensible of the 
 singular attention which I have experienced from 
 the court of France, which I shall remember with 
 perfect gratitude until the end of my life, and will 
 always endeavor to merit, while I can, consistent 
 with m}'' honor, continue in the public service. I 
 must speak plainly ; as I have been always honored 
 with the full confidence of Congress, and as I also 
 flattered myself with enjoying in some measure the 
 confidence of Monsieur de Chaumont, when, in the 
 moment of my departure from Groix, he produced 
 
IN THE TEXEL. jg^ 
 
 a paper, a concordat, for me to sign, in common 
 with the officers whom I had commissioned but a 
 few days before. Had that paper, or even a less 
 dishonorable one, been proposed to me at the be- 
 ginning, I would have rejected it with just con- 
 tempt, and the word displacement, among others, 
 should have been necessary. I cannot, however, even 
 now suppose that he was authorized by the court to 
 make such a bargain with me. Nor can I suppose 
 that the minister of the marine meant that M. de 
 Chaumont should consider me merely a colleao-ue 
 with the commanders of the other ships, and com- 
 municate to them not only all he knew, but all he 
 thought, respecting our destination and oi:>erations. 
 M. de Chaumont has made me various reproaches 
 on account of the expense of the Bonhomme Eichard, 
 wherewith I cannot think I have been justly charge- 
 able. M. de Chamillard can attest that the Bon- 
 homme Eichard was at least far from being well 
 fitted or armed for war. If any person or persons, 
 who have been charged with the expense of that ar- 
 mament have acted wrong, the fault must not be laid 
 to my charge. I had no authority to superintend 
 that armament, and the persons who had authority 
 were so far from giving me what I thought neces- 
 sary, that M. de Chaumont even refused, among other 
 things, to allow me irons to secure the prisoners- 
 of-war. 
 
 " In short, while my life remains, if I have any 
 capacity to render good and acceptable services to 
 the common cause, no man will step forth with 
 
182 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 greater cheerfulness and alacrity than myself ; but 
 I am not made to be dishonored, nor can I accept 
 of the half-confidence of any man living. Of course 
 I cannot, consistent with my honor, and a prospect 
 of success, undertake future expeditions, unless when 
 the object and destination is communicated to me 
 alone, and to no other person in the marine line. 
 In cases where troops are embarked, a like confidence 
 is due alone to their commander-in-chief. On no 
 other condition will I ever undertake the chief com- 
 mand of a private expedition ; and when I do not 
 command in chief, I have no desire to be in the 
 secret. 
 
 " Upon the whole, the captain of the Alliance has 
 behaved so very ill in every respect that I must 
 complain loudly of his conduct. He pretends that 
 he is authorized to act independent of my command ; 
 I have been taught the contrary ; but, supposing it 
 to be so, his conduct has been base and unpardon- 
 able. M. de Chamillard will explain the particulars. 
 Either Captain Landais or myself is highlj^ criminal, 
 and one or the other must be punished. I forbear 
 to take any steps with him until I have the advice 
 and approbation of 3^our excellency. I have been 
 advised by all the officers of the squadron to put 
 M. Landais u-nder arrest ; but, as I have postponed 
 it so long, I will bear with him a little longer, until 
 the return of my express. 
 
 " "We this day anchored here, having since the 
 action been tossed to and fro by contrary winds. I 
 wished to have gained the road of Dunkirk on ac- 
 
IN THE TEXEL. 183 
 
 count of our prisoners, but was overruled by the 
 majority of my colleagues. I shall hasten up to 
 Amsterdam and there, if I meet with no orders for 
 my government, I will take the advice of the French 
 ambassador. It is my present intention to have the 
 Countess of Scarborough ready to transport the 
 prisoners from hence to Dunkirk, unless it should be 
 found more expedient to deliver them to the English 
 ambassador, taking his obligation to send to Dun- 
 kirk, etc., immediately an equal number of American 
 2)risoners. I am under strong apprehensions that 
 our object here will fail, and that through the im- 
 prudence of M. de Chaumont, who had communi- 
 cated evervthino^ he knew or thouo-ht on the matter, 
 
 t/ CD O 7 
 
 to persons who cannot help talking of it at a full 
 table. This is the way he keeps state secrets, though 
 he never mentioned the affair to me." 
 
 Hitherto, deeming it unwise to break with M. 
 Chaumont, and feeling that personal regard, which 
 supposed grounds for complaint against its object 
 had not overcome, Jones had not directly intimated 
 to him the charges of moral weakness, which he had 
 made in his letters of a conJSdential character. The 
 communication of those charges was now inevitable ; 
 and in the following letter, written on the same day 
 on which the account of the cruise is dated, it 
 will be seen that, acting on his impression that his 
 correspondent's mind was not well balanced, he ex- 
 pressed himself with a happy mixture of frankness 
 and dexterity. 
 
184 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 " On Board the Ship-of-War the Serapis, at 
 Anchor without the Texel, Oct. 3, 1779. 
 
 " M. LE Ray De Chau]viont, a Passy, — 
 
 " The original of the enclosed copy of my last 
 letter, written on board the Bonhomme Eichard, off 
 the southwest coast of Ireland, the 24th of August, 
 as well as the papers which preceded it, and to which 
 it alludes, I hope duly reached the hands of my friend 
 M. de Chaumont, and explained to his satisfaction 
 my conduct from the time I left Groix until that 
 date. For the full history of my expedition, I must 
 beg leave to refer you to a letter of this date, which 
 accompanies this, to his excellency Dr. Franklin, 
 who will, if you demand it, furnish you a copy. 
 
 " I wish to act a candid part towards all men, and 
 therefore wish you to have a copy of that letter 
 that you may see my sentiments respecting the 
 ' concordat,' which you imposed upon me in the 
 moment of my departure from Groix. What could 
 have inspired you with such sentiments of distrust 
 towards me, after the ocular proofs of hospitality 
 which I so long experienced in your house, and 
 after the warm expressions of generous and un- 
 bounded friendship, which I had constantly been 
 honored with in your letters, exceeds my mental 
 faculties to comprehend. I am, however, yet will- 
 ing to give you an opportunity of rendering justice 
 to my character. I cannot think you are personally 
 my enemy. I rather imagine that your conduct to- 
 wards me at L'Orient has arisen from the base mis- 
 
IN THE TEXFL. Ig5 
 
 representations of some secret villainy ; therefore, I 
 am, with unaltered sentiments of good-will and af- 
 fection for yourself and family, 
 " My dear friend, 
 
 " Your obliged, humble servant." 
 
 The most offensive provision of the concordat was, 
 it may be presumed, that which gave the com' 
 manders the right to succeed in order, in case of 
 death or retreat. Without this privilege, it :iz not 
 probable that they would have agreed to sail on the 
 projected cruise. But the independence which it 
 made them feel no doubt gave rise to the want of 
 subordination, which Jones had so much reason to 
 complain of. 
 
 On the 5th Jones addressed the Duke de la Yau- 
 gnyon, ambassador of France at the Hague. The 
 return of his prisoners was not completed, but he 
 rated it at three hundred and fifty, of whom one hun- 
 dred and thirty were wounded. The total number, 
 however, exceeded fiYQ hundred. He asked the ad' 
 vice of the ambassador, as to what measures he should 
 adopt in relation to thera ; and whether it would be 
 advisable to set them free at the Texel, on such se- 
 curity as might be obtained for the liberation of an 
 equal number of Americans in England, or to send 
 them to Dunkirk in the Countess of Scarborough, 
 which was not fit for service, and the Vengeance, 
 T\'hich might return with as many recruits as could 
 be obtained. He also stated his inability to comply 
 with the instructions received from Franklin, through 
 
Ige LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 M. Dumas, without great and instant assistance. 
 Though the hull of the Serapis was not too much 
 damaged to be easily repaired, she wanted entirely 
 new masts and rigging, sails, boats, and provisions. 
 On the 9th Sir Joseph Yorke sent his official com- 
 munication to their high mightinesses, in relation to 
 the presence of the squadron. As it is brief, we in- 
 sert it. 
 
 " High and Mighty Lords, — 
 
 " The undersigned, ambassador extraordinary and 
 plenipotentiary of the King of Great Britain, has the 
 honor to communicate to your high mightinesses, 
 that two of his Majesty's ships, the Serapis and the 
 Countess of Scarborough, arrived some days ago in 
 the Texel, having been attacked and taken by force, 
 by a certain Paul Jones, a subject of the King, who, 
 according to treaties and the laws of war, can only 
 be considered as a rebel and a pirate. The under- 
 signed is therefore in duty bound to recur to your 
 high mightinesses and demand their immediate or- 
 ders that those ships with their officers and crews 
 may be stopped, and he especially recommends to 
 your humanity, to permit the wounded to be brought 
 on shore, that proper attention may be paid to them, 
 at the expense of the King his master. 
 
 "Yorke." 
 
 "WTien writing to Dr. Franklin, on the 11th, Jones 
 was not apprised of this memorial having been pre- 
 sented. He stated that he was doing all in his power 
 
IN THE TEXEL. Ig7 
 
 to act upon the advice given by the French ambas> 
 sador. He also expressed his determination to keep 
 the captain of the Serapis in his hands, as a hostage, 
 until Captain Cunningham, who was a prisoner in 
 England, should be released. He said, "I wish 
 heartily that poor Cunningham (whom I am taught 
 to regard as a continental officer) was exchanged ; 
 as with his assistance I could form a court-martial, 
 which I believe you will see unavoidable." Of Cap- 
 tain Landais, he says : " He has come up here, and 
 purposes, after gadding about in this city, to figure 
 away at the Hague. He continues to affect an entire 
 independence of my control, and has given in here 
 an extraordinary demand for supplies of every kind. 
 This famous demand, however, I have ventured to 
 disapprove, and reduced to, I believe, a fourth part 
 of its first extent. I hope to account to your satis- 
 faction for my reasons ; among which is his having 
 been so plentifully and so lately furnished." 
 
 The letter from Franklin, dated on the 15th of 
 October, in reply to the despatches of Jones, dated 
 the 3d, was as follows, and must have been so grati- 
 fying to him who received it that it needs no com- 
 mentary ; but every line, including the postscript, is 
 worthy of attention : 
 
 " I received the account of vour cruise and eno:a2:e- 
 ment with the Serapis, which you did me the honor 
 to send me from the Texel. I have since received 
 yowY favor of the 8th from Amsterdam. For some 
 days after the arrival of your express, scarce any- 
 
188 LIFE OP PAUL JONES. 
 
 thing was talked of at Paris and Versailles but jour 
 cool conduct and persevering bravery during that 
 terrible conflict. You may believe that the impres- 
 sion on my mind was not less strong than that of 
 others ; but I do not choose to say in a letter to 
 yourself all I think on such an occasion. 
 
 " The ministry are much dissatisfied with Captain 
 Landais, and Monsieur de Sartine has signified to 
 me in writing that it is expected that I should send 
 for him to Paris, and call him to account for his 
 conduct, particularly for deferring so long his com- 
 ing to your assistance ; by which means, it is sup- 
 posed, the States lost some of their valuable citizens, 
 and the King lost many of his subjects, volunteers in 
 your ship, together with the ship itself. 
 
 " I have, accordingly, written to him this day, 
 acquainting him, that he is charged with disobe- 
 dience of orders in the cruise, and neglect of his 
 duty in the engagement ; that a court-martial being 
 at this time inconvenient, if not impracticable, I 
 would give him an earlier opportunity of offering 
 what he has to say in his justification, and for that 
 purpose direct him to render himself immediately 
 here, bringing with him such papers or testimonies 
 as he may think useful in his defense. I know not 
 whether he will obey my orders, nor what the 
 ministry would do with him if he comes ; but I 
 suspect that they may, by some of their concise oper- 
 ations, save the trouble of a court martial. It will, 
 however, be well for yon to furnish me with what 
 you may judge proper to support the charges against 
 
IN THE TEXEL. 1S9 
 
 him, that I may be able to give a just and clear 
 account to Congress. In the meantime it will 
 be necessary, if he should refuse to come, that you 
 should put him under an arrest ; and in that case, 
 as well as if he comes, that you should either appoint 
 some person to the command, or take it upon your- 
 self ; for I know of no person to recommend to j^ou 
 as fit for that station. 
 
 " I am uneasy about your prisoners (504 in num- 
 ber), I wish they were safe in France. You will 
 then have completed the glorious work of giving 
 liberty to all the Americans that have so long lan- 
 guished for it in the British prisons ; for there are 
 not so many there, as you have now taken. 
 
 " I have the pleasure to inform you that the two 
 prizes sent to Norway are safely arrived at Bergen. 
 " With the highest esteem, I am, etc. 
 
 "B. Feanklin. 
 
 " P. S. I am sorr3r for your misunderstanding 
 with M. de C. who has a great regard for you." 
 
 From the contents of a note from Captain Pearson 
 to Jones, written on the 19th of this month, it is to 
 be inferred that the former was not apprised of the 
 application made by Sir Joseph Torke to their high 
 mightinesses ; or, at least, of its terms and tenor. 
 He charged Jones very plainly with a breach of the 
 civility due to his rank, as well as his behavior on 
 all occasions, and expressed his opinion that the 
 detention of himself and his people on board ship 
 for so long a time w^as an unprecedented thing. 
 
190 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 Jones informed him that the memorial of Sir Joseph, 
 of which he enclosed him a copy, had induced him 
 to think it fruitless to pursue negotiations for the 
 exchange of prisoners ; but that humanity had made 
 him seek for permission to land the dangerously 
 wounded. The consent of the government had been 
 obtained, but the local magistrates still raised objec- 
 tions. His reply was couched in terms of moder- 
 ation, highly commendable, if we consider the epi- 
 thets which the English ambassador had applied to 
 him, and the bold, blunt style of Pearson's note. 
 The resolutions of their high mightinesses upon the 
 application of the English ambassador was delivered 
 to him on the 25th. It was prudently worded, 
 setting forth that, for a century, the States-General 
 had strictly observed it as a maxim, never to pre- 
 tend to judge of the legality or illegality of captures 
 of vessels brought into the ports of the republic 
 not belonging to it ; that they only opened their 
 ports to give shelter to those making such captures, 
 from storms or disasters, and obliged them to put to 
 sea again without unloading; that they were not 
 authorized to pass judgment upon either the prizes 
 or the person of Paul Jones ; and that they had 
 already evinced their willingness to discharge the 
 offices of humanity, b}^ the orders they had given 
 in relation to the wounded prisoners. 
 
 Sir Joseph Yorke, from his long residence at the 
 Hague, had obtained great influence over the Prince 
 of Orange, and what might be called the court party, 
 as those opposed to English dictation were termed 
 
IN THE TEXEL. 191 
 
 the French party. He was rewarded afterwards 
 with a peerage for his services as a minister. He 
 was far from being satisfied with the negative pro- 
 tection yielded by the States-General to " the pirate 
 Paul Jones," as he again called him in a memorial 
 presented on the 29th. In this communication, 
 after thanking their high mightinesses for their 
 orders in relation to the wounded, he added : 
 " I cannot but comply with the strict orders of his 
 majesty, by renewing in the strongest and most 
 pressing manner his request, that these ships and 
 their crews may be stopped and delivered up, which 
 the pirate Paul Jones, of Scotland, who is a rebel 
 subject and a criminal of the state, has taken." 
 
 The States replied as before that they would not 
 pass judgment on the legality of the captures, and 
 would act under the terms of their placard. In pur- 
 suance of their resolution, and of an order from the 
 Prince of Orange, Jones prepared to remove the 
 wounded to the fort on the Texel ; having permission 
 to place sentinels to guard them, to raise the draw- 
 bridge at his pleasure, and remove his prisoners if he 
 saw fit. On the 31st an agreement was entered into 
 between Jones and Pearson, agreeably to these 
 arrangements. 
 
 On behalf of his government. Captain Pearson 
 agreed that all British prisoners so landed should 
 be considered prisoners-of-war until exchanged ; 
 and, in case any of them should desert, he engaged 
 that an equal number of American prisoners should 
 be released in England and sent to France by tha 
 
192 Llf E OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 next cartel. In cases of death, Jones stipulated not 
 to claim an exchange. 
 
 On the 1st of November, Jones gave his formal 
 orders to Lieutenant-Colonel Weibers, appointing 
 him governor-general over the wounded and the 
 soldiers who were to conduct them on shore, and 
 directing him to take care that no cause of complaint 
 should be given to the Dutch government or its 
 subjects. 
 
 On the 28th of October Jones wrote to La- 
 fayette, and the following is an extract from the 
 letter : 
 
 " I wish to answer very particularly the three 
 points which you have propounded. 1st, I never 
 meant to ask a reward for my services, either from 
 France or America; consequently the approbation 
 of the cou]*t and of Congress is all the gratification 
 I can wish for. 2dly, 1 yet intend to undertake 
 Avhatever the utmost exertion of my abilities Avill 
 reach in support of the common cause, as far as any 
 force that may in future be intrusted to my direction 
 may enable me to succeed ; I hope, however, my 
 future force will be better composed than when I 
 sailed from L'Orient. 1 must sail from the Texel 
 in course of next month, because ships cannot after- 
 ward remain here in this road. My destination or 
 route from hence I yet know not ; but I need not 
 tell you that I wish to see your face ! 3dly, It is 
 now in vain to sav what mioht have been done two 
 years ago with the force you mention ; but I believe, 
 
IN THE TEXEL. 193 
 
 if properly supported by sea, such a force might yet 
 perform very essential service. There is no guard- 
 ing, you know, against storms ; and one would wish 
 either to avoid or to outsail a superior sea force. 
 As I believe you know my way of thinking on such 
 subjects, I shall offer you no argument. I know 
 you want no prompter." 
 
 Charges against Landais were drawn up by the 
 officers of the squadron on the 30th of October, and 
 attested by them. They were twenty -five in num- 
 ber, and have already been suificiently adverted to. 
 The last was that, in coming into the Texel, Landais 
 declared that, if Captain Jones should hoist a broad 
 pendant, he would, to vex him, hoist another. 
 
 The nature of the embarrassments with which 
 Jones was beset at this time will best appear from 
 his own accounts. He says briefly, in his Journal, 
 that " with the most indefatigable attention and 
 industr}'^, gales of wind and other circumstances 
 prevented him from having the Serapis remasted, 
 and the squadron ready to sail, before the middle 
 of November." On the 4th of that month he thus 
 wrote to the French ambassador : 
 
 " My Lord, — 
 
 " This morning, the commandant of the road sent 
 me word to come and speak to him on board his 
 ship. He had before him on the table a letter, 
 which, he said, was from the Prince of Orange. He 
 questioned me very closely whether I had a French 
 »3 
 
194 l^FE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 commission, and if I had, he almost insisted npon 
 seeincr it. In conformity to vour advice I told him 
 that my French commission not having been found 
 among my papers since the loss of the Bonhomme 
 Richard, I feared it had gone to the bottom in that 
 ship ; but that, if it was really lost, it -^vould be an 
 easy matter to procure a duplicate from France. 
 The commandant appeared to be very uneasy and 
 anxious for my departure. I have told him that, as 
 there are eight of the enemy's ships lying in wait 
 for me at the south entrance, and four more at the 
 north entrance, of the port, I was unable to fight 
 more than three times my force ; but that he might 
 rest assured of my intention to depart with the 
 utmost expedition, whenever I found a possibility 
 to go clear. 
 
 " I should be very happy, my lord, if I could tell 
 you of my being ready. I should have departed 
 long: aofo, if I had met with common assistance ; but 
 for a fortnight past I have every day expected the 
 necessary supply of water from Amsterdam in cis- 
 terns, and I am last night informed that it cannot 
 be had without I send up water casks. The pro- 
 vision, too, that was ordered the day I returned to 
 Amsterdam from the Hague, is not yet sent down ; 
 and the spars that have been sent from Amsterdam 
 are spoiled in the making. None of the ironwork 
 that was ordered for the Serapis is yet completed, 
 so that I am, even at this hour, in want of hinges 
 to hang the lower gun ports. My officers and men 
 lost their clothes and beds in the Bonhomme 
 
IN THE TEXEL. 195 
 
 Richard, and they have yet got no supply. The 
 bread that has been twice a week sent down from 
 Amsterdam to feed my people has been, literally 
 speaking, rotten, and the consequence is, that they 
 are falling sick. 
 
 "It is natural also that they should be discon- 
 tented, while I am not able to tell them that they 
 will be paid the value of their property in the 
 Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough, if either 
 or both of them should be lost or taken after sailing 
 from hence. 
 
 " Thus 3^ou see, my lord, that my prospects are far 
 from pleasing. I have but few men, and they are 
 discontented. If you can authorize me to promise 
 them, at all hazards, that their property in the 
 prizes shall be made good, and that they shall re- 
 ceive the necessary clothing and bedding, etc., or 
 money to buy them, I believe I shall soon be able 
 to bring them again into a good humor. In the 
 meantime, I will send a vessel or two out to recon- 
 noiter the oflBng, and to bring me word. Whatever 
 may be the consequence of my having put into this 
 harbor, I must observe that it w\as done contrary 
 to my opinion ; and I consented to it only because 
 the majority of my colleagues were earnest for it." 
 
 M. de Sartine had determined upon a measure 
 which prevented Jones from immediately attempt- 
 ing an escape, and from carrying out, under the flag 
 to which she had stuck, the dearW-bought Serapis. 
 On the 6th of November that minister thus briefly 
 
19^ LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 wrote to Dr. Franklin : " Circumstances require that 
 the expedition of the squadron, under the orders of 
 Mr. Jones, should terminate at the Texel. It seems 
 indispensable to give a new destination to the differ- 
 ent ships which compose it. You are at liberty, sir, 
 to dispose of the American frigate, the Alliance, ac- 
 cording to the views you may entertain in relation 
 to the service of the United States. I pray you 
 only to observe to Mr. Jones, or any other officer 
 to whom you may intrust the command, that he 
 must not have any subject of the king on board of 
 that frigate." The minister had resolved to adopt 
 the shortest course in relation to the vessels which 
 were the property of France, and probably had no 
 doubt that Jones would be willing to accept a com- 
 mission from that government, to extricate himself 
 from his now solitary and dangerous position. He 
 was mistaken. 
 
 In communicating a copy of this note to Jones, 
 Franklin observed that the injunction as to the 
 king's subjects might extend to Landais, who had 
 not yet arrived. He remarked : *' I suppose you 
 will learn the intentions of the minister, relative to 
 the disposition of the prizes, from the ambassador ; 
 and that you will go on board the Alliance yourself. 
 I am anxious that the prisoners should be safely 
 lodged in France, and should earnestly' recommend 
 that matter to your attention if I did not know that 
 you desire, as much as I do, the exchange of our 
 poor countrymen." 
 
 While these unpleasant documents were on their 
 
IN THE TEXEL. I97 
 
 way, the Dutch vice-admiral had on the same day 
 given him notice that he was expected to sail with 
 the first fair wind. This officer, named Eeynst, had 
 been appointed to the command of the Dutch fleet, 
 consisting of thirteen men-of-war, by the Prince of 
 Orange. Mr. Eimersina, a friend of America, and 
 wlio had treated the squadron with every civility, 
 was removed from that command. 
 
 On the 7th of November, Duke de Yauguyon in- 
 formed M. Dumas, that the States of Holland had 
 come to the conclusion, by a pluralit}^ of votes, to 
 constrain Jones to depart, and directed him to re- 
 pair forthwith to the Texel, and made the necessary 
 arrangements. On the 19th, the States-General re- 
 solved that they would persist in maintaining their 
 ancient maxim, not to decide upon the legality 
 of captures under foreign flags, which maxim, they 
 added, was even founded upon treaties ; but that 
 they had already given evident proof of their not 
 wishing to render any aid to the inhabitants of the 
 British colonies in America, by giving orders that 
 Jones should be furnished with no munitions of w' ar 
 or other articles, other than were necessary to enable 
 him to make the nearest port ; and that, in case of 
 recessit}^ they would even constrain him to sail, as 
 soon as his vessels could keep the sea, and the wind 
 permitted. They repeated an express disavowal of 
 their intending, by any implication, to recognize the 
 independence of the Colonies. And they directed 
 the Admiralty college at Amsterdam to advise 
 Jones, that the approaching season of winter would 
 
X9S LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 make his departure inconvenient ; to avoid which, 
 it was necessary that he should let no opportunity 
 escape of putting to sea ; " that such was the serious 
 intention of their high mightinesses, and they could 
 not expect that by opposing it, he would oblige 
 them to take measures which would be disagree- 
 able to him." 
 
 M. Dumas relates, that he repaired to the Texel 
 on the 18th, and that the arrangements made neces- 
 sary by the orders of Sartine and Franklin, were 
 prosecuted during the ten following days ; the vice- 
 admiral giving a great deal of trouble, particularly 
 after receiving his instructions founded on the 
 resolutions of the States-General. Though the 
 wind was contrar}^, he was unremitting in his 
 urgency and even threats of violence. 
 
 On the 2ith, his captain en second visited the 
 squadron and read aloud a paper, which he then re- 
 turned to his pocket. M. Dumas, foreseeing, as he 
 says, the contents, had prepared a reply ; demand- 
 ing, in future, copies of all orders and menaces, in 
 order that they might be transmitted to Congress 
 and to Dr. Franklin. 
 
 To another pressing message on the 28th, M. Du- 
 mas caused an answer to be given, ^' in a high voice, 
 before all the crews and the rowers of the boat 
 which brought the messenger, that the vice-admiral 
 exacted impossibilities." This declaration he made 
 the pilot sign, and they were then left undisturbed 
 for ten days. 
 
 Jones had indeed made up his mind to comply 
 
IN THE TEXEL. I99 
 
 with the triple requisitions of France, Dr. Franklin, 
 and the States- General. The order Franklin found 
 it necessary to grant, involved the delivery of the 
 prisoners to the French ambassador. The Serapis 
 and Countess of Scarborough were also taken from 
 under Jones' orders. It was not without a pang that 
 he resigned the command of the former vessel ; 
 which had recently cost the British government a 
 large sum of money, was a new ship, and sufficient- 
 ly refitted for sea. He found it imperatively nec- 
 essary to remove to the Alliance, on board of which 
 alone the American flag was now flying. 
 
 The Alliance had not a good cable or sail ; the 
 officers and men were intemperate and idle ; filth, 
 insubordination, and epidemical diseases, prevailed 
 among the crew ; she was badly supplied with small 
 arms, and her powder was of bad quality. The 
 latter wants Jones was, however, enabled to supply, 
 from the superfluous number of small arms found 
 on board the Serapis, and the powder which had 
 been transferred to the Pallas from the Bonhomme 
 Richard, when the latter ship was on fire, the morn- 
 ing after the action. He also had two cables, pro- 
 cured for the Serapis at Amsterdam ; without which 
 the Alliance would have been lost in the gales that 
 prevailed at the Texel, before she sailed from thence, 
 when all her other cables broke. 
 
 On the 1st of December, meditating his departure 
 at all hazards, whenever the wind should serve 
 (which, however, it did not until the 27th), we find 
 Jones returning his thanks to Captain Rimersina for 
 
200 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 his personal civilities, and the attention shown to 
 the American flag, while he had commanded in the 
 road. 
 
 The final arrangement adopted in relation to the 
 prisoners, by the express wish of his majesty the 
 King of France, was, that they should be exchanged 
 for French prisoners at the Texel ; France giving 
 the same number in France, to exchan":e against 
 the Americans in England. This was efl'ected with 
 a great deal of dilBculty. The hundred of whom 
 Jones speaks, in the letter to Franklin last quoted 
 from, were the sick and wounded who had been 
 landed at the Fort, and whom he persevered in re- 
 taining, under his express agreement with Captain 
 Pearson. 
 
 A proposition to give Jones a French commission 
 was now made by direction of M. de la Sartine, 
 and communicated bv the ambassador, which ex- 
 cited the indignation of Jones in no small degree ; 
 and it will not be thought, under all the circum- 
 stances, that he expressed it in language, either too 
 strong or not sufficiently respectful. He thus ad- 
 dressed the French ambasssador, on the 13th of 
 December : 
 
 " My Lord, — 
 
 " Perhaps there are many men in the world who 
 would esteem as an honor the commission that I 
 have this day refused. My rank from the begin- 
 ning knew no superior in the marine of America ; 
 how then must I be humbled were I to accept a 
 
IN THE TEXEL. 201 
 
 letter of marque ! I should, my lord, esteem my- 
 self inexcusable, were I to accept even a commis- 
 sion of equal denomination to that I bear, unless I 
 were previously authorized by Congress, or some 
 other competent authority in Europe. And I must 
 tell you, that on my arrival at Brest from the Irish 
 Channel, Count d'Orvilliers offered to procure for 
 me from court, a commission of ' Captaine de 
 Yaisseau,' which I did not then accept for the same 
 reason, although the war between France and 
 England was not then begun, and of course the 
 commission of France would have protected me 
 from an enemy of superior force. 
 
 *' It is a matter of the highest astonishment to 
 me that, after so many compliments and fair pro- 
 fessions, the court should offer the present insult to 
 my understanding, and suppose me capable of dis- 
 gracing my present commission. I confess that I 
 never merited all the praise bestowed on my past 
 conduct, but I also feel that I have far less merited 
 such a reward. "Where profession and practise 
 are so opposite, I am no longer weak enough to 
 form a Avrong conclusion. They may think as they 
 please of me; for where I cannot continue my 
 esteem, praise or censure from any man is to me a 
 matter of indifference. 
 
 " I am much obliged to them, however, for hav- 
 ing at last fairly opened my eyes, and enabled me 
 to discover truth from falsehood. 
 
 *'The prisoners shall be delivered agreeable to 
 the orders which you have done me the honor to 
 
202 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 send to me, from his excellency the American am- 
 bassador in France. 
 
 "I will also with great pleasure, not only permit 
 a part of my seamen to go on board the ships under 
 your excellency- s orders, but I will also do my 
 utmost to prevail with them to embark freely ; and 
 if I can now or hereafter, by any other honorable 
 means, facilitate the success or the honor of his 
 majesty's arms, I pledge myself to you as his am- 
 bassador, that none of his own subjects would bleed 
 in his cause with greater freedom than myself, an 
 American. 
 
 " It gives me more pain, my lord, to write this 
 letter, because the court has enjoined you to pre- 
 pare what would destroy my peace of mind, and 
 my future veracity in the opinion of the world. 
 
 " When, with the consent of court and by order 
 of the American ambassador, I gave American 
 commissions to French officers, I did not fill up 
 those commissions to command privateers, nor even 
 for a rank equal to that of their commissions in the 
 marine of France. They were promoted to rank 
 far superior ; and why ? not from personal friend- 
 ship, nor from any knowledge of their services and 
 abilities (the men and their characters being entire 
 strangers to me), but from the respect which I be- 
 lieved America would wish to show for the service 
 of France. 
 
 " "While I remained eight months seemingly for- 
 got by the court at Brest, many commissions, such 
 fts that in question were offered to me; and I 
 
IN THE TEXEL. 203 
 
 believe (when I am in pursuit of plunder) I can 
 still obtain such an one without application to 
 court. 
 
 " I hope, my lord, that my behavior through life 
 will ever entitle me to the continuance of your 
 good wishes and opinion, and that you Avill take 
 occasion to make mention of the warm and per- 
 sonal affection with which my heart is impressed 
 towards his majesty. 
 
 " I am, etc., etc., etc." 
 
 To Franklin, to whom he inclosed a copy of this 
 letter, he broke out in terms less constrained. 
 
 On the 27th of December, the wind serving, he 
 set sail from the Texel, leaving, to use the musty 
 proverb, the frying-pan, in which he had been so 
 long kept hot, at the risk of encountering the fire, 
 with which the English cruisers would have been 
 well pleased to have favored him. From the Alli- 
 ance, at sea, he wrote on this day to M. Dumas : 
 
 " I am here, my dear sir, with a good wind at 
 east, and under my best American colors — so far 
 you have your wish. "What may be the event of 
 this critical moment I know not ; I am not, how- 
 ever, without good hopes. Through the ignorance 
 or drunkenness of the old pilot, the Alliance last 
 night got foul of a Dutch merchant ship, and T be- 
 lieve the Dutchman cut our cable. We lost the 
 best bower anchor, and the ship was brought up 
 with the sheet anchor so near the shore that this 
 
204 LIFE OF PAUL J0NE3. 
 
 morning I have been obliged to cut the cable in 
 order to get clear of the shore, and that I might 
 not lose this opportunity of escaping from pur- 
 gatory." 
 
 His Journal for the king contains the following 
 account of this nice and successful operation of 
 seamanship : " He passed," he states, " along the 
 Flemish banks, and, getting to windward of the 
 enemy's fleets of observation in the North Sea, he 
 the next day passed through the Straits of Dover, 
 in full view of the enemy's fleet in the Downs. The 
 day following Captain Jones ran the Alliance past 
 the Isle of Wight, in view of the enemy's fleet at 
 Spithead, and in two days more got safe through 
 the Channel, having passed by windward in sight 
 of several of the enemy's large two-decked cruising 
 ships. 
 
 " Captain Jones wished to carry with him some 
 prizes and prisoners to France; but the Alliance, by 
 the arrangement Captain Landais had made of her 
 ballast at L' Orient, Tvas out of trim, and could 
 not sail fast, her sails being too thin and old for 
 cold latitudes. He steered to the southward, and 
 cruised for some days w^ithout success off Cape 
 Finisterre. 
 
 " On the 16th of January, 1780, Captain Jones, to 
 shun a gale of wind and procure a sound anchor 
 (for he had left the Texel with only one), ran into 
 Corogne, He "was very kindly received in Spain, 
 
IN THE TEXEL. JO5 
 
 but sailed again, and arrived at Groix on the 10th 
 of February, having taken no prizes ; but met with 
 and conducted in the American merchant ship 
 Livingston, with a large cargo of tobacco, from 
 Virginia for Bordeaux." 
 
206 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 
 
 From the fatigues Jones had undergone, his health 
 was impaired, and when he anchored at Groix, he 
 was almost blind from the soreness of his eyes. He 
 went up to L'Orient for a change of air, whence he 
 addressed Franklin on the 13th of February. 
 
 His first object was to repair the Alliance ; and 
 he set about his preparations for that business with 
 a zeal, and on a scale, which the economical Frank- 
 lin in vain endeavored to control and reduce. The 
 cutwater of that vessel had been wrenched out of 
 its place, and her trim could not be regained with- 
 out altering the arrangement of the ballast, which, 
 Jones says, he understood " Captain Landais had 
 extended along the ceiling from the stem post to 
 the stern ; an idea that I believe he may without 
 vanity call his own." 
 
 Jones had ordered canvas and cordage from Am- 
 sterdam. He also proposed to sheathe the bottom 
 with copper, if it could be afforded. The other 
 ships left in the Texel road had arrived in France, 
 the Dutch fleet giving them convoy. The Serapis 
 was at L'Orient, and her conqueror wished she could 
 be made the property of America. The Countess 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 207 
 
 of Scarborough was at Dunkirk. The American 
 minister found himself compelled to use thelangua"-e 
 of supplication. ° ° 
 
 "As to refitting your ship at the expense of this 
 court," he said, " I must acquaint you that there is 
 not the least probability of obtaining it, and there- 
 fore I cannot ask it. I hear too much already of 
 the extraordinary expense you made in Holland, to 
 thmk of proposing an addition to it, especially, as 
 you seem to impute the damage she has sustained 
 more to Captain Landais' negligence than to acci- 
 dents of the cruise. The whole expense will, there- 
 fore, fall upon me, and I am ill provided to bear it 
 havmg so many unexpected calls upon me from all 
 quarters. I, therefore, beg you would have mercy 
 on me, put me to as little charge as possible, and 
 take nothmg you can possibly do without. As to 
 sheathing with copper, it is totally out of the ques- 
 tion I am not authorized to do it, if I had money • 
 and I hare not money for it, if I had orders. The 
 purchase of the Serapis is in the same predicament 
 1 believe the sending canvas and cordage from 
 Amsterdam has already been forbidden ; if not I 
 shall forbid it I approve of your applying to 
 Messrs Gourlade and Moylan for what repairs you 
 want, havmg an exceeding good opinion of those 
 gentlemen ; but let me repeat it, for God's sake be 
 sparing, unless you mean to make me a bankrupt 
 or have your drafts dishonored, for want of money 
 m my hands to pay them." 
 
208 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 To this earnest exhortation, Jones said in reply, 
 " I feel your reasons for urging frugality ; and as I 
 have not hitherto been among the most extravagant 
 servants of America, so you may depend upon it, 
 my regard for you. will make me particularly nice 
 in my present situation." In his answer to ques- 
 tions subsequently proposed by the American Board 
 of Admiralty, which had now been established, 
 Jones gives a truly deplorable account of the con- 
 dition of the Alliance, which, on being thoroughly 
 examined, proved deficient and inconvenient in its 
 original construction, and altogether ill contrived. 
 The essential repairs were finished by the middle of 
 April, by the crew of the ship and four or five 
 American carpenters. The materials of the old 
 arrangement nearly sufficed to finish the new. 
 
 Jones says: "Judges allowed that, when the busi- 
 ness was finished, everything about that frigate was 
 perfect. I know not what was the amount of the 
 disbursements." In his Journal for the king he 
 says : " She was thought one of the completest frig- 
 ates in France." 
 
 It was Franklin's intention to send the Alliance 
 back as soon as she should be in condition to make 
 the voyage. Jones would not have opposed this 
 purpose ; though it may fairly be supposed that the 
 interest he took in the disposition which might be 
 made of his prizes did not make him anxious to ex- 
 pedite his departure while this was uncertain, and 
 his crew were without either wages or prize money. 
 "We have no reason to believe that he made any un* 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 209 
 
 necessary delay, when the thorough repairs the Alli- 
 ance underwent are considered. 
 
 Four gentlemen, one of whom was Mr. Arthur Lee 
 were desirous of coming out to America by that op! 
 portunity, and Jones had promised to " pa\^ the most 
 cheerful regard to their accommodation." Frank- 
 lin also wished to send to the United States large 
 supplies of arms and clothing (15,000 stand of good 
 arms, and 120 bales of public cloth), of which Jones 
 said, " he hoped to be able to cram a great part, if 
 not the whole, into the Alliance." This could not 
 have been done with any convenience, Avithout a 
 material change in the arrangement of the ship. 
 
 On the 1st of March Franklin wrote that M. 
 Sartine desired a place for another passenger, and 
 expressed a wish that room should be made for 
 Mr. Brown of South Carolina. He added : " Captain 
 Landais has demanded of me an order to you, to 
 deliver him his trunks and things that were left on 
 board the Alliance. I find him so exceedingly cap- 
 tious and critical, and so apt to misconstrue as an 
 intended injustice every expression in a language 
 which he does not immediately understand, that I 
 am tired of writing anything for him or about him, 
 and am determined to have nothing further to do 
 with him." I make no doubt, however, that you 
 will deliver his things to any person he may em- 
 power to receive them, and therefore think such an 
 order unnecessary. ... Dr. Bancroft, being by 
 this time with you, will take all steps possible to 
 promote your refitting and forward the payment of 
 
210 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the prize money. I do not comprehend what the 
 weiofht of metal has to do with the division, unless 
 when ships are fitted out by different armers. I 
 hope your indisposition will soon be over, and your 
 health reestablished." 
 
 On the 4th of the same month Franklin wrote to 
 the president of Congress that Jones would carry 
 the Alliance home, unless prevailed on to enter an- 
 other service, which he did not think likely ; that 
 Landais had not applied to be replaced in her, and 
 had expressed to him and to other persons his dis- 
 satisfaction with his officers, and his inclination on 
 that account to leave her. This lunatic who was 
 subject to be tried as an American officer, by a court- 
 martial, was also liable, as a subject of France, and 
 as holding its commission, to the summary jurisdic- 
 tion exercised in that country. 
 
 He was now, however, instigated by meddling in- 
 dividuals, and prompted by his own solemn vanity, 
 to ask to be placed in the command of the Alliance. 
 He wrote to this effect on the 17th of March. The 
 answer of FrankKn was plain and severe enough : 
 " No one ever learned the opinion of you from in- 
 quiry made into your conduct. I kept it entirely to 
 myself. I have not even hinted it in my letters to 
 America, because I would not hazard giving to any 
 one a bias to your prejudice. By communicating a 
 part of that opinion privately to you I can do no 
 harm, for you may burn it. I should not give you 
 the pain of reading it, if your demand did not make 
 it necessary. I think you, then^ so imprudent, so 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 211 
 
 litigious, and quarrelsome a man, even with your 
 best friends, that peace and good order, and con- 
 sequently the quiet and regular subordination so 
 necessary to success, are where 3'ou preside impos- 
 sible. These are within my observation and appre- 
 hension. Your military operations I leave to more 
 capable judges. If, therefore, I had twenty ships- 
 of-war in my disposition, I should not give one of 
 them to Captain Landais. The same temper which 
 excluded him from the French marine would weio-h 
 equally with me. Of course I should not replace 
 him in the Alliance." 
 
 Previous to the letter of Franklin, of March 4th, 
 the Board of Admiralty had resolved to order the 
 Alliance home, with such supplies as she could bring 
 out. It had been judged necessary to detach four 
 ships to guard the harbor of Charleston, which left 
 the coasts exposed to the depredations of the enemy's 
 armed vessels from New York. On the surrender 
 of Charleston in May following, these four frigates 
 fell into the hands of the enemy. 
 
 On the 18th of March Franklin wrote that, after 
 his despatches should have been received, with some 
 of the supplies, he knew of nothing to prevent Jones 
 from proceeding immediately to such port in North 
 America as he could reach with safety. 
 
 He said : "I wish the prize money due to your 
 people could be paid before you go. I have spoken 
 often about it." He mentioned that it was thought 
 doubtful whether anything could be recovered by 
 peaceable means for the prizes surrendered in Nor- 
 
212 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 way. " The ships-of-war you took are, I hear, to 
 
 be valued, the king intending to purchase them ; and 
 the muster roll of the Bonhomme Richard is want- 
 ing in order to regulate the proportions to each ship. 
 These things may take time. I have considered 
 that the people of the Bonhomme Richard may 
 want some little supplies for the voyage ; and there- 
 fore, if these proportions should not be regulated 
 and paid before you sail, and you find it necessary, 
 you may draw on me as far as 24,000 livres to ad- 
 vance to them, for which they are to be account- 
 able ; but do not exceed that sum. 1 do this to pre- 
 vent, as far as in me lies, the bad effect of any un- 
 easiness among them ; for I suppose that regularl}^ 
 all payments to seamen should be made at home." 
 He added his wishes that Jones should join, if pos- 
 sible, the convoy which was to sail at the beginning 
 of the next month, and sail with it until off the 
 coast, but left it to his discretion and judgment. 
 
 On the 1st of April he forwarded to him an order 
 for the delivery of the arms above mentioned and 
 100,000 pounds of gunpowder; and informed him 
 that M. le Ray de Chaumont had directed his cor- 
 respondent at L'Orient to advance 100,000 livres, 
 for the Americans of the Alliance and Bonhomme 
 Richard, on account. 
 
 In relation to the distribution of the prize money, 
 Franklin, the best authoritv, said in answer to the 
 questions of the admiralty board, that no agreement 
 had been made by him, or on his behalf, with the 
 armers of the ships acting in concert with the 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 213 
 
 Alliance. That he supposed the division would be 
 according to the laws of France or America, as 
 might be found most equitable ; but that the captains 
 had entered into an agreement, called the concor- 
 dat, to divide according to the rules of America, 
 under whose commissions and colors they acted. 
 
 Franklin, in the answer before referred to, gives a 
 true and brief account of a long story, as follows. 
 He says that the officers and men of the Alliance 
 ** were encouraged by some meddling passengers to 
 persist. The king would have taken the prizes, and 
 paid for them, at the rate per gun, etc., as he pays 
 for warlike vessels taken by his ships, but they 
 raised a clamor at this, it being put into their heads 
 that it was a project for cheating them, and they 
 demanded a sale by auction. The minister, who 
 usually gives more, when ships are taken for the 
 king, than they will produce by auction, readily 
 consented to this, when I asked it of him ; but then 
 this method required time to have them inventoried, 
 advertised in different ports, to create a fuller con- 
 currence of buyers, etc. ; Captain Jones came up to 
 Paris to hasten the proceedings. In his absence 
 Captain Landais, by the advice of Mr. Lee and 
 Commodore Gillon, took possession of the ship, and 
 kept her long in writing up to Paris waiting 
 answers," etc. 
 
 The 100,000 livres were not forthcoming as ex- 
 pected by Jones. On the 4th of April Jones wrote 
 to Franklin : " I fear that you will now find that 
 M. Chaumont has imposed upon you, by promising 
 
214 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 what he has had no intention to perform. He has 
 given me no means of advancing money here ; and 
 if the people remain much longer dissatisfied, I 
 tremble, and let him tremble too, for the conse- 
 quence. Besides the affairs mentioned in the written 
 letter, he has made another proposition that an 
 honest man would be ashamed of. I wait for 
 something further by the next post, for I am very 
 loth to expose his conduct, and willing to give him 
 time to repent." Such was the strong language 
 which he used under immediate disappointment 
 and misapprehension. "While it requires insertion, 
 it equally requires such explanation as can readily 
 be given. Jones supposed M. Chaumont, the com- 
 missary, as he called him, to have money of the 
 government in his hands or at command. The fact 
 was, that he was largely in advance on his own 
 account to the new republic ; and that the offer to 
 advance the 100,000 livres was a voluntary one. It 
 has already been mentioned that the correspondence 
 between him and Jones, except as it was official, 
 had ceased. 
 
 What was meant by the " shameful " proposition 
 spoken of was left for conjecture. It is certain that 
 neither Franklin nor Lafayette ever found out 
 anything that was disgraceful in the conduct of M. 
 de Chaumont. It also appears that the latter, hav- 
 ing all the risk upon his own shoulders, wanted the 
 business vouchers which would at least be evidence 
 of his advances, whether he could ever recover 
 them or not. 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 215 
 
 According to a memorandum given by Jones to 
 M. de la Sartine on the 20th of May, it appears that 
 M. de Chaumont wished the muster roll of the 
 crew of the Bonhomme Kichard to state the men's 
 Avages as commencing in June, when many of them 
 had enlisted in February and March. At that time, 
 those rated according to his request bad been paid. 
 Objections were made also to the payment of 
 30,000 livres to the crew of the Alliance, for the 
 time during which they served under Jones on the 
 expedition, which Franklin had not the appropriate 
 funds to meet. 
 
 Jones had now determined to go to Paris. In 
 the fragment of a letter without date, ascertained 
 from the contents to have been written in 1792, he 
 sa^'s : "Though my crews were almost naked, and 
 I had no money to administer to their wants, yet 
 my constant applications to court for two months 
 produced no relief, no payment whatever, either for 
 salary or prize money. I was on the point of sail- 
 ing back to America without any appearance of 
 obtaining justice; without the least acknowledg- 
 ment direct or indirect that the court was satisfied 
 with my services ! Under these circumstances, in a 
 moment of despair, I came to court to demand 
 satisfaction. 
 
 In the fragment quoted from, written in 1792, 
 which is unquestionably in his own hands, he pro- 
 ceeds to say : " The Minister of the United States 
 accompanied me to M. de Sartine, who gave us a 
 reception as cold as ice, did not say to me a civil 
 
216 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 word, nor even ask me if my health had not suffered 
 from my wounds, and the uncommon fatigue I had 
 undergone. The public did me more justice than the 
 minister, and I owe to the king alone the flattering 
 marks of distinction with which I was honored." 
 
 Jones became the temporary lion of Paris ; and 
 enjoyed what heroes most dearly loved from the 
 principle of their nature, which makes them such — 
 the reality of fame — if the phrase may be used 
 without absurdity. 
 
 In Jones' Journal for the king, and other formal 
 narratives by himself, there is of course no method- 
 ical account of the successive tokens of distinction 
 which he received, though the references to them in 
 his subsequent letters are frequent. It will be re- 
 membered that he was in correspondence Avith some 
 of the principal actors of the day, those most in the 
 public eyes ; and that, however hard it may be to 
 pay money for services justly rendered, it is both 
 easy and agreeable to pay compliments. It was 
 also natural that the people of France, who had 
 heard of his exploits, should greet him as they did 
 at theaters and in public places. The court and the 
 community jointly and severally did him homage, 
 and ladies smiled upon him. 
 
 On his public reception, he says himself that " he 
 received at Paris, and other parts of the kingdom, 
 the most flattering applause and public approbation 
 wherever he appeared. Both the great and the 
 learned sought his acquaintance in private life, and 
 honored him with particular marks of friendship. 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 217 
 
 At court he was always received with a kindness 
 which could only have arisen from a fixed esteem." 
 
 AVhatever were his honors or his distractions dur- 
 ing this month of May, Jones did not neglect im- 
 proving the favorable terms on which he stood, for 
 the benefit of his adopted country. He applied to 
 and obtained from government to follow his Journal 
 **' a loan of the Ariel of twenty guns, to assist the 
 Alliance to transport a large quantity of clothing, 
 character, etc., to America, then ready to be sent for 
 the army under the command of General Washing- 
 ton. He had already embarked on board the Alli- 
 ance the cannon he had provided for the Bon- 
 homme Eichard, but which had arrived at L'Orient 
 too late for that ship, besides a quantity of muskets 
 and powder. And a cartel having arrived with 
 American prisoners from England, had enabled 
 him to leave behind near four hundred seamen on 
 board the Alliance. So that he could have spared a 
 crew for the Ariel without any expense or loss of 
 time. It was his intention to arm the Ariel enfluU^ 
 and to carry a considerable part of the clothing in 
 the Alliance. 
 
 " Finding the sails of the prize protracted much 
 beyond his expectations, he endeavored, but without 
 success, to obtain some advance for his officers and 
 crew, to enable them to proceed for America, and, 
 the latter end of May, took leave of their majesties, 
 the court, and his friends at Paris." 
 
 The king had ordered that the commodore should 
 be presented with a gold sword, and that he should, 
 
218 LIFE OF PAUL JONES- 
 
 with the permission of Congress, receive the cross of 
 military merit, a decoration conferred previous!}^ on 
 those only who had distinguished themselves in the 
 proper service of France. 
 
 On the 1st of June Jones received directions 
 from Franklin to carry into effect the resolution 
 of the Admiralty Board, requiring the return of 
 that vessel, with all due expedition ; and on the 
 4th W. Franklin enclosed him the copy of a 
 letter from M. de Sartine, which stated that the 
 commissary and commandant at L'Orient had orders 
 from the minister to render every assistance in their 
 power to facilitate his departure. 
 
 But there was a fatality attending the departures 
 of Jones from port. That " singularly wild " and 
 disagreeable chevalier Landais had been at L'Orient 
 during Jones' absence, and with the help of mis- 
 chievous prompters and councilors, aided by the 
 discontent which prevailed among the officers on 
 account of not receiving prize money or pay, had 
 resolved to retain the command of the Alliance. 
 
 On the 12th of April previous, the officers of the 
 Alliance had addressed Franklin, informing him of 
 their necessitous circumstances, and that tiiey were 
 alarmed at receiving neither wages nor prize money 
 when the ship was so nearly prepared for sea. 
 
 In his reply of the 7th of June, he told them 
 that, having nothing to do with the prizes, he had 
 advanced the 24,000 livres before spoken of, for 
 their immediate wants ; and that as to wages, he 
 thought they should be expected at home. He told 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 219 
 
 them that, in consequence of being frequently in- 
 formed from L'Orient that the proposed method of 
 vahnng the prizes excited discontent, he had pro- 
 cured a consent that they should be sold at public 
 auction ; which necessarily required time, unless 
 they were to be sacrificed. He expressed his sur- 
 prise that, after the complaints he had received from 
 them a year previous against Landais, and the state- 
 ment of the latter at that time, that they were all 
 joined together against him, he, who had been at 
 Paris merely, as he professed, to vindicate himself 
 and obtain an order for his own property on board 
 of the Alliance, should desire to resume the com- 
 mand, and that they should again wish to sail under 
 him. He said, " I have related exactly to Congress 
 the manner of his leaving the ship, and though I 
 declined any judgment of his maneuvers in the 
 fight, I have given it as my opinion (to Congress), 
 after examining the affair, that it was not at all 
 likely, either that he should have given orders to 
 fire into the Bonhomme Richard, or that his offi- 
 cers would have obeyed such an order had it been 
 given them. Thus I have taken what care I could 
 of your honor in that particular. You will, there- 
 fore, excuse me if I am a little concerned for it in 
 another. If it should come to be publicly known 
 that you had the strongest aversion to Captain Lan- 
 dais, who had used you basely, and that it is only 
 since the last year's cruise, and the appointment of 
 Commodore Jones to the command, that you request 
 to be again under your old captain, I fear suspicions 
 
220 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 and reflections may be thrown upon you by the 
 world, as if this chano:e of sentiment mav have arisen 
 from your observation during the cruise that Cap- 
 tain Jones loved close fighting, that Captain Lan- 
 dais was skilful in keeping out of harm's way, and 
 that you, therefore, thought yourselves safer with 
 the latter. For myself, I believe you to be brave 
 men, and lovers of your country and its glorious 
 cause ; and I am persuaded you haye only been ill- 
 advised and misled by the artful and malicious 
 representation of some persons I guess. at. Take in 
 good part this friendly council from an old man 
 who is your friend. Go home peaceably with your 
 ship. Do your duty faithfully and cheerfully. Be- 
 have respectfully to your commander, and I am 
 persuaded he will do the same to you. Thus 3^ou 
 will not only be happier in your voyage, but rec- 
 ommend yourselves to the future fayors of Con- 
 gress and of your country." 
 
 On the same day, he wrote peremptorily to Lan- 
 dais, expressing his astonishment that the latter 
 should be at L'Orient, when he had thought him 
 long before on his yoyage to America for trial ; to 
 enable him to do which, he had been furnished with 
 a considerable sum of money. Landais had coolly 
 written on the 29th of May that " he had been 
 waiting for Franklin's orders ever since, to retake 
 the command of the Alliance ! " 
 
 The minister said : " I waive any further dispute 
 with 3^ou ; but I charge 3"ou not to meddle with the 
 command, or create any disturbance on board her, 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 221 
 
 as you will answer the contrary at your peril." 
 But Landais had got an opinion from Mr. Arthur 
 Lee, who had a taste for " constitutional construc- 
 tion," that he might treat the minister's orders with 
 silent contempt. 
 
 The sailors became peremptory in their demands. 
 On the 12th of June we find Franklin writing to 
 Jones : *' Saturday morning I received a letter 
 signed by about 115 of the sailors of the Alliance, 
 declaring that they would not raise the anchor, nor 
 depart from L'Orient, till they had six months' 
 wages paid them, and the utmost farthing of the 
 prize money, including the ships sent into Norway, 
 and until their legal captain, P. Landais, was restored 
 to them. This mutiny has undoubtedly been ex- 
 cited by that captain ; probably b}^ making them 
 believe that satisfaction has been received for those 
 Norway prizes delivered up to the English. That 
 he is concerned in this mutiny he has been foolish 
 enough to furnish us with proofs ; the sailors' letter 
 being not only enclosed under a cover directed to 
 me in his handwriting, but he also, in the same 
 writing, interlined the words, their legal captain, 
 P. Landais, which happens to contain his signature. 
 I immediately went to Versailles to demand the 
 assistance of government, and on showing the letter, 
 by which his guilt plainly appeared, an order was 
 immediately granted, and sent away the same 
 evening, for apprehending and imprisoning him, 
 and orders were promised to be given at the same 
 time to the commissary of the port to afford you 
 
222 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 all kind of assistance to facilitate your departure, 
 M. Chaumont being with me, and assisting warmly 
 in obtaining these orders. We thought it best, at the 
 same time, to give directions that those sailors who 
 have sio:ned this letter should not be favored with 
 receiving any part of the money ordered to be ad- 
 vanced, in part of what it is supposed the Serapis 
 and Countess of Scarborough may be sold for, un- 
 less such as express their sorrow for having been so 
 misled, and willingness to do their duty. And that 
 thev mav be known, their title w^as sent down to 
 M. de Marplanir. But care should be taken that it 
 be returned, as it contains the proofs above men- 
 tioned against Landais, who will probably be tried 
 for his life ; being considered by the minister as an 
 emigrant Avithout the king's permission, and there- 
 fore still a Frenchman, and when in France, still 
 subject to its laws." 
 
 Up to this period, whatever might have been done 
 in secret cabal, no open disrespect had been shown 
 to Jones. He states that he had been on board of 
 the Alliance for a considerable part of the time 
 after his return from Yersailles, and " had alwa3^s 
 been well received and duly obeyed." But finding 
 that " his commission and authority had been called 
 in question," he ordered the former as well as 
 Franklin's order to be read on board, on the morn- 
 ing of the 12th of June, for the satisfaction of all 
 present. AYhat amounted to a mutiny occurred in 
 consequence. 
 
 On the morning of the 13th of June, he went on 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 223 
 
 shore to make arrangements with the commandant 
 for despatching the Ariel, and Landais went on 
 board, declaring that he came to take command of 
 the ship, and would support himself by force 
 against any person who should dispute his authority. 
 He had written to Lieutenant Degge, as lieutenant 
 in command on board the frigate Alliance, ordering 
 him to keep the command of the frigate from any 
 one who should seek to take it, contrary to the re- 
 solve of Congress, and to his prejudice, until he 
 should receive an answer from his excellency Dr. 
 Franklin, on the reception of which he would take 
 the command. He added : '' I expect Dr. Franklin 
 can't deny it to me, unless he has an order to the 
 contrary from Congress." This letter had been 
 dictated by some of the " meddling passengers," 
 and was read to the crew by Lieutenant Degge. 
 
 Finding that Landais had taken possession, by the 
 advice of the commandant of the marine and com- 
 mandant of the road, Jones wrote to Franklin by 
 express, on the afternoon of the day on which what 
 may be called the mutiny occurred. He said : 
 " Several of the brave officers who served with me 
 in the Bonhomme Richard have already been 
 treated with indignity on board ; and my first lieu- 
 tenant, Mr. Dale, this moment tells me that he and 
 some others have been turned ashore. Before I 
 came ashore this forenoon, the crew being assembled, 
 I demanded whether any of them could say a word 
 to my disadvantage. They answered, they could 
 not. There was then every appearance of general 
 
224 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 contentment and subordination. I am certain that 
 the people love and would readily obey me." 
 
 Mr. Arthur Lee thus wrote to Jones on the 13th : 
 
 " Sir,— 
 
 " When you showed me yesterday the authorities 
 under which you conceive you had a right to com- 
 mand the Alliance frigate, I told you it was not in 
 my power to give you an opinion upon them with- 
 out seeing those of Captain Landais ; and that I 
 would not give an opinion in this matter, but in 
 writing. Since that I have seen the authorities of 
 Captain Landais, and I now shall state them both, 
 with my opinion upon them ; which I hope may be 
 of use in preventing any further contest, which 
 cannot but be disgraceful and injurious to the serv- 
 ice, as well as to those Avho are in the wrong. 
 
 " The authorities you showed me consisted of a 
 commission from Congress and a late order from 
 Dr. Franklin to you to take command of the Alli- 
 ance, and carry her where she is ordered by the 
 admiralty. This order from Dr. Franklin does not 
 recite or allege any power from Congress to take 
 the command from Captain Landais, and put an- 
 other in his place. 
 
 " The authorities Captain Landais laid before me 
 were a commission from Congress, like yours, ap- 
 pointing him captain in the service ; a resolve of 
 Congress giving him the command of the Alliance 
 frigate ; and a letter of instructions for that pur- 
 pose from the marine committee. 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 225 
 
 " From these documents it is clear, beyond a pos- 
 sibility of doubt, that Captain Landais commands 
 that ship under the full, direct, and express order 
 of Congress ; and that no such authority appears to 
 dismiss him from the command. In this situation 
 Captain Landais must answer at his peril for the 
 friaate intrusted to him till he receives an order of 
 Congress to deliver her to another. If any such 
 order exists, those who have it do infinite wrong to 
 the service in not producing it, to prevent any dis- 
 turbance. If there is no such order, the subjects of 
 the United States who attempt to divest Captain 
 Landais of the command beholds from the sovereign 
 power, or to disturb him by violence in the exercise 
 of it, commit a high crime against the laws and 
 sovereignty of the United States and subject them- 
 selves to a proportionable punishment. 
 
 ^' This, sir, is my opinion, founded upon a cool and 
 candid consideration of the authorities on both sides ; 
 which alone ought to determine our judgment and 
 our actions. You are at liberty to show this letter 
 to whom you please, or to send it to Dr. Franklin. 
 Should it prevail upon you to urge this matter no 
 farther till you know whether there is authority of 
 Congress for what you are doing, I shall think I 
 have rendered no less service to you personally, in 
 preventing you from committing a rash and illegal 
 action, than to the public, the honor of which must 
 be committed by such a contest in a foreign port. 
 When 1 see such things threatened, my duty to my 
 country and the love of law and order call upon 
 15 
 
226 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 me to do whatever is in my power to prevent them. 
 " I have the honor to be, etc." 
 
 This valuable opinion of Mr. Lee did not come 
 into Jones' hands until a week after his date. The 
 latter, in his letter to the commandant of the port, 
 called on him for support, as he had not sufficient 
 force to assert his own rights, and did not wish to 
 have a scene with Landais. The letter was probably 
 more for form's sake than otherwise ; for an open 
 affray would have been discreditable to the Ameri- 
 can flag, and injurious to the character of the na- 
 tion. 
 
 Jones went incognito, as he says in his journal, 
 to Yersailles " to explain what had happened," and 
 returned with all possible expedition. On the 16th 
 we find Franklin very briefly and peremptorily 
 w^ritingto Landais and to the officers of the Alliance, 
 commanding obedience to his former and present 
 orders. On the 17th he wrote to Jones, who was 
 then on his way to court, that " having been in- 
 formed by several gentlemen, of and from L'Orient, 
 that it w^as there generally understood that the 
 mutiny on board his ship had been advised or pro- 
 moted by the Honorable Arthur Lee, whom he had 
 ordered Jones to receive as a passenger, he thereby 
 withdrew that order so far as to leave it to Jones' 
 discretion." He added that this need not obstruct 
 Mr. Lee's return to America, as there were several 
 ships going under Jones' convoy, and many of the 
 passengers might prefer changing places. Cotem- 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 22Y 
 
 poraneouslj, for I do not find the dates, fourteen 
 of the officers of the Alliance addressed Franklin, 
 representing that they believed the ship's crew were 
 unanimously in favor of Captain Landais, whose 
 conduct in the engagement off Scarborough had 
 been misrepresented ; and that they thought them- 
 selves bound to obey him, according to the rules 
 and regulations of the navy. 
 
 The wise opinion of Mr. Lee and those deluded 
 men is best exposed by the questions put at the 
 time by Dr. Franklin to Mr. Adams, which involve 
 their own inevitable answers. They were, in brief, 
 whether Landais, accused of capital crimes by his 
 commanding officer, after having relinquished com- 
 mand of the frigate, asked leave to withdraw his 
 effects, solicited and received money from the minis- 
 ter to bear his expenses to America, where he was 
 to be tried, and applied for a passage in a private 
 ship ; was entitled at his pleasure to retake command 
 of the frigate, contrary to the express orders of the 
 same minister, where he was instructed to obey ; 
 " and to dispossess his successor, the oldest naval 
 officer of the L^nited States in Europe, who had com- 
 manded that frigate near eight months, and brought 
 to the port where she then was." The other ques- 
 tions, equally irresistible, related to the propriety 
 of the conduct of Landais, and the policy of suffer- 
 ing him to retain the command. 
 
 Landais, however, and his constitutional advisers 
 got off, by a forbearance on the part of Jones, dic- 
 tated by wise and prudential considerations, at a 
 
228 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 moment when indignation might have thrown the 
 reins loose without reproach. Orders from govern- 
 ment were sent to L'Orient, to arrest Landais as a 
 French subject, and to stop the Alliance. 
 
 Jones' letter written after his return from Yer- 
 sailles best explains the intermediate transaction? 
 and the motives of his conduct : 
 
 " L'Orient, June 21st, 1780. 
 " Sir,— 
 
 " I was detained at Yersailles forty hours from 
 the time of my arrival, and was then informed by 
 M. de Genet that an express had been sent from 
 court with the necessary orders to the king's officers 
 at L'Orient, respecting Captain Landais and the 
 Alliance. I found myself here early yesterday 
 morning, fifty -four hours after leaving Yersailles. 
 The Alliance had, the evening and night before, been 
 Avarped and towed from the road of L'Orient to Port 
 Louis ; and no express from court had arrived here. 
 M. de Thevenard, the commandant, however, made 
 every necessary preparation to stop the Alliance, 
 as appears by the enclosed document on the subject. 
 He had even sent orders in the evening, before I 
 was aware, to fire on the Alliance, and sink her to 
 the bottom, if they attempted to approach and pass 
 the barrier that had been made across the entrance 
 of the port. Had I even remained silent an hour 
 longer, the dreadful w^ork would have been done. 
 Your humanity will, I know, justify the part I acted 
 in preventing a scene that would have rendered me 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 229 
 
 miserable for the rest of my life. The Alliance has 
 this morning been towed and warped through the 
 rocks, and is now at anchor without, between Port 
 Louis and Groix. In this situation I at noon sent 
 our Lieutenant Dale with a letter to Captain Landais, 
 whereof the within is a copy. 
 
 " Yesterday morning the within letter was brought 
 me from Mr. Lee, though I had never even hinted 
 that his opinion or advice would be acceptable. He 
 has, however, pulled off the mask, and I am con- 
 vinced, is not a little disappointed that his operations 
 have produced no bloodshed between the subjects 
 of France and America. Poor man ! 
 
 " M. de Thevenard, on his part, sent the deputy 
 of M. Sweighauser on board with your letters, under 
 his own cover, to Captain Landais, and to the of- 
 ficers and men of the Alliance. The one was de- 
 livered to Captain Landais, the other to Lieutenant 
 Digges. M. de Thevenard also sent on board an 
 officer with the king's order to arrest Captain Lan- 
 dais, who refused to surrender himself. Accord- 
 ing to them, you cannot displace him, however great 
 his crimes ! If the government does not interfere 
 to crush this despicable party, France and America 
 have much to fear from it. I verily believe them 
 to be English at the bottom of their hearts. 
 
 ** N. B. Mr. Dale has this moment brought me 
 the within impertinent note from Captain Lan- 
 dais." 
 
 The letter to Landais, referred to, was a demand 
 
230 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 of the seamen who had served on board the Bon- 
 homme Richard, requesting that the}^ might be 
 delivered on board the boats sent by the command- 
 ant and commissary of the marine, with the bag- 
 gage, stores, and barge of Jones. The impertinent 
 reply I do not find. 
 
 Landais, among his other " light amusements," 
 had had the solemn impudence to write several 
 letters, demanding payment of the prize money due 
 to the people of the Alliance, and complained on the 
 16th " that time was lost by the delay." 
 
 The former officers of the Bonhomme Richard, 
 at the same time (June 26th), solemnly besought 
 Franklin not to entertain the idea that the Ameri- 
 cans at L'Orient approved of the behavior of Landais 
 and his advisers ; and stated that, beside the risk of 
 ruining the measures adopted for the transportation 
 of clothing, etc., merchandise to the amount of two 
 millions of livres, which was to have been despatched 
 under convoy, was put in peril by the usurpation 
 of Landais. They paid a most exalted tribute to 
 Jones, in expressing the confidence they would have 
 felt, had he commanded according to the regular 
 instructions of the minister. 
 
 The following official letter, which M. de Sartine 
 addressed to Jones, on the 28th of June, needs in- 
 sertion, because it was official, and was despatched 
 at the right moment, being well calculated to remove 
 whatever feelings of mortification Jones might have 
 been supposed to labor with. 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 231 
 
 " Yeksailles, June SSth, 1780. 
 
 " Sir,— 
 
 " The king, sir, has already made known his satis- 
 faction with the zeal and valor, which you have dis- 
 played in Europe, in support of the common cause 
 of the United States of America, and his Majesty, 
 and he also has informed vou of the distino^uished 
 proofs he is disposed to give you thereof. Persuaded 
 that the United States will give their consent that 
 you should receive the cross of the order of military 
 merit, I send you, in the accompanying packet ad- 
 dressed to M. de la Luzerne, the one designed for 
 you. You will be pleased to deliver him this packet, 
 and he will see that the honor is conferred by a 
 knight of the order, agreeably to his Majesty's orders. 
 But at any rate, that you should have a proof of the 
 king's approbation and munificence, his Majesty has 
 ordered a gold sword to be made for you, which will 
 be sent to you forthwith, and he has the greatest 
 confidence in the use you will make of it for his glory 
 and that of the United States. 
 
 I have the honor to be, etc., etc. 
 
 " To M, Paul Jones, 
 ** Commodore of the U. S..Navy, at L'Orient." 
 
 The gold sword has been spoken of before, but 
 probably this was the first time Jones had heard of 
 it ; and it would not have quickened his desire to de- 
 part. He loved not baubles, but he dearly loved 
 what they meant and passed for in France. 
 
 On the 28 th Jones tried the effect of another im- 
 
232 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 perative letter to Captain Landais, with directing 
 him not to sail or put to sea, before receiving instruc- 
 tions from himself, the '^senior and superior officer 
 of the navy of the United States in Europe," and to 
 send eighty of the best riggers, with all the joiners 
 forthwith, from the Alliance, to rig and prepare the 
 Ariel. 
 
 Lieutenant M. Livingston undertook to deliver 
 this letter. To this request Landais replied, address- 
 ing the commodore simply as '' John Paul Jones, 
 Esq., at L'Orient — I send the under-named people 
 on shore, being such as 1 do not find necessary for 
 the service of the United States of America on board 
 this ship ; if you have any authority for taking them, 
 you will do it." The names of twenty-two persons 
 are added, of five of whom Landais remarks, *' These 
 are prisoners of yours." 
 
 On the 29th Jones wrote to him, " The boat re- 
 turns for the remainder of the men mentioned in my 
 order of yesterday." The following N. B. is added : 
 " Captain Landais ordered the bearer of this letter 
 to remain in the boat alongside the Alliance, and 
 hold this open, with the writing towards him." 
 Having seen it, he ordered the boat to be gone. 
 
 The Alliance then sailed. Jones says in his Jour- 
 nal that, when he begged the barrier of the port 
 might be removed, the commandant called the prin- 
 cipal officers together, who signed a paper, ^'stating 
 the preparations which had been made, and express- 
 ing their admiration of the conduct of Captain 
 Jones." All his papers and trunks sent ashore were 
 
THE ALLIANCE FRIGATE. 233 
 
 found broken open, and the best part of his effects 
 were detained, or destroyed, on board the Alliance. 
 The people who adhered to him in that ship, and re- 
 fused to weigh anchor, were confined and carried 
 away in irons. He was left without a crew for the 
 Ariel, and was unable to embark the clothing. 
 
234 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE ARIEL. 
 
 That Commodore Jones was not blind to the 
 charms of the f ah' sex is proven by his letters, verses, 
 and other tokens of gallantry which need not be 
 given a place here. As an example of his diction 
 the following extract is given from one of his letters 
 to a lady whose name is not given : 
 
 " When one is conscious of having been in fault, I 
 believe it is the best way to confess it, and to promise 
 amendment. This being my case with respect to 
 you, madam, I am too honest to*attempt to excuse 
 myself, and, therefore, cast myself at your feet and 
 beg your forgiveness, on condition that I behave 
 better hereafter. For shame, Paul Jones ! How 
 could you let the fairest lady in the world, after 
 writing you two letters, wait so long for an answer ! 
 Are you so much devoted to war, as to neglect wit 
 and beauty ? I make myself a thousand such re- 
 proaches, and believe I punish mj^self as severely as 
 you would do, madam, were you present here ! " 
 
 On July 24th he wrote to Madame Tellison : 
 
 " My sole business at court was to obtain the free 
 
THE ARIEL. 235 
 
 sale of the prizes, which I effected. . . . I know that, 
 soon after my arrival in America, Congress will 
 render me impartial justice. I will then have the 
 happiness to furnish you with the account I prom- 
 ised, and the circumstances will be supported by the 
 fullest evidence. I dare promise that it will then 
 appear that I have only been to blame for having 
 returned here fi^om Paris, without having insisted 
 absolutely on the previous payment of my men. 
 Money is essential in war ; in love, you will tell me, 
 perhaps the case may be otherwise. I have still in 
 contemplation to return to France soon after I arrive 
 in America, for I have the most ardent desire to give 
 the court, the nation, and my friends farther proofs 
 of my gratitude, by my services in the glorious cause 
 of freedom that France has so nobly espoused in 
 concert with America." 
 
 On the 28th he wrote to the Marquise de La- 
 fayette : " I am once more nearly ready for sea. 
 If*^ I can in any respect render you acceptable serv- 
 ices, you know I have so much esteem and respect 
 for yourself, and so much affectionate friendship 
 for your husband, that you will, I hope, command 
 me freely. I expect to embrace the marquis about 
 the first of October ; and it is not impossible that 
 we may return together to France. Believe me, I 
 am, with great sincerity and regard," etc. 
 
 These letters to three ladies are the only ones 
 found written by Paul Jones in the month of July. 
 He was soon, however, busily engaged in writing to 
 
236 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the French ministersj and those who had access to, 
 or influence with, them. Jones laid his projects be- 
 fore them again ; and again strenuousl}^ and not in- 
 decorously applied for employment in what his soul 
 most sighed for, an expedition after his own heart ; 
 in which he should have no concordat to control 
 him, no sage peers to neutralize his purposes. lie 
 could not expect any such command from Congress, 
 even on the most modest scale. He endeavored to 
 avail himself of his reputation, and the influence it 
 might create for him, in every direction, to obtain 
 such a force as might enable him hopefully to at- 
 tempt some one of those schemes, with which his 
 ardent ambition was teeming ; which, if it did not 
 " strike a blow that should resound through the 
 universe," would sensibly affect the nerves of the 
 imaginary ocean queen ; and teach her -that, if she 
 had rebels, pirates, and privateers to deal with, they 
 were of no common sort. 
 
 When Jones had the Ariel nearly ready for sea, 
 he wrote, under date of August 2d, to the Count of 
 Yergennes, of which the following is a portion : 
 
 " It is absolutely necessary, my lord, to destroy 
 the foreign commerce of the English, especially 
 their trade to the Baltic, from whence they draw 
 all the supplies for their marine. It is equally nec- 
 essary to alarm their coasts, not only in the colonies 
 abroad, but even in their islands at home. These 
 things would distress and distract the enemy much 
 more than many battles between fleets of equal 
 
THE ARIEL. 237 
 
 force. England has carried on the war against 
 America in a far more barbarous form than she 
 durst have adopted against any power of Europe. 
 America has a right to retaliate ; and by our hav- 
 ing the same language and customs with the enemy, 
 we are in a situation to surprise their coast and 
 take such advantage of their unguarded situation, 
 under the flag of America, as can never be done 
 under the flag of France. This is not theory, for I 
 have proved it by my experience ; and if I have op- 
 portunity I will yet prove it more fully. 
 
 " I shall be happy, my lord, to be honored with 
 your excellency's determination as soon as possible, 
 as I purpose to proceed with the utmost expedition 
 to Philadelphia, and as there is no time to lose in 
 preparing for the operations of the next campaign.'' 
 
 Whether the project submitted by Jones was 
 quixotic or rational,. the French government could 
 not have complied with his demands, such as they 
 are intimated to have been by the reply of the 
 Comte de Maurepas, from which the following ex- 
 tract is taken : " I have examined and communicated 
 to M. de Sartine the project annexed to your letter, 
 and we have no manner of doubt of the good effect 
 that would result, were it intrusted to 3''ou. But 
 at present it could not be said what number of 
 frigates might be employed, they being all actually 
 armed on account of the king, and the ])lan of the 
 approaching campaign is not yet sufliciently deter- 
 mined, positively to say how many frigates may be 
 
238 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 given to you. But this need not prevent, if you 
 have the consent of Congress, the execution of the 
 first part of your scheme, to come here, as you pro- 
 pose, with the Alliance and the other vessels which 
 you may have, and with a sufiicient American crew 
 to arm the frigates which may join you. I will en- 
 deavor here to secure some for you, or to substitute 
 privateers in their place. This is all I can inform 
 you of for the present." 
 
 Three days before the date of the letter last re- 
 ferred to, Franklin had w^ritten to Jones, sending 
 him his despatches by the Count de Yauban, and re- 
 questing him to sink them, if necessary. The fol- 
 lowing passage in his letter deserves notice, because 
 it would appear that Jones had shown a morbid de- 
 gree of sensibility, after the high ground he had 
 taken and well maintained, to the misconceptions of 
 individuals. " Depend upon it," said the minister, 
 " I never wrote to Mr. Giilon that the Bonhomme 
 Richard was a privateer. I could not write so ; 
 because I never had such a thought. I will, next 
 post, send you a copy of my letter to him ; by which 
 you will perceive that he has only forced that con- 
 struction from a vague expression," etc. The vague 
 expression was the mercantile phrase " the con- 
 cerned." 
 
 The Ariel lay at the road of Groix when, on the 
 13th of September, a month after the date of the 
 last letter that has been quoted, when we find an 
 epistle from Jones, dated from on board, to Madame 
 la Presidente L'Ormoy : " My particular thanks are 
 
THE ARIEL. 239 
 
 due to you, madam, for the personal proofs I have 
 received of your esteem and friendship, and for the 
 ha]")piness you procured me in the society of the 
 charming countess and other ladies and gentlemen 
 of your circle. But I have a favor to ask of you, 
 madam, which I hope you will grant me. You tell 
 me in your letter that the inkstand I had the honor 
 to present you as a small token of my esteem shall 
 be reserved for the purpose of writing what con- 
 cerns me. J^ow I wish you to see my idea in 
 a more expanded light, and would have you 
 make use of that inkstand to instruct mankind 
 and support the dignity and rights of human na- 
 ture." 
 
 Of Commodore Jones' correspondence with the 
 Parisian ladies little need be said, since the copies of 
 the letters which he carefully preserved serve only 
 to show his industry with the pen. 
 
 His influence at court, real or supposed, was a 
 motive which, in addition to his renown, prompted 
 the fair ones to smile on him. The Countess de 
 Lavendahl painted a miniature of him, and gave him 
 her own. Certain letters were published in the 
 English press at this period, which were ascribed to 
 a young English lady. Miss Edes, residing at Ver- 
 sailles. We find the following extracts from them 
 in the Edinburgh Life : 
 
 " The famous Paul Jones dines and sups here often; 
 he is a smart man of thirty-six, speaks but little 
 French, appears to be an extraordinary genius, a 
 
240 LIFE OF PAUL JOXES. 
 
 poet as well as a hero ; a few da^^s ago he wrote 
 some verses extempore, of which 1 send 3^ou a copy. 
 He is greatl}^ admired here, especially by the ladies, 
 who are all wild for love of him, as he for them ; 
 
 but he adores Lady (the Countess Lavendahl), 
 
 who has honored him with every mark of politeness 
 and distinction." 
 
 " Yerses addressed to the ladies who have done me 
 the honor of their polite attention ! " 
 
 " Presented by Paul Jones to Mademoiselle G ." 
 
 ** Insulted freedom bled, — I felt her cause, 
 And drew my sword to vindicate her laws, 
 From principle, and not from vain applause. 
 I've done my best, self-interest far apart, 
 And self-reproach a stranger to my heart ; 
 My zeal still prompts, ambitious to pursue 
 The foe, ye fair ! of liberty and you : 
 Grateful for praise, spontaneous and unbought, 
 A generous people's love not meanly sought ; 
 To merit this, and bend the knee to beauty, 
 Shall be my earliest and latest duty." 
 
 In a subsequent letter, the supposed Miss Edes 
 says : " Since my last, Paul Jones drank tea and 
 supped here. If I am in love with him, for love I 
 may die ; I have as many rivals as there are ladies; 
 but the most formidable is still Lady (the Count- 
 ess Lavendahl,) who possesses all his heart. This lady 
 is of high rank and virtue, very sensible, good-natured, 
 and affable. Besides this, she is possessed of youth, 
 beauty, and wit, and every other female accomplish- 
 ment. He is gone, I suppose, for America. They 
 
THE ARIEL. 211 
 
 correspond, and his letters are replete with elegance, 
 sentiment, and delicacy. She drew his picture (a 
 striking likeness), and wrote some lines under it, 
 w^hich are much admired. . . . The king has given 
 him a magnificent gold su'ord, which, lest it should 
 fall into the hands of the enemy, he has begged 
 leave to commit to the care of her ladyship — a piece 
 of gallantry w^hich is here highly applauded. If any 
 further account of this singular genius should reach 
 my hands, you shall have it." 
 
 On September 22d Jones wrote to M. de la Sartine, 
 stating that he could no longer be silent w^hile the 
 money due to thera was withheld from his officers 
 and crew. " Two years, my lord, has that hair- 
 brained man (M. de Chaumont) been employed in 
 marring every idea of mine that was calculated to 
 promote the common cause. ... If he had not in- 
 terfered with the police of the squadron, not be- 
 trayed the secret of its intended operations, very es- 
 sential services might have been rendered to the 
 common cause. I verily believe the Baltic fleet 
 could never have entered the ports of England ; and 
 I am certain that Leith and Edinburgh would have 
 been laid under a heavy contribution, and the mer- 
 chant shipping of some of the principal harbors of 
 England burnt to ashes. If the Baltic fleet had not 
 entered the ports of England, Admiral Eodney would 
 not have sailed, and the flag of Spain would now 
 have waved over the ramparts of Gibraltar." M. de 
 Chaumont was the cause, certainly, of some strong 
 
 negatives and long inferences. 
 i6 
 
242 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 We shall now follow Jones' Journal. " He obtained 
 a crew for the Ariel, that was ordered by govern- 
 ment to be fully armed and equipped. He embarked 
 such a quantity of arms and powder as, with provi- 
 sion for only nine weeks, filled the ship even be- 
 tween decks. He hoped to make the passage in a 
 favorable season of the year, but was detained by 
 contrary and stormy winds in the road of Groix 
 from the 4th of September till the 8th of Octo- 
 ber. 
 
 He then sailed with a fair v^ind and pleasant 
 weather ; but the next night the Ariel was driven by 
 a violent tempest close to the rocks of the Penmarque, 
 a terrible ledge between L'Orient and Brest. The 
 ship could show no sail, but was almost buried under 
 the water, not having room to run before the wind, 
 and havino: several feet of water in the hold. Find- 
 ing the depth of water diminish fast. Captain Jones, 
 in the last extremity, cast anchor ; but could not 
 bring the ship's head to the wind. Sometimes the 
 lower yard-arms touched the water. 
 
 Captain Jones now had no remedy left, but to cut 
 awav the foremast. This had the desired eifect ; and 
 the ship immediately came head to the wind. The 
 main-mast had got out of the step, and now reeled 
 about like a drunken man. Foreseeing the danger 
 of its breaking off below the gun-deck, or going 
 through the ship's bottom. Captain Jones ordered it 
 to be cut away. But before this could be done, the 
 chain-plates gave way, and the main-mast (breaking 
 off by the gun-deck, carried with it the mizzen-mast ; 
 
THE ARIEL. 243 
 
 and the mizzen-mast carried away the quarter- 
 gallery. 
 
 In that situation, the Ariel rode in the open 
 ocean, to ^Yind^vard of perhaps the most dangerous 
 ledge of rocks in the world, for two days and near 
 three nights, in a tempest that covered the shore 
 with wrecks and dead bodies, and that drove ships 
 ashore, from their anchors, even in the port of 
 L'Orient. It was perhaps fortunate tliat the Ariel 
 lost her masts, since no anchors could have held her, 
 so long had the masts stood. By the help of jury- 
 masts, erected after the gale, the Ariel returned to 
 L'Orient. 
 
 This terrible gale was felt over nearly all Europe. 
 Jones spoke thus of it in a letter to the Presidente 
 L'Ormoy, dated October 16th : '• By the inclosed 
 declaration of my officers, 3^ou will see, my dear 
 madam, that I was in a ticklish situation in the 
 moment while you were employed in writing to me 
 on the 9th ultimo. It is impossible to be more 
 sensible than I am of the obligation conferred on 
 me by your attentions and kind remembrances, joined 
 to that of the belle comtesses, your fair daughters, 
 and the amiable ladies and gentlemen of yoursocietv. 
 I have returned without laurels, and, what is worse, 
 without having been able to render service to the 
 glorious cause of liberty. I know not why JSTeptune 
 was in such anger, unless he thought it an affront 
 in me to appear on his ocean with so insignificant a 
 force. It is certain that, till the night of the 8th, I 
 did not fully conceive the awful majesty of tempest 
 
244 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 and of shipwreck. I can ^ive you no just idea of 
 the tremendous scene that nature then presented, 
 which surpassed the reach even of poetic fancy and 
 the pencil. I believe no ship was ever before saved 
 from an equal danger off the point of the Penmarque 
 rocks." 
 
 The arrival of the Alliance in America, referred 
 to in this letter, had been announced to Franklin by 
 Dr. Cooper of Boston, who ^\ rote to him on the 8th 
 of September as follows : 
 
 " The Alliance arrived here some weeks ago, with 
 Dr. Lee, who is still in town. This vessel appears 
 to me to have left France in an unjustifiable manner, 
 though I cannot yet obtain the particular circum- 
 stances. Landais did not hold his command ttirouofh 
 the voyage, which was either relinquished by him 
 or wrested from him. All the passengers, as well as 
 officers and sailors, are highly incensed against him, 
 and Dr. Lee as much as any one. A court of in- 
 quiry is now sitting upon this matter, in which the 
 Doctor has given full evidence against the captain, 
 which represents him as insane." 
 
 The result of this court of inquiry was, that 
 Landais was dismissed from the service of the United 
 States. Jones not being in America to substantiate 
 them, the more serious charges were not urged 
 against him, and he was consigned to insignificance. 
 
 It was found on examination that the arms on 
 board of the Ariel, which were the most valuable 
 
THE ARIEL. 245 
 
 part of her stores, were so much damaged that it 
 was necessary to unship and leave them ; and she 
 was so much disabled that, though Jones wrote to 
 Franklin on the 13th of October that the repairs 
 had been commenced with great activity, by the as- 
 sistance of the commandant of the marine, she was 
 not ready for sea until December. 
 
 The new expenses thus incurred tried severely the 
 patience of the prudent Franklin, and he directed 
 the necessary advances to be made with a heavy 
 heart. He was again obliged to expostulate with 
 the commodore. Jones used every effort, through 
 his friends at court, to obtain the Terpsicore, and 
 endeavored to induce Mr. Silas Deane, and Dr. 
 Bancroft to assist him in his application to the Mar- 
 quis de Castries, who was now minister of the marine. 
 Eut, he says in his Journal, '^ The noblemen on whose 
 interest he had chiefly depended being absent, the 
 application failed." The Terpsicore was destined 
 to carry despatches to the East Indies. 
 
 By a letter addressed to the Board of Admiralty, 
 on the 26th of October, it appears that at this time 
 a difficulty took place on the score of rank between 
 Commodore Jones and the celebrated Captain Trux- 
 tun. He says : " I send a letter I received from 
 Mr. Triixtun, the master of the Independence, of 
 Philadelphia, dated the 24th, Avith ray answer. 
 Yesterday and to-day he has had the insolence to 
 hoist a broad pennant, notwithstanding. Is not this 
 bidding defiance to Congress and the continental 
 flag ? Congress will judge what punishment is equal 
 
246 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 to such a crime, when committed in sight of the 
 flag and forts of an illustrious ally." 
 
 Captain Truxtun, according to the Naval Chroni- 
 cles, was sailing in a private armed ship, and had 
 only the commission of a letter of marque. Whether 
 any further notice was taken of this incident, we 
 are unable to say. 
 
 'No prize money had as yet been forthcomiDg. 
 On the 24th of November Jones wrote to M. le 
 Hay de Chaumont as follows : " If you have received 
 the produce of the sale of the prizes, I request 3^ou 
 to pay the part thereof belonging to the officers and 
 crews of the Bonhomme Richard and the Alliance 
 into the hands of Messrs. Gourlade and Moylan, 
 their legal agents," etc. 
 
 The demand, it will be observed, was made upon 
 a contingency. Jones desired that his own share 
 of the prize money, both as chief of the squadron 
 and captain of the Bonhomme Richard, might be 
 paid to Dr. Franklin and Dr. Bancroft, his lawful 
 attorneys ; and reclaimed payment of the wages due 
 to the seamen of the Bonhomme Richard who had 
 been forcibly carried awa}^ in the Alliance. These 
 wages, it will be remembered, Franklin thought 
 ought to be paid in America. 
 
 Jones wrote to the same purport, to the Marquis 
 de Castries, on the same day. In relation to this 
 matter of the prize money, it has not been hereto- 
 fore explicitly stated that the few prizes sent into 
 the ports of France, by the expedition before it 
 entered the Texel, had been sold, and the proceeds 
 
THE ARIEL. 247 
 
 remitted a year previously to M. Chaumont, upon 
 his order by Messrs. Gourlade and Moylan. Jones 
 wrote to the minister : " By virtue of the authority 
 1 had received from government, my honor was 
 pledged to see these men justly paid. I have already 
 suffered many reflections on their account, and I 
 beseech your excellency to order them immediate 
 payment." 
 
 Dr. Franklin had been confined to his bed, at this 
 time for some weeks. He wrote to Jones on the 
 4:th of December, telling him, "I shall strongly 
 solicit the payment of the prize money, which I un- 
 derstand is not yet received from the king. I hope 
 soon to see an end of that affair, which has met 
 with so many unaccountable obstructions. I enclose 
 despatches for Congress, which are to be sunk in 
 case of danger. I wish you to make the best of 
 your w^ay to America, and that you may have a 
 prosperous voyage." 
 
 By waiting for further despatches which M. 
 Gourlade informed him were to be sent, Jones lost 
 a favorable wind, and did not sail until the 18th of 
 this month. As before, he made his valedictory 
 compliments to Madame la Presidente D'Ormoy. 
 In his letter he says : " I am much flattered by your 
 having mentioned me to so great a man as the king 
 of Prussia— the world will ever treat his opinion 
 wdth the highest respect." 
 
 On the 18th of December he says in his Journal, 
 he " bade adieu to the beloved nation of France ; 
 where, though he had met with some difficulties, he 
 
248 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 had many reasons to be satisfied, and was charmed 
 with the courteous behavior that so nobly marked 
 the character of that generous-minded people. . . . 
 Having important despatches on board, and being 
 besides much lumbered he had determined to steer 
 directly for America, and wished rather to avoid 
 than seek after the enemy." 
 
 He did, however, meet the enemy, and gained 
 another victory, though the fruits of it were lost by 
 baseness. 
 
 " After a variety of rencontres, he in the latitude 
 26° north, and longitude of Barbadoes, met with a 
 remarkably fast sailing frigate belonging to the 
 enemy's navy. Captain Jones endeavored to avoid 
 speaking with that ship, and as the night approached 
 he hoped to succeed, notwithstanding her superior 
 sailing. He was, however, mistaken ; for next 
 morning the ships were at a less distance asunder 
 than they had been the evening before, although 
 during the night the officers of the watch had always 
 informed Captain Jones the sail continued out of 
 sight. 
 
 " An action now became unavoidable, and the 
 Ariel was prepared for it. Everything was thrown 
 overboard that interfered with the defense and 
 safety of the ship. Captain Jones took particular 
 care, by the management of sails and helm, to pre- 
 vent the enemy from discovering the force of the 
 Ariel, and worked her so well as not to discover any 
 warlike appearance or preparation. 
 
THE ARIEL. 249 
 
 "In the afternoon, the Ariel fired now and then 
 a light stern-chaser at the enemy from the quarter- 
 deck, and continued to crowd sail as if very much 
 alarmed. This had the desired effect, and the enemy 
 pursued with the greater eagerness. Captain Jones 
 did not suffer the enemy to come close up till the 
 approach of night, when, having well examined his 
 force, he shortened sail to meet his approach. 
 
 '' When the two ships came within hail of each 
 other they both hoisted English colors. The person 
 whose duty it was to hoist the pennant on board the 
 Ariel had not taken care to make the other end of 
 the halliards fast, to haul it down again to change 
 the colors. This prevented Jones from an advan- 
 tageous maneuver he had intended, and obliged 
 him to let the enemy range up along the lee-side of 
 the Ariel, where he saw a battery lighted for action. 
 
 " A conversation now took place between the two 
 ships, w4iich lasted near an hour ; by which Captain 
 Jones learned the situation of the enemy's affairs in 
 America. The captain of the enemy's ship said his 
 name was John Pindar. His ship had been con- 
 structed by the famous Mr. Peck of Boston, built at 
 Newbur3"port, owned by Mr. Tracey of that place, 
 commanded by Captain Hopkins, the son of the late 
 Commodore Hopkins, and had been fitted out at 
 New York, and named the Triumph, by Admiral 
 Rodney. 
 
 *' Captain Jones told him he must put out his boat, 
 and come on board and show his commission, to 
 prove whether or not he really did belong to the 
 
250 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 British navy. To this he made some excuses, be- 
 qause Captain Jones had not told him who he was ; 
 and his boat, he said, was very leaky : Captain 
 Jones told him to consider the danger of refusing. 
 
 " Captain Pindar said he would answer for twenty 
 guns, and that himself and every one of his people 
 had shown themselves Englishmen. Captain Jones 
 said he would allow him five minutes only to make 
 his reflection. That time being elapsed, Captain 
 Jones backed a little in the weather-quarter of the 
 enemy, ran close under her stern, hoisted American 
 colors, and being within short pistol shot on the lee- 
 beam of the enemy, began to engag.e. 
 
 " It was past seven o'clock, and as no equal force 
 ever exceeded the vigorous and regular fire of the 
 Ariel's battery and tops, the action while it lasted 
 made a glorious appearance. The enemy made a 
 feeble resistance for about ten minutes. He then 
 struck his colors. 
 
 '^ The enemy then begged for quarter, and said 
 half his men were killed. The Ariel's fire ceased, 
 and the crew, as usual after a victory, gave cries of 
 joy. To 'show themselves Englishmen,' the enemy 
 filled their sails and got on the Ariel's weatherbow 
 before the cries of joy had ended on board the Ariel. 
 
 " Captain Jones, suspecting the base design of the 
 enemy, immediately set every sail he could to pre- 
 vent her escape ; but the enemy had so much advan- 
 tage in sailing that the Ariel could not keep up, and 
 they soon got out of gun-shot. 
 
 "The English captain may properly be called a 
 
THE ARIEL. 251 
 
 knave, because, after he surrendered his ship, begged 
 for and obtained quarter, he basely ran away, con- 
 trary to the laws of naval war and the practise of 
 civilized nations. 
 
 " A conspiracy was discovered among the English 
 part of the Ariel's crew immediately after sailing 
 from France. During the voyage every officer, and 
 even the passengers, had been constantly armed, and 
 kept a regular watch, besides a constant guard with 
 fixed bayonets. After the action w^ith the Triumph 
 the plot was so far discovered that Captain Jones 
 confined twenty of the ringleaders in irons till his 
 arrival. Captain Jones arrived at Philadelphia on 
 the 18th of February, 1781, having been absent 
 from America three years, three months, and 
 eighteen days." 
 
252 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 SEEKING DUTY. 
 
 The year 1781 was to Jones a period of reward 
 for past services and disappointments, of grateful 
 and honorable repose after long and harassing per- 
 plexities, and of well founded expectation of a dis- 
 tinguished command in future. 
 
 Jones landed at Philadelphia on the ISth of 
 February. On the following day a motion was 
 offered that he should appear in Congress to give all 
 the information in his power relative to the deten- 
 tion of the clothing and arms in France, intended 
 for Washington's army, and that the doors should 
 be open during the examination. After debate, on 
 motion of Mr. Adams, the consideration of this 
 proposition was postponed. A regular inquiry into 
 many particulars of Jones' cruises, from November, 
 1777, when he left Portsmouth in the Ranger, was 
 necessary, and in course ; and, on the 20th, forty- 
 seven questions were drawn up by the Board of 
 Admiralty, which he was required to answer as 
 soon as possible. Two of the questions were after- 
 wards extended, to enable his formal answers to 
 meet every point of interrogator}^, which he did 
 "with singular promptness ; but before such formal 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 253 
 
 reply was, or could have been, rendered, the letter of 
 M. de la Sartine had been referred to a committee, 
 upon whose report the following resolutions were 
 adopted on the 27th : 
 
 ** Resolved, That the Congress entertains a high 
 sense of the distinguished bravery and military con- 
 duct of John Paul Jones, Esq., captain in the navy 
 of the United States, and particularly in his victory 
 over the British frigate Serapis, on the coast of Eng- 
 land, which was attended with circumstances so bril- 
 liant as to excite general ap])lause and admiration. 
 
 " That the Minister Plenipotentiary^ of these 
 United States at the Court of Yersailles communi- 
 cate to his most Christian Majesty the high satisfac- 
 tion Congress has received from the conduct and 
 gallant behavior of Captain John Paul Jones, which 
 have merited the attention and approbation of his 
 most Christian Majesty, and that his Majesty's 
 offer of adorning Captain Jones with a cross of 
 military merit is highly acceptable to Congress." 
 
 On the 28th of March the Board of Admiralty 
 made a report, purporting to be in pursuance of two 
 resolutions of Congress, passed in the previous year, 
 inquiring into the causes of the delay in the arrival 
 of the stores and clothing. They stated that the 
 procrastinated investigation had been resumed on 
 the arrival of Jones, and that on propounding their 
 questions to him, with a view to a full explanation, 
 they had desired him " to subjoin to his answers all 
 
254: LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 such matters as he might think would throw light 
 on their inquiry." The questions and answers accom- 
 panied the report, with the voluminous correspond- 
 ence of Jones, referred to in the margin of th© 
 answers, where immediately connected with them, 
 the rest being arranged in four bundles. 
 
 The board were " fully satisfied " that the delay 
 " had not been owing in any measure to a want of 
 the closest attention to that business, either in the 
 Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States or to 
 Captain Jones, who had, on the contrary, made 
 every application and used every effort to accom- 
 plish that purpose ; but that it was owing to Captain 
 Landais' taking the command of the Alliance, con- 
 trary to the express orders of Dr. Franklin, and 
 proceeding with her to America." 
 
 It then set forth the sentence of the court-martial 
 held on Landais, and that, after he had been dis- 
 missed from the service, a further prosecution was 
 deemed improper ; that Jones had vainl}^ endeavored 
 to procure an additional vessel for the transportation 
 of the clothing ; that the court of France had fur- 
 nished no money to the American minister to enable 
 him to procure clothing ; that they had commissioned 
 M. le Eay de Chaumont to do so, and that Mr. J. 
 Williams of Nantes, and Messrs. Gourlade and 
 Moylon acted solely under his orders. They acquit- 
 ted Jones of negligence in suffering the brig Luke to 
 sail from L'Orient, with a part of this clothing on 
 board, in the latter part of October, without waiting 
 for the convoy of the Ariel, as he had not been 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 255 
 
 spoken to by Gourlade and Moylan, and had no 
 control over her himself. 
 
 They then, after enumerating the actions of 
 Jones, reported that "ever since he first became 
 an officer in the navy of these States, he hath shown 
 an unremitted attention in planning and executing 
 enterprises calculated to promote the essential in- 
 terests of our glorious cause. That in Europe, 
 although in his expedition through the Irish Chan- 
 nel in the Kanger he did not fully accomplish his 
 purpose, yet he made the enemy feel that it is in 
 the power of a small squadron, under a brave and 
 enterprising commander, to retaliate the confla- 
 grations of our defenseless towns. That returning 
 from Europe, he brought with him the esteem of 
 the greatest and best friends of America ; and hath 
 received from the illustrious monarch of France 
 that reward of warlike virtue which his subjects 
 receive by a long series of faithful services or un- 
 common merit. 
 
 " The board are of opinion that the conduct of 
 Paul Jones merits particular attention and some 
 distinguished mark of approbation from the United 
 States in Congress assembled." 
 
 The report of the board of admiralty, having 
 been referred to a committee, on the coming in of 
 their report Congress passed the following resolu- 
 tions on the 14:th of April : 
 
 " Eesolved, That the thanks of the United States 
 in Congress assembled be given to Captain John 
 
256 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 Paul Jones, for the zeal, prudence and intrepidity 
 with which he has supported the honor of the 
 American flag; for his bold and successful enter- 
 prises to redeem from captivity the citizens of the 
 States who had fallen under the power of the enemy ; 
 and in general for the good conduct and eminent 
 services by which he has added luster to his char- 
 acter, and to the American arms : 
 
 " That the thanks of the United States of America 
 in Congress assembled, be also given to the officers 
 and men who have faithfully served under him 
 from time to time, for their steady affection to the 
 cause of their country, and the bravery and persever- 
 ance they have manifested therein." 
 
 The next in order of these truly glorious testi- 
 monials, is a letter from the father of his country : 
 
 " Headquarters, !N'ew "Windsor, 
 May 15th, 1781. 
 "Sir,— 
 
 " My partial acquaintance with either our naval 
 or commercial affairs makes it altogether impossible 
 for me to account for the unfortunate delay of those 
 articles of military stores and clothing which have 
 been so long provided in France. 
 
 " Had I had any particular reasons to have sus- 
 pected you of being accessory to that delay, which I 
 assure j^ou has not been the case, my suspicions 
 would have been removed by the very full and satis- 
 factory answers which you have, to the best of my 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 257 
 
 knowledge, made to the questions proposed to you 
 b}^ the board of admiralty, and upon which that 
 board has in its report to Congress, testified the 
 high sense which they entertain of your merits and 
 services. 
 
 " Whether our naval affairs have in general been 
 well or ill-conducted would be presumptuous in me 
 to determine. Instances of bravery and good con- 
 duct in several of our officers have not, however, 
 been wanting. Delicacy forbids me to mention that 
 particular one which has attracted the admiration 
 of all the world, and which has influenced the most 
 illustrious monarch to confer a mark of favor which 
 can only be obtained by a long and honorable 
 service, or by the performance of some brilliant 
 action. 
 
 " That you may long enjoy the reputation you 
 have so justly acquired is the sincere wish of, 
 " Sir, Your most obedient servant, 
 
 " Geo. Washington." 
 
 With such expressions of official and public ap- 
 probation in his favor, Jones says in his journal, 
 that he addressed Congress on the 28th of May, 
 but " modestly rested his pretensions to rank only 
 on the commission he held as the eldest of the first 
 grades of lieutenants in the navy, under the United 
 Colonies ; because by all rule and example of mili- 
 tary promotion, that commission entitled him to 
 rank before all persons who did not enter into the 
 sea service of the continent as earlv as himself, 
 «7 
 
258 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 unless preference had been given to other gentle- 
 men on account of their known superior abilities, 
 which had not been the case. Congress referred 
 the application to the Honorable Messrs. Yarnum, 
 Mathews, and Clymer. 
 
 "Mr. Yarnum, the chairman informed Captain 
 Jones that the committee agreed in opinion, and 
 would report to Congress, that he had been very un- 
 fairly treated in the arrangement of naval rank, 
 adopted October 10th, 1776 ; and that the conduct 
 and services of Captain Jones had merited that he 
 should be promoted to the rank of rear admiral. 
 But before Congress had time to act upon the report 
 of their committee, opposition was made to the ap- 
 plication of Captain Jones, by one or two captains 
 whose names had been placed before his on their 
 first introduction to the sea service of the continent. 
 Upon this Congress recommitted the report. But 
 this did not, however, lessen the pretensions of 
 Captain Jones, either in the opinion of the committee 
 or of Congress." 
 
 This remark is verified by the acts of that body. 
 On the 16th of June, the following report was made 
 from the admiralty office : 
 
 "The board, to whom was referred the letters 
 and other papers relative to the conduct of John 
 Paul Jones, Esq., beg leave to report that they have 
 carefully perused said letters and papers, wherein 
 they find favorable mention is made of his abilities 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 259 
 
 as an officer by the Duke de Yauguyon, M. de Sar- 
 tine, and Dr. Franklin ; and this is also corroborated 
 by that valor and intrepidity with which he engaged 
 his Britannic Majesty's ship, the Serapis, of forty- 
 four cannon, twelve and eighteen-pounders, which 
 after a severe contest for several hours, surrendered 
 to his superior valor thereby acquiring honor to 
 himself and dignity to the American flag. 
 
 " The board therefore humbly conceive that an 
 honorable testimony should be given to Captain 
 Paul Jones, commander of the Bonhomme Richard, 
 his officers and crew, for their many singular services 
 in annoying the enemy on the British coasts, and 
 particularly for their spirited behavior in an engage- 
 ment with his Britannic Majesty's ship-of-war, the 
 Serapis, on the 23d of September 17Y9, and oblig- 
 ing her to surrender to the American flag." 
 
 On the 23d of June, it was resolved, that Kobert 
 Morris, Esq., should be authorized to take measures 
 for speedily launching and equipping for sea the 
 ship America, then on the stocks at Portsmouth in 
 New Hampshire, and that Congress should proceed, 
 three days thereafter, to the appointment of a com- 
 mander for that vessel. 
 
 Accordingly, on the 26th, the following entry is 
 found in the journals : '^ Congress proceeded to the 
 appointment of a captain, to command the ship 
 America ; and, the ballots being taken, John P. 
 Jones, Esq., was unanimously elected." Jones says, 
 that other captains had been put in nomination 
 
260 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 against him ; and as the new ship was the onl}^ one 
 of the line then belonging to this government, the 
 competition for the command was in fact a test of 
 the disposition Congress would make of the delicate 
 question of rank. 
 
 It was more agreeable to Captain Jones to be so 
 honorably elected captain of the line, than to have 
 been, as was proposed by the committee, raised at once 
 to the rank of rear-admiral ; because Congress had 
 not then the means of giving him a command suita- 
 ble to that rank. 
 
 The Board of Admiralty was dissolved at this time, 
 and Mr. Morris, minister of finance, became also 
 minister of the marine. He directed Jones, before 
 proceeding to take command of the America, to ex- 
 hibit his accounts to Congress. He had received a 
 small share of prize money from some of his captures, 
 but not a farthing for pay or subsistence up to this 
 period. 
 
 His accounts were approved as exhibited ; " but," 
 he says, " there was no interest allowed for consid- 
 erable advances that had been made for nearly five 
 years ; nor was there anything allowed for his sub- 
 sistence, or the various losses he had sustained in the 
 service, as he had, from delicacy, left those items 
 blank in his accounts.'' He was personally embar- 
 rassed at this time, as were many of the gallant men 
 who were putting at stake all present interest and 
 future hopes, in the cause of independence by the 
 poverty of the government. 
 
 He was assured that ways and means would be 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 261 
 
 provided for hira to put to sea, within six months 
 from the day of his election, as commander of the 
 America. He conferred with Mr. Morris on the plan 
 he had suggested to the French ministry, of forming 
 a light combined squadron to annoy the enemy ; and 
 that gentleman assented to its utility. 
 
 The chevalier left Philadelphia, as he expresses 
 himself, "with a pleasing hope of being soon in a 
 situation that would enable him to manifest his grati- 
 tude for the honors he had received, by renderino* 
 essential services to the common cause of America 
 and France." 
 
 On his way to Portsmouth he paid a visit to Gen- 
 eral Washington and Count Rochambeau, at White 
 Plains, where the combined armies were encamped. 
 He wore his cross as Chevalier of the Order of Merit, 
 on this occasion ; but he says, as it was hinted to 
 him that he might offend the people of the Eastern 
 States by continuing to exhibit that article, he laid 
 it aside as soon as he had left headquarters. 
 
 Hethusproceeds with his commentaries: "On his 
 arrival at Portsmouth, which was at the end of 
 August, he found his prospects greatly circumscribed, 
 and involved in many difficulties, that neither his 
 friends nor himself had foreseen at Philadelphia. 
 The America, instead of being ready to be launched, 
 was not half built; and there was neither timber, 
 iron, nor any other material prepared for finishing 
 her. Money would not have procured the necessary 
 articles of equipment and men before winter. 
 But money was wanting ; for the navy board at 
 
262 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 Boston had otherwise applied the funds, which the 
 minister of finance had destined for the America ; 
 and he had so many demands to meet, on account 
 of the troops then detached from "White Plains on 
 the secret expedition against Lord Cornwallis in Vir- 
 ginia, that he found it impossible to make the neces- 
 sary advances. The business was, however, begun im- 
 mediately and some progress made in the construction 
 before the winter. 
 
 The capitulation of Cornwallis in the middle of 
 October, and the events preceding and consequent 
 upon it, formed the subjects of a letter from" Jones 
 to Lafayette, as we learn from the following reply, 
 dated December 22d : 
 
 " I have been honored with your polite favor, my 
 dear Paul Jones, but before it reached me I was 
 already on board the Alliance, and every minute ex- 
 pecting to put to sea. It would have afforded me 
 great satisfaction to pay my respects to the inhab- 
 itants of Portsmouth, and the State in which you are 
 for the present. As to the pleasure to take you by 
 thehand, my dear Paul Jones, you know my affection- 
 ate sentiments, and my very great regard for you, 
 so that I need not add anything on that subject. 
 
 " Accept of my best thanks for the kind expres- 
 sion in your letter. His Lordship's (Lord Cornwal- 
 lis ) downfall is a great event, and the greater, as it 
 was equally and amicably shared by the two allied 
 nations. Your coming to the army I had the honor 
 to command would have been considered as a very 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 263 
 
 flattering compliment to one who loves you and 
 knows your worth. I am impatient to hear that you 
 are ready to sail; and I am of opinion that we ought 
 to unite under you every continental ship we can 
 muster, with such a body of well-appointed marines 
 as might cut a good figure ashore, and then give you 
 plenty of provisions and carte hlanche. 
 
 " I am sorry I cannot see you ; I also had many 
 things to tell you. Write me by good opportunities, 
 but not often in ciphers, unless the matter is very 
 important." 
 
 Jones sa3-s that the task of inspecting the con- 
 struction of the America was " the most lingering 
 and disagreeable service he was charged with during 
 the period of the revolution. . . . But from the be- 
 ginning, and almost to the end, of the business, he 
 had a prospect of carrying into effect, by persever- 
 ance the plan he had suggested for forming a light 
 combined squadron. When the news of the surren- 
 der of Earl Cornwallis reached Portsmouth, a pub- 
 lic rejoicing took place ; and as Captain Jones found 
 it would not offend the people, he, on that glad occa- 
 sion, resumed the decoration of military merit, and 
 continued to wear it afterwards. 
 
 As soon as the enemy had advice that there was 
 a prospect of finishing the America, various schemes 
 were suggested for destroying that ship. In- 
 telligence of this was sent to Portsmouth, in cipher, 
 by the minister of marine. Captain Jones made 
 application to the government of New Hampshire 
 
264 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 for a guard to protect the vessel ; and the assembly 
 passed a resolution to comply with his demand. 
 None was, however, furnished ; and as a second 
 alarm was sent to New Hampshire by General 
 Washington, Mr. Hackett, the master builder, and 
 his associates were prevailed on to mount guard, 
 with a party of the carpenters, by night." For 
 some time he paid this guard himself ; and took 
 command of it, in his turn, with the master builders. 
 Large whale boats, with muffled oars, came into the 
 river, meanwhile, full of men, "and passed and re- 
 passed the America in the night ; but dared not 
 land on the little island where she 'was built." 
 
 But this fair frigate was not to be commanded by 
 him who had watched her construction for more 
 than a year, with the hope of " moving the monarch 
 of her peopled deck." At the close of the sum- 
 mer of this year, the Magnifique, a 7-i-gun 
 ship, belonging to the French squadron under the 
 Marquis de Yaudreuil, w^as lost by accident in the 
 harbor of Boston. Policy, and perhaps equity, 
 rendered it expedient for Congress to present to 
 France their solitary ship of the line ; and a resolu- 
 tion to that effect was passed on the 3d of 
 September. 
 
 Jones submitted to his disappointment, for such 
 it must have been, without any ebullitions of vexa- 
 tion or murmurs of discontent. In his Journal, he 
 says that " he was not made acquainted with the 
 minister's project for employing him after the 
 America should be launched. And the Act of 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 2^5 
 
 Congress, September 3d, after all the pains he had 
 taken for sixteen months to finish that ship, did not 
 even mention his name ; which notice, it is presumed, 
 might not have been inconsistent with the dignity 
 of that Act, nor disagreeable to the monarch who 
 honored him with particular marks of his attention. 
 Captain Jones had had before him no good pros- 
 pect ; and the America was the tenth command of 
 which he had been deprived in the course of th© 
 Eevolution. Had it been possible for him to foresee 
 the lingering, disagreeable situation that awaited 
 him at Portsmouth, he would have thanked Con- 
 gress for the honor they did him by unanimously 
 electing him to that command, and asked their per- 
 mission to join the army of Virginia, under his friend 
 the Marquis de Lafayette, who, by a letter he 
 w^rote, showed how glad he w^ouldhave been of that 
 event, and that his ideas corresponded with the plan 
 Captain Jones had suggested to the court of France, 
 for forming a combined squadron ; but which had 
 not been communicated to the Marquis. 
 
 Jones proceeds in his rough notes to say that " he 
 urged forward the business of launching the America 
 with his utmost energy. The difficulties were great. 
 The ship was built on a very small island, situated 
 in the river opposite the town of Portsmouth, belong- 
 ing to the agent for supplying the materials. Be- 
 tween the stern and the opposite shore, which was 
 a continual rock, the distance was no more than a 
 hundred fathoms. From a few feet above the stern, 
 a ledge of rocks projected two-thirds of the distanco 
 
266 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 across the river, making only an angle of twenty 
 degrees with the keel. And, from a small bay on 
 the opposite shore the tide of flood continued to run 
 with rapidity, directly over this ledge, for more 
 than an hour after it was high water by the shore. 
 
 "It was necessary to launch exactly at high 
 water, and to give the ship such a motion as would 
 make her pass round the point of tlie ledge of rocks, 
 without touching the opposite shore ; w^iich, it is 
 easy to perceive, was a difficult matter. It was im- 
 possible to fix stockades in the river, on account of 
 the current and the rocks. This defect could only 
 be supplied by anchors and cables. A large anchor 
 was fixed in the ground under the bow, from which 
 depended cables of a proper length and ranged in a 
 manner so as to be drawn gently after the ship, 
 when put in motion, and with various slight stop- 
 pers at proper distances, to break one after another, 
 so as to diminish her velocity by degrees. 
 
 " When everything was prepared, Captain Jones 
 stood on the highest part of the brow, or gangway, 
 that ascended from the ground to the bow of the 
 ship. From that position he could perfectly see the 
 motion of the ship ; and determine by a signal the 
 instant when it was proper to let go one or both of 
 the anchors that were hung at the bows, and slip the 
 end of the cable that depended on the anchor, fixed 
 in the ground on the island. The operation suc- 
 ceeded perfectly to his wish, and to the admiration 
 of a large assembly of spectators." 
 
 The flags of the two allies wxre displayed on the 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 267 
 
 poop at the launch ; and Jones, having caused the 
 ship to be safely moored, delivered her on the same 
 day, November 5th, to the Chevalier de Martigne, 
 who had commanded the Magnitique. 
 
 Jones wrote to the minister of marine on the 29th 
 of November, " requesting that unless Congress had 
 some service of greater consequence for him, he 
 might be ordered back to Boston to embark as a 
 volunteer in pursuit of military marine knowledge 
 with his excellency the Marquis de Yaudreuil, in 
 order to enable him the better to serve his country, 
 when America should increase her navy." On the 
 same day Mr. Morris sent to the president of Con- 
 gress a copy of that letter with the following 
 remarks: "The present state of affairs does not 
 permit me to employ that valuable of&cer, and I 
 confess that it is with no small degree of concern 
 that I consider the little probability of rendering his 
 talents useful to that country which he has already 
 so faithfully served, and with so great disinterested- 
 ness. 
 
 " His present desire to be sent with the Marquis 
 de Yaudreuil to join Count d'Estaing on his pro- 
 jected expedition from Cadiz against Jamaica, etc., 
 consists with all his former conduct ; and it will, I 
 dare say, be a very pleasing reflection to Congress 
 that he is about to pursue a knowledge of his pro- 
 fession, so as to become still more useful if ever he 
 should be again called to the command of a squad- 
 ron or fleet. 1 should do injustice to my own feel- 
 ings, as well as to my country, if I did not most 
 
268 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 warmly recommend this gentleman to the notice of 
 Congress, whose favor he has certainly merited by 
 the most signal service and sacrifices." 
 
 Congress granted the request thus made ; and 
 resolved, " that the agent of marine be informed 
 that Congress having a high sense of the merit and 
 services of Captain J. P. Jones, and being disposed 
 to favor his zeal manifested by him to acquire 
 improvement in the line of his profession, do grant 
 the permission which he requests, and that the said 
 agent be instructed to recommend him accordingly 
 to the countenance of his excellency the Marquis 
 de Yaudreuil." 
 
 Jones immediately repaired to Boston, with betters 
 for the Marquis de Yaudreuil, from Mr. Morris and 
 the Chevalier de Luzerne. He was received on 
 board of the Triomphante, the Marquis' own ship, 
 with every mark of attention. That vessel was very 
 much crowded by the army of the Count de Eocham- 
 beau, then embarked under the orders of the Baron 
 de Viomenil. Sixty officers Avere at table every day. 
 
 Jones is particular in recording that the Baron 
 and the Marquis de Laval were lodged in the lar- 
 board side of the roundhouse ; and that the star- 
 board side was assigned to him. 
 
 The squadron, consisting of ten sail of the line, 
 sailed on the 24th of December, and gave convoy 
 to several French transports and twenty sail of 
 merchantmen. " It was the intention of the ad- 
 miral to go off Portsmouth to join his brother the 
 Count de Vaudreuil, who had in that port, under 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 269 
 
 his orders, the Auguste of 80 guns, and the Pluton 
 of 7-i. Wind and weather prevented the junction, 
 and the ships-of-war were forced into a disagree- 
 able situation in the Bay of Fun dy, besides separat- 
 ing from the convoy. Eventually the squadron 
 steered to the southward, and continued for ten 
 days off the harbor of St. Johns, in Porto Rico, per- 
 forming various naval evolutions. 
 
 " At making the land the admiral had advice that 
 Admiral Hood, with sixteen ships of the line, was 
 cruising off Cape Fran9ois ; and that Admiral Pigot, 
 with a greater force, lay at St. Lucca. So that 
 the enemy imagined the force under the Marquis 
 de Yaudreuil must necessarily fall a prey either to 
 Hood or Pigot. The marquis took sixteen sail of 
 transports with provisions and stores, out of a large 
 convoy then arrived from France at St. Johns, and 
 bore away round the west end of Porto Rico. 
 
 The squadron steered to the southward, by the 
 wind, and made the island of Cura^oa to windward. 
 The rendezvous that had been fixed on between 
 Don Solano, the Spanish admiral, and the Marquis 
 de Yaudreuil, at Cape Francois, after the defeat of 
 the Comte de Grasse, was kept a profound secret, 
 and no person had an idea of the intended port. 
 The squadron beat to windward for many days, 
 along the coast of South America, without either 
 pilots or good charts. All the transports were 
 driven to leeward by the current, and lost sight of 
 the ships-of-war. In the nitrht, the Eurgoyne of 
 74 guns ran on a rock two leagues from the shore, 
 
270 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 and was totally lost, with two hundred of her offi- 
 cers and men, among whom was the first lieutenant. 
 On the 18th of February, 1T83, the Triomphantegot 
 safe into the road of Porto Cabello, where the 
 Auo^uste and Pluton had arrived a few davs before. 
 The remainder of the squadron soon after arrived 
 safe. The transports, not being able to gain Porto 
 Cabello, bore a'way for St. Domingo. Don Solano 
 had promised to meet the marquis at Porto Cabello 
 in December, but did not keep his word. He was 
 superseded and ordered home from the Havana to 
 Spain. It was also at Porto Cabello that the com- 
 bined force of France and Spain from Cadiz, under 
 Count d'Estaing, was to join them under Yaudreuil 
 and Solano. As neither of these junctions took 
 place, and no new^s arrived of the reasons of the de- 
 tention, it \vas most disagreeable to be kept in in- 
 action, in a place in itself highly unpleasant." 
 Jones found it especially so. 
 
 After much vain expectations and disappoint- 
 ments, several of the officers, and Captain Jones 
 among others, fell sick and were dangerously ill. 
 At last the news of general peace arrived, by a frig- 
 ate from France and Martinico. The most splen- 
 did success, and the most improving experience in 
 war, could not have afforded Captain Jones a 
 pleasure any way to be compared to what he felt on 
 learning that Great Britain had, after so long a 
 struggle, been forced formally to acknowledge the 
 sovereignty, freedom, and independence of the 
 United States of America. 
 
SEEKING DUTY. 271 
 
 On the 16th of March he wrote to John Koss, 
 Esq., in the United States : "I had, my dear friend, 
 the honor to write \"ou from on board this ship, 
 while sailing out of the harbor of Boston, Decem- 
 ber 24:ih. I mentioned to you in that letter my 
 wish respecting the purchase of a confiscated estate, 
 situated between two navigable rivers, a little above 
 JSTewark, within eight or ten miles of New York, 
 and formerly owned by one Edwards, who has been 
 killed. I was told it contains a large tract of land, 
 which was valued before the Revolution at 8,000 
 pounds, but would be sold for a fourth part of that 
 sum. As New York will probably be one of our 
 first naval ports, the proximity of that estate made 
 me the more desirous to own it. If, therefore, you 
 should find on inquiry that I have been righth^ in- 
 formed, and if you can turn the merchandise in 
 your hand into money to answer for the purchase, 
 I pray you to act for me as you would for yourself 
 on the occasion. We have as yet no certain news 
 from Europe, etc. If the peace should, as I wish it 
 may, be concluded, I wish to establish myself on a 
 place I can call my own, and to offer my hand to 
 some fair daughter of liberty. If, on the contrary, 
 Count d'Estaing should come out with fifty sail of 
 the line, copper sheathed, and 18,000 troops, I shall 
 have instructions at the greatest military school in 
 the world, and I can have no doubt of finding op- 
 portunity of effecting the business we talked 
 over at parting. Mr. Morris, I am assured, will 
 not in that case let slip the occasion ; and I am 
 
272 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 well persuaded you will also take the necessary 
 steps." 
 
 The news of peace arrived, as has been men- 
 tioned, and the squadron sailed from Porto Cabello 
 on the 8th of April, the day after the cessation of 
 hostilities. 
 
 Jones arrived at Philadelphia on the 18th of May. 
 
 The ill-health which he speaks of continued "when 
 he arrived at Philadelphia. He suffered from a 
 violent intermitting fever, and spent the summer at 
 Bethlehem, where he had the benefit of the cold 
 bath. The idea of living on a fine farm in Kew 
 Jersey, near a cit}^ whose future growth and com- 
 mercial prosperity he shrewdly foresaw, with some 
 fair " daughter of liberty " as the matron head of 
 the establishment, was pleasing to him. The vision 
 speedily faded into thin air. He could not realize 
 the amounts to him from various quarters. 
 
 Mr. Barclay, the consul-general of France, had 
 obtained no settlement of the prize money remain- 
 ing due to the officers and crews of the squadron 
 Jones last commanded. 
 
 There was no ease to be had without money, and 
 none of the last without yet further struggles. 
 
IN EUROPE. 273 
 
 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 IN EUROPE. 
 
 On the application of Jones Congress passed an 
 Act on the 1st of JSTovember, appointing him agent 
 for all prizes taken in Europe under his own com- 
 mand. . . . 
 
 He lodged bonds with the minister of finance to 
 the amount of S200,000, to transmit to the continen- 
 tal treasury all the money he should recover belong- 
 ing to the citizens of America who had served under 
 his command in Europe ; to be from thence paid to 
 them individually by the minister. He chose to put 
 the business on that footing to prevent the possibility 
 of any reproach. 
 
 He sailed the 10th of Is"ovember from Philadel- 
 phia, in the Washington packet, for France ; and, 
 after a passage of twenty days, landed at Plymouth 
 in England ; the packet having put in there, as the 
 wind was unfavorable for Havre de Grace, the port 
 of her destination. Having the public despatches 
 in his charge, he set out immediately in a post 
 chaise ; and finding Mr. Adams, minister plenipo- 
 tentiary for Holland, at London, who was persuaded 
 that the packets for Dr. Franklin contained a com- 
 mission to conclude a treaty of commerce with 
 xS 
 
274 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 England, he proceeded with such haste that he was 
 only five days on the road from Plymouth to Paris. 
 He traveled at his own expense. 
 
 The Marechal de Castries and the Count de Yer- 
 gennes received him cordiall3\ By the former he 
 was introduced to the king on the 20th of Decem- 
 ber. On the 17th of December Franklin formally 
 recognized his authority as agent to solicit for pay- 
 ment and satisfaction to the officers and crews, etc., 
 in whose hands soever the prize money might be 
 detained. 
 
 He set about this negotiation with his whole soul, 
 and succeeded, after two years, in obtaining a 
 liquidation and payment of the demand. It would 
 be tedious, were it necessary, and were there room 
 for it, to insert the correspondence, which relates 
 to this matter. Jones claimed the proportion of 
 prize money due to the Bonhomme Pichard and 
 Alliance, to be divided afterwards by the super- 
 intendent of finances in America, agreeabl}" to the 
 rules of her navy. That proportion, he assumed, 
 was to be ascertained by multiplying the number of 
 the crew by the sum of the caliber of the cannon 
 mounted on board of each ship. 
 
 In writing to the Marechal de Castries, M. de 
 Sartine's successor, he repeated minutely the story 
 of his projects and his doings ; and renewed all his 
 complaints against the conduct of M. de Chaumont. 
 The following was, however, his creed on the sub- 
 ject, which is inserted without other comment, than 
 that the captors should have taken legal advice : 
 
IN EUROPE. 275 
 
 ** Whether M. le Bay de Chauraont is indebted to 
 the government, or the government is, as he says, 
 indebted to him, is a matter that ought not to re- 
 gard the captors, but they liave a right to claim the 
 protection of government to force M. le Ray de 
 Chaumont to render the money ^vith interest, which 
 he has unjustly detained from them for four years 
 and a half, while many of them are perishing with 
 cold and hun^-er." 
 
 An account was made out, pursuant to the minis- 
 ter's direction, by M. Chandon, on the papers sub- 
 mitted by M. de Chaumont. The concordat had 
 settled that " the division of prizes should be made 
 agreeably to the American laws ; but that the pro- 
 portion of the whole, coming to each vessel in the 
 squadron, should be regulated by the minister of 
 the marine department of France and the minister 
 plenipotentiary of the United States of America." 
 It would seem that in this account the French laws 
 were referred to, in adjusting such proportion. 
 The law of Congress gave the captors the whole 
 value of all ships and vessels of war, belonging to 
 the crown of Great Eritain, and half the value of 
 merchantmen, etc. 
 
 Charges were made in the account for repairs 
 done at the Texel, and the expenses of the detention 
 of the prizes there ; and also of four deniers on the 
 livre, on account of the Hospital of Inv^alids at 
 Paris, from which institution American seamen had 
 received no benefit. 
 
 Dr. Franklin had not interfered in relation to the 
 
276 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 distribution of this prize money. He acted with his 
 uniform wisdom, as there was no obligation upon 
 him to express his opinions. Jones who was now, 
 as to this matter, minister plenipotentiary himself, 
 warmly and with no mean skill, as well as fervor, 
 objected to this manner of adjusting the account, 
 and to these deductions. The claim of the four 
 deniers was readily relinquished by the minister. 
 That for expenses in the Texel was made the subject 
 of more argument, which was managed by Jones 
 with much ingenuity, and as much passion. 
 
 Franklin wrote to him that if he had been willing 
 to act himself in the matter, he " certainly would 
 not have agreed to charge the American captors 
 with any part of the expense of maintaining the 
 500 prisoners in Holland till they could be ex- 
 changed, w^hen none of them were exchanged for 
 the Americans in England, as was Jones' intention, 
 and as they both had been made to expect." 
 
 Enclosing a copy of this letter to the minister, 
 Jones said : " I will not now complain that the 
 prisoners which I took and carried to Holland were 
 not exchanged for the Americans who had been 
 taken in war upon the ocean, and were long con- 
 fined in English dungeons by civil magistrates, as 
 traitors, pirates, and felons ; I will only say, I had 
 such a promise from the minister of marine. It 
 was all the reward I asked for the anxious days and 
 sleepless nights I passed, and the many dangers I 
 encountered, in glad hope of giving them all their 
 liberty, and if I had not been assured that Mr. 
 
IN EUROPE. 277 
 
 Franklin had made an infallible arrangement with 
 the courts of France and England for their immediate 
 redemption, nothing but a superior force should 
 have wrested them out of my hands, till they had 
 been actually exchanged for the unhappy Americans 
 in England." 
 
 On the 13th of May the minister informed Jones 
 that on the statement he had laid before his majesty, 
 this item of deduction was also ordered to be re- 
 linquished ; and that the indisposition of M. Chan- 
 don alone had prevented the amount to be allowed 
 from being stated, which he would take the earliest 
 measures for payment. Here was an immediate 
 prospect of a summary attainment of the object of 
 his mission. With characteristic rapidity, Jones 
 replied : " I hope M. Chandon will immediately 
 finish that liquidation ; and, considering that nearly 
 five years have already elapsed since the prizes were 
 made, and that my long delay here is very incon- 
 venient to my affaii's, I flatter myself that you will 
 take measures for the payment as soon as possible." 
 
 On the 23d of October, it appears that a " state- 
 ment of the liquidation and re-partition of the prizes," 
 w^as signed by the Marechal de Castries, in which 
 Jones urged that there was an error in the propor- 
 tion assigned to the Vengeance. This was probably 
 not rectified. 
 
 In June, in the following year, we find Jones 
 joo-ging the memory of the minister as to his 
 promise of taking prompt measures for payment. 
 It was then intimated that security should be given 
 
278 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 for the due application of the fund. Jones referred 
 to his credentials, and to the documents which 
 showed that he had given ample security to the 
 government of the United States, and thus concluded 
 his letter: "As particular reasons render it ex- 
 tremely inconvenient, if not impossible, for me to 
 attend this business any longer, I shall take the 
 liberty to wait on your excellency to-morrow, to be 
 favored with your final determination." 
 
 It is to be presumed that this difficulty was re- 
 moved at once ; but now another arose. Jones was 
 desired by the minister to address himself to the 
 ordonnateur at L'Orient for payment of the money. 
 He did not like this reference, and anticipated dif- 
 ficulties in his settlement with this functionar3^ He 
 asked for orders, that the money due the two ships, 
 the Bonhorame Richard and the Alliance, might 
 be paid immediately into his hands en masse. 
 
 The expected difiiculties with the ordonnateur 
 occurred. Mr. Jefferson had now succeeded the 
 venerable Franklin as minister plenipotentiary at 
 Yersailles. On the 29th of July, in this year 
 (1785), Jones says, in addressing him : " I find that 
 a French merchant, M. Puchilberg, who opposed 
 Dr. Franklin, and did all in his power to promote 
 the revolt that took place in the Alliance, has pro- 
 duced a letter of attorney which he obtained from 
 the officers and men of that frigate when their 
 rainds were unsettled, authorizing him to receive 
 their share in the prizes. And notwithstanding the 
 orders of the Mar^chal of the 15th, I find there is 
 
IN EUROPE. 279 
 
 a disposition here to pay the money to M. Puchil- 
 berg, in preference to me." 
 
 The interference of M. Puchilberg was as pecu- 
 liarly offensive to Jones as it Avas in his opinion 
 unsafe, because he had given no security to the 
 American government for the due disbursement of 
 the money ; had not any ^' authentic roll of the 
 crew of the Alliance " and could not do justice to 
 the subjects of America. Jones was willing that 
 the proportion due the French marines, who em- 
 barked as volunteers, should be deducted from the 
 amount to be paid to him. 
 
 Jones was importunate, and, finally, something 
 more than 181,000 livres was paid to him. lie de- 
 manded no commission ; but charged 48,000 livres 
 for his expenses. (See Appendix lY.) 
 
 The king remitted the proportion (one-half) of 
 the sale of the merchant prizes to which, by the 
 American laws, the government was entitled. The 
 balance of 112,000 livres was paid over by Jones to 
 Mr. Jefferson. 
 
 While he was thus engaged in the negotiations he 
 planned a commercial speculation with the celebrated 
 John Ledyard. The acquaintance between Jones 
 and Ledyard commenced in 1785, as must be inferred 
 from the letters of Jones. The project was spoken 
 of in the London papers in that year. The follow- 
 ing is an extract from the London Chronicle of 
 August 20th, 1785: "A letter from L'Orient says: 
 Paul Jones has arrived here from Paris to fit out 
 three ships on his own account, of which it is said 
 
280 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 he will take the command of an expedition to Kara- 
 schatka, to purchase furs and establish a factory. 
 This he is enabled to do by having lately received 
 400,000 livres for the prizes he took in the war." 
 
 The *' propositions for a commercial enterprise" 
 are before me in French. The year in which they 
 were drawn up does not appear in the instrument. 
 " A vessel of 250 tons was to be armed and equipped, 
 with fortv-five officers and men, who were to be 
 French. She was to sail on the 1st of October for 
 Cape Horn, thence to the Sandwich Islands to 
 take in provisions, and thence continue her route 
 towards the northwest coast, where she w^ould ar- 
 rive in April. She was to remain there, if business 
 required it, until September or October, and then 
 make sail for Japan, where the peltry was to be ex- 
 changed for gold or other commodities, if the market 
 proved better than that of China, which was thought 
 probable. If not, she was to proceed to Macao; 
 where experience had proved that, at tlie most 
 moderate calculation, the furs would bring ten livres 
 each, the amount of w^hich w^as to be taken in gold 
 or the merchandise of China ; after which she was 
 to return to France by the ordinary route round the 
 Cape of Good Hope, and would arrive after a voyage 
 of about eighteen months. 
 
 " As supercargo, a citizen of the United States 
 (Led\'ard) was proposed, who had been an officer 
 of Captain Cook in his last voyage round the world, 
 and had come to France expressly to propose this 
 enterprise, and demanded no appointments or other 
 
IN EUROPE. 281 
 
 compensation than a reasonable commission on the 
 profits of the voyage." The propositions proceed 
 to set forth that the novelty of the projected voyage 
 was the only disadvantageous circumstance antic- 
 ipated in relation to it, while its advantages were 
 easily foreseen ; that the risks, compared to the prof- 
 its, were, at the most modest estimate, but as one 
 in ten, which was far less than attended all voyages 
 either to the East or West Indies ; that the expenses 
 of the armament and cargo Avere very inconsider- 
 able ; that the quality, variety, and quantity of the 
 skins on the northwest coast exceeded all known of 
 the kind in any other part of the world ; that such 
 precious furs might be bought for a bagatelle, and 
 sold at a market where the venders might fix their 
 own price ; that the distance between the places of 
 purchase and sail was so inconsequential that the 
 peltry could not be injured by the transportation ; 
 that there was no necessity of delaying in any port 
 before arriving in China, which would save great 
 expenses and other inconveniences ; that they would 
 touch at a port where the supercargo could procure 
 provisions at the lowest price, viz., pork, salt, fish, 
 poultry, vegetables, etc., for twelve months or more. 
 Of the commercial knowledge which would be ac- 
 quired by those who should undertake the expedition, 
 of the opportunity it would afford to make a most 
 precious collection of natural and artificial curiosi- 
 ties, of the honor and pleasure which would result 
 from it, the projector spoke only as accidental cir- 
 cumstances. He added that it would be better if 
 
282 
 
 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 th© enterprise were undertaken by a single house, 
 or two at most, the expense attending the equip- 
 ment being so unimportant ; and that those who 
 should advance the funds need not be interrupted 
 in their business, as the supercargo would take upon 
 himself the charge of making all the necessary ar- 
 rangements with the greatest despatch. He ob- 
 served, that there was scarce any branch of com- 
 merce which might be so considerably augmented, 
 possessing the great advantage of a certain market 
 in China, and always obtaining advantageous returns 
 from thence. 
 
 The speculators might also at all hazards give a 
 credit by bills of exchange or otherwise, to be used 
 in China if necessary, which would give the same 
 advantage to the expedition as an ordinary voyage 
 to the East Indies, which any ship under the Ameri- 
 can flag might undertake. The supercargo could 
 provide all the charts necessary for the voyage, ex- 
 cept those from the Straits of Magellan to the south 
 by Cape Horn ; but they could easily be procured. 
 The following estimate was added of the expenses 
 and profits of the expedition : 
 
 EXPENSES. 
 
 Cost of a vessel of 250 tons.. £l.2r>0 
 
 Complete equipment 1,250 
 
 Provisions for a year 500 
 
 CarRO .500 
 
 Wages advanced to the crew. 250 
 
 3,750 
 Profit of the voyage 36,250 
 
 Sterling, £40,000 
 
 EETURNS. 
 
 A cargo of 3.000 skins bought 
 on the N. W. Coast, worth 
 10 Louis a-piece in China. .£30.000 
 
 As a moderate profit on the 
 merchandise bought in 
 China £10,000 
 
 Sterling, £40,000 
 
IN EUROPE. 233 
 
 A most interesting account is given of the life of 
 Ledyard, of his efforts both in America and France 
 to obtain a ship for carrying this project into execu- 
 tion. Ledyard says, that Mr. Morris " took a noble 
 hold, instantly, of the enterprise." It fell through, 
 however, in America as it did in France, where Mr. 
 Jefferson's sagacious mind readily comprehended the 
 importance of discovery and settlement in regions 
 which might eventually fall within the boundaries 
 of the Union. 
 
 The fate of the three prizes sent to Bergen, in 
 l^orway, has been mentioned. The\^ were valued, 
 by M. Dechezaulx the French consul there, at fifty 
 thousand pounds sterling ; five-fold the amount re- 
 covered for the prizes sent into France. The power 
 of soliciting payment for this money was given to 
 Jones by the general resolution of Congress, on the 
 1st of ISTovember, 1783, and the authorization of 
 Franklin in virtue thereof, on the 17th of December 
 following. jSTeither did he ever lose sight of this 
 object, to which he no^v began to turn his attention 
 particularly. In the letter addressed by Dr. Frank- 
 lin to Count Bernstorf, prime minister of Denmark, 
 in December, 1779, reclaiming these prizes or their 
 value, the American statesman urged every consid- 
 eration of policy and equity to induce a repeal of the 
 order giving them up to the English. Bernstorf's 
 reply, w^ritten in March following, w^as a good sample 
 of diplomatic flourish, evasion, and shuffling, vul- 
 garly called in America, "Whipping the devil round 
 the stump." He referred " for further particulars ** 
 
284 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 to the Baron de Blome, Danish minister at Paris, 
 T\'ho of course had nothing but compliments and 
 condolences to offer; and there the matter rested 
 until the independence of the United States was rec- 
 ognized by Denmark. 
 
 Jones thought that as the plan of applying through 
 the ambassadors had proved slow and uncertain, and 
 as Congress had in June previous ordered the prize 
 money paid over by him to be distributed by the 
 board of treasury, which made his immediate return 
 to America unnecessarv, it would be better for him 
 to proceed in person to Copenhagen, of which Mr. 
 Jefferson approved. Jones asked for and obtained 
 a letter from the Count de Yergennes to the Baron 
 de la Houze, French minister in Denmark, and armed 
 himself with other credentials. 
 
 He did not go to Copenhagen, but paid a flj'ing 
 visit to America, the cause of which will appear 
 from the annexed letter to Mr. Jay, minister of 
 foreign affairs, written shortly after his arrival at 
 New York. " I left Paris in the spring, and went 
 as far as Brussels on my way to Copenhagen, when 
 an unforeseen circumstance in m}^ private affairs 
 rendered it indispensable for me to turn about and 
 cross the ocean. My private business here being 
 already finished, I shall in a few days re-embark for 
 Europe, in order to proceed to the court of Den- 
 mark. . . . 
 
 " I should act inconsistentlv if I ommitted to men- 
 tion the dreadful situation of our unhappy fellow- 
 citizens in slavery at Algiers. Their almost hopeless 
 
IN EUROPE. 285 
 
 fate is a deep reflection on our national character 
 in Europe. I beg leave to influence the humanity 
 of Congress in their behalf, and to propose that some 
 expedient may be adopted for their redemption. A 
 fund might be raised for that purpose, by a duty of 
 a shilling per month from seamen's wages, through- 
 out the continent, and I am persuaded that no dif- 
 culty would be made to that requisition." 
 
 On the 11th of October, 1787, Congress acted 
 upon the report made by Jones, relative to his col- 
 lection of the prize money, and on the 16th that 
 body passed the following resolution : 
 
 '^Resolved unanimously, That a medal of gold be 
 struck, and presented to the Chevalier John Paul 
 Jones, in commemoration of the valor and brilliant 
 services of that officer, in the command of a squad- 
 ron of American and French ships under the flag 
 and commission of the United States, off the coast 
 of Great Britain in the late v^- ar ; and that the Hon- 
 orable Mr. Jefferson, minister plenipotentiary of the 
 United States at the court of Yersailles, have the 
 same executed, with the proper devices." 
 
 On the 25th Congress passed resolutions, author- 
 izing and instructing the minister at Yersailles to 
 make proper representations to his Danish Majesty 
 on the subject of the claim against him, to settle the 
 demand, and to despatch the Chevalier Paul Jones, 
 or such other agent as he might appoint, wnth powers 
 to carry on the negotiation, subject to his eventual 
 
286 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 approbation. Five per cent, commission was to be 
 allowed for all expenses and demands whatever. 
 
 Jones sailed from New York on the 11th of Decem- 
 ber, landed at Dover on account of unfavorable 
 weather, and after spending a few days in London, 
 where he ccmferred with Adams on the objects of 
 his mission, he repaired to Paris. 
 
 During the interview with Mr. Jefferson in Paris, 
 the latter made a communication to him, which, 
 though he says in his Journal he at first treated as 
 chimerical, must, unanticipated as it probabl}^ was, 
 have awakened ambitious hopes and dreams of glory 
 too powerful and vivid not to be entertained and 
 deeply meditated upon. He informed him, that in 
 several conversations he had held with M. Simolin, 
 the E-ussian ambassador at Versailles, the latter had 
 intimated his opinion that it would be of great im- 
 portance to the empress, if she could engage the 
 services of the chevalier in the war she was carrying 
 on against the Turks. He was not authorized to 
 make any specific proposition ; but the hint was 
 certainly not unattended to by the commodore. 
 
 On the 24:th of December he submitted to Mr. 
 Jefferson's perusal his documents in relation to the 
 claim on Denmark. He says, in conclusion : *' I 
 have explained to the board of treasury the mistake 
 that was made in calling the ships in question 
 * prizes of the Alliance ' ; and left them perfectly 
 convinced that the prizes belong to the squadron in 
 general. ISTow, as his most Christian Majesty was 
 at the whole expense of supporting the squadron I 
 
IN EUROPE. 287 
 
 commanded, including the expense of the Alliance, 
 I submit to you what kind of support would be 
 most proper for this court to afford to my re- 
 clamation at the court of Denmark? It is the duty 
 of this government to interest itself in behalf of the 
 French subjects who were embarked under my 
 orders. In doing this, would it be most proper to 
 authorize me to act for them in common with the 
 Americans ; or to direct the Baron de la Houze to 
 support my application ? " 
 
 On the 2-l:th of January followinoj he received 
 his credentials from Mr. Jefferson, according to the 
 tenor of the Act of Congress, and soon after set out 
 for Copenhagen. 
 
 A lengthy but not particularly interesting corre- 
 spondence from Jones on the subject of the claims fol- 
 lows his arrival, which are brought to an end by the 
 government of Denmark refusing to treat with him 
 because he was not invested with full plenipoten- 
 tiary powers. 
 
 Shortly after his arrival in Copenhagan he re- 
 ceived the following letter from Baron Krudner : 
 
 "My sovereign will learn with pleasure the ac- 
 quisition which she has made in your great talents. I 
 have her commands for your acceptance of the 
 grade of captain-commandant, with the rank of 
 major-general, in her service, and that you should 
 proceed as soon as your affairs permit ; the inten- 
 tion of her imperial majesty being to give you a 
 command in the Black Sea, and under the orders of 
 
288 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 Prince Potemkin, from the opening of the cam- 
 paign. The immortal glory by which you have 
 illustrated your name cannot make you indifferent 
 to the fresh laurels you must gather in the new 
 career which opens to you. I have the honor of 
 being on this occasion the interpreter of those senti- 
 ments of esteem with which for a long period your 
 brilliant exploits have inspired her imperial majesty. 
 Under a sov^ereign so magnanimous, in pursuing 
 glory you need not doubt of the most distinguished 
 rewards, and that every advantage of fortune will 
 await you," etc., etc. 
 
 The following was his letter to Mr. Jefferson, an- 
 nouncing the termination of his business at the 
 Danish court. It may be considered as apologetic 
 for the step he was about taking, and must not be 
 omitted : 
 
 " If Congress should think I deserve the promo- 
 tion that was proposed when I was last in America, 
 and should condescend to confer on me the grade of 
 rear-admiral, from the day I took the Serapis (23d 
 of September, 1779), I am persuaded it would be 
 very agreeable to the empress, who now deigns to 
 offer me an equal rank in lier service, although I 
 never yet had the honor to draw my sword in her 
 cause, nor to do any other act that could directly 
 merit her imperial benevolence. "While I express, in 
 the warm effusion of a grateful heart, the deep sense I 
 feel in my eternal obligation to you, as the author 
 
IN EUROPE. 289 
 
 of the honorable prospect that is now before me, I 
 must rely on your friendship to justify to the United 
 States the important step I now take, conformable 
 to your advice. You know I had no idea of this 
 new fortune when I found that you had put it in 
 train, before m}^ last return to Paris from America. 
 I have not forsaken a country that has had many 
 disinterested and difficult proofs of my steady affec- 
 tion ; and I can never renounce the glorious title of 
 a citizen of the United States ! 
 
 " It is true I have not the express permission of 
 the sovereign to accept the offer of her imperial 
 majesty ; yet America is independent, is in perfect 
 peace, has no public emplo3^ment for my military 
 talents ; but why should I excuse a conduct which 
 I should rather hope would meet with general appro- 
 bation ? In the latter part of the year 1Y82 Con- 
 gress passed an act for my embarkation in the fleet 
 of his most Christian Majesty ; and when, a few 
 months ago, I left America to return to Europe, I 
 was made the bearer of a letter to his most Christian 
 Majesty, requesting me to be permitted to embark 
 in the fleets of evolution. Why did Congress pass 
 those acts? To facilitate my improvement of con- 
 ducting fleets and military operations. I am, then, 
 conformino: mvself to the views of Cono:ress ; but 
 the roll allotted me is infinitely more high and diffi- 
 cult than Congress intended. Instead of receiving 
 lessons from able masters, in the theory of war, I 
 am called to immediate practise ; where I must 
 command in chief, conduct the most difficult opera- 
 19 
 
290 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 tions, be my own preceptor, and instruct others. 
 Cono-ress will allow me some merit in darinof to en- 
 counter such multiplied dilficulties. The mark I 
 mentioned of the approbation of that honorable 
 body would be extremely flattering to me in the 
 career I am now to pursue, and would stimulate all 
 my ambition to acquire the necessary talents to 
 merit that, and even greater favors, at a future day. 
 I pray you, sir, to explain the circumstances of my 
 situation, and be the interpreter of my sentiments 
 to the United States in Congress. I ask for noth- 
 ing ; and beg leave to be understood only as having 
 hinted, what is natural to conceive, that the mark 
 of approbation I mentioned could not fail to be in- 
 finitely serviceable to my views and success in the 
 country where I am going. 
 
 *' The prince royal sent me a messenger, re- 
 questing me to come to his apartment. His royal 
 highness said a great many civil things to me, 
 told me the king thanked me for my attention 
 and civil behavior to the Danish flag while I com- 
 manded in the iluropean seas ; and that his majesty 
 wished for occasion to testify to me his personal 
 esteem, etc. I was alone with the prince half an hour. 
 
 I am with perfect esteem," etc. 
 
 The hint that the empress would be pleased with 
 his receiving the honorary rank of rear-admiral from 
 his own government, was drawn forth in consequence 
 of his now obtaining it in the first instance from 
 Kussia, upon which he had calculated, and meant, 
 
IN EUROPE. 201 
 
 indirectly, to insist. In reply to Baron Krudner he 
 said : " I am extremely flattered by the obliging 
 things expressed in the letter your excellency has 
 done me the honor to write me yesterday. The 
 very favorable sentiments with which my zeal for 
 the cause of America, rather than my professional 
 skill, has inspired her imperial niajest}^ fills me 
 with an irresistible desire to merit the precious 
 opinion with which her majesty deigns to honor me. 
 Though I cannot conceive the reason why any diffi- 
 culty should be made to my being admitted into the 
 marine of her imperial majesty as rear-admiral, a 
 rank which I have some claim to, and that it should 
 at the same time be proposed to give me the grade 
 of major-general, to which I have no title, it is not 
 my intention to withdraw from the engagement 
 which 3'ou have formed in my name, in the letter you 
 addressed your court on the 23d current. You 
 will be convinced by the papers I have the honor to 
 submit to your inspection, that I am not an adven- 
 turer in search of fortune. You will discover, I 
 presume, that my talents have been considerable; 
 but that, loving glorv, I am perhaps too much at- 
 tached to honors, though personal interest is an idol to 
 which I have never bowed the knee. The unbound- 
 ed admiration and profound respect which I have 
 long felt for the glorious character of her imperial 
 majesty forbids the idea that a sovereign so magnan- 
 imous should sanction any arrangment that may 
 give pain at the outset to the man she deigns to 
 honor with her notice, and who wishes to devote 
 
292 LI^E OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 himself entirely to her service. A conjoined com- 
 mand is hurtful, and often fatal, in military opera- 
 tions. There is no military man who is so entirely 
 master of his passions as to keep free of jealousy 
 and its consequences on such occasions. Being an 
 entire stranger, I have more to fear from a joint 
 authorit}^ than any officer in her majesty's service. 
 But I cannot conceive that her majesty could deem 
 it expedient to divide the command in the Black 
 Sea ; and if the direction of the militar}^ department 
 there is confided to an officer of sufficient capacity 
 and experience, I can neither desire to interfere 
 with his command, nor promise, with a detachment, 
 which could not fail to excite his jealousy to con- 
 tribute much to the glory of her majesty's arms." 
 
 Jones had particular reasons for disliking the 
 subordinate command which was tendered to him. 
 The Prince of Xassaa-Seigen, who was now appoint- 
 ed to command the fleet of the empress in the Black 
 Sea, had, as will be recollected, volunteered to accom- 
 pany him in the secret expedition against England 
 in 1779, and abandoned his purpose, if it ever really 
 existed, without even the civility of an apology. 
 He took no notice of Jones' letters on the occasion. 
 His subsequent naval services had been attended with 
 no glory. He had been engaged in the attempt 
 made by the French on the Island of Jersey, which 
 failed altogether, and in the equally unsuccessful 
 attack of Gibraltar by the French and Spanish forces 
 Jones had a poor opinion of his knowledge as a naval 
 commander, or indeed of his courage. Such was the 
 
IN EUROPE. 293 
 
 rival, however, with whom he was now to be as- 
 sociated. 
 
 At the court of Denmark, which he was now leav- 
 ing, he had unquestionably been received with great 
 distinction. What seems a little extraordinarv, this 
 court, shortly after Jones' departure, sent him a 
 patent, granting him 1,500 Danish crowns annually, 
 " for the respect he had shown to the Danish Hag, 
 while he had commanded in the north seas. It was 
 undoubtedly offered with the double purpose of 
 pleasing the empress and propitiating the American 
 government. Jones did not understand the propriety 
 of this gift at the time, and makes no mention of it 
 in his correspondence with his American friends at 
 that period. Three years after he found it convenient 
 to avail himself of it ; but he then found that, like 
 the promises in relation to the prize money, it was 
 but an unmeaning compliment. 
 
 His journey to the capital of Russia was an ex- 
 traordinary one. We give his own account of it in 
 his Journal. He says to Lafayette : " The empress 
 received me with a distinction the most flattering 
 that perhaps any stranger can boast of. On enter 
 ing into the Russian service, her majesty conferred 
 on me immediately the grade of rear-admiral. I 
 was detained against my will a fortnight, and con- 
 tinually feasted at court, and in the first society. 
 This was a cruel grief to the English, and I own 
 that their vexation, which I believe was general in 
 and about St. Petersburg, gave me no pain. You 
 would be charmed with Prince Potemkin, He is a 
 
294 LIJFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 most amiable man, and none can be more noble- 
 minded. For the empress, fame has never yet done 
 her justice. I am sure that no stranger who has not 
 known that illustrious character ever conceived 
 how much her majesty is made to reign over a great 
 empire, to make people happy, and to attach grate- 
 ful and susceptible minds. Is not the present a 
 happy moment for France to declare for Kussia ? " 
 
 Jones received before his departure from St. Pe- 
 tersburg the following letter and enclosure from the 
 empress : 
 
 From the Empress Catharine to Eear- Admiral 
 John Paul Jones. 
 
 " Sir,— 
 
 " A courier from Paris has just brought from my 
 envoy in France, M. de Simolin, the enclosed letter 
 to Count Besborodko. As I believe that this letter 
 may help to confirm to yo\i what I have already 
 told you verbally, I have sent it, and beg you to re- 
 turn it, as I have not even made a copy be taken, so 
 anxious am I that you should see it. I hope that it 
 will efface all doubts from your mind, and prove to 
 you that you are to be connected only with those 
 who are most favorably disposed towards you. I 
 have no doubt but that on your side you will fully 
 justify the opinion we have formed of you, and apply 
 yourself with zeal to support the reputation and the 
 name you have acquired for valor and skill on the 
 element in which you are to serve. 
 
 " Adieu, I wish you happiness and health, 
 
 *' Catharine." 
 
IN EUROPE. 295 
 
 War had been impending between Eussia and the 
 Porte since the disturbances in the Crimea, in 1777 
 occasioned by the election of a Khan, in which the 
 former interfered to support one of the candidates, 
 with the ultimate view of dispossessing him entirely. 
 The empress, encouraged by her eccentric and over- 
 bearing favorite and general, Potenikin, in the am- 
 bitious desire of being crowned at Constantinople, 
 never lost sight of this intention. The foundations 
 of the city of Cherson were only laid in 1783, and 
 in a very short time it counted 40,000 inhabitants, 
 and ships-of-war were launched from its yards. 
 This advantage increased the cupidity of the Auto- 
 crat, and the invasion of the Crimea was deter- 
 mined upon as a necessary preliminary to operations 
 against Turkey. A pretext was soon found in the 
 dissensions between the Tartar princes, and the 
 usurpation took place effectually-, though the Khan 
 was left for a short time with nominal authority. 
 At the same time Potemkin and Suvorrof subdued 
 and received the homage of the tribes of the Kuban, 
 and the extensive wilds more remote. A manifesto 
 was published to justify these unprovoked acts and 
 the annexation of those districts to the empire. 
 The Porte replied in an able answer, but did not 
 yet appeal to arms; which was what the empress 
 wished for. England urged the divan to the meas- 
 ure, but the influence of France and Austria, and 
 oriental indolence, prevailed against the advice. By 
 a new treaty the sovereignty of Eussia over the 
 Crimea, and great part of Kuban, with the right 
 
296 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 of dominion of the Euxine, and to the passage of 
 the Dardanelles, was conceded to Russia. 'New 
 usurpations followed immediately on the part of the 
 latter. In 1786 Catharine projected a mao^nificent 
 progress to the Euxine, where, after having sol- 
 emnly taken the scepter of the Khan, it was her 
 intention to conduct her young grandson, Con- 
 stantine, to the gates of the city, with reference to 
 whose contemplated destiny he had been named. 
 His sickness prevented this part of the project from 
 being executed ; and the progress, though splendid, 
 Tvas not conducted on so grand a scale as had been 
 at first proposed. She was attended by the exist- 
 ing favorite Moraonoff, the Grand Ecuyer Narich- 
 kin, others of the Russian nobilit}^ and courtiers, 
 the ambassadors of France and Austria, and the 
 English envoy. She was joined at Keiff by Prince 
 Potemkin, and the Prince Nassau-Siegen, who seems 
 to have won favor for himself on the occasion. In 
 the beginning of the spring she embarked with a 
 numerous and brilliant retinue, the king of Poland 
 being in compan}^, and the emperor of Austria join- 
 ing her on the route. The divan were uneasy at 
 this visitation ; and while the empress was at Cher- 
 son, four of their ships of the line anchored at the 
 mouth of the Dnieper, though not with actual 
 hostile intentions. The empress returned, and Po- 
 temkin, who longed for the grand ribbon of the 
 Order of St. George, had not yet effected his object 
 of forcing the Turks to act first on the offensive. 
 No means were left untried. The consul in Mol- 
 
IN EUROPE. 297 
 
 davia stirred up insurrections ; the Hussian ships 
 abused their privileges conceded by the Porte ; a 
 correspondence was formed with Egypt, and in- 
 trigues were carried on with the Greeks of Smyrna. 
 The troubles in Georgia were fomented by the pro- 
 tection given to Prince Heraclius. These and vari- 
 ous other grievances led to the presentation, on tho 
 26th of July, 1787, of a memorial from the grand 
 vizier, and 'reis effendi, to the French minister ; to 
 which an immediate answer was requested. Th« 
 ambassador asked for time to consult his court, 
 which was granted. But the influence of Great 
 Britain now predominated, and war was declared 
 before any answer was received from Bussia. 
 Eighty thousand men were ordered to march to 
 cover Oczakow. A large army advanced to tho 
 Danube ; and a squadron of sixteen ships of the 
 line, eight frigates, and several galleys entered the 
 Euxine under the command of the capitan-pacha. 
 The Greeks were disarmed, and the Tartars invited 
 to return to their allegiance to the grand seignior. 
 They complied with the call, and their Shah had 
 soon under his orders an army of 40,000 men. 
 
 This news was received with joy at St. Peters- 
 burg. A fleet of eight ships of the line, twelve 
 frigates and near two hundred chebeks or gunboats 
 was equipped in the Euxine, and two squadrons com- 
 manded bv Admirals Kruse and Greio^ were in read- 
 iness at Cronstadt to sail for the Mediterranean. 
 Joseph II., the ally of the empress, sent 80,000 
 Austrian s on their march to Moldavia, and the em* 
 
298 LIFE OF PAUL JOXES. 
 
 press published manifestos to assert the justice of 
 her cause. Hostile operations on the part of Sweden, 
 Avhich it is unnecessary here to dwell upon, gave a 
 check to the exultation at St. Petersburg, which was 
 left defenseless ; and the appearance of the Swedish 
 fleet off Cronstadt occasioned a recall of the sailing 
 orders given to the Kussian admirals there. 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 299 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 
 (From Jones' Journal.) 
 
 " The United States of America having charged 
 me with a mission of a political nature to the court 
 of Denmark, and having at the same time furnished 
 me with a letter to deliver personally to his most 
 Christian Majesty, Louis XYI., I embarked at Kew 
 York on the 11th of November, 1787, in an Amer- 
 ican vessel bound for Holland, the captain of which 
 agreed to land me in France. 
 
 " After a voyage of a month, I landed at Dover, 
 in England, not being able to get ashore in France. 
 From Dover I went to London, where I saw the 
 minister of the United States. I passed some days 
 with my friends there, and went to Covent Garden 
 Theater. . I afterwards set out for Paris, where I 
 arrived on the 20th of December. 
 
 "Mr. Jefferson, the ambassador of the United 
 States, visited me on the night of my arrival, and in- 
 formed me that M. de Siraolin, minister plenipoten- 
 tiary of her imperial majesty of all the Russias, 
 had often spoke of me while I was in America, and 
 appeared anxious to succeed in prevailing on me to 
 go to Russia, to command the fleet against the Turks 
 
300 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 in the Black Sea. I regarded this proposal as a 
 castle in the air ; and, as 1 did not wish for any em- 
 ployment in foreign service, I avoided meeting M. 
 de Simolin, for whose character I had, at the same 
 time, the highest respect. 
 
 " As the letter, of which I was the bearer to the 
 king of France, concerned myself alone, my friends 
 advised me not to seek an interview with his majesty 
 before my return from Denmark. In that letter 
 the United States requested his majesty to permit 
 me to embark in his fleet of evolutions, to complete 
 my knowledge of naval tactics, and of military and 
 maritime operations upon a great scale. 
 
 " Speaking to a man of very high rank at Paris, 
 I repeated to him w^hat had been communicated to 
 me by Mr. Jefferson. He replied that " he would 
 advise me to go to Constantinople at once rather 
 than enter the service of Russia. 
 
 " On the 1st of February, 1788, at the moment of 
 my departure from Paris, I received a note from 
 Mr. Littlepage, chamberlain to the king of Poland, 
 earnestly requesting me to breakfast with him next 
 morning, as he had ipatters of the utmost impor- 
 tance to communicate to me. I went to him that 
 same night, and he told me that M. de Simolin had 
 the greatest desire to converse with me before m}^ 
 departure, and that he calculated on breakfasting 
 with us next day. 
 
 "M. de Simolin said the most polite and obliging 
 things to me ; that, having known me well by rep- 
 utation w^hilst he was ambassador in England, and 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 301 
 
 since he had come to France, he had already pro- 
 posed me to his sovereign as commander of the fleet 
 in the Black Sea, etc., and that he expected her im- 
 perial majesty Avould make me proposals in conse- 
 quence. 1 did not yet look upon the affair as seri- 
 ous ; but I was much flattered with the politeness 
 of M. de Simolin, and endeavored to express to him 
 my sense of it. When he had left the house, Mr. 
 Littlepage assured me that he had written to his 
 court, that ' if her imperial majesty confided to me 
 the chief command of her fleet on the Black Sea, 
 with carte hlanche^ he would answer for it that in 
 less than a year I should make Constantinople 
 tremble.' 
 
 " In Denmark I put in train a treaty between 
 that power and the United States ; but it was in- 
 terrupted by the arrival of a courier from St. Peters- 
 burg, despatched express by the empress, to invite 
 me to repair to her court. 
 
 "Though I foresaw many difficulties in the way 
 of mv enterins^ the service of Kussia, I believed that 
 I could not avoid going to St. Petersburg, to thank 
 the empress for the favorable opinion she had con- 
 ceived of me. I transferred the treaty going for- 
 ward at Copenhagen to Paris, to be concluded there, 
 and set out for St. Petersburg by Sweden. At 
 Stockholm I stayed but one night, to see Count Pas- 
 oumorsky. Want of time prevented me from 
 appearing at court. 
 
 " At Gresholra I was stopped by the ice, which 
 prevented me from crossing the Gulf of Bothnia, 
 
302 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 and even from approaching the first of the isles of 
 the passage. After having made several unsuccess- 
 ful efforts to get to Finland by the Isles, I imagined 
 that it might be practicable to effect my object by 
 doubling the ice to the southward, and entering the 
 Baltic Sea. 
 
 " This enterprise was very daring, and had never 
 before been attempted ; but by the north the roads 
 were impracticable, and, knowing that the empress 
 expected me from day to day, I could not think of 
 going back by Elsineur. 
 
 " I left Gresholm early one morning, in an un- 
 decked passage boat, about thirty feet in length. I 
 made another boat follow, of half that size. This 
 last was for dragging over the cakes of ice, and for 
 passing from one to another, to gain the coast of 
 Finland. I durst not make my project known to 
 the boatmen, which would have been the sure means 
 of deterring them from it. After endeavoring, as 
 before, to gain the first isle, I made them steer for 
 the south, and we kept along the coast of Sweden 
 all the day, finding with difficulty room enough to 
 pass between the ice and the shore. Towards night, 
 being almost opposite Stockholm, pistol in hand, I 
 forced the boatmen to enter the Baltic Sea, and 
 steer to the east. We ran towards the coast of Fin- 
 land. All night the wind was fair, and we hoped 
 to land next day. This we found impossible. The 
 ice did not permit us to approach the shore, which 
 we only saw from a distance. It was impossible to 
 regain the Swedish side, the wind being strong and 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 303 
 
 directly contrary. I had no other course to adopt 
 but to make for the Gulf of Finland. There was a 
 small compass in the boat, and I fixed the lamp of 
 my traveling carriage so as to throw a light on it. 
 
 " On the second night we lost the small boat, 
 which was sunk ; but the men saved themselves in 
 the large one, which with dilRculty escaped the 
 same fate. At the end of four days we landed at 
 Reval, in Livonia, which was regarded as a kind of 
 miracle. Having satisfied the boatmen for their 
 services and their loss, I gave them a good pilot, 
 with the provisions necessary for making their home- 
 ward voyage, when the weather should become 
 more favorable. 
 
 " I arrived at St. Petersburg in the evening on 
 the 23d of April, old style, and on the 25th had my 
 first audience of the empress. Her majesty gave 
 me so flattering a reception, and up to the period of 
 my departure treated me w^ith so much distinction, 
 that I was entirely captivated, and put myself into 
 her hands without making any stipulation for my 
 personal advantage. I demanded but one favor, 
 ' that she would never condemn without hearing me.' 
 
 "On the Yth of May I set out from the imperial 
 palace of Sarscosello carrying with me a letter from 
 her majesty to his highness tlie Prince Marshal 
 Potemkin at St. Elizabeth, w^here I arrived on the 
 19th. The prince marshal received me with much 
 kindness, and destined me the command of the fleet 
 of Sebastopol, against the capitan-pacha, who, he 
 supposed, intended to make descents in the Crimea. 
 
304 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 His highness was mistaken in this, and the next day 
 he received information that the capitan was at 
 anchor within Kinbourn, having come to succor 
 Oczakow with a hundred and twenty armed vessels 
 and other armed craft. 
 
 " The prince marshal then requested me to assume 
 command of the naval force stationed in the Liman 
 (which is at the embouchure of the Dneiper), to 
 act against the capitan-pacha till Oczakow should 
 fall. I considered this change as a mark of con- 
 fidence flattering to myself; and having received 
 my orders, I set out on the same day for Cherson, 
 in company with the Chevalier de Ribas, Brigadier 
 du Jour of the prince marshal. He w^as ordered to 
 make all the arrangements necessary to place me in 
 command. At parting, the prince marshal promised 
 me ' to bring forward his troops without loss of 
 time, to cooperate with the maritime force he had 
 intrusted to my command ; ' and on the journey M. 
 de Ribas told me, ^ that all the force of the Liman, 
 comprehending that of the Prince of ^N'assau, would 
 be under my orders.' 
 
 " I spent but one evening and night at Cherson. 
 But even this short period was enough to show that 
 I had entered on a critical and disagreeable service. 
 Rear Admiral Mordwinoff, chief of the admiralty, 
 did not affect to disguise his displeasure at my ar- 
 rival ; and though he had orders from the prince 
 marshal to communicate to me all the details con- 
 cerning the force in the Liman, and to put me in 
 possession of the silk flao^ belonging to my rank as 
 
CA3IPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 305 
 
 rear-admiral, he gave himself not the least trouble to 
 comply therewith. 
 
 " We set out earl}^ next morning for Glouboca, 
 the armament of the Liman being at anchor very 
 near that place, in the roads of Schiroque, between 
 the bar of the Dnieper and the embouchure of the 
 river Bog. We went on board the Wolodimer before 
 midday, where we found that Brigadier Alexiano 
 had assembled all the commanders to draw them 
 into a cabal against my authority. I may mention 
 here, that this man was a Greek by birth, as ignorant 
 of seamanship as of military affairs; Tvho, under an 
 exterior and manners the most gross, concealed in- 
 finite cunning ; and, by an impertinent roughness 
 of discourse, had the address to pass for a blunt, 
 honest man. Though a subject of Turkey, it was 
 alleged that he made war with the Mussulmans by 
 attacking their commerce in the Archipelago on his 
 own authority, and that he had followed this means 
 of enriching himself up to the period that Count 
 D'Orloff arrived with the Russian fleet. Thouofh I 
 do not affirm the fact, several persons of credit have 
 assured me that there are often pirates who infest 
 the coast, and the isles between Constantinople and 
 Egypt, w^ho attack the commerce of all nations, and 
 run down the vessels after having seized the cargoes 
 and cut the throats of the crews. Alexiano had 
 been employed by Count D'Orloff. He had reached 
 the grade of captain de haul lord, with the rank of 
 brigadier. He felt his spirits ruffled in the first in- 
 stance, and afterwards made great merit with the 
 20 
 
306 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 prince marshal, of the sacrifice which he affected to 
 make in serving under me. He said that, if he with- 
 drew, all the other officers would do the same. The 
 prince marshal sent presents to his wife, and wrote 
 him kindly, persuading him to remain in the service. 
 All the objections he made were bravadoes, to 
 enable himself to make something out of the diffi- 
 culty ; for, from what followed, I know that, had 
 he left the service, it would have been alone, and 
 that no one would have regretted his absence. 
 
 " To give time to those angry spirits to become 
 calm, and to be able to decide on the part I should 
 take, I proposed to Brigadier de Ribas, that we 
 should together make a journey to Kinbourn, to see 
 the entrance of Dnieper and reconnoiter the posi- 
 tion and strength of the Turkish fleet and flotilla. 
 At my return all the officers appeared contented, 
 and I hoisted my flag on board the Wolodimer on 
 the 26th of May, 1788. 
 
 " The Prince of Nassau-Siegen, whom I had known 
 slightly at Paris, told me ' that if we gained any ad- 
 vantage over the Turks, it was necessary to exag- 
 o-erate it to the utmost ; and that this was the counsel 
 the Chevalier de Ribas had given him.' I replied, 
 ' that I never had adopted that method of making 
 myself of consequence.' 
 
 "At the opening of this campaign the squadron 
 of Cherson was obliged to remain for two days in 
 the road of Schiroque, till the troops should embark 
 which were to form part of the crew. The Prince 
 of Nassau, who had been appointed commander of 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 307 
 
 the flotilla, and who had by this time received on 
 board the troops intended for him, durst not venture 
 to advance four or five versts to take station op- 
 posite to the Bog, without being escorted by three 
 frigates. The Prince of JSTassau made so many ob- 
 jections to the danger of his situation that, on the 28th 
 of May, the day following, Rear- Admiral Chevalier 
 Paul Jones, commander of the squadron, reinforced 
 him with a fourth frigate. 
 
 " On the 29th, the troops being all on board, the 
 squadron advanced and got beyond the flotilla, 
 which lay scattered about at anchor without any 
 observance of order. The squadron drew up op- 
 posite the first village, to the west of the Bog, in an 
 obscure angle, and thus commanded, by a cross fire, 
 the only passage of the Liman. This lies between 
 two sand banks, through which the Turks must ad- 
 vance with their heavy vessels. By this position 
 the rear-admiral covered Cherson and the country 
 on both banks of the Liman, made good the free 
 passage of the Bog to the army of the prince mar- 
 shal, and held the Turks in check in any attempt 
 they might make against Kinbourn. 
 
 " The Prince of Nassau at this time talked a great 
 deal of projects of descents, surprises and attacks, 
 but without any rational plan. 
 
 " A battery having been raised upon the point of 
 Stanislaus, the Prince of Nassau could not help ex- 
 claiming, ' that he was delighted with it, as in case of 
 necessity he might there find shelter.' He was not 
 ignorant that the rear-admiral could not have re- 
 
308 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 treated as several of his vessels were already within 
 a few inches of getting aground. The rear admiral 
 was aware that the Turks, having a very superior 
 force, would not give any opportunity of attacking 
 them : and that it was therefore necessarv to main- 
 tain the strong position he had taken till the arrival 
 of Prince Poterakin, in order to advance in concert 
 and combine their operations with those of the land 
 forces. 
 
 " In the meanwhile General Suvorrof, command- 
 ant of Kinbourn, made the rear-admiral responsible 
 for the safety of that place ; while Brigadier Alex- 
 iano and the Prince of Nassau, on their part, did all 
 that was possible to make him distrustful of the 
 means which he possessed for attack or defense. 
 They alleged that the vessels forming the flotilla, 
 having been constructed merely to convey the car- 
 riages of the empress in her late progress, might 
 be expected, at the first attack, to sink under the 
 enormous weight of the guns. 
 
 "• The squadron had a formidable appearance, but 
 little real strength. The Wolodimer and the Alex- 
 ander were but half armed ; and both vessels were al- 
 ready within a few inches of touching the bottom, so 
 shallow is the Liman for vessels of war. In this most 
 critical situation, having no orders from his highness 
 the prince marshal for his guidance, and knowing 
 nothing of his intentions, nor of the actual position 
 of his army, the rear-admiral resolved on assembling 
 a council of war, in conformity to the ordinance of 
 Peter the Great. The council he opened by a speech 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 309 
 
 suited to the occasion, the main object of which was 
 to show the necessity of a perfect understanding 
 between the squadron and the flotilla ; and that, 
 uniting heart and hand, forgetting all personal con- 
 siderations, they should determine to conquer, as the 
 true glory of a patriot was to be useful to his 
 country. 
 
 " He proposed to them nine questions. It was de- 
 cided to act together, mingle together, in one and the 
 same order of battle ; that if the wind should be 
 from a point from IN", to S. E. the prince should 
 detach a part of the flotilla at 1 a. m., and should be 
 supported at daybreak by the squadron of the rear- 
 admiral to cut off the retreat of the enemy's small 
 craft, which were near the first village east of Ocza- 
 kow; and that the best position for the squadron 
 and flotila in the Liman, to cover Kinbourn and act 
 on the defensive until the approach of the army under 
 Prince Potemkin, was four versts further in ad- 
 vance, opposite the first village east of Oczakow, in 
 a straight line, N. N. E., S. S. W. The batteries in 
 the spaces between the ships, and a corps of reserve, 
 composed of a division of the flotilla,to cover the right 
 wing. The council was to have met again next day 
 to decide on the other points which the rear-admiral 
 had to propose ; among which was the best manner 
 of attack and defense, and the general arrangement 
 of signals, which ought all, in his opinion, to be made 
 on board of the same vessel ; but M. de Nassau and 
 the Brigadier Alexiano opposed them, and the 
 council did not reassemble as proposed. 
 
310 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 " On the 6th of June, at 2 in the morning, the 
 Prince of Nassau advanced, as had been previously 
 agreed on, with the greater part of the flotilla; 
 but in place of cutting off the retreat of the 
 vessels forming the enemy's advanced guard, he re- 
 tired at daybreak before a very inferior force, and 
 without offering the smallest resistance ; and the 
 Turks chased him, keeping up a cannonade, into the 
 midst of the squadron which had advanced to take 
 the position assigned to them. 
 
 " The precipitate retreat of the Prince of Nassau 
 inspirited the Turks so much that during the night, 
 between the 6th and Tth, they drew up their flotilla 
 in two divisions in a shallow close by their own 
 shore. The first of these divisions had by day-dawn 
 advanced within cannon shot of our reserve, which 
 had been posted the previous night on the right wing. 
 
 " At sunrise the Turks made sail ; and Brigadier 
 Alexiano ran upon the deck of the "Wolodimer half- 
 naked, exclaiming like a frantic man in French and 
 Pussian that the Turks were going to attack and 
 board us, and that we would be blown to pieces for 
 having been so foolish as to leave our former posi- 
 tion. He had, notwithstanding, in the council of 
 war, given his voice in favor of the position we now 
 actually held. Brigadier Ribas, the captain and all 
 the crew were witnesses of his extravagant behavior. 
 
 " This proved a false alarm ; the Turkish fleet did 
 not stir. 
 
 ^' The prince of Nassau came on board the Wolo- 
 dimer, and the rear-admiral proposed to him to 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 31 1 
 
 reconnoiter the enemy's fleet and flotilla. As 
 they advanced together the first division of the 
 Turkish flotilla began to fire from tlfeir canoes, and 
 raised their anchors and rode forward towards our 
 reserve, which they attacked briskly. At the same 
 time several corps intended to establish a post or 
 battery to act on our flank. As our reserve had 
 been posted to cover our right wing, the prince of 
 ]N"assau, who knew not what to do, proposed to make 
 it draw up in the form of a crochet de honlette, the 
 better to sustain the assault. The rear-admiral told 
 him that, on the contrary, it was necessary to lift the 
 anchors with the utmost despatch, and to form in 
 line of battle to meet the attack of the Turks. The 
 combat having commenced according to plan, the 
 rear-admiral hastened along our line to issue orders 
 to the squadron, and above all, to make the re- 
 mainder of the flotilla, posted between the ships and 
 upon the left wing, advance. The wind being ad- 
 verse, he made these vessels be towed by the ships' 
 boats and other boats attached to the squadron, and 
 by an oblique movement formed in front line, with 
 the intention of cutting off the retreat of the enemy, 
 and galling him by a cross-fire. As soon as the capi tan- 
 pacha perceived the maneuver of the rear-admiral, 
 he came forward himself in his kirlano:itch, havins: 
 a very favorable wind, and made the second division 
 of his flotilla advance. At this time our reserve 
 was very critically situated. A double chaloupe 
 quitted the action, and four of our galleys were in 
 danger of being captured. The Prince of iN'assau, 
 
312 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 who did not relish going himself, sent Brigadier 
 Corsacoff, who made them retreat. Instead of re- 
 maining with the reserve, which, being without a 
 commander, was in very great disorder, the Prince 
 of Nassau quitted his own post and stationed him- 
 self before the rear-admiral, where he could be of no 
 use whatever. The rear-admiral went into the same 
 boat with the prince of I^assau and again issued his 
 orders along the line. Being now within cannon- 
 shot of the enemy, he opened fire, advancing always 
 in an oblique line to cut off his retreat. At the 
 same time he despatched Brigadier Alexiano to en- 
 deavor to rally the vessels of the reserve, which the 
 Prince of Nassau had deserted ; but Alexiano con- 
 tented himself with waving his hat in the air and 
 shouting from behind the lines, ' Fire, my boys, on 
 the kirlangitch of the capitan-pacha ! ' 
 
 " When the line led on by the rear-admiral came 
 to close fire with the enemy, their flotilla was thrown 
 into the utmost confusion. Our reserve gave no 
 farther way, and the enemy was placed under a 
 cross-fire. The capitan-pacha availed himself of the 
 only resource he had left ; the wind being in his 
 favor, he set every sail to Avithdraw his force. Had 
 he remained a half hour longer he would have been 
 surrounded. Two of his vessels were burnt in this 
 affair. The flotilla of the enemy was composed of 
 fifty -seven vessels, and we chased them up to their 
 fleet. The rear-admiral, who had directed the whole 
 affair, left all the credit of it to the prince of 
 Nassau. 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE UMAN. 313 
 
 " All idea may be formed of the capacity of this 
 prince from the circumstance that, at the beginning 
 of the action, he requested the rear-admiral to bring 
 forward to the support of the reserve only the 
 vessels posted on the left wing, which consisted of 
 one galley and two double chaloupes. Besides the 
 insufficiency of force, these vessels had a very long 
 way to make, and that against the wind. 
 
 " The Turks remained quiet for some time after 
 this. The Prince of Nassau, who had scarce spoken 
 one Avord during the affair, save to make extrava- 
 gant professions of regard for the rear-admiral, now 
 began to give himself airs. On the 13th of June he 
 addressed a writing of an extraordinary character 
 to the rear-admiral, the object of which appeared to 
 be that an advance should be made of three versts 
 nearer the enemy, who had taken post under the 
 batteries of Oczakow. The rear-admiral, who could 
 perceive no advantage to the service in such a 
 movement, refused his concurrence, the prince mar- 
 shal having approved his plan of acting on the 
 defensive, or, at least, until the moment when the 
 Turks might afford us an opportunity of attacking 
 them to advantage. Had he agreed, the movement 
 would have been fatal to Kussia, as will be seen by 
 what follows . 
 
 " By the 16th of June the patience of the capitan- 
 pacha was exhausted. He brought from his grand 
 fleet without Kinbourn two thousand picked men 
 to reinforce the body under the walls of Oczakow ; 
 and being strengthened still farther b}^ the troops 
 
814 LIFE OF PAUL JOXES. 
 
 of the garrison, he advanced with his whole fleet 
 and flotilla, and with a fair wind, into the Liman to 
 attack and board us. The ship, which bore one of the 
 admiral's flags, steered right towards the Wolodimer 
 from the commencement of the movement. "When 
 within two versts of us, or a little more, this ship 
 got aground, and all the vessels which accompanied 
 it immediately dropped anchor. It was then about 
 two in the afternoon. 
 
 " The rear-admiral summoned a council of war to 
 consult on what should be done. He addressed the 
 council, at which were present all the commanders 
 of the squadron and the flotilla, and concluded by 
 telling them ' that they must make up their minds 
 to conquer or die for their country.' 
 
 " The wind, which was rather fresh, being against 
 us, the only thing proposed by the rear-admiral 
 that was found practicable was to draw up our 
 force in an obtuse angle, by bringing forward, by 
 anchors, the right of the line up to the'center. This 
 movement was completed before midnight. The 
 wind had shifted to IST.ISr.E., and at break of day on 
 the 17th the rear-admiral made signal, and the whole 
 squadron immediately set sail to commence the 
 attack on the Turks. 
 
 " The Turks got into confusion the instant this 
 maneuver was perceived. They raised their anchors 
 or cut their cables with the greatest precipitation, 
 and not the shadow of order remained in their fleet. 
 Our squadron advanced in line of battle with an 
 imposing and formidable appearance, so that the 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 315 
 
 Turks knew not how weak it really was. As our 
 flotilla had been very slow in weighing anchor, the 
 rear-admiral was obliged to make the squadron halt 
 twice to wait for it. At length, the flotilla being 
 always last, the squadron opened fire on the enemy, 
 of whom the person second in command who had 
 flown about like a fool, quickly ran his ship on a 
 sand bank on the south of the Liman. There was 
 no longer hope for him; from the moment he 
 grounded he was ours. The enemy still kept flying 
 about, and always in the greatest disorder. The 
 rear-admiral ordered his ship (the Wolodimer) to 
 be steered to within pistol shot of the vessel of the 
 capitan-pacha, but the latter again ran aground upon 
 a sand bank ; and a few minutes afterwards the 
 Brigadier Alexiano gave orders in the Eussian 
 language, and unknown to the rear-admiral, to drop 
 the Wolodimer's anchor. It was pretended that 
 there were but fifteen feet of water a little way in 
 advance of the ship, which was not true. A con- 
 siderable time before this the squadron had been 
 taken on the right flank by the Turkish flotilla, 
 drawn up on the shallows near the bank to the east 
 of Oczakow, and commanded by the capitan-pacha 
 himself. The flotilla annoyed the squadron con- 
 siderably, by incessantly throv^ing in along our line 
 both bombs and balls of great size. Wanting depth 
 of water, our frigates could not advance far enough 
 to dislodge them, and besides, they found that their 
 guns were too small. The capitan-pacha sunk one 
 of our frigates, named the Little Alexander, by a 
 
316 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. , 
 
 bomb, at the side of the Wolodimer, and at the very 
 instant Brigadier Alexiano made the anchor be cast. 
 Our flotilla still lagged behind, but it did at last 
 advance. Having passed through the squadron in 
 the greatest disorder, and vs^ithout the least appear- 
 ance of being under command, instead of pursuing 
 the flying Turks, the flotilla swarmed round the 
 Turkish ships which were aground, like a hive of 
 bees. 
 
 " The rear-admiral commanded Brigadier Alexiano 
 to get together some vessels of our flotilla to dis- 
 lodge the Turkish flotilla. At the same moment 
 the rear-admiral advanced in his boat toward the left 
 wing, where the Prince of Kassau was with his body 
 of reserve employed to very little purpose, in sur- 
 rounding the first Turkish vessel which was aground, 
 leaning on one side, and firing at it. The rear- 
 admiral entreated him to bring or send the reserve 
 to act against the Turkish flotilla upon our right 
 flank, and informed him of the misfortune which 
 had befallen the Little Alexander ; but M. de Xassau 
 remained quietly behind his batteries, and made no 
 movement to dislodge the flotilla of the enemy. 
 
 " The rear-admiral then met Brigadier Corsacoff, 
 to whom he gave orders similar to those he had 
 given to M. Alexiano ; and these two officers hav- 
 ing got together as many vessels of the flotilla as 
 they could collect, assisted our frigates in dislodging 
 and chasing the Turkish flotilla even till under the 
 walls of Oczakow. M. de Corsacoff was a brave 
 and an intelligent man ; he did not affect to have 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 317 
 
 done anything wonderful. Alexiano was a man of 
 limited talent and of questionable courage, but his 
 vanity was excessive. He pretended to have towed 
 a battery to within pistol shot of the enemy's 
 flotilla; but M. Akraatoff, who commanded that 
 batterv, declared that neither he nor anv one of our 
 people ever was nearer the Turkish flotilla than 
 half-cannon shot. 
 
 '' The Turkish fleet was now distant. The Prince 
 of Nassau was told that the admiral's flag, which 
 had been displayed on the vessel of the capitan- 
 pacha, was struck, and he hastily advanced to claim 
 it. The ship of the capitan-pacha, like the other, 
 was a la hande, that is to say, it leaned much to 
 one side, and consequently could not make use of 
 its guns. As the flag of the capitan-pacha fell into 
 the water from the top of the main-mast, having 
 been struck down by a ball, it is not difficult to dis- 
 cover that the vessel which had flred this ball was 
 in no danger of being touched by case shot. The 
 Zaporavians picked up the flag from the water, and 
 the Prince of Nassau, a long w^hile afterwards, had 
 the glory (which he turned to good account) of hav- 
 ing snatched it from their hands. The rear-admiral 
 might have claimed at least half of this flag, as he 
 had his hands on it at the same moment with the 
 Prince of Nassau ; but he regarded it as a thing of 
 very little consequence. 
 
 " Brand cougles had been thrown into the two 
 Turkish vessels which were aground, and they were 
 burnt. Was this a good or a bad piece of service ? 
 
318 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 These two vessels were ours, from the circumstance 
 of having run aground, and because their crews had 
 been left by their countrymen under the guns of our 
 squadron. Wherefore did the flotilla interfere with 
 them? Ought it not rather to have pursued the 
 flying Turks, who were not yet under the protection 
 of the guns of Oczakow ? Our flotilla had received 
 no injury, and had nothing to fear from the shallow- 
 ness of the water. 
 
 ^' Having first sounded, the rear-admiral made the 
 squadron advance another verst, and took post in 
 a right line, barely out of shot of Oczakow, and in 
 line with the last Turkish ship that had been run 
 aground and taken. Fire soon after broke out in 
 this prize, which had been imprudentl}^ fired upon 
 with brandcougles. The fleet and flotilla of the 
 Turks now drew up in a line parallel to ours, and 
 under the walls of Oczakow. 
 
 " How imbecile does the human mind become 
 under the influence of sudden panic ! The rear- 
 admiral, an hour after the affair, advanced in his 
 boat and took soundings all along the Turkish line, 
 opposite the walls of Oczakow, and wnthin reach of 
 case shot, and not a single gun was fired upon him. 
 
 "Previously to taking command of the squadron, 
 the rear-admiral had gone to Kinbourn with the 
 Chevalier Kibas brigadier du joiir, to the prince 
 marshal, to reconnoiter the position and force of the 
 fleet and flotilla under the capitan-pacha, and to 
 examine the entrance of the Liman. They arrived 
 at Kinbourn at the very time that the capitan-pacha 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 31^ 
 
 had detached twenty-one vessels of war from his 
 fleet, and with that force entered the road of Ocza- 
 kow, the wind now permitting him to enter the 
 Liman, where his flotilla and some transport ships 
 were already stationed. The rear-admiral was so 
 struck at finding the tongue of land at Kinbourn 
 without any battery or block fort, that he instantly 
 spoke of it to the commandant. General Suvorrof. 
 This tongue of land, from its position, commands 
 the only passage by w^hich large vessels can either 
 enter or come out of the Liman, and the fortress of 
 Kinbourn is far too distant to be able to command 
 this passage. The rear-admiral proposed to establish 
 one or more strong batteries upon this strip of land, 
 and M. de Eibas seconded the proposition. After 
 considerable dela}^ General Suvorrof resolved to 
 establish a block fort with heavy cannon upon this 
 point, and a battery farther within. But the capitan- 
 pacha had already got the twenty-one ships in ques- 
 tion into the Liman. 
 
 " At ten o'clock on the night between the ITth and 
 18th of June, the capitan-pacha attempted to carry 
 the remains of his squadron, which had been defeated 
 at eve, out of the Liman ; but the block fort and 
 battery fired on his ships, of which nine of the larg- 
 est were forced aground upon the sand bank which 
 runs out from Oczakow, at a distance of cannon shot 
 from the block fort. 
 
 " The block fort and battery fired on the enemy 
 the whole night, and at daybreak General Suvorrof 
 sent to us, requesting that we would send vessels to 
 
320 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 take possession of the ships of the enemy which had 
 got aground. The rear-admiral wished to send frig- 
 ates ; but Brigadier Alexiano assured him that he 
 would run great risk of losing them. The current 
 there, he said, ' was like that of a mill-dam, and the 
 bottom was so bad that anchors would not hold.' 
 
 " It was, accordingly, resolved to proceed with the 
 flotilla ; and Alexiano, who had his private reasons, 
 set out with the Prince of Xassau. The flotilla went 
 pell-mell, and without any sort of order or plan, upon 
 the nine ships aground, and fired brandcougles into 
 them without mercy. It was in vain the wretched 
 Turks made the sign of the cross, and begged for 
 quarter on their knees ! Above three thousand of 
 them were burnt with their ships. By some chance 
 two of these vessels, the least and the largest, did 
 not take fire ; the one was a corvette, very indifi'er- 
 ently armed, carrying one battery and four pieces 
 between decks. The other was a small brigantine, 
 of French construction, armed with fourteen small 
 guns. 
 
 " Neither the Prince of Nassau nor Alexiano was 
 to be seen at this time. They were together, and at 
 some distance, during this frightful carnage ; and it 
 was afterwards asked of them if the}^ had not, during 
 this time, been at Kinbourn. As the greatest con- 
 fusion reigned among the vessels of the flotilla, though 
 our loss was not great, there is no doubt that part 
 of it was owing to Pussian bullets. 
 
 " The army of Prince Potemkin having come up 
 on the 27th of June, the Prince of Nassau had orders 
 
The defeat of the Turks by the Russian fleet under Paul Jones.— Page 321. 
 
 Life of Paxil Jones. 
 
CAMPAIGN ON THE LIMAN. 30 ^ 
 
 to attack and destroy, or capture, the Turkish flotilla 
 which lay under the walls of Oczakow ; and the rear- 
 admiral was commanded to give him every assistance 
 that might be useful. In pursuance of these orders, 
 on the 1st of July, at one in the morning, the flotilla 
 advanced. The rear-admiral had sent all the cha- 
 loupes and barcasses belonging to the squadron to 
 haul out the vessels of the flotilla. The prince mar- 
 shal had taken the trouble to arrange the plan of 
 attack himself, but his plan was not followed. 
 
 " At daybreak our flotilla, having advanced only 
 within cannon shot, opened fire upon the Turkish 
 flotilla, and on the place. The current having carried 
 several of our batteries and double chaloupes rather 
 too far to leeward, the rear-admiral had them hauled 
 up by the boats and barcasses of the squadron, and 
 set the example himself with the chaloupe in which 
 he was. The Turks set fire themselves to a little 
 frigate which they had prepared as a fire ship, and 
 placed at anchor to the northeast of Fort Hassan 
 Pacha. 
 
 " At six in the morning the rear admiral advanced 
 considerably in front of the flotilla to seize five of 
 the enemy's galleys which lay within case shot to 
 the east of Fort Hassan. The position of these gal- 
 leys, between the cross fire of our flotilla on one side, 
 and that of Fort Hassan, the Turkish flotilla and the 
 citadel of Oczakow on the other, rendered this a very 
 dangerous enterprise. Tlie rear-admiral boarded 
 the galley which lay farthest out, and had it towed 
 
 out of danger in a short time by Lieutenant Leff 
 21 
 
322 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 Fabrician. He afterwards boarded the ^allev of the 
 capitan-pacha, which lay considerably nearer the 
 fort. From unskilfulness, and excess of zeal, a young 
 officer cut the cable of this galley without waiting 
 for orders of the rear-admiral, and before the boats 
 could be got in order to haul it out, the wind drifted 
 the galley towards the shore, and still nearer to the 
 fort. The rear-admiral had the galley lightened 
 by throwing many things overboard. After much 
 search for ropes that might stretch to the wreck of 
 the burnt frigate, and get the galley afloat by that 
 means, the plan failed from the ropes not being long 
 enough. The rear-admiral was very unwilling to 
 yield to the obstinate opposition of the Turks, who 
 fired upon him from all their bastions and from the 
 flotilla, and he despatched Lieutenant Fox to the 
 "Wolodiraer, to fetch an anchor and cable. This was 
 a certain means of securing his object in spite of the 
 enemy ; and in waiting the return of the lieutenant, 
 he left the galley with his people, and assisted again 
 in towing the batteries. Before the return of Lieu- 
 tenant Fox, he had, however, the mortification to 
 see tire break out in the galley of the capitan-pacha. 
 He at first believed that the slaves chained on board 
 bad found means to escape, and had set fire to the 
 vessel ; but he had afterwards positive proof that 
 Brigadier Alexiano, being in a boat at the time with 
 the Prince of l^assau, on the outside of the flotilla, 
 and being aware of the intention of the rear-admiral, 
 swore that it should not succeed, and sent a Greek 
 canoe to set fire to the galley. The three other 
 
CAMPAIGN ON THE LHVIAN. 323 
 
 Turkish galleys were at once run down and burnt 
 by brandcougles. There were also a two-masted 
 ship and a large bomb-vessel near Fort Hassan 
 Pacha. This includes all that was taken or des- 
 troyed by water, save fifty-two prisoners taken by 
 the rear-admiral in the two galleys. The wretched 
 beings who were chained in the galley of the capitan- 
 pacha perished there in the flames ! 
 
 " The prince marshal having made an important 
 diversion on the land side, it is to be regretted that 
 advantage was not taken of this movement to seize 
 the remainder of the enemy's flotilla. But our flo- 
 tilla never came up within reach of grape-shot. 
 
 "The moment the ships began to withdraw from 
 Oczakow, the Prince of Nassau and Brigadier Alex- 
 iano hurried straight to the headquarters of the prince 
 marshal to relate the things which both pretended 
 they had performed. In a few minutes after the 
 flotilla began to retire the rain fell in torrents, of 
 which I^assau and Alexiano received their own share 
 before reaching headquarters. 
 
 "Two days afterwards Brigadier Alexiano re- 
 turned on board the Wolodimer, having caught a 
 malin:nant fever of which he died on the 8th of Jul v. 
 The Prince of Nassau, who had made use of him in 
 cabaling against me — God knows wherefore — neith- 
 er visited him in his sickness, nor assisted at his 
 funeral. At first it was given out that the service 
 must sustain the loss of every Greek in it on account 
 of his death ; but I soon experienced the reverse. 
 Not one asked to be dismissed ; they remained under 
 
324 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 my command with the Hussians, and were more 
 contented than before. On the da}^ preceding the 
 death of Alexiano he had received incelligence of 
 having been promoted two grades ; and that her 
 majesty had bestowed on him a fine estate, and peas- 
 ants, in White Russia. At the same time the Prince 
 of Nassau had received a very vakiable estate, with 
 three or four thousand peasants, also in White Russia, 
 and the militarv order of St. Geor(]:e, of the second 
 class. Her majesty likewise gave him liberty to 
 hoist the flag of vice-admiral at the taking of Ocza- 
 kow, to which event it was apparently believed he 
 would greatly contribute. I receiv^ed the order of 
 St. Anne, an honor Avith which I am highh^ flattered, 
 and with which I could have been perfectl}^ satisfied 
 had others been recompensed onl}^ in the same pro- 
 portion, and according to the merit of their services. 
 All the officers of the flotilla received a step of pro- 
 motion and the gratuity of a year's pay. The 
 greater part of them also obtained the order of St. 
 George, of the last class. Only two of these officers 
 had been bred to the sea ; none of the others had 
 been engaged in navigation. The officers of the 
 squadron under my command were almost wholly 
 marine officers. They had done their duty well 
 when opposed to the enemy ; but they obtained no 
 promotion, no mark of distinction, no pecuniary at- 
 tachment. On promising that I would demand jus- 
 tice for them from the prince marshal at the close of 
 the campaign, they stifled their vexation and made 
 no complaint. 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 325 
 
 " It ought to have been mentioned in its proper 
 place, that three days after our success in the Liraau, 
 Prince Potemkin arrived at Kin bourn, from whence 
 he came on board the "Wolodimer to make me a visit. 
 He was accompanied by General Count de Brandisky 
 of Poland, the Prince de Pepuin, the Prince de Ligne, 
 General de Samoilow, and several other officers. His 
 highness did me the honor to remain to dinner ; and 
 as he knew that an altercation had taken place be- 
 tween the Prince of IS'assau and myself on the morn- 
 ing of the 18th of June, he had the goodness to em- 
 ploy the Prince de Ligne, and M. Littlepage, cham- 
 berlain to the King of Poland, to persuade the Prince 
 of Nassau to make me an apology. I accepted it 
 wnth sincere pleasure. We embraced in presence of 
 this honorable company, and I believbd him as sincere 
 as mvself. 
 
 " The prince marshal charged me at this time to 
 make arrangements for raising the cannon, anchors, 
 and other effects belonging to the enemy's ships 
 which had been burnt. Without loss of time, I de- 
 tailed a transport ship with officers and people for 
 this service. 
 
 " His highness the prince marshal advanced his 
 army, which crossed the Bog and appeared in sight 
 of us on the borders of the Liman, on the 27th of 
 June, and on the next da^^ the capitan-pacha 
 w^eighed anchor with his grand fleet, which had 
 constantly remained twenty or thirty versts beyond 
 Kinbourn, and directed his course towards the en- 
 trance of the Danube, carrying three admiral's 
 
326 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 flags, and followed by all the vessels that had es- 
 caped us in the Liinan. During the whole time that 
 we were exposed to having a serious affair with the 
 Turks, Brigadier Alexiano had carefully kept a 
 Greek felucca of eighteen oars alongside the Wolo- 
 dimer. This felucca was better built for sailing than 
 any of the other chaloupes or rowing vessels belonging 
 to the whole squadron, so that he had at all times the 
 means of savinf;;: himself in case of any disastrous 
 event. Even the Prince of ]S"assau, since his retreat 
 on the 6th of June, was never seen in any vessel of 
 the flotilla, but always in a chaloupe, which had 
 been built for the especial purpose of her imperial 
 majesty on her late voyage. For myself, I took no 
 such precautions. I saw that I must conquer or 
 die. For me there was no retreat. The instant 
 that Alexiano saw the troops appear, he despatched 
 his felucca to inform the prince marshal that it was 
 he, in his zeal for the service, who had employed 
 people to save the effects of the burnt prizes. JS'oth- 
 ing could be less true. He had not taken tlie small- 
 est concern in the matter. But this shows the char- 
 acter of the man. l^ext day I was informed that 
 the transport ship I had employed on this service 
 was already too heavily laden, and made a great 
 deal of water. As the wind was fair for Glauboca, 
 I gave orders that she should immediately go thither 
 to unload. Some hours after the departure of the 
 transport, Brigadier Alexiano returned from Kin- 
 bourn, where he had dined, and said several imper- 
 tinent things to me on the subject of the trans- 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 32? 
 
 port. lie went afterwards to headquarters to coin- 
 j3lain of me to the prince marshal. In consequence 
 of this complaint I received a letter from his briga- 
 dier du jour, the Chevalier Eibas, which, among 
 other things, mentioned that the prince marshal was 
 ' singularly severe and strict in all that related to the 
 orders he gave.' I replied that I was not afraid 
 of the severity of the prince marshal, as I had done 
 nothing save my duty, in pursuance of his own 
 orders. 
 
 " E'ext day I paid a visit to the Prince of Kassau. 
 I supposed I should be received with open arms (a 
 reconciliation it will be remembered had lately 
 taken place, as stated in the beginning of this part 
 of the Journal), but he blew out about the transport, 
 belonging, as he said, to his flotilla. I had told him 
 I had been charged with that necessary business by 
 the prince marshal ; and that as all the vessels of 
 war and transports belonged to her imperial majestv 
 and the transport in question was empty when "^I 
 ordered it to be taken, I could not see that he had 
 the least ground of complaint. He was mad with 
 rage ; but as the good of the service did not further 
 require our combined operations, I thought his 
 quarreling too puerile to concern myself about it. 
 I took leave of him, begging him to reflect, that I 
 had given him no cause of displeasure. I did not 
 wish to come to a rupture with him ; but on the 1st 
 of July, seeing the day dawn, and that the flotilla 
 was still far too distant to make the necessary at- 
 tack, meeting him in his chaloupe, I asked, ' If he 
 
S28 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 did not think it time to begin the attack V ' Is it 
 of me you thus inquire?' he replied ; ' I have noth- 
 ing to say to you on the subject.' After a reply 
 so uncivil, and so publicl}^ made, it was impossible I 
 could have any farther intercourse with him. 
 
 *' On the 18th of June, in giving an account to the 
 prince marshal of the fate of the nine vessels run 
 iiground in coming out of the Liman, upon the shal- 
 lows, opposite the battery and block fort on the 
 tongue of land of Kinbourn, I took the liberty to 
 propose to him to get the AYolodimer, which had 
 port-holes for seventy pieces of cannon, and the large 
 frigate Alexander, which might have carried fifty 
 pieces, completely armed, that at the first oppor- 
 tunity the squadron of Cherson might join that of 
 Sevastopol ; but his highness gave no orders for 
 this purpose till the month of September, and the 
 admiralty was so slow in acting, that the vessels were 
 not equipped by the 18th of October, when I was 
 recalled to St. Petersburg by an order from her im- 
 perial majesty. 
 
 *' The fleet of the capitan-pacha, having sailed on 
 the28thof June, had a I'encontre with that of Sevas- 
 topol, which had come out some days before ; but 
 the Turkish fleet being much stronger than that of 
 Eussia, the latter fled, having no more than six or 
 s('ven men killed and wounded, which shovrs that the 
 aliair was neither close nor warm. 
 
 " After the affair of the 18th of June, the greater 
 part of our flotilla remained several da3^s at anchor 
 between K.inbourn and the block fort on the end of 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 329 
 
 the tongue of land. On the 20th, the wind being 
 strong from the west, a Turkish brigantine, equipped 
 as a fire-ship, put off towards Kinbourn. The enemy 
 set lire to her as they abandoned her, and she was 
 consumed. It is surprising that the Russian seamen 
 and pilots could be so profoundly ignorant respecting 
 the anchorage, currents, and depth of the Liman, 
 and, above all, at the entrance into the canal, and in 
 the road between Oczakow and Beresane. At first 
 not a single commander in the flotilla durst venture 
 to cast an anchor. 
 
 " Being at the Kinbourn on the 28th of June. 
 General Suvorrof spoke to me of the unpleasant cir- 
 cumstance of not being able to cut off the communi- 
 cation between Oczakow and Beresane. Havinof 
 sounded myself, I informed him that this was quite as 
 practicable as it was necessary, and I would place the 
 frigates there instantly,if he would onl}^ require me to 
 do so. He did not hesitate, and the same day I placed 
 three frigates there. M. Alexiano did all he could 
 to prevent this ; and when he saw the frigates set 
 off, prophesied that I need not expect to see them 
 return. He carried his intrigues so far that the 
 prince marshal wrote me a warning letter on the 
 29th, and on the 1st of July a peremptory order to 
 withdraw them. During the short time they were 
 there they took two Turkish armed chaloupes and a 
 bateau laden with powder and shot ; and cut off 
 the enemy's communication between Oczakow and 
 Beresane. 
 
 "The prince marshal had not been satisfied with 
 
330 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the conduct of the flotilla in the affair of attacking 
 Oczakow on the 1st of July, which was conducted 
 in a very irregular manner, and at too great a dis- 
 tance. The most advanced charge was that of the 
 battery commanded by M. Akmatoff, who was never 
 less than 500 toises distant from the enemy. On 
 the 10th of July the prince marshal sent the prince 
 of Nassau to Sevastopol, to learn if the squadron 
 had been much damaged in the rencontre with the 
 Turkish fleet. Immediately after the departure of 
 the Prince of iS'assau, the prince marshal gave the 
 Chevalier E-ibas the command of the flotilla, with 
 orders to go to Kinbourn, to receiv^e on board the 
 troops he destined to make a descent on the Island 
 of Beresane. At the same time he ordered me to 
 establish a line of blockade between that island and 
 Oczakow. I stationed five frigates, carrying twelve- 
 pounders, in the road for that purpose. 
 
 " On the l-ith I was ordered to inspect the 
 entrance of the Liman. I immediately went to 
 Kinbourn to have an understanding with General 
 Suvorrof and the Brigadier de Eibas. Though the 
 brigadier had been incessantly occupied since the 
 departure of the Prince of Nassau in bringing the 
 crews of the flotilla to some sort of order, he had 
 not yet completed this task. So great was the con- 
 fusion that reigned that he could not find in any 
 vessel five soldiers belonging to the same company ; 
 and the ofiicers knew not where to look for their 
 men. This retarded the embarkation of the troops 
 destined for the descent till the 16th. The prince 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 33I 
 
 marshal was so much displeased with this delay 
 that on the 17th he gave orders to land the troops, 
 that they might join his army before Oczakow, and 
 that the flotilla should return into the Liman, as 
 well as the five frigates I had posted for the block- 
 ade. 
 
 "From the commencement of the projected ex- 
 pedition against Beresane, M. Eibas had requested 
 me to conduct the flotilla and the descent of the 
 troops. Though a man of much talent, he had not 
 the misplaced conceit of some persons who readily 
 take upon them things far beyond their capacity. 
 I told him, ' He well knew I ought to have com- 
 manded the flotilla, as well as the squadron, from 
 the beginning of the campaign, but that my grati- 
 tude for the gracious reception accorded me by her 
 imperial majesty, together with the very delicate 
 state in which I had found affairs, had induced me 
 to sacrifice m}^ feelings, and even greatly to hazard 
 my reputation for the good of the empire ; that I 
 could never so far humble myself as to request the 
 direction of the flotilla, but if the prince marshal 
 thought proper to propose it to me, I would do m}^ 
 best to make the most of it possible.' 
 
 " On the afternoon of the ITth the prince marshal 
 proposed to give me the command of the flotilla. 
 His highness informed me his intention was to have 
 Oczakow attacked a second time. I replied that I 
 was disposed to execute with zeal whatever he 
 might think proper for the good of the service ; but 
 that to attack witli advantage it was necessary to 
 
332 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 come to close quarters, and to advance in better 
 order than on the 1st of July. He was of the same 
 opinion, and requested me to come ashore next day 
 that we might concert together the plan of attack. 
 
 " I did not fail to comply with the orders of the 
 prince marshal, but his highness spoke no more of 
 the flotilla. I remained to dinner and supper, and 
 afterwards returned on board of my ship. The 
 Prince of ]S"assau, having returned some days before 
 from Sevastopol, had intrigued with the Prince de 
 Ligne ; and the prince marshal had restored him to 
 the command of the flotilla. 
 
 " On the 18th of June I had been ordered to 
 despatch the five frigates which had returned into 
 Liman, to be refitted at Glauboca, en hatte^^w for 
 sea service. I sent them off at daybreak on the 
 19th, having taken the greater part of their crews 
 for service in the gun-boats and bomb-vessels which 
 the prince marshal proposed to place under my com- 
 mand. On the 20th I received twenty-one gun- 
 boats, each carrying a single piece, from eighteen 
 to thirty-two-pounders ; and five bomb-vessels, eacii 
 carrying a mortar, of whicli four were of three poods, 
 and one of five poods. The same day the prince 
 marshal, having established his headquarters to the 
 right of his army upon the shores of the Black Sea 
 (he had hitherto been on the shores of the Liman, 
 on the left wnng), pointed out to me two of the 
 enemj^'s gun-boats stationed close by the fort of 
 Hassan Pacha, and the Turkish lines on the side of 
 Beresane. He was persuaded that they would at- 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 333 
 
 tempt to come out during the night with despatches, 
 and inquired of me if it were not possible to capture 
 them. As his highness appeai'ed to attach great 
 importance to this service, I undertook it. 
 
 " 1 returned on board the "Wolodiraer, from 
 whence, at eight in the evening, I set off with five 
 armed chaloupes. I made five gun-boats follow, as 
 a measure of precaution in case the Turks had at- 
 tempted to make a sortie, as their chaloupes sailed 
 much faster than ours. I found one of the Turkish 
 gun-boats aground, hauled up, and almost dry on 
 the sands adjoining the battery, and on an intrench- 
 ment the enemy had cast up on the water's edge. 
 It was impossible to get it afloat under the terrible 
 fire which we sustained from all the lines and bat- 
 teries on the shore. The other gun-boat lay just 
 afloat, right against the fort of Hassan Pacha, to 
 the south. Lieutenant Edwards boarded this vessel 
 and cut her cables ; but having had several of his 
 men wounded, and being deserted by one of the 
 chaloupes, he was obliged to give up the attempt 
 lest he should be left by the other chaloupes also. 
 During this time I had made some efforts to get tho 
 other Turkish boat afloat. I now rowed quickly to 
 the assistance of Mr. Edwards, but the night was 
 dark and he was already out of sight when I boarded 
 the vessel in which he had been. I had several men 
 wounded around me ; but in defiance of the enemj'' 
 I hauled the vessel out, and stationed it right op- 
 posite the headquarters of the prince marshal. 
 
 "On the 21st, at daybreak, I sailed with the 
 
334 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 Wolodimer, followed bj all the vessels of the 
 squadron that yet remained with me, and twenty- 
 live gun-boats and bomb-vessels that had been placed 
 under my command. The object of this movement 
 was aaain to blockade Oczakow bv sea, and to cut 
 off the communication between that place and 
 Beresane. To accomplish this object I stationed 
 the AYolodimer and the Alexander to blockade 
 the channel at the entrance of the Liman, and I con- 
 tinued the same line of blockade into the road, by 
 placing the smaller vessels there. As the bomb- 
 vessels and gun-boats had no water casks, the prince 
 marshal, who wished to see these craft opposite his 
 headquarters, made wells be dug on shore for the 
 accommodation of the crews ; and on the 24:th or- 
 dered my of^cer du jour to have the vessels stationed 
 near the shore. I knew nothing of this change, for 
 I had placed them the previous night in line, and far 
 enough off to be in safety. On the 25th the wind 
 was from the south, but blew moderateh\ After 
 dinner I went to headquarters to make a visit to the 
 prince marshal, and found, to my great astonish- 
 ment, that half the boats were cast ashore, and the 
 other half in the greatest danger. I set to work 
 instantly, with my chaloupe, to haul off and bring 
 to anchor all the vessels possible ; and by means of 
 anchors and cables, for Avhich I sent to the squadron, 
 we saved them all, except six gun-boats which went 
 to pieces and filled with sand. On the 26th the 
 prince marshal wrote me, by his brigadier dtt joui\ 
 to inform me that I was at liberty to place the boats 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 335 
 
 I bad saved where I pleased. I placed them near the 
 tongue of land of Kinbourn, where they had a 
 sheltered haven and also wells for the accommodation 
 of the men. Thej sustained no farther injury 
 during the time thej^ remained under my command. 
 At this time two chaloupes or small cutters were 
 placed under my orders, of which each carried two 
 licornes of forty-eight pounds' caliber in the fore 
 part, and six falconets on the sides. Shortly after- 
 guards I got two larger cutters, carrying each two 
 mortars of live poods. 
 
 " On the 31st of July the capitan-pacha again 
 made his appearance with his fleet, followed by 
 several vessels which he had not when he went off. 
 His advanced guard, composed of his frigates, bomb- 
 vessels, and small craft, cast anchor near Beresane, 
 whilst his large squadron of ships of the line re- 
 sumed their old position. The prince marshal 
 ordered me to bring back my small vessels to assist 
 in blocking up the passage at the entrance of the 
 Liman ; and the Prince of IS'assau was ordered to 
 block up the road with his flotilla, and thus cut off 
 the communication of the Turkish small vessels by 
 the shallows to the south of Fort Hassan Pacha. 
 
 " The Prince of Xassau hoisted a Avhite flag with 
 a blue cross on one of the galleys, on leaving the 
 Liman ; and that galley having passed under the 
 stern of the Wolodimer on the 1st of August, he 
 pretended that I ought to salute him as vice- 
 admiral. 1st, "When I hoisted my flag, to avoid the 
 idly vanity of exacting a salute, I did it at night j 
 
336 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 and the Prince of IN'assau, being only a simple 
 volunteer, did not offer to salute it. 2d, An officer 
 without my orders, coming from Cherson, had 
 saluted the prince without my authority, but they 
 did not give him a single gun in return. 3d, The 
 prince had not received the grade of vice-admiral in 
 the service of her imperial majesty. 4th, I had no 
 orders from the prince marshal to salute tlie Prince 
 of Nassau. 5th, The latter had applied, in the last 
 w^ar between France and England, to serve with me, 
 and, assuredly, not as my commander ; for, though 
 he has made a voyage round the '^orld, he does not 
 yet understand the compass. 6th, On saluting an 
 officer of a superior grade, it is necessary to go on 
 board his flag-ship to make a report and receive 
 orders ; and I had in no wise deserved so grave a 
 punishment as to be put under the orders of the 
 Prince of Nassau. Had the prince marshal been 
 dissatisfied with mv conduct on this occasion, he 
 would have mentioned it to me, or issued an order. 
 The Prince of Nassau, however, has endeavored to 
 make it appear, at court especially, that his differ- 
 ence with me had no other foundation than in my 
 not choosing to salute his flag. He lowered it two 
 or three days afterwards. How should he have 
 done so, if he had been vice-admiral ? 
 
 " The capitan-pacha came out from day to day 
 to sound and reconnoiter, in his kirlangitch, which 
 sailed like the wind, and always displayed an 
 admiral's flag. As the block fort and battery on 
 the tongue of land at Kin bourn were only con- 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 337 
 
 structed of bags of sand, and were neither protected 
 b}^ ditch or palisade, I was afraid that the capitan- 
 pacha might try to carry thera by a sudden descent, 
 which he could have done by landing five hundred 
 men. 
 
 " General Suvorrof had been dano:erouslv wounded 
 in a sortie made by the garrison of Oczakow, and 
 had come to Kinbourn. I convinced hira that the 
 block fort and battery seemed to be menaced, and, 
 as he had a greater quantity of chevaux de frise al 
 Kinbourn than he required, I suggested that he 
 should employ what was superfluous in surrounding 
 the block fort and battery. The general gave orders 
 accordingly, and I ranged all my gun-boats and 
 bomb-vessels hard by the strip of sand between the 
 block fort and the battery. The small craft were, 
 besides, always ready to change their position at 
 the first movement of the enemy, and I placed the 
 squadron so advantageously to communicate with 
 the block fort and the battery, without confining 
 their fire, and to keep back the enemy by a cross- 
 fire, on their entering the channel of the Liman, 
 that, though we were very weak compared with 
 the Turkish fleet, the capitan-pacha never either 
 attempted to make a descent, or to force the passage 
 of the entrance of the Liman. 
 
 " The prince marshal having ordered Rear-Admiral 
 Woynowitch to sail from Sevastopol with the fleet 
 under his command, and that officer having raised 
 obstacles because his force was not, he conceived, 
 powerful enough to attack that under the command 
 
338 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 of the capitan-pacha, his highness sent me a letter, 
 Avritten by his chief secretary, Brigadier Popoff, on 
 the 19th of August (old style), proposing that I 
 should go to Sevastopol to take command of the 
 fleet. It ma}^ be remembered that I was brought 
 to Eussia to command all the naval force in the 
 Black Sea, consequentl}^ this proposition did not 
 surprise me. Had the prince marshal ordered me to 
 go, I would have proceeded immediately, but I would 
 not have it appear that I sought to be sent. 1st, 
 My naval signals had not yet been translated into 
 the Russian language, as no attention had been 
 given to my request for a person capable of trans- 
 lating them. 2dly, The naval signals used in that 
 fleet were imperfect and very limited. 3dly, I was 
 acquainted with no one in the fleet, and I was aware 
 that the prince marshal wished that it should come 
 out the ver}^ day after my arrival at Sevastopol. 
 4thly, That fleet had been compelled to fly before 
 that of the capitan-pacha, at a time when he had 
 two thousand fewer good seamen. 5thly, The fleet 
 at Sevastopol was as weak as before, but that of 
 the capitan-pacha was stronger in craft, and had all 
 the men replaced that had been lost in the affair of 
 the Liman. 6thly, I had just received preparatory 
 orders from the prince marshal to attack Fort Has- 
 san Pacha ; and I hoped to show him the difference 
 between my fashion of attack and that of the 1st of 
 July. I replied, in answer to his letter, that being 
 entirel}^ devoted to the good of the state, his high- 
 ness would find me eager to fulfil his orders. It 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 339 
 
 was said that some days afterguards the prince mar- 
 shal sent positive orders to Admiral Woynowitch 
 to come out, but that he always found reasons for 
 not dealing farther with the capitan-pacha. 
 
 "On the 30th of August the Turks took a small 
 lodka, freighted with watermelons, belonging to 
 the merchants of Kin bourn. In coming down the 
 Liman the people on board liad been foolish enou.o-h 
 to pass too close to Oczakow. To ' punish the 
 Turks ' for this, the Prince of Nassau, at evening, 
 made his flotilla advance to assault Oczakow. ''l 
 sent my secretary to headquarters, and in the mean- 
 while assembled the commanders of divisions of mv 
 gun-boats and bomb-vessels, and ordered them to 
 bring forward their divisions and form in line of 
 battle between the squadron and Oczakow, ready 
 to attack the fort of Hassan Pacha the moment 
 orders should arrive. 
 
 " Upon the return of the capitan-pacha, M. Little- 
 page, chamberlain to the King of Poland, being 
 then with the prince marshal, had solicited and ob- 
 tained leave to command a division of my gun-boats. 
 ]S'ight being come on, the chiefs of division, wishing 
 to bring forward their boats, found that thirteen 0I 
 them had already quitted their posts, against the 
 most positive orders to make no movement without 
 their commanders of division. This movement had 
 been occasioned by the rashness of a Greek lieu- 
 tenant belonging to the division of IL Littlepage. 
 The boat of this lieutenant had fired eight shots 
 against the place, and another six, but none of the 
 
340 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 rest had fired. As this lieutenant was the most to 
 blame, I deprived him of his command and sent him 
 to headquarters, which was required by the prince 
 marshal. 
 
 " The Prince of Xassau, who had very idly wanted 
 a great deal of ammunition, pretended that my boats 
 had prevented him from taking the whole Turkish 
 flotilla! The Greek lieutenant whom I had dis- 
 graced, instead of being punished, was promoted to 
 the command of a double chaloupe, mounting two 
 aubusiers that would throw ninety-six pounds' weight 
 of balls. M. Littlepage gave a particular account of 
 the whole affair in a letter to the grand general of 
 Poland. 
 
 " A few days after this the prince marshal sent 
 Kear-Admiral Mordwinoff on board the Wolodimer 
 to assemble all the captains and master pilots of the 
 squadron, to hold a council on the means of effect- 
 ing a junction between the squadron of Cherson and 
 the fleet of Sevastopol. It was said that the prince 
 marshal had earnestly entreated this officer to take 
 the affair upon himself, and that he had positively 
 declined it. I can say nothing on this head ; I only 
 know that it was a delicate step in relation to me, 
 to send another officer on board my ship to hold a 
 council ; and, above all, without having apprised me 
 either by speech or writing. If I had been stickling, 
 I would have put this officer under arrest, as he 
 could show no authority nor precedent for holding 
 a council where I commanded. But as I was in- 
 fluenced by the good of the service above every 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 34I 
 
 personal consideration, I received Adraipal Mord- 
 winoff most amicably, and after dinner assembled 
 the officers in question for consultation. Many diffi- 
 culties presented themselves to their minds against 
 the proposed junction, and as it was known that 
 the prince marshal was determined on the measure 
 it was ao-reed that it could not be effected but at 
 Ilagdgebay, upon the coast, between Beresane and 
 the Danube, at the distance of fifty versts from 
 the point of Kinbourn. I raised no obstacle. I 
 only observed that, since it was pressingly neces- 
 sary to beat the advanced guard of the enemy be- 
 fore we could effect the proposed junction, it was 
 indispensable to station the squadron previously in 
 the road of Oczakow, and to sail from thence with 
 the wind from N. to K. ^N". W. to avoid being attacked 
 on the wa}^ by the grand fleet of the Turks, and to 
 keep it to the leeward till the junction was effected. 
 It was only a few days previously that preparations 
 had been begun to complete the armament of the 
 Wolodimer and Alexander. 
 
 " During this time her imperial majesty had sent 
 twenty-four swords of massive gold to headquarters, 
 to be distributed among the officers on account of 
 the battle of the Liman. The prince marshal him- 
 self received a gold sword enriched with diamonds 
 and emeralds ; and the Prince of ISTassau received 
 one ornamented with a row of diamonds. There 
 were a number of silver medals at the same time sent 
 to be distributed among the soldiers and seamen. 
 The swords had not yet been distributed, but the 
 
342 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 medals were all given to the men of the flotilla, and 
 not a solitary one to the squadron. It is usual to 
 give subalterns the more merit the more they are 
 exposed to the fire of the enemy, whilst the people 
 of the flotilla Avere screened by parapets made of 
 bags of wool, by which the vessels were surrounded. 
 
 " On the 18th of September I received a secret 
 order from the prince marshal to attack the ad- 
 vanced guard of the enemy anchored under Bere- 
 sane. His highness proposed to make the attack 
 with the five frigates which had been sent to 
 Glauboca to be mounted as batteries ; and these 
 frigates were to be supported by the other vessels of 
 the squadron, excepting the Wolodimer and the Al- 
 exander, the arming of which went on very slowly 
 on account of difficulties on the part of the admiralty. 
 
 Two of the frigates, the Scoroi and the Boris- 
 thenes, had already joined the squadron. Before 
 the equipments of these frigates were altered, they 
 carried more guns than are ever put, either by the 
 French or English, into ships of the same kind. The 
 Scoroi, for example, carried forty guns, and in Eng- 
 land they would not have put more than thirty-two 
 into her. She now carried sixteen thirty-six-pound- 
 ers, and four licornes, eighteen-pounders. 
 
 " They called her a ' sea battery.' The amount of 
 her caliber now, compared with what it was before, 
 had the advantage of 648 pounds over 452 ; but to 
 gain this they had been obliged to open her port- 
 holes en echiqider, because there was not room 
 enough for recoil, to place the guns on each side op 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 343 
 
 posite ; and for the same reason they were obliged 
 after all to shift the guns from their places, and 
 make a sort of platform for the purpose on the side 
 of the sbip. And so with the others. When it was 
 resolved to mount thirty-sixes on the five frigates, it 
 must be supposed that the fact had not been adverted 
 to that they had no bullets of that size, and that 
 they would be obliged to use twenty-four-pound 
 shot. To remedy this, recourse was had to a means 
 entirely novel. The twenty-four-pound bullets were 
 dipped in pitch to make them fill up the bore of the 
 thirty-sixes. The use of these pitched bullets seems 
 dangerous for those who work the guns ; for if the 
 smallest particle of the combustible material re- 
 mains in the piece it must set fire to the next cart- 
 ridge ; and a single such accident would damp the 
 courage of the most resolute men. But, putting 
 aside all these and many other inconveniences, the 
 only advantage gained by using the twenty -four- 
 pound bullets for the thirty-six-pound guns on board 
 the Scoroi would be reduced to the difference be- 
 tween 456, the actual caliber, and 452, the former. 
 By experience it has been ascertained in the French 
 marine that two shots can be fired from an eighteen- 
 pounder for one from a thirty-six, if both pieces are 
 worked with equal convenience. By this account 
 it may be judged whether the change in the arma- 
 ment of these frigates was a good or bad operation. 
 Without presuming to decide the q^^estion I will only 
 say that, in my opinion, eighteen-pounders are the 
 largest and best for frigates. I think that guns of 
 
344 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 a larger caliber are worked too slowly for vessels 
 which have but one batter}^, and cannot keep up 
 that rolling fire so necessary in attacking Turks. 
 
 " The five frigates, of which I have perhaps spoken 
 too much, appeared to me very fit to place behind a 
 stoccado, or bar. But I never would make choice 
 of ships of this kind for the sea service. The first 
 broadside is all that is to be feared from them. 
 
 " I replied in writing to the proposition of the 
 prince marshal for attacking the advanced guard of 
 the Turks near Beresane, and afterward had a plan of 
 attack drawn out for his inspection. He was much 
 pleased with it. As it was necessary to take ad- 
 vantage of a northerly wind to effect the enterprise, 
 I proposed to the prince marshal to place the frigates 
 in the road as soon as they arrived from Glauboca, 
 to preserve, while w^aiting the attack of the line, a 
 permanent blockade betw^een Oczakow and the 
 enemy outside. His highness said it was not yet 
 time for this, and ordered me to place them in a line 
 with the other vessels of my squadron, so as to make 
 a display in the channel of the Liman. 
 
 " In the end of the month the Turkish fleet set 
 sail in the night, followed by all the vessels that had 
 lain under Beresane ; and we saw it at a great dis- 
 tance the next morning. The capitan-pacha re- 
 turned in about thirty-six hours and resumed the 
 position he had left. The only difference was that 
 he brought in some additional small vessels, and 
 that he considerably reinforced his advanced guard 
 under Beresane. As our flotilla, which ought to 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 345 
 
 have blockaded the road and cut off the communica- 
 tion with the small vessels on that side, were only 
 there occasionally, as if by caprice, it was quite 
 natural for the Turks to profit by its absence, and 
 go out and in when they found the way clear. 
 
 " The flotilla being to leeward, between m}' squad- 
 ron and Kinbourn, on the 8th of October, the cap- 
 itan-pacha sent off in the evening three vessels of 
 his advanced guard, which entered Oczakow unmo- 
 lested by an open passage. Our flotilla made no 
 movement. I made an attempt to intercept the 
 enemy's progress with my gunboats, which I 
 caused to be hauled to windward by the ships' boats 
 of the squadron. But the wind being high they 
 could not bring them to attack. Our batteries 
 nearest to Oczakow fired on three Turkish vessels, 
 but without being able to arrest their progress. It 
 was now dark ; and, moreover, the distance between 
 these batteries and the block fort on the side of 
 Kinbourn being seven versts, the land batteries 
 never could have prevented either the entrance or 
 exit of small vessels. To command the entrance 
 of the Liman, I think it is requisite to estab- 
 lish a fort with two batteries, one over the other on 
 the shallows which run out a considerable distance 
 from the point of sand off Kinbourn, towards 
 Beresane, and w^hich would command even the en- 
 trance of the road of Oczakow. 
 
 *' One of the Turkish ships had the folly to cast 
 anchor in the shallows of Fort Hassan Pacha ; and 
 at daybreak on the 9th, being within shot of our 
 
346 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 most advanced land battery, was struck between 
 wind and water, and sunk; the other two vessels 
 o:ot in without difficulty. 
 
 "I have already mentioned that, on the 18th of 
 August, I received a preparatory order for attack- 
 ing the fortress of Hassan Pacha with my bomb- 
 vessels and the chaloupes armed with licornes and 
 mortars. I expected from day to day an order for 
 action, and had in consequence bestowed much 
 pains in training my men to the necessary evolutions ; 
 but the final orders never arrived. 
 
 " The Prince of Xassau havino: caballed af]:ainst 
 my plan of attack, it was set aside ; and by a new 
 arrangement, which 1 was commanded to form 
 with General MuUer, commander-in-chief of artil- 
 lery, I was destined to assault the iiitrenchment, 
 and the Turkish batteries on the shore of the road. 
 
 " On the 9th of October the flotilla advanced 
 from the shores of Kinbourn, and attacked 
 Oczakow ; but this attack was conducted and ended 
 in the very same manner as that of the 30th of 
 August, save that a small vessel of the Turkish 
 flotilla was stranded, which lay farther out than 
 any of the others on the shallows this side of Fort 
 Hassan Pacha. 
 
 "On the 10th of October I received another pre- 
 paratory order ; and soon afterwards was ordered 
 to give up all the boats to the flotilla. Towards 
 evening I went to headquarters to take particular 
 orders in relation to these boats. The prince mar- 
 shal told me he had the strongest desire to pitch 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 347 
 
 overboard a large piece of artillery placed on the 
 fore-part of the vessel of the Turkish flotilla that 
 stood farthest out, and which had run aground. I 
 imagined at the time that there was no other vessel 
 run aground save the one in the road, which was at 
 the distance of a verst from the fortress of Hassan 
 Pacha : so I said the thing was quite easy ; for al- 
 though the Turks should come up in force to de- 
 fend the vessel, there would alwaj^s be time to 
 spike the piece of cannon. It was night when I 
 undertook this little enterprise. I did not imagine 
 the prince marshal attached so much importance to 
 it as to wish that I should conduct it in person. I 
 confided it to Lieutenant Edwards, a brave and an 
 intelligent man, whom I wished to reward for past 
 services. 1st, On the 1st of July, he had followed 
 me throughout, and was a long time with me in the 
 galley of the capitan-pacha. 2dh^, He had fol- 
 lowed me on the night of the 20th of July, and had 
 boarded and cut the cable of the vessel which I 
 took opposite the fortress of Hassan Pacha. 3dly, 
 He had assisted me some days afterwards, when, by 
 orders of the prince marshal, we made trial of bom- 
 barding the fort from one of the bomb-vessels ; 
 from which service we had some difficultv in with- 
 drawing, as the wind, rising at the moment, kept us 
 for a long while under the fire of the enemy's mus- 
 ketry, which wounded some of our men. 
 
 " Mr. Edwards returned before daybreak with- 
 out having succeeded. He said there were a great 
 many men in the ship, who fired on him, and that 
 
J48 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 he durst not board her, he was so ill supported. I 
 was so vexed that he had failed that, in my report 
 to the prince marshal, I said that I would conduct 
 the enterprise myself next night if that would 
 satisf}'' him. The prince marshal held me at my 
 word ; but it was eleven at night when Mr. Ed- 
 wards returned with the order. The wind, which 
 was high, was quite against me, as well as a strong 
 tide ; and I would have deferred the attempt if I 
 had not conceived my honor pledged. I was led to 
 hope that after midnight the wind might fall, and 
 the strength of the tide lessen, if it did not change. 
 The night was very dark, and the rain fell in tor- 
 rents. I waited till two o'clock, when the moon 
 rose. I had with me ^ve armed canoes, and I cal- 
 culated on being followed by four bateaux (Za- 
 poravians) and by one of the armed vessels I had 
 taken from the Turks ; but it was impossible to tow 
 them against wind and tide, and I was compelled 
 to go on as best I could, with only my five canoes. 
 I have noticed that our flotilla had run aground a 
 small Turkish vessel in the shallow of the fortress 
 of Hassan Pacha, but I did not perceive this till 
 the 11th, after I had despatched Mr. Edwards to 
 headquarters, because the vessel lay so near the 
 fortress, where the water is of little depth, that it 
 had only sunk a foot or fifteen inches, and con- 
 sequently appeared as if still afloat. As the prince 
 marshal had only spoken to me of the farthest out 
 of the Turkish flotilla, I began to think he meant to 
 designate the one nearest the fortress, in which 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 349 
 
 idea I was confirmed by Mr. Edwards, at his re- 
 turn from headquarters, telling me he had heard 
 ashore that the vessel run down in the road had 
 been visited, but that nothing had been found there. 
 I rowed for the vessel nearest the fortress, which 
 carried, like most of the others alongside, a large 
 cannon in her bow ; but after having fatigued my 
 rowers, I was vexed to see daylight appear, whilst 
 I had still more than a verst to go before I could 
 reach the vessel. I returned on board my own 
 ship to prevent a useless alarm, being persuaded I 
 should succeed next night. "Without waiting to re- 
 ceive my report, the prince marshal sent me orders 
 
 * to abandon the enterprise, for he had intrusted it 
 to other ships.' There was fine weather on the 
 night between the 12th and the 13th, but the 
 
 * other ships ' did nothing ; and the Turks availed 
 themselves of an open way to bring out all their 
 flotilla, which rejoined the ships of the advanced 
 guard under Beresane. 
 
 " Some days afterwards a colonel of Cossacks 
 boarded the vessel run down in the road, and set fire 
 to it, by leaving in it lighted brandcougles, for which 
 he received public thanks. 
 
 " On the 13th the prince marshal wished to estab- 
 lish a permanent line of blockade in the road by 
 placing my frigates there, and some other small 
 vessels. He wrote me a letter on this subject on 
 that day, which contained things that strongly 
 affected me, and to which I replied next day with 
 perhaps too much freedom and warmth. This occa- 
 
350 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 sioned an interchano^e of letters between his hiD-h- 
 ness and myself, which was only terminated on the 
 18th by the arrival of Admiral Mordwinoff to take 
 command of the squadron and the flotilla ; for the 
 Prince of Nassau had set off for AYarsaw some days 
 after his affair of the 9th, with which the prince 
 marshal had been mux3h dissatisfied. I at the same 
 time received orders from her imperial majesty to 
 go to St. Petersburg to be employed in the Xorth 
 Sea. Sweden had declared war against Russia at 
 the commencement of the campaign, and Admiral 
 Greig, who had commanded the Russian fleet, hav- 
 ing died, I was assured her majesty had very im- 
 portant views in recalling me. Yet I could not but 
 feel grieved to be deprived of my command when 
 the campaign, so far as regarded maritime opera- 
 tions, was so nearly concluded. 
 
 " As soon as the Prince of Nassau went off all the 
 gold swords were distributed to the officers of the 
 flotilla. It is easy to imagine that this arrangement, 
 as well as many others which preceded it, was not 
 calculated to give me pleasure. The capture of the 
 Turkish galley, and the boarding of the galley of 
 the capitan-pacha on the 1st of July, were without 
 dispute the most brilliant actions of the campaign 
 of the Liman. The credit of them was most unjustly 
 given to the flotilla, and my officers remained with- 
 out any reward for the important services wdiich 
 they had rendered in these affairs, besides those of 
 the ISth of June, the 30th of August, and the 9th 
 of October, from which they reaped no advantage. 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 351 
 
 After the gold swords bad been distributed, I my- 
 self beard several of tbe officers wbo got them to 
 express their astonishment, not being able to guess 
 for what they had been so highly rewarded. 
 
 " It is worthy of notice that all the large vessels 
 which the flotilla attacked were previously aground. 
 In this case they might be compared to men with 
 their feet nailed to planks, and their hands tied be- 
 hind their backs. This is the only instance in his- 
 tor}^ of ships aground, and out of the possibility of 
 being recaptured, being attacked and destroyed, 
 with their crews, by combustibles such as tbe brand- 
 cougles. It ma}^ be recollected that during the 
 whole campaign the flotilla had not taken even one 
 small vessel afloat. Since a very mistaken notion 
 has been formed of the vessels taken in the Liman 
 on the 17th and 18th of June, which have been 
 called ' ships of the line,' it is but right to say that 
 I made Lieutenant Fox measure the hulls of the two 
 largest, and we found that the size of the one was 
 130, and of the other 135, feet English in total 
 length, in the line of their first battery. Apply 
 this to naval architecture. Yet the Prince of Nas- 
 sau has been rewarded in a brilliant manner for 
 * having destroyed six, and captured two, ships of the 
 line.' The only three-masted vessel which escaped 
 burning upon the ISth of June was a caravel of one 
 battery, and four pieces between decks. There 
 escaped also one small brigantine of fourteen three- 
 pounders. Such were the two vessels of the line 
 that were captured, and the latter w^as wrecked next 
 
353 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 day by the carelessness of those who had the charge 
 of her. In place of eight vessels of the line, the capi- 
 tan-pacha had come into the Liraan with only a de- 
 tachment of caravels, or large merchantmen, frig- 
 ates, bomb-ships, and other smaller craft. Only four 
 of the caravels carried guns between decks. Of 
 this number was the vessel saved. On one of these 
 four vessels was displayed a square flag ; but there 
 was the same on the galley and the kirlangiteh of 
 the capitan-pacha. It has been already said that 
 the grand fleet without Kinbourn disphiyed three 
 admirals' flags. But by the history of the campaign 
 given by the Prince of Nassau, it appears that the 
 capitan-pacha had lost his best ship, manned with 
 the picked men of his fleet, and his only flag as 
 grand admiral, while it is well known that at the 
 end of the campaign he went back to Constantinople 
 with all the ships of the line he had at its commence- 
 ment. 
 
 " As I was told that some ill-intentioned persons 
 in the army had said that I had been deprived of 
 mv command because the officers were unwilling to 
 serve under me, I endeavored to procure testimonials 
 to the contrary, and have seen with regret that the 
 mind is not alwavs free : and that men sometimes 
 dare not render homage to truth. 
 
 " The last of the five frigates, called at the time 
 * sea batteries,' did not rejoin the squadron until the 
 19th of October, and on the same day admiral 
 Mordwinoff placed the line of the blockading vessels 
 in the road, much further out than before, so as to 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 353 
 
 mask the fire of all the guns ashore on both sides. 
 It was ill-judged, because the land batteries ought 
 always to be able to flank a line of blockade foimed 
 by vessels or floating batteries. On the 20th, the 
 wind being rather fresh from the north, the admiral 
 made a signal at 3 p.m. for all the flotilla to leave 
 the road, and come while it was in their favor to 
 take station near Kinbourn. This movement was 
 entirely unnecessary for the safety of the flotilla ; 
 but the capi tan-pacha availed himself of it, and got 
 in on the same night twenty-four vessels loaded with 
 ammunition for the garrison, and having on board, 
 besides their crews, 2,700 men. The flotilla attacked 
 these vessels on the succeeding days ; but the Turks, 
 having taken out their cargoes, hauled them up on 
 the road under the cannon of their batteries, where 
 much harm could not be done to them. 
 
 " Having reflected that the season was too far 
 advanced to render my services necessary in the 
 North Sea before the following year, I wrote to the 
 prince marshal, offering to continue my services till 
 the end of the campaign. I was indebted to him 
 for the order of St. Anne, and I have a heart natu- 
 rally grateful. He directed his secretary, M. Popoff, 
 to write me, that since I was recalled by the order 
 of the empress it was necessaiy I should go. 
 
 " I was invited to headquarters to take leave, and 
 to receive a letter from the prince marshal for her 
 imperial majesty. 
 
 '' As I was much interested personally, and still 
 more so in relation to my officers, I after dinner 
 
354 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 spoke freel}^, and told M. Popoff all that was on my 
 mind. This brigadier repeated what I had said to 
 the prince marshal. He was vexed at first, but 
 afterwards he sent for me to talk with him. AVith- 
 out failing in the respect due to him, I spoke to him 
 freely enough. I told him he had played an unfair 
 game at the opening of the campaign in dividing the 
 command in the Liman in the existing circumstances 
 of the country ; and that, if I had not resolved to 
 sacrifice my own feelings in order to manage the 
 persons he had given me for colleagues, the cam- 
 paign would have taken a very different turn. He 
 replied, * Agreed ; but it is too late now.' He then 
 said he would be glad to see me fixed in Russia, and 
 that he was disposed to give me solid proofs of his 
 esteem, both now and in future. 1 showed him the 
 testimonial of the captain of the Wolodimer, and 
 some other papers, to convince him that he had 
 neither done justice to me nor to the squadron. He 
 said the Prince of Nassau pretended all was done by 
 himself ; ' but I have never,' said he, ' been deceived 
 in him. I have always known him for what he is.' 
 He proposed that I should go to Tagenroc to equip 
 and command a squadron he was building there ; 
 but as I had been brought to Russia to take the 
 chief command in the Black Sea, and had received 
 orders from the empress to repair to St. Petersburg, 
 I declined the offer. I only entreated that he would 
 consider the services of my officers, and give them 
 the seniority they had lost by the promotion of those 
 officers of the flotilla who did not belong to the 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 355 
 
 naval service. Admiral Morclwinoff made the same 
 request, and the prince promised to do them jus- 
 tice. 
 
 '' Two days afterwards I received a letter from 
 the prince marshal for the empress, in which he 
 noticed the zeal and anxiety I had ever shown for 
 her service, and to render myself worthy of her 
 favor. 
 
 "On the 4th of November the capitan -pacha, 
 having withdrawn his advance guard in the night, 
 set sail in the morning with his whole force, entering 
 first Yarna, and afterwards Constantinople, with 
 every ship of the line he had at the opening of the 
 campaign. It is singuL-ir that this enterprising com- 
 mander did not attempt to force the entrance of the 
 Liman ; for Admiral Mordwinoff had placed the 
 squadron in so exposed and disadvantageous a situa- 
 tion that the fire of the land batteries, which should 
 have flanked him without, was entirely covered. 
 But it may be presumed that the Turkish admiral 
 believed he had done enough for the safety of 
 Oczakow by the succors he had thrown into the 
 place. 
 
 " On the morning of the 7th, agreeabl}^ to a secret 
 order from the prince marshal, the Zaporavians 
 landed, to the number of 2,000, on the island of 
 Beresane. The Turkish garrison, being only 300 
 strong, fired a few random shots, and then surren. 
 dered with discretion. 
 
 " Having given the officers whom I had com- 
 manded such testimonials as they merited, I em- 
 
356 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 barked on the morning of the 9th of jSTovember in 
 a small open galley for Cherson. I was three days 
 and three nights on the way, and suffered a great 
 deal from the excessive cold. The day after my 
 arrival the river was frozen up, and I was taken 
 dangerously ill. My health Avas not sufficiently re- 
 established to enable me to proceed before the 6th 
 of December. Having arrived at St. Elizabeth, I 
 received intelligence that Oczakow^ had been taken 
 by storm on the 6th. The garrison was 11,000 
 strong, including the 3,000 that the capitan -pacha 
 had throw^n into the place before he sailed. Eut the 
 cold had become extreme, and the Russian army 
 being formed in six columns to attack the place at 
 day -dawn, the Turks were completely disconcerted. 
 Judging from the past, they expected no such visit ; 
 and, becoming panic-struck, suffered their throats 
 to be cut like so many sheep. In the fury of the 
 assault the Russian soldiers spared nothing. I have 
 been assured that from 18,000 to 19,000 Turks per- 
 ished on that dav. 
 
 " As I wished to delay my arrival at court till 
 that of the prince marshal, I stopped some days at 
 Skloff, where General Soritsch loaded me with civil- 
 ities. I arrived at St. Petersburg on the 28th of 
 December, and was ordered to appear at court on 
 the 31st, when her imperial majesty did me the honor 
 of granting me a private audience. I presented the 
 letter the prince marshal had given me. A few daj's 
 afterwards the empress sent me word, through Count 
 de Emitrigus-Mamonow, that she must await the 
 
CAMPAIGN OF THE LIMAN. 357 
 
 arrival of Prince Potemkin before deciding on what 
 she would do for me. In the meanwhile Count 
 Besborodko told me that a command of greater im- 
 portance was intended for me than that of the Black 
 Sea. . . . " 
 
358 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 
 
 "When Mr. Littlepage left the Liraan the rear- 
 admiral despatched letters by him to Mr. Jefferson. 
 He was uncertain, as it appears from them, whether 
 those last addressed by him to the same gentleman, 
 from Copenhagen, had been received. The anxiety 
 he expressed about some of the features of the Ameri- 
 can Constitution shows that his thoughts turned to 
 the land of his adoption, and the country which was 
 in fact his own. 
 
 Jones arrived at St. Petersburg on the 28th of 
 December, after having been detained at St. Eliza- 
 beth by the indisposition which he mentions, and on 
 the day following addressed the Comte de Mord- 
 winoff, desiring as early an opportunity as possible 
 of presenting Potemkin's letter, of which he was the 
 bearer, to the empress. 
 
 Shortly after his arrival an infamous conspiracy 
 to ruin his character was gotten up, and might have 
 been successful had not his friends assisted him 
 earnestly in exposing the falsehood of the charges 
 attempted to be fastened on him. The nature of 
 these charges, with the history of the persecution 
 raised upon them will be found in the following 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 359 
 
 letter to Potemkin. "Who its authors were can never 
 be known. Both Count Segur and Jones unhesitat- 
 ingly ascribe it to English officers in the Eussian 
 navy, and the English merchants. It was the most 
 natural supposition, in the absence of all positive 
 proof ; but it was supposition only. 
 
 " St. Peteesburg, ISth April, 1789. 
 
 " My Lord, — Having had the advantage to serve 
 under your orders and in your sight, I remember 
 with particular satisfaction the kind promises and 
 testimonies of your friendship wath which you have 
 honored me. As I have served all my lif for honor, 
 I had no other motive for accepting the flattering in- 
 vitation of her imperial majesty than a laudable am- 
 bition to distinguish myself in the service of a sov- 
 ereign so magnanimous and illustrious ; for I have 
 never yet bent the knee to self-interest, nor drawn 
 my sword for hire. A few days ago I thought my- 
 self one of the happiest men in the empire ! Your 
 highness had renewed to me your promise of friend- 
 ship, and the empress had assigned me a command 
 of a nature to occupy the most active and enterpris- 
 ing genius. 
 
 " A bad woman has accused me of violatino^ her 
 daughter ! If she had told the truth, I should have 
 candor enough to own it, and would trust my honor, 
 which is a thousand times dearer to me than my life, 
 to the mercy of the empress. I declare, with an as- 
 surance becoming a military character, that I am in- 
 nocent. Till that unhappy moment I have enjoyed 
 
360 I^IFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the public esteem, and the affection of all who knew 
 me. Shall it be said that in Eussia a wretched 
 woman, who eloped from her husband and family in 
 the country, stole away her daughter, lives here in a 
 house of bad fame, and leads a debauched and adul- 
 terous life, has found credit enough on a simple com- 
 plaint, unsupported by any proof, to affect the honor 
 of a general officer of reputation, who has merited 
 and received the decorations of America, of France, 
 and of this empire ? 
 
 '' If I had been favored with the least intimation 
 of a complaint of that nature having found its way 
 to the sovereign, I know too well what belongs to 
 delicacy to have presented myself in the presence of 
 the empress before my justification. 
 
 " My servant was kept prisoner by the officers of 
 the police for several hours, two days successively, 
 and threatened with the knout. 
 
 " After the examination of my people before the 
 police, I sent for and employed Monsieur Crimpin as 
 mv advocate. As the mother had addressed herself 
 to him before to plead her cause, she naturally spoke 
 to him without reserve, and he learned from her a 
 number of important facts, among others, that she 
 was counseled and supported by a distinguished man 
 of the court. 
 
 " By the certificate of the father, attested by the 
 pastor of the colony, the daughter is several years 
 older than is expressed in the complaint. And the 
 complaint contains various other points equally false 
 and easy to be refuted. For instance, there is a con- 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 361 
 
 versation I am said to have held with the daughter 
 in the Eussian language, of which no person ever 
 heard me pronounce two words together ; it is un- 
 known to me. 
 
 " I thought that in every country a man accused 
 had a right to employ advocates, and to avail him- 
 self of his friends for his justification. J'udge, my 
 prince, of my astonishment and distress of mind, 
 when vesterdav I was informed that the day before 
 the governor of the city had sent for my advocate 
 and forbidden him, at his peril, or any other person, 
 to meddle with my cause 1 
 
 " I am innocent before God I and my conscience 
 knows no reproach. The complaint brought against 
 me is an infamous lie, and there is no circumstance 
 that gives it even an air of probability. 
 
 " I address myself to you w^ith confidence, my 
 prince, and am assured that the friendship you have 
 so kindly promised me will be immediately exerted 
 in my favor ; and that you will not suffer the iilas 
 trious sovereign of this great empire to be misled by 
 the false insinuations and secret cabals of my hidden 
 enemies. Your mind will find more true pleasure in 
 pleading the cause of an innocent man whom you 
 honor with your friendship, than can result from 
 other victories equally glorious with that of Ocza- 
 kow, whicli will always rank among the most bril- 
 liant of military achievements. If your highness 
 will condescend to question ]\Ionsieur Crimpin (for 
 he dare not now even speak to me), he can tell you 
 many circumstances wlaoh will elucidate my inno- 
 
362 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 cence. I am, with profound respect, my lord, your 
 highness's devoted and most obedient servant." 
 
 Count de Segur, who was certainly a warm and 
 disinterested friend of Jones, Las given a narrative 
 of this affair, overwrought in most particulars, 
 egotistical in many, and in some not very material 
 points incorrect, as appears from the statements of 
 Jones himself. Those who have perused the count's 
 reminiscences will be at no loss to account for the 
 coloring given to this particular transaction, as it is 
 the same thrown over many others by that worthy 
 and self-complacent, and not uninteresting, writer. 
 He says : 
 
 " The American rear-admiral was favorably wel- 
 comed at court ; often invited to dinner by the em- 
 press, and received with distinction into the best so- 
 ciety in the city ; on a sudden, Catharine commanded 
 him to appear no more in her presence. 
 
 " He was informed that he Avas accused of an in- 
 famous crime ; of assaulting a young girl of fourteen, 
 of grossly violating her ; and that probabl}^, after 
 some preliminary information, he would be tried by 
 the courts of admiralty, in which there were many 
 English officers, who w^ere strongly prejudiced 
 against him. 
 
 " As soon as this order was known every one 
 abandoned the unhappy American ; no one spoke to 
 him, people avoided saluting him, and every door 
 was shut against him. All those by whom but 
 yesterday he had been eagerly welcomed now fled 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 363 
 
 from him as if he had been infected with a plague ; 
 besides, no advocate would take charge of his cause, 
 and no public man would consent to listen to him ; 
 at last even his servants would not continue in his 
 service ; and Paul Jones, whose exploits every one 
 had so recently been ready to proclaim, and whoso 
 friendship had been sought after, found himself alone 
 in the midst of an immense population ; St. Peters- 
 burg, a great capital, became to him a desert. 
 
 *' I went to see him ; he was moved to tears by 
 my visit. * I was unwilling,' he said to me, shaking 
 me by the hand, ' to knock at your door, and expose 
 myself to a fresh affront, which would have been 
 more cutting than all the rest. I have braved death 
 a thousand times ; now I wish for it.' His appear- 
 ance, his arms being laid upon the table, made me 
 suspect some desperate intention. 
 
 " ' Kesume,' I said to him, ' your composure and 
 your courage. Do you not know that human life, 
 like the sea, has its storms, and that fortune is even 
 more capricious than the winds ? If, as I hope, you 
 are innocent, brave this sudden tempest ; if, unhap- 
 pily, you are guilty, confess it to me with unreserved 
 frankness, and I will do everything I can to snatch 
 you, by a sudden flight, from the danger which 
 threatens you.' 
 
 " ^ I swear to 3^ou upon my honor,' said he, ' that I 
 am innocent, and a victim of a most infamous cal- 
 umny. This is the truth. Some days since a young 
 girl came to me in the morning to ask me if I could 
 give her some linen or lace to mend. She then in- 
 
364 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 dulged in some rather earnest and indecent allure- 
 ments. Astonished at so much boldness in one of 
 such few years, I felt compassion for her; I advised 
 her not to enter upon so vile a career, gave her some 
 money, and dismissed her ; but she was determined to 
 remain. 
 
 " ' Impatient at this resistance, I took her by the 
 hand and led her to the door ; but at the instant 
 when the door was opened, the little profligate tore 
 her sleeves and her neck-kerchief, raised great cries, 
 complained that I had assaulted her, and threw her- 
 self into the arms of an old woman, whom she called 
 her mother, and who, certainly, was not brought 
 there by chance. The mother and the daughter 
 raised the house with their cries, went out, and de- 
 nounced me ; and now you know all.' 
 
 ^' ' Yery well,' said I, ' but cannot you learn the 
 names of those adventurers? ' ' The porter knows 
 them,' he replied. * Here are their names written 
 down, but I do not know where thev live. I was 
 desirious of immediately presenting a memorial 
 about this ridiculous affair, first to the minister, and 
 then to the empress ; but I have been interdicted 
 from access to both of them.' * Give me the paper,' 
 I said ; * resume your accustomed firmness; be com- 
 forted ; let me undertake it ; in a short time we 
 shall meet again.' 
 
 " As soon as I had returned home I directed some 
 sharp and intelligent agents who were devoted to 
 me to get information respecting these suspected 
 females, and to find out what was their mode of life. 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 365 
 
 I was not long in learning that the old woman was 
 in the habit of carrvinor' on a vile traffic in vouns: 
 girls, whom she passed off as her daughters. 
 
 " When I was furnished with all the documents 
 and attestations for which I had occasion, I hastened 
 to show them to Paul Jones. ' You have nothing 
 more to fear,' said I ; 'the wretches are unmasked. 
 It is only necessary to open the eyes of the empress, 
 and let her see how unworthily she has been de- 
 ceived ; but this is not so very eas}^ : truth encoun- 
 ters a multitude of people at the doors of a palace, 
 who are very clever in arresting its progress ; and 
 sealed letters are, of all others, those which are inter- 
 cepted with the greatest art and care. Neverthe- 
 less, I know that the empress, who is not ignorant of 
 this, has directed, under very heavy penalties, that 
 no one shall detain on the way any letters which are 
 addressed to her personally, and which ma}^ be sent 
 to her by post ; therefore, here is a very long letter 
 which I have written to her in vour name. Nothino: 
 of the detail is omitted, although it contains some 
 rough expressions. I am sonw for the empress ; but, 
 since she heard and gave credit to a calumny, it is 
 but right that she should read the justification with 
 patience. Copy this letter, sign it, and 1 will take 
 charge of it ; I will send some one to put it in the 
 post at the nearest town. Take courage ; believe me, 
 your triumph is not doubtful.' 
 
 " In fact, the letter was sent and put in the post; 
 the empress received it ; and, after having read the 
 memorial, which was fully explanatory, and accom- 
 
366 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 panied by undeniable attestations, she inveighed 
 bitterly against the informers, revoked her rigorous 
 orders, recalled Paul Jones to court, and received 
 him with her usual kindness. 
 
 " That brave seaman enjoyed with a becoming 
 pride a reparation which was due him; but he 
 trusted very little to the compliments that were un- 
 blushingly heaped upon him by tlie many persons 
 who had fled from him in his disgrace ; jmd, shortly 
 afterwards, disgusted with a countr}^ where the for- 
 tunes of a man may be exposed to such humiliations 
 under the pretense of ill-health, he asked leave of 
 the empress to retire, which she granted him, as 
 well as an honorable order and a suitable pen- 
 sion. 
 
 " He took leave, after having expressed to me his 
 gratitude for the service which I had rendered him ; 
 and his respect for the sovereign, who, although she 
 might be led into an error, knew at least how to 
 make an honorable reparation for a fault and an act 
 of injustice." 
 
 Count Segur is wrong in stating that Jones re- 
 ceived either an order or a pension. jS^either baubles 
 nor money were doled out to him, and all he did obtain 
 was an honorable leave of absence, at his own cost. 
 The malign influence exerted against him triumphed, 
 from whatever source it ma}^ have proceeded. 
 Of what this source Avas, Jones afterwards received 
 dark and unsatisfactory information. The order of 
 St. Anne, the only one which he received from 
 Kussia, had been previously awarded to him, and 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 367 
 
 was of an inferior grade, not conferi-ed by the 
 empress herself directly. 
 
 With an audience of leave, and the gracious com- 
 pliment of being wished " a good journey " by the 
 empress, Jones iDade farewell to the Eussian court. 
 
 From a letter subsequently written by Jones to 
 the Chevalier Bourgoing, French minister at Ham- 
 burg, it appears that, when he left St. Petersburg, 
 his intention was to have revisited Copenhagen. " I 
 meant," he says, " on my way to have availed my- 
 self of the occasion of seeing the late grand review 
 of the Prussian army. My friend, the Count de 
 Segur, favored me in consequence with letters for 
 your excellency and for the Count d'Esterns, where- 
 of you will find a copy in the enclosed packet for 
 the Baron de la Houze, which I leave under a flying 
 seal for your perusal, and beg you to forward to 
 him. On my arrival at Warsaw my friends advised 
 me not to appear at the courts of Berlin or Copen- 
 hagen under the present political circumstances. 
 As it was known that I had left Kussia dissatisfied, 
 I thought best to give my enemies there no handle 
 against me (they had insinuated that I would 
 accept a command in the Swedish navy), so I re- 
 mained in Poland two months, and was treated 
 with the greatest hospitality and politeness by the 
 king and people of fashion. From the present 
 troubles in Brabant, ihe necessity of supporting 
 Sweden through the contest she has been led to 
 eng-aofe in, and other circumstances, I need not 
 observe to a man of your information and judg- 
 
368 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 ment that I fear there will be no peace this winter ; 
 and that the Baltic will witness warmer work than 
 it has yet done." 
 
 The nature of his reception at the court of Warsaw 
 is sufficiently indicated in the foregoing epistle. His 
 first occupation on arriving in that capital appears 
 to have been to prepare a journal of his American 
 campaigns, and a sketch of that of the Liman, 
 for the perusal of the empress, on a hint she had 
 dropped, probably at a former period. 
 
 From "Warsaw he went to Amsterdam, and there 
 wrote to General Washington a letter of devotion 
 and praise, under date of December 20th, 1789. 
 
 On the same date he wrote to the Hon. Charles 
 Thompson, secretary of Congress. The letter con- 
 eludes as follows : 
 
 " You mentioned to me at Kew York a small but 
 convenient estate to be sold in the neighborhood of 
 Lancaster. I think you said it had belonged to Mr. 
 Georo:e Ross. Mav I ask the favor of vou to in- 
 quire about it, and favor me with your opinion about 
 the purchase of it ? I shall probably come to Amer- 
 ica in the summer, if the empress does not invite me 
 to return to Russia before the opening of the next 
 campaign ; a thing I do not expect." 
 
 Jones w^ent to England, as has been mentioned, 
 to make his arrangements with Dr. Bancroft, and 
 returned to Paris the same spring. He had been 
 expected in that city early in the winter, as appears 
 by a letter to him from Mr. Short, United States 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 369 
 
 consul at the court of France, to whom he had 
 Avritten in relation to the medal, and, as it would 
 seem, to the feasibility of having a series struck, 
 commemorating his victories It also ajDpears by 
 this letter that M. Grand, Jones' banker in Paris, 
 had no money belonging to him in his hands at this 
 time; which corroborates the belief that he visited 
 Enirland from necessity. 
 
 The first letter from Paris, among his papers, is 
 to M. Genet, who remained at the Eussian court 
 after Count Segur had left it. It is dated June 1st. 
 
 *' As I arrived here," he says, " only a few days 
 ao-o from Holland and Eno^land, I have not yet had 
 the pleasure to see your sister. I hope to have the 
 honor very soon, and will deliver to her my bust, as 
 a mark of personal regard towards your father and 
 yourself. M. de Simolin does me the honor to for- 
 ward this letter to you. I have shown him proof 
 that, if I have not sought to avenge myself of the 
 unjust and cruel treatment I met with in Eussia, my 
 forbearance has been only the result of my delicate 
 attachment towards the empress." "You will 
 oblio*e me by inquiring at the cabinet, and demand- 
 ing the appointments due to me for the current 
 year, which ends the 1st of July, agreeably to the 
 promise of the empress, communicated to me by the 
 Counts de Bruce and Besborodko. I wish to have 
 that money immediately transmitted to me." 
 
 The following letter to his sister, Mrs. Taylor, is 
 one of the few documents which remain to be inserted, 
 that can be read without painful associations. The 
 24 
 
370 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 last enemy with whom all men have to contend, and 
 to whom they must all yield up their earthly pos- 
 sessions, hopes, and dreams, had already effected 
 a lodgrment in the constitution of Jones ; and the 
 period of action was closed for him. Disappoint- 
 ment from many quarters embittered the last two 
 years of his life, and promoted the progress of the 
 disease, or, more properly, the complication of dis- 
 eases, which was hurrying him from a world of rest- 
 lessness and perplexity. 
 
 " Amsterdam, March 26, 1790. 
 
 " I wrote you, my dear friend, from Paris, by 
 Mr. Kennedy, who delivered me the kind letter you 
 wrote me by him. Circumstances obliged me to re- 
 turn soon afterwards to America, and on my arrival 
 in New York Mr. Thomson delivered me a letter 
 that had been intrusted to his care by Mrs. Loudon. 
 It would be superfluous to mention the great satis- 
 faction I received in hearing from two persons I so 
 much love and esteem, and whose worthy conduct 
 as wives and mothers is so respectable in my eyes. 
 Since my return to Europe a train of circumstances 
 and changes of residence have combined to keep me 
 silent. This has given me more pain than I can ex- 
 press, for I have a tender regard for you both, and 
 nothino^ can be indifferent to me that re2:ards your 
 happiness and the welfare of your children. I wish 
 for a particular detail of their age, respective 
 talents, characters, and education. I do not desire 
 this information merely from curiosity. It would 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 37^ 
 
 afford me real satisfaction to be useful to their 
 establishment in life. We must study the genius 
 and inclination of the boys, and try to fit them, by 
 a suitable education, for the pursuits we may be 
 able to adopt for their advantage. When their' edu- 
 cation shall be advanced to a proper stage, at the 
 school of Dumfries, for instance, it must then be de- 
 termined whether it may be most economical and 
 advantageous for them to go to Edinburgh or France 
 to finish their studies. All this is supposing them 
 to have great natural genius and goodness of dispo- 
 sition, for without these they can never become 
 eminent. For the females, they require an educa- 
 tion suited to the delicacy of character that is be- 
 coming in their sex. I wish I had a fortune to 
 offer to each of them ; but though this is not the 
 case, I may yet be useful to them. And I desire 
 particularly to be useful to the two young women 
 who have a double claim on my regard, as they 
 have lost their father. Present my kind compli- 
 ments to Mrs. Loudon, to her husband, to Mr. Taylor, 
 and your two families, and depend upon my affec- 
 tionate attachment. 
 
 " Write me without delay, and having sealed and 
 directed your letter as you did the one you sent me 
 by Mr. Kennedy, let it be enclosed in a cover, and 
 direct the cover thus : ' To Messieurs Stophorst and 
 Hubbard, Amsterdam.' You will inquire if it be 
 necessary to pay a part of the postage, in order that 
 the letter may be sent to Holland in the packet. I 
 should be glad if the two Miss Youngs would do me 
 
372 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the favor to write me each a paragraph in your 
 letter, or to write to me, if they prefer it, each a 
 separate letter, and I should be glad to find that 
 they understand and can write French." 
 
 On the 24:th of July, 1790, he wrote to Prince 
 Potemkin, recalling his promises and the ilattering 
 words of the empress. 
 
 Early the next 3^ear, 1791, he again memorialized 
 the empress, having, for aught that appears to the 
 contrary, heard nothing directly or indirectly from 
 Potemkin, and having been cheered with no intima- 
 tion from the empress that she had read his journals 
 and justificatory papers, or held him in remem- 
 brance as an officer subject to her orders. 
 
 To several letters written by him at the close of 
 February, in which he seems to have had a respite 
 from the immediate effects of his malady, it is 
 merely necessary to allude. The United States 
 having named a vice-consul for the port of Mar- 
 seilles, and the appointment of other functionaries 
 for commercial purposes in different European ports 
 being expected, he offered to his banker in Paris 
 (M. Grand) his good offices with the United States' 
 Secretary of Legation, Mr. Short, to procure him 
 such a situation which he seemed desirous of obtain- 
 in o- ; and to the latter gentleman he wrote recom- 
 mending M. Keissen, a merchant of Amsterdam, and 
 friend of his, to be nominated as consul for that 
 port. He also recommended the appointment of a 
 commercial agent at Elsineur. He says in the con- 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 373 
 
 elusion of this letter : ^ I called the other dav on 
 M. Dupres, who informed me that Mr. Jefferson had 
 taken from him the dies of my medal, after three 
 examples only had been struck. Pray are the dies 
 in your possession, or are they carried to America? 
 Accept my compliments on your success, and on the 
 credit of your country. But I am still of opinion 
 that a loan may be made at less than five per cent.' 
 He inclosed his vindicatory papers in relation to the 
 Russian campaign, to the Hon. AYilliam Carmichael, 
 who was in a diplomatic capacity at Madrid. He 
 says : " You will judge how unfortunate I was in 
 having to do with the greatest knight of industry 
 under the sun : an enemy the more dangerous as his 
 ignorance, which has since appeared in such glaring 
 colors to all Europe, had put me off my guard. 
 Soon after I left Russia I sent to the empress my 
 journal of the important campaign 1 commanded on 
 the Liman, and before Oczakow ; but it contained 
 such damning proofs against my enemies that it has 
 undoubtedly been intercepted. As a sure occasion 
 offers, I shall write again next month ; and my 
 letter will contain m}^ resignation, in case I receive 
 DO immediate satisfaction." 
 
 The last letter preserved, in which he indicates a 
 wish to cling to his Russian engagements, is one to 
 the Baron de Grimm, who was then at Bourbon le 
 Bair, and which is dated July 9th, 1791. 
 
 The empress replied to a letter from Grimm com- 
 municating the admiral's suggestions ; she men- 
 
374 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 tioned that there was a prospect of peace, and inti- 
 mated that if she should have occasion for the services 
 of Jones she would communicate directly with him, 
 without the necessity of the baron's intervention. 
 
 From this time the symptoms of Jones rapidly 
 grew alarming and unequivocal. He was seized 
 with jaundice, to which dropsy succeeded, and died 
 on the 18th of July, 1792. The following letters 
 of M. Beaupoil and Colonel Blackden to the sisters 
 of the rear-admiral, furnish the best account of his 
 last moments and the manner of his death : 
 
 " Madam, — I am sorry to acquaint you that your 
 brother, Admiral Paul Jones, my friend, paid yes- 
 terday the debt we all owe to nature. He has made 
 a will, which is deposited in the hands of Mr. 
 Badinier, notary, St. Servin Street, Paris. 'The will 
 was drawn in English by Mr. Gouverneur Morris, 
 minister of the United States, and translated faith- 
 fully by the French notary aforesaid. The admiral 
 leaves his property, real and personal, to his two 
 sisters and their children. They are named in the 
 will as being married, one to William Taylor, and 
 
 the other to Loudon, of Dumfries. The executor 
 
 is Mr. Kobert Morris of Philadelphia. If I could 
 be of any service to you in this business, out of the 
 friendship I bore your brother, I would do it with 
 pleasure. I am a Frenchman and an officer. I am 
 
 sincerely yours, 
 
 " Beaupoil. 
 •• Paris, July 19, 1793, No. 7, Hotel Anglais. 
 '* Passage des P^tis Pferes. 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 375 
 
 " The English will is signed by Colonels Swan, 
 Blackden, and myself. The schedule of his prop- 
 erty lying in Denmark, Eussia, France, America, 
 and elsewhere, is signed by Mr. Morris, and de- 
 posited by me in his bureau, with the original will. 
 Everything is sealed up at his lodgings, Tournon 
 Street, No. 42, Paris. 
 
 " You may also depend on the good services of 
 Colonel Blackden, who was an intimate friend of 
 the admiral's. That gentleman is setting out for 
 London, where you may hear of him at No. 18, 
 Great Tichfield Street, London." 
 
 " London, August 9th, 1Y92. 
 
 "Madam,— I had the honor of receiving your 
 letter of the 3d instant, and shall answer you most 
 readily. Your brother, Admiral Jones, was not in 
 good health for about a year, but had not been so 
 unwell as to keep house. For two months past he 
 began to lose his appetite, to grow yellow, and 
 show signs of the jaundice ; for this he took medi- 
 cine, and seemed to grow better; but about ten 
 days before his death his legs began to swell, which 
 increased upwards, so that two days before his exit 
 he could not button his waistcoat, and had great 
 difficulty of breathing. 
 
 " I visited him every day, and, beginning to be 
 apprehensive of his danger, desired him to settle his 
 affairs ; but this he put off till the afternoon of his 
 death, when he was prevailed on to send for a 
 notaire, and made his will. Mr. Beaupoil and my- 
 
376 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 self witnessed it at about eight o'clock iu the even* 
 ing, and left him sitting in a chair. A few minutes 
 after we retired, he walked into his chamber, and 
 laid himself upon his face, on the bedside, with his 
 feet on the floor ; after the queen's physician ar- 
 rived they went into the room, and found him in 
 that position, and upon taking him up, they found 
 that he had expired. 
 
 " His disorder had terminated in dropsy of the 
 breast. His body was put into a leaden coffin on 
 the 20th, that in case the United States, whom he 
 had so essentially served, and with so much honor 
 to himself, should claim his remains, they might be 
 more easily removed. This is all, Madam, that I 
 can say concerning his illness and death. 
 
 " I most sincerely condole with j^ou. Madam, upon 
 the loss of my dear and respectable friend, for 
 whom I entertained the greatest affection, and as a 
 proof of it, you may command the utmost exertion 
 of my feeble abilities, which shall be rendered with 
 cheerfulness. I have the honor to be, Madam, your 
 most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 " S. Blackden." 
 
 It will be seen from these letters that though 
 suffering so severely from bodily affliction, and no 
 doubt equally from mental restlessness and dis- 
 quietude, Jones did not die without the sympathy 
 and succor of respectable friends, nor in obscurity 
 and actual want, as has been surmised, and indeed 
 stated, in some notices of his life. The credentials 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 377 
 
 of his excellency Gouverneur Morris, as minister 
 plenipotentiary to the court of France, had been 
 forwarded to him from America in the latter end of 
 January preceding, at which time, it is inferred 
 from a letter of Mr. Jefferson to him, he was not in 
 Paris. AYith him, therefore, Jones could not have 
 had a long intercourse ; but it is known that, though 
 he was not present at the rear-admiral's funeral, the 
 ambassador showed him every attention, and it 
 appears from his attest to a schedule that he was 
 with him on the day before his death. 
 
 One ray of brightness might have gilded the 
 gloom which overhung the latter days of Jones' 
 life ; but there is little reason to believe that he was 
 cheered by beholding it. He might have learned 
 that the United States had yet business for him to 
 execute, in which the feelings of our citizens were 
 deeply enlisted ; and the management of which, in 
 the opinion of government, required both dexterity 
 and energy. It was a business too in relation to 
 which he had for several years expressed his ardent 
 desire to be useful. But the mission came too late. 
 On the 1st of June Mr. Jefferson wrote to him 
 from Philadelpha, informing him that the President 
 had thought proper to appoint him commissioner 
 for treating with the Dey and government of 
 Algiers on the subjects of peace and ransom of 
 American captives remaining in the power of that 
 regency. A knowledge of the appointment was to 
 rest with the President, Mr. Pinckney, who had just 
 been appointed minister to England, and Mr. Jef- 
 
378 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 ferson. The secret instructions given in the letter 
 are of much interest. 
 
 The national assembly paid his memory the honor 
 of sending a deputation of twelve of their body to 
 attend the funeral. He was buried at Paris on the 
 20th of July. 
 
 " Testament of Paul Jones, 18th July, 1792. 
 
 "Before the undersigned notaries, at Paris, ap- 
 peared Mr. John Paul Jones, citizen of the United 
 States of America, resident at present in Paris, 
 lodged in the Street of Tournon, No. 42, at the 
 house of M. Dorberque, hidssier audiancier of the 
 tribunal of the third arrondissement, found in a 
 parlor in the first story above the floor, lighted by 
 two windows opening on the said Street of Tournon, 
 sitting in an armchair, sick of body, but sound of 
 mind, memory, and understanding, as it appeared 
 to the undersigned notaries by his discourse and 
 conversation, — 
 
 " Who, in view of death, has made, dictated, and 
 worded, to the undersigned notaries, his testament 
 as follows : 
 
 " I give and bequeath all the goods, as well mov- 
 able as heritable, and all, generally, whatever may 
 appertain to me at my decease, in whatever countr}^ 
 they may be situated, to my two sisters, Janette, 
 spouse to William Taylor, and Mary, wife to Mr. 
 Loudon, and to the children of my said sisters, to 
 divide them into as many portions as my said 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 379 
 
 sisters and their children shall make up individuals, 
 and to be enjoyed by them in the following man- 
 ner : 
 
 '' My sisters, and those of their children who, on 
 the day of my death, shall have reached the age of 
 twenty-one, will enjoy their share in full property 
 from the date of decease. As for those of my 
 nephews and nieces w^ho at that period of time may 
 not reach the age of twenty-one years, their 
 mothers w^ill enjoy their shares till such time as 
 they attain that said age, with charge to them to 
 provide for their food, maintenance, and education ; 
 and as soon as any of my nephews or nieces will 
 have reached the age of twenty-one years, the same 
 will enjoy his share in full property. 
 
 " If one or more of my nephews and nieces should 
 happen to die without children before having 
 reached the age of twenty- one, the share of those of 
 them w^ho may have deceased shall be divided be- 
 twixt my said sisters and my other nephews and 
 nieces by equal portions. 
 
 " I name the Honorable Kobert Morris, Esq., of 
 Philadelphia, my only testamentary executor. 
 
 " I revoke all other testaments or codicils which 
 I may have made before the present, which alone I 
 stand by as containing my last will. 
 
 " So made, dictated, and worded, by said testator, 
 to the said notaries undersigned, and afterwards 
 read, and read over again to him by one of them, 
 the other being present, which he well understood, 
 and persevered in, at Paris, the year 1792. the 18th 
 
380 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 July, about five o'clock afternoon, in the room here- 
 tofore described, and the said testator signed the 
 original of the present, unregistered, at Paris, the 
 25th September, 1792, by Defrance, who received 
 one livre, provisionally, save to determine defini- 
 tively the right after the declaration of the revenue 
 of the testator. The original remained with Mr. 
 Pottier, one of the notaries at Paris, undersigned, 
 who delivered these presents this day, 26th Sep- 
 tember, 1792, first of the French republic. 
 
 a PoTTIEE. 
 
 (Signed) " L'Avernier." 
 
 *' Schedule of the property of Admiral John Paul 
 Jones, as stated by him to me this 18th of July, 
 1792. 
 
 " 1. Bank stock in the Bank of l!^orth America, 
 at Philadelphia, six thousand dollars, wath sundry 
 dividends. 
 
 " 2. Loan-Office certificate left with my friend 
 Mr. Eoss, of Philadelphia, for two thousand dollars, 
 at par, with great arrearages of interest, being for 
 ten or twelve years. 
 
 " 3. Such balance as may be in the hands of my 
 said friend John Koss, belonging to me, and sundry 
 effects left in his care. 
 
 " 4. Mv lands in the state of Vermont. 
 
 " 5. Shares in the Ohio Company. 
 
 " 6. Shares in the Indiana Company. 
 
 " 7. About 1,800 pounds sterling due to me from 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 381 
 
 Edward Bancroft, unless paid by him to SirKobert 
 Herries, and is then in his hands. 
 
 " 8. Upwards of four 3^ears of my pension due 
 from Denmark, to be asked from the Count de 
 Bernstorf. 
 
 '' 9. Arrearages of my pay from the empress of 
 Russia, and all my prize money. 
 
 " 10. The balance due to me by the United States 
 of America, of sundry claims in Europe, which will 
 appear from my papers. 
 
 " This is taken from his mouth. 
 
 " GOUVERNEUR MoRRIS." 
 
 Several papers and vouchers, nominally for a con- 
 siderable value, were certified by Mr. Robert Hyslop, 
 of Xew York, in 1797, to have been left in his hands, 
 " belono^ino: to the estate of the late Commodore 
 Jones." The value of most of them, it would seem 
 from the inven-tory, was merely nominal, so far as 
 money could be recovered upon them. 
 
 Whatever claim Jones might have had upon this 
 government, none has ever been urged since the 
 partial settlement of his accounts in 1787, of which 
 his correspondence and the accompanying docu- 
 ments make any mention. His representatives were 
 more fortunate, in obtaining a partial payment from 
 France. His sister, Mrs. Taylor, set out from Scot- 
 land for Paris, in the month of October next after 
 his death, and after some adventures almost roman- 
 tic, succeeded in obtaining shelter, and an introduc- 
 tion which enabled her to appear in person before 
 
382 LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 
 
 the national assembly and present her claim. Pay- 
 ment was ordered ; but she was obliged to escape 
 and find her way home through tumult and danger 
 after all her acquaintances had left the capital, be- 
 fore she received the whole amount. She was in the 
 city when Louis XYI. suffered, a spectacle her 
 brother was spared from witnessing. His remains 
 moldered quietly in the spot where they were de- 
 posited, while the storms of revolution roared over 
 them unheard. 
 
 His papers were among the articles belonging to 
 him which Mrs. Taylor was enabled to secure. 
 Three days after she left Paris, Mr. White, Maitre 
 d'Hotel Anglais, with whom she had lodged, was 
 arrested and his effects were seized. 
 
 In the personal appearance of Paul Jones there 
 was nothing, if we may credit the statement of those 
 who remember him, and among these, of ladies, 
 who are perhaps the best judges ; nor is there any- 
 thing in the busts or pictures taken of him that 
 would have particularly attracted attention. He 
 was of the middle size, if not rather under ; natu- 
 rally active in body, and capable of undergoing much 
 fatigue, as is evident from the record of his life. 
 His bust, by Houdon, of which several copies remain 
 in this country, is believed to be the best representa- 
 tion of his features ever made. Their character is 
 that of decision and self-will. 
 
 He was precisely one of those men whom America 
 wanted, and whom Providence in its wisdom raised 
 up for the exigency. The very defects of his educa- 
 
THE GRATITUDE OF KINGS. 383 
 
 tion, and even of his temper, were advantages to a 
 cause where positive energy was invoked. He must 
 and will be honored among the foremost patriots 
 whose services in battle the people of this republic 
 are bound to hold in hallowed remembrance. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 JS^o I. 
 
 The following letter, addressed to the Honorable 
 Robert Morris, is published entire because it com- 
 prehends the substance, and in many instances the 
 literal expressions of Jones, in several other letters 
 private and oflBcial, relating to his own opinion of 
 what should be the organization of the navy ; and 
 giving a history of the difficulties which arose in 
 the infant fleet of the countrj^, concerning rank. 
 
 " Philadelphia, October 10th, 1783. 
 « Sir,— 
 
 " It is the custom of nations on the return of peace 
 to honor, promote and reward such officers as have 
 served through the war with the greatest 'zeal, 
 prudence and intrepidity.' And since my country 
 has, after an eight-years' war, attained the inesti- 
 mable blessing of peace and the sovereignty of an ex- 
 tensive empire ; I presume that (as I have constantly 
 and faithfully served through the Revolution, and 
 at the same time supported it, in a degree, with my 
 purse), 1 may be allowed to lay m}^ grievances be- 
 fore you, as the head of the marine. I will hope, 
 25 385 
 
386 APPENDIX. • 
 
 sir, through you, to meet with redress from Con- 
 gress. Kank, which opens the door to glory, is too 
 near the heart of every oflBcer of true military feel- 
 ing to be given up in favor of any other man who 
 has not, by the achievement of some brilliant action, 
 or by known and superior abilities, merited such 
 preference. If this be so, how must I have felt, 
 since, by the second table of captains in the navy, 
 adopted by Congress on the 10th of October, 1776, 
 I was superseded in favor of thirteen persons, two 
 of whom were my junior lieutenants at the begin- 
 ning ; the rest were only commissioned into the con- 
 tinental navy on that day ; and if they had any 
 superior abilities these were not then known, nor 
 have since been proved ! I am the oldest sea offi- 
 cer (except Captain Whipple) on the Journal, and 
 under the commission of Congress, remaining in the 
 service. In the year 1775, when the navy was 
 established, some of the gentlemen by whom I was 
 superseded were applied to to embark in the first 
 expedition ; but they declined. Captain Whipple 
 has often and lately told me that they said to him, 
 * they did not choose to be hanged.' It is certain 
 the hazard at the first was very great ; and some 
 respectable gentlemen, by whom I am superseded, 
 accepted the appointments of captain and lieutenant 
 of a provincial vessel for the protection of the river, 
 after our fleet had sailed from it ; and on board of 
 which they had refused to embark, though I pre- 
 tend not to know their reason. But the face of 
 aifairs having changed, as we ripened into the Dec- 
 
APPENDIX. 387 
 
 laration of Independence in 1776, their apprehen- 
 sions subsided ; and in a letter I received from 
 the late Mr. Joseph Ilewes, of Congress, and of the 
 marine committee, dated at Philadelphia, Ma}^ the 
 26th, 1776, and directed to me as captain of the Prov- 
 idence at New York, he says : ' You would be 
 surprised to hear what a vast number of applications 
 are continually making for officers of the new frig- 
 ates, especially for the command. The strong recom- 
 mendations from those provinces where any frig- 
 ates are building have great weight.' 
 
 " He adds : ' My utmost endeavors shall be exerted 
 to serve you; from a conviction that your merit 
 entitles you to promotion, and that you ought to 
 command some who were placed higher than your- 
 self.' I ask, sir, did these ' recommendations ' 
 plead more successful than the merit of all the gal- 
 lant men who first braved the ocean in the cause of 
 America ? Your candor must answer, Yes. What 
 hapless prospect then have those who can only claim 
 from past, though applauded, services ? Credit, 
 it is alleged, has been, however, taken in this Eevo- 
 lution for ' unparalleled heroism.' I am sorry for 
 it ; for great as our pretensions to heroism may be, 
 yet modesty becomes 3^oung nations as well as young 
 men. But the first beginning of our navy was, as 
 navies now rank, so singularly small that I am of 
 opinion it has no precedent in history. Was it a 
 proof of madness in the first corps of sea officers to 
 have, at so critical a period, launched out on the 
 ocean, with only two armed merchant ships, two 
 
388 APPENDIX. 
 
 armed brigantines, and one armed sloop, to make 
 war against such a power as Great Britain ? They 
 had, perhaps, in proportion to their number, as 
 much sense as the present table of officers can boast 
 of ; and it has not yet been proved that they did 
 not understand at least as well their duty. 
 
 " Their first expedition was far more glorious than 
 any other that has been since attempted from our 
 coast. Every officer on that service merited pro- 
 motion, who was capable of receiving it. And, if 
 there was an improper man placed over them as 
 commander-in-chief, was that a reason to slio^ht or 
 disgrace the whole corps ? Has the subsequent mil- 
 itary conduct of those officers, by whom the first 
 corps of sea officers were superseded, justified the 
 preference they had to command the new frigates ? 
 If it has not, what shall we say in favor of the prece- 
 dence, which, ^ Eepugnant to an Act of Congress, 
 of the 22d of December, 1YY5,' and contrary to all 
 rule or example, was given them in the second table 
 of naval rank, adopted the 10th of October, 1776 ? 
 Could anything have been more humiliating than 
 this to sea officers appointed and commissioned in 
 1775? Would it not have been more kind to have 
 dismissed them from the service, even without as- 
 signing a reason for so doing ? Before any second 
 arrangement of naval rank had been made, perhaps 
 it would have been good policy to have commissioned 
 five or seven old mariners, who had seen war, to have 
 examined the qualifications of the candidates, espe- 
 cially, those who made their conditions and sought 
 
APPENDIX. 389 
 
 SO earnestly after command of the new frigates. 
 Those commissioners might also have examined the 
 qualifications of the first corps of sea officers, pro- 
 moted such as were capable of it, and struck from 
 the list such as were unequal to the commission 
 they bore, etc. Thus, by giving precedence in rank 
 to all the captains who had served and were thought 
 worthy of being continued ; and also to all lieuten- 
 ants promoted to the rank of captains, for their 
 meritorious services and fit qualifications, justice 
 mio'ht have been done both to individuals and to 
 the public. It has been said, with a degree of con- 
 tempt, by some of the gentlemen who came into the 
 continental navy the second year of the war, that 
 ' I was only a lieutenant at the beginning ; ' and 
 pray, what were they when I was out on the ocean 
 in that character ? They pay me a compliment. 
 To be diffident is not always a proof of ignorance, 
 but sometimes the contrary. I was offered a cap- 
 tain's commission at the first, to command the Prov- 
 idence, but declined it. Let it, however, be re- 
 membered that there were three grades of sea 
 lieutenants established by the Act of Congress of 
 the 22d of December. 1775 ; and as I had the honor 
 to be placed at the head of the first of those grades, 
 it is not quite fair in those gentlemen to confound 
 me with the last ; yet, when I came to try my skill, 
 I am not ashamed to own, I did not find myself per- 
 fect in the duties of a first lieutenant. However, I 
 by no means admit that any one of the gentlemen 
 who so earnestly sought after rank and the com- 
 
390 APPENDIX. ( 
 
 mand of the new frigates the next year was at the 
 beginning able to teach me any part of the duty of 
 a sea officer. Since that time, it is well known, there 
 has been no comparison between their means of 
 acquiring military marine knowledge and mine. 
 
 " If midnight stud}^, and the instruction of the 
 greatest and most learned sea officers, can give me 
 advantages, I am not Avithout them. I confess, 
 however, I am yet to learn. It is the work of many 
 years' stud}^ and experience to acquire the high de- 
 gree of science necessary for a great sea officer. 
 Cruising after merchant ships, the service on which 
 our frigates have generally been employed, affords, 
 I may say, no part of the knowledge necessary for 
 conducting fleets and their operations. There is 
 now, perhaps, as much difference between a single 
 battle between two ships, and an engagement be- 
 tween two fleets, as there is between a single duel 
 and a ranged battle between two armies. I became 
 captain by right of service and succession, and by 
 order and commission of his excellency Ezek. Hop- 
 kins, Esq., commander-in-chief, the lOthday of May, 
 1776, at which time the captain of the Providence 
 was broke and dismissed from the navv by a court- 
 martial. Having arrived at Philadelphia with a 
 little convov from Boston, soon after the Declaration 
 of Independence, President Hancock gave me a 
 captain's commission under the United States, dated 
 the 8th day of August, 1776. I did not at the time 
 think this was doing me justice ; as it did not cor- 
 respond with the date of my appointment by the 
 
APPENDIX. 391 
 
 commander-in-chief. It was, however, I presumed, 
 the first naval commission granted under the United 
 States. And as a resolution of Congress had been 
 passed the ITth day of April, 1776, ' that the nomi- 
 nation of captains shoukl not determine rank, which 
 was to be settled before commissions were granted.' 
 My commission of the 8th of August, 1776, must, by 
 that resolution, take rank of every commission dated 
 the 10th of October, 1776. My duty brought me 
 again to Philadelphia in April, 1777 ; and President 
 Hancock then told me that new naval commissions 
 were ordered to be distributed to the officers. 
 
 " He requested me to show him the captain's com- 
 mission he hadHven me the vear before. I did so. 
 He then desired me to leave it with him a day or two, 
 till he could find a leisure moment to fill up a new 
 commission. I made no difficulty. When I waited 
 on him the day before my departure, to my great sur- 
 prise, he put into my hands a commission dated the 
 10th day of October, 1776, and numbered eighteen 
 on the margin ! I told him that was not w^hat 1 
 expected, and requested my former commission. 
 He turned over various papers on the table, and at 
 last told me he w^as sorry to have lost or mislaid it. 
 He paid me many compliments on the services I had 
 performed in vessels of little force, and assured me 
 no officer stood higher in the opinion of Congress 
 than myself ; a proof of which, he said, was my late 
 appointment to the command of secret expeditions, 
 with five sail and men proportioned, against St, 
 Kitts, Pensacola, Augustine, etc. That the table of 
 
392 APPENDIX. 
 
 naval rank that had been adopted the 10th of Oc- 
 tober, 1776, had been drawn up in a hurry, and 
 without well knowing the different merits and qual- 
 ifications of the officers ; but it was the intention of 
 Congress to render impartial justice, and always to 
 honor, promote, and reward merit. And as to my- 
 self, that I might depend on receiving a very agree- 
 able appointment soon after my return to Boston ; 
 and, until I was perfectly satisfied respecting my 
 rank, I should ha.ve a separate command. I returned 
 to Boston, and it was not long before I received 
 orders to proceed to Europe to command the great 
 friofate buildino: at Amsterdam, for the United 
 States ; then called the Indien, and since the South 
 Carolina. It was proposed that I should proceed to 
 France in a ship belonging to that kingdom ; but, 
 some difficulties arising, the sloop of war Hanger, of 
 eighteen guns, was put under ray command for that 
 service, and to serve afterwards as a tender to the 
 Indien. Political reasons defeated the plan, after I 
 had met our commissioners at Paris agreeable to 
 their order, to consult on the ways and means of 
 carrying it into execution. I returned in con- 
 sequence to Nantes, and reassumed command of the 
 Panger. When I returned from Europe and my 
 sovereis^n told the world that some of mv militarv 
 conduct on the coast of Enoland had been ' attended 
 with circumstances so brilliant as to excite general 
 applause and admiration ; ' when the honors con- 
 ferred on me by his most Christian Majesty ; to wit, 
 a gold sword, on which is impressed the highly 
 
APPENDIX. 393 
 
 flattering words, ' Yindlcati Maris Ludoviciis 
 XVL Remunerator Strenuo Vindici,^ and emblems 
 of the alliance between the United States and 
 France, accompanied with the order and patent of 
 military merit, and a very strong and particular 
 letter of recommendation to Congress in my behalf, 
 were declared by them to be ' highly acceptable ' ; 
 when I was thought worthy of a vote of thanks and 
 general approbation, I was far from thinking that 
 such pleasing expressions were all the gratification 
 I had to expect. The committee of Congress to 
 whom was referred my general examination by 
 the Board of Admiralty, with the report of 
 that board thereon, were of opinion that I had 
 merited a gold medal, with devices declarative of 
 the vote of thanks which I had received from the 
 United States in Congress assembled. And I was 
 persuaded that I should also be promoted, or at 
 least restored to the place I held in the naval line of 
 rank in the year 1775. I waited patiently for some 
 time ; but nothing was done on either of these sub- 
 jects. Being informed by some members of Con- 
 gress that it was necessary I should present my claim 
 respecting rank, in writing, I did so in a letter ad- 
 dressed to his excellency the President of Congress, 
 the 28th of May, 1781. My application was referred 
 to a special committee, who, as I have been informed 
 by one of its members, made a report in my favor, 
 and gave as their opinion that 1 had merited to be 
 promoted to the rank of rear-admiral. Before Con- 
 gress had taken up the report an application in op- 
 
39i APPENDIX. 
 
 position to me was made by two of the captains 
 who had superseded me. Upon this the report was 
 recommitted. The committee once more reported 
 in my favor ; but without giving a direct opinion 
 respecting my promotion ; and recommended the 
 appointment of a commander-in-chief of the navy, 
 as may be seen by that report ; which, on account 
 of the thinness of Congress, was on the 24th of 
 August, 1781, indorsed ']^ot to be acted upon.' 
 It is, however, plain it was intended to be taken up 
 again when a proper opportunity presented itself ; 
 otherwise it would not have been retained on the 
 files of Congress. This appears also by the extract 
 of a letter which I wrote from I^ew Hampshire, and 
 the answer that I received from the Honorable John 
 Matthews, Esq., who was chairman of the committee 
 respecting the honorary medal, and a member of 
 the committee on my rank. While my claim for 
 rank stood recommitted before the committee, I was 
 unanimously elected by ballot in Congress, the 26th 
 of June, 1781, to command the America of 74r guns 
 (and, as I was erroneously informed, ready to launch 
 at Portsmouth) ; on which occasion several of the 
 members of Congress told me as their opinion that 
 my rank was thereby settled beyond a dispute ; be- 
 cause the America was the only ship in the service 
 ' of 40 guns and upwards ; ' and Congress had re- 
 solved that captains of ships of 40 guns and upwards 
 should rank as colonels, and captains of ships be- 
 tween 20 and 40 guns as lieutenant-colonels. There 
 appeared so much reason and justice in that opinion 
 
APPENDIX. 395 
 
 that I was then and am still inclined to believe it 
 was not without good foundation ; for certainly 
 there is no comparison between the trust reposed 
 in a captain of the line and a captain of a frigate ; 
 and, except in England, where avarice is the ruling 
 principle of the corps, there is no equality between 
 their distinct ranks. A captain of the line must at 
 this day be a tactician. A captain of a cruising 
 frigate may make shift without ever having heard 
 of the naval tactic. Until I arrived in France, and 
 became acquainted with that great tactician Count 
 de Orvilliers and his judicious assistant the Chevalier 
 Dm Pavillion, who each of them honored me with 
 instructions respecting the science of governing the 
 operations and police of a fleet, I confess I was 
 not sensible how ignorant I had been of naval 
 tactics. 
 
 " I have many things to offer respecting the forma- 
 tion of our navy, but shall reserve my observations 
 upon that head until you shall have leisure to attend 
 to them and require them of me. I have had the honor 
 to be presented with copies of the signals, tactics, 
 and police, that have been adopted under the different 
 admirals of France and Spain during the war ; and I 
 have in my last campaign seen them put in practise. 
 While I was at Brest, as well as while I was inspect- 
 ing the building of the America, as I had furnished 
 myself with good authors, I applied much of my 
 leisure time to the study of naval architecture and 
 other matters, that relate to the establishment and 
 police of dockyards, etc. (I, however, feel myself 
 
396 APPENDIX. 
 
 bound to say again, I have yet much need to be in. 
 structed.) But if, such as I am, it is thought I can 
 be useful in the formation of the future marine of 
 America, make my whole honor, and I am so truly 
 a citizen of the United States that I will cheerfully 
 do my best to eifect that great object. It was my 
 fortune, as the senior of the first lieutenants, to 
 hoist the flag of America the first time it was dis- 
 played. Though this was but a light circumstance, 
 yet I feel for its honor more than I think I should 
 have done if it had not happened. I drew my sword 
 at the beginning, not after having made sinister 
 conditions, but purely from principle in the glorious 
 cause of freedom ; which I hope has been amply 
 evinced by my conduct during the Revolution. 1 hope 
 I shall be pardoned in sa^ang it will not be expected, 
 after having fought and bled for the purpose of 
 contributing to make millions happy and free, that 
 I should remain miserable and dishonored bv beino: 
 superseded without an}^ just cause assigned. Permit 
 me now, sir, to draw your particular attention to 
 the following points : 1st, By virtue of my commis- 
 sion as the senior of the first lieutenants of the 
 American navy, I stand next in rank to Captain 
 Abraham Whipple, who is the only one of my senior 
 oiRcers now remainino: in the service. 2dlv, Bv- 
 the commission as captain under the United States, 
 which 1 received from the hands of President Han- 
 cock at the door of the chamber of Congress, dated 
 the 8th day of August, 1776, I am entitled to pre- 
 cede all the captains whose commissions under the 
 
APPENDIX. 397 
 
 United States are dated the 10th day of October 
 following. Sdly, My right of precedence is confirmed 
 by the Act of Congress of the 26th of June, 1781, 
 appointing me to the command of the America of 
 7-1 guns, Congress having previously resolved that 
 captains of ships of 40 guns and upwards should 
 rank as colonels, and that captains of ships from 40 
 down to 20 guns should rank only as lieutenant- 
 colonels. I will at present say nothing of those 
 pretensions which the favorable notice and recom- 
 mendation of his most Christian Majesty might en- 
 courage me to form, and which have hitherto proved 
 so fruitless to me, though similar recommendations 
 from Congress to that monarch have proved so effi- 
 cacious in favor of those who were honored with 
 them. Though I have only memtioned two tilings 
 that afflict me, i. e., the delay of a decision respecting 
 my rank and the honorary medal, yet I have met 
 with many other humiliations in the service that I 
 have borne in silence. I will just mention one of 
 them. When the America was presented to his 
 most Christian Majesty, I presume it would not have 
 been inconsistent with that act of my sovereign, if 
 it had mentioned my name. Such little attentions to 
 the military pride of officers are always of use to a 
 state, and cost nothing. In the present instance it 
 could have been no displeasing circumstance, but the 
 contrary, to a monarch who condescends to honor me 
 with his attention. I appeal to yourself, sir, whether, 
 after being unanimously elected to command the 
 first and only American ship of the line, my con- 
 
398 APPENDIX. 
 
 duct, for more than sixteen months while inspecting 
 her building and launching, had mei'ited only such 
 cold neglect ? When the America was taken from 
 me, I was deprived of my tenth command. 
 
 " Will posterity believe that out of this number 
 the sloop-of-war Kanger was the best I was ever 
 enabled by my country to bring into actual service ? 
 If I have been instrumental in giving the American 
 flag some reputation and making it respectable 
 among European nations, will 3^ou permit me to say 
 that it is not because I have been honored by my 
 country either with proper means or proper encour- 
 agement. I cannot conclude this letter without re- 
 minding you of the insult offered to the flag of 
 America by the court of Denmark; in giving up 
 to England, towards the end of the year 1779, two 
 large letter-of-marque ships (the one the Union, 
 from London, the other the Betsy, from Liverpool), 
 that had entered the port of Bergen, in I^orway, as 
 my prizes. Those two ships mounted 22 guns each, 
 and were valued, as I have been told, at sixteen hun- 
 dred thousand livres Tournois. I acquit mj^self of 
 my duty by giving you this information, now when 
 the sovereignty and independence of America is ac- 
 knowledged by Great Britain ; and I trust that Con- 
 gress will now demand and obtain proper acknowl- 
 edgments and full restitution from the court of 
 Denmark. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, with the greatest respect, 
 sir, your most obedient and most humble servant, 
 
 " J. Paul Jones." 
 
APPENDIX, 399 
 
 (Copy of a report of a committee on Captain Paul 
 Jones' letter and others. Indorsed " August 2tttb, 
 1781, not to be acted upon.") 
 
 " The committee to whom were referred the ap- 
 plication of Captain John Paul Jones ; and also the 
 applications of Captain James Nicholson and Cap- 
 tain Thomas Reed, beg leave to report, 
 
 " That by an arrangement of the captains of the 
 navy which was adopted by Congress on the tenth 
 day of October, a. d. 177G, Captain James Nichol- 
 son was placed first in rank, Captain Thomas Reed 
 eighth, and Captain John Paul Jones the eighteenth. 
 
 "The committee cannot fully ascertain the rule 
 by which that arrangement was made, as the relative 
 rank was not conformable to the times of appoint- 
 ment or dates of commission, and seems repugnant 
 to a resolution of Congress, of the 22d of December, 
 1775. It appears that Captains Whipple, Barry, 
 Hollock, and Alexander were appointed captains 
 previous to either of the applicants ; Captain Nichol- 
 son was later than either, excepting Reed ; but 
 Captain Nicholson had a command of armed vessels 
 under the authority of the state of Maryland, prior 
 to his being adopted in the continental navy. It is, 
 therefore, to be presumed that preference was given 
 to him on that account. Upon the whole, the com- 
 mittee submit to Congress whether it will be advis- 
 able to alter that arrangement? If they should, 
 Captain Jones will now stand the fifth captain, if 
 respect be had only to times of appointment in that 
 grade ; but if regard be had to Captain Jones' being 
 
400 APPENDIX. 
 
 a lieutenant in the navy prior to the appointment 
 of many of the other gentlemen, he would then stand 
 second in the rank of captains, and Whipple first. 
 
 " The committee also recommend to Congress the 
 expediency of appointing a commander in-chief-of 
 the navy, in the place of the late Ezek. Hopkins, 
 Esq., dismissed." 
 
 No. 11. 
 
 In the early part of the Revolutionary war the 
 maritime flag seems to have been either the coat-of- 
 arms of the respective colonies under whose author- 
 ity vessels were equipped, or to have depended upon 
 the w^him or fancy of the commanding officer. Thus 
 the brig Yankee Hero, of Marblehead, captured, 
 after an obstinate engagement by the Milford frig- 
 ate, bore a pine tree in a white field ; and several 
 fitted out from New York bore a black beaver. 
 
 On the 9th of February, 1776, thirteen months 
 after Manly had been scouring the ocean under the 
 authority of the colony of Massachusetts, " Colonel 
 Gadsden presented to Congress an elegant standard, 
 such as is to be used by the commander-in-chief of 
 the American navy ; being a yellow field with a 
 lively representation of a rattlesnake in the attitude 
 of going to strike, and these words underneath, 
 * Don't tread on me.' " This was doubtless the 
 strano^e flao: of which an En owlish writer of that 
 period speaks in the following words : " A strange 
 
APPENDIX. 401 
 
 flag has lately appeared in our seas, bearing a pine 
 tree with the portraiture of a rattlesnake coiled up 
 at its roots, with these daring words : ' Don't tread 
 on me.' We learn that tlie vessels bearing this flair 
 have a sort of commission from a society of people 
 at Philadelphia, calling themselves the Continental 
 Congress." 
 
 No. III. 
 
 The following letter is without date, and the ad- 
 dress is torn off. It is an interesting fragment. 
 
 "... Count d'Estaing, the king never had a 
 subject who loved him better; who has a nobler 
 mind, or who is a more w^orthy citizen. Though 
 vice-admiral of France (the only officer of that high 
 rank who has served in the late war), he was sent out 
 to America with no more than the command of a Chief 
 d'Escadre ; and from three to four months after I 
 had giv^en the minister of marine the plan of that 
 expedition. I gave the plan the 10th of Februarv, 
 1778. That long and unnecessary delay rendered 
 it scarcely possible for the expedition to succeed. 
 Yet this was no fault of the vice-admiral ; who, on the 
 contrary, deserves the highest praise for his zeal 
 and perseverance. He would have surmounted 
 every difficulty and taken Lord Howe in the road 
 of [N'ew York if a generous sacrifice of his own for- 
 tune, 150,000 liv., could have induced the pilot to 
 
 conduct him over the bar. 
 ?6 
 
402 APPENDIX. 
 
 "The captains who were about him were con- 
 stantly in cabal to frustrate his projects, and never 
 approached him with their advice, but with a re- 
 volting impertinence which is highly culpable in the 
 mouth of subalterns when they speak to their chief. 
 The admiral had proof that those men had done all 
 in their power, by letters to court and otherwise, 
 to ruin him. Carte hlanche was sent him to pun- 
 ish them at his pleasure. But he contented himself 
 with showing them that he was too noble-minded to 
 avail himself of his power. He gave them every 
 opportunity of distinguishing their zeal for their 
 country, and always rendered ample justice to their 
 good character. The taking of Grenada is a mili- 
 tary achievement greater than an\^ other admiral 
 can boast of in the course of the last war ; but if 
 
 Count de G had supported his admiral in the 
 
 engagement with Bj^ron, it would have been the 
 most glorious affair for the flag of France that ever 
 happened. If the admiral did not succeed at Savan- 
 nah, it must be attributed to invincible difficulties. 
 !N"o other man in his place would have succeeded. 
 He had been misinformed respecting the badness of 
 the coast, where his fleet were obliged to remain at 
 anchor far from the land in the open sea, far from 
 every resource of provisions, wood, or water. He 
 had been misinformed respecting the length and shal- 
 lowness of the river, the strength of the place, and the 
 force of the enemy. "When he summoned Savannah 
 to surrender he had not above a fourth part of his 
 troops landed, and he had with him neither mortars 
 
APPENDIX. 403 
 
 nor battering cannon. He found the enemy much 
 stronger than he had expected ; and it was a stratagem 
 of war that might have succeeded ; for he was certain 
 that the enemy did not know that he was not of suffi- 
 cient force to put his threat in execution. No fault 
 can be found with his conduct on that expedition, ex- 
 cept it be said that it was wrong to give the enemy so 
 long time as two days to make his capitulation. 
 But to this it may be answered, that the admiral 
 could not possibly be ready in a shorter time to assault 
 the place, which was so strongly reinforced in the 
 interim that an assault must have failed. A sieofe, 
 therefore, became indispensable. This required 
 much more time ; but there is reason to believe it 
 would have succeeded if the admiral had not been 
 so dangerously wounded when he stormed the place 
 after having made a practicable breach ; for some of 
 the Americans had got possession of a commanding 
 bastion before the retreat was ordered. In war the 
 force must be very superior that can insure success. 
 And even a superior force may fail through circum- 
 stances, without anv reflection on the commander. 
 But Count d'Estaing deserved success ; and he can say 
 what no other man can do who served through all 
 the last 'war : ' He has had no advancement, his 
 wounds are his honors ; and the public esteem his 
 reward.' 
 
 " History says that France has no officer whom 
 England fears so much. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, etc., etc., 
 
 *' Paul Jones," 
 
404 APPENDIX. 
 
 No. lY. 
 
 I find among the papers before me a draft from 
 the board of treasury, dated May 9th, for 181,039 
 livres, 1 sol, and 10 deniers, in favor of Mr. Jefferson, 
 expressed to be for " moneys received by you from 
 the treasury of the marine of the port of L' Orient, 
 on account of prize money due to the frigate Al- 
 liance, and the American officers and sailors em- 
 ployed under your command, conformably to your 
 two receipts of the 18th August, and 5th September, 
 1785, transmitted to the department of foreign 
 affairs, for which payment this shall be your suffi- 
 cient voucher." On the back is Mr. Jefferson's 
 receipt, as follows : " Received from Commodore 
 Paul Jones, one hundred and twelve thousand one 
 hundred and seventy-two livres, two sols, and four 
 deniers, paid by him to Mr. Grand, as the balance 
 of the sum mentioned in the annexed bill of the 
 treasury, according to Commodore Jones' account, 
 to be submitted to Congress. Paris, 12th July, 1786. 
 Th. Jefferson." Jones' account was as follows ; in- 
 dorsed thus in Mr. Jefferson's handwriting: "Paris, 
 in the kingdom of France, to wit : The within- 
 named John Paul Jones made oath before me on 
 the holy evangelists, that his ordinary expenses 
 since his arrival in Europe for the purpose of re- 
 covering the prize money, as within stated, have 
 amounted to forty- seven thousand nine hundred and 
 
APPENDIX. 406 
 
 seventy-two livres, eleven sous tournois. Given 
 under my hand the fifth day of August, 1786. 
 Th. Jefferson." 
 
 " Amount of prize money belonging to the Amer- 
 ican part of the crew of the Bonhomme Eichard 
 (and to some few foreigners, whose names and qual- 
 ities, etc., are inserted in the roll), with the amount, 
 also, of the prize money belonging to the crew of 
 the Alliance ; received at L'Orient, by order of the 
 Mar6chal de Castries, in bills on Paris. 
 
 From which deduct, viz. 
 
 Net amount of my ordinary ex- 
 penses since I arrived in Europe to 
 settle the prize money belonging to 
 the citizens and subjects of Amer- 
 ica, wlio served on board the squad- 
 ron I commanded, under tlie flag of 
 the United States, at the expense of 
 his most Christian Majesty, stated 
 to his excellency Thomas Jefferson, 
 Esq., the 4th of this month, 47,972 11 
 
 Paid the draft of M. le Jeune, for 
 the amount of prize money due to 
 Jacviue Tual, pilot of the Alliance, 670 13 6 
 
 Amount of prize money paid M. 
 de Blondel, lieutenant of marines 
 of the Pallas, as stated on the roll 
 of the Bonhomme Richard. 283 00 
 
 Advances made to sundry per- 
 sons, which stand at my credit on 
 the roll of the Bonhomme Richard, 264 09 6 
 
 Advances made by me to sundry 
 persons belonging to the Bon- 
 homme Richard : those advances 
 do not stand at my credit on the 
 roll settled at L'Orient, by M. le 
 Jeune, because the commissary had 
 neglected to send him the original 
 roll from the bureau at Versailles, 
 
 Livres. S. D. 
 181,039 01 10 
 
406 APPENDIX. 
 
 but the commissary has rectified 
 that omission, by his certificates, 
 dated September 5th, 1785, and 
 February 22d, 1786, ^ 6,385 00 
 
 My share, by the roll, as captain 
 of the Bonhomme Richard, 13,291 5 6 
 
 68,866 19 6 
 
 112,172 2 4 
 " Paul Jones. 
 "Paris, Jt«?2/7, 1786." 
 
 On transmitting his statement of the account to 
 Mr. Jefferson, Jones wrote as follows : 
 
 " I have the honor to enclose and submit to your 
 consideration the account I have stated of the prize 
 money in my hands, with sundry papers that regard 
 the charges, I cannot bring myself to lessen the 
 dividend of the American captors by making any 
 charge either for my time or trouble. I lament 
 that it has not yet been in my power to procure for 
 them advantages as solid and as extensive as the 
 merit of their services. I would not have under- 
 taken this business from any views of private emolu- 
 ment that could possibly have resulted from it to 
 myself, even supposing I had recovered or should re- 
 cover a sum more considerable than the penalty of my 
 bond. But I was anxious to force some ill-natured 
 persons to acknowledge that, if they did not tell a 
 wilful falsehood, they were mistaken when they as- 
 serted that I had commanded a squadron of priva- 
 teers. And, the war being over, I made it my first 
 care to show the brave instruments of my success 
 that their rights are as dear to me as my own. It 
 
APPENDIX. 407 
 
 will, I believe, be proper for me to make oath be- 
 fore you to the amount charged for my ordinary 
 expenses. I flatter myself that you will find no ob- 
 jection to the account as I have stated it, and that 
 you are of the opinion that, after this settlement 
 has been made between us, my bond ought to stand 
 canceled as far as regards my transactions with 
 the court of France. Should any part of the prize 
 money remain in the treasury without being claimed 
 after sufiicient time shall be elapsed, I beg leave to 
 submit to you, to the treasury, and to Congress, 
 whether I have not merited by my conduct since I 
 returned to Europe that such remainder should be 
 disposed of in my favor ? " 
 
 THE END.