Class, COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT Life of John Paul Jones By JOHN S. C. ABBOTT New York Dodd, Mead and Company 1898 •J 7 A /f THF LIBRAffY OF CONGRESS, Two CoPiEH Received OCT. 2S t90S> CLASS A- XXo Mo. corv 8. COFVKir.HT, 1874, KV Copyright, 1902 " 1 ', ' ' ' BY 'J^^VraI Abbott Buck. TO THE OFFICERS AND SEAMEN OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY THIS VOLUME, COMMEMSMATIVH OF THE HEROIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF ONE OF THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS OF THEIR NUMBER, IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. Fair Haven, C»nn., 1874. APPENDIX. SUMMARY OF THE ENTIRE VOYAGE, COMPILED FROM THE LOG-BOOK. PREFACE. I COMMENCED writing the Life of Paul Jones with the impression, received from early reading, that he was a reckless adventurer, incapable of fear, and whose chief merit consisted in performing deeds of desperate daring. But I rise from the careful exam- ination of what he has written, said, and done, with the conviction that I had misjudged his character. I now regard him as one of the purest arid most enhghtened of patriots, and one of the noblest of men. His name should be enrolled upon the same scroll with those of his intimate friends, Washing- ton, Jefferson, Franklin and Lafayette. As this exhibition of the character of Admiral Jones is somewhat different from that which has been presented in current literature, I have felt the necessity of sustaining the narrative by the most unquestionable documentary evidence. Should any Vf PREFACE. one, in glancing over the pages, see that the admiral is presented in a different light from that in which he has been accustomed to view him, I must beg him, before he condemns the narrative, to examine the proof which I think establishes every statement. The admiral had his faults. Who has not ? But on the whole he was one of nature's noblemen. His energies were sincerely and intensely devoted to the good of humanity. He was ambitious. But it was a noble ambition, to make his life sublime. He was a man of pure lips and of unblemished life. His chosen friends were the purest, the most exalted, the best of men. He had no low vices. Gambling, drinking, carousing, were abhorrent to his nature. He was a student of science and literature ; and in the most accomplished female society he found his social joy. While forming the comprehensive views of statesmanship and of strategy, and evincing bravery unsurpassed by any knight of romance, he was in manners, thought, and utterance, as unaffected ts a child. John S. C. Abbott. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Tke Early Life of John Paul yn the return with this booty, of such almost inestimable value to the struggling colonies, the fleet captured two vessels witliout a struggle, the Hawke, a schooner of six guns, and the brig Bolton, of eight guns. The fleet encountered off Block Island, at the head of Long Island Sound, an English frigate, the Glasgow, of 24 guns. The Alfred mounted 30 guns, the Columbus 28 Had there been any skill in mili- tary seamanship displayed, the Glasgow could not have escaped this force. The sea was perfectly imo-oth. Lieutenant Jones was placed between decks to serve the first battery. He could have no voice in the direction of the battle. Whenever his guns could be brought to bear upon the enemy h** served them well. Captain Saltonstall, in his officis, a a6 PAUL JONES. report, testified to his fidelity in duty. The Glasgow escaped. This was our first naval battle. It reflect- ed no credit upon our infant marine. Lieutenant Jones and the whole nation were deeply chagrined by the disgrace of that night. Repressing merited condemnation, he mildly wrote, " It is for the con% mander- in-chief and the captains to answer for the escape of the Glasgow." Two days after the inglorious action the squad- ron entered the harbor of New London. A court- martial was held to investigate the affair. Th« account which Lieutenant Jones gave of the eiv gagement, in the log-book of the Alfred, shows a generous and magnanimous mind. "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 ahead, and made signals for the rest of the English fleet, at Rhode Island, to come to her assistance, and •teered 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 Aaul by the wind to join our prizes. The Cabot was HIS EARLY LIFE. 2/ disabled at the second broadside ; the captain being dangerously wounded, the master and several men killed. The enemy's whole fire was then directed at us. An unlucky 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 fire. " In the action we received several shots under water, which made the ship very leaky. We had, besides, the mainmast shot through, and the upper works and rigging very considerably damaged. Yet it is surprising that we only lost the second lieutenant of marines and four men. We had no more than three men dangerously, and four slightly wounded." The skill with which the guns of the Alfred were served may be inferred from the fact, that a passen- ger on board the Glasgow testified that her hull was seriously damaged ; that ten shot passed through her mainmast, fifty-two through her mizzen staysail, one hundred and ten through her mainsail, and eighty-eight through her foresail. She had many spars carried away, and her rigging was badly cut to pieces. This our first naval battle was fought so near the Rhode Island shore, that the report of the guns was heard, and even the flashes were seen by those on 28 PAUL JOMEs. the land. The Continental Gazette of May 29, 1776, gives the following quaint account of the conflict, from one who listened to the thunders booming over the waves. ** For several hours before and during the en- gagement, a vast number of cannon were heard from the southeast. About sunrise eight or ten sail of ships and brigs were seen a little to the eastward of Block Island. 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 was 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." Though Lieutenant Jones could not be blind to the want of nautical skill displayed in allowing the Glasgow to escape, he did not doubt that the commodore had done the best he could. Not a word of demur escaped his lips. In a letter to Hon. Mr. Hewes, he wrote : " I have the pleasure of assuring you that the HIS EARLY LIFE. 29 commander-in-chief is respected through the fleet- I verily believe that the officers, and men in general, would go any length to execute his orders." Another passage in the same letter throws such light upon the well-balanced and noble character of Lieutenant Jones that I cannot refrain from quoting it. He writes : " It is certainly for the interests of the service that a cordial interchange of civilities should subsist between superior and inferior officers. Therefore it is bad policy in superiors to behave toward their infe- riors as though they were of a lower species. Men of liberal minds, who have long been accustomed to command, can ill brook being thus set at naught by others who pretend to claim the monopoly of sense. The rude, ungentle treatment which they experience, creates such heart-burnings as are nowise consonant with that cheerful ardor and spirit which ought ever to be a characteristic of an officer. Therefore, whoever thinks himself hearty in the service, is widely mistaken when he adopts such a line of con- duct in order to prove it. To be well obeyed it is necessary to be esteemed." Two courts-martial were held on board the Alfred. The captain of the Providence was d»s. missed from service. Lieutenant Jones was pro- moted to the captaincy of that sloop. The little JO PAUL JONES. fleet, having received a reinforcement of two hun- dred men, sailed from Providence, Rhode Island. The vessels having been refitted, it was necessary to enlist more men before any important enterprise could be undertaken. As most of the seamen had enlisted in the army, it was found very difficult to obtain men fit for naval service. On the 1 8th of May, Captain Jones, after a pas- sage of thirty-six hours, arrived in New York, where he devoted his time to shipping mariners. He was greatly interested in everything relating to the crea- tion of a navy for the new nation of the United States, just entering into being. He wrote to Hon. Mr. Hewes : " In my opinion a commander in the navy ought to be a man of strong and well-connected sense ; a gentleman, as well as a seaman in theory and in practice. Want of learning, and rude, ungentle man- ners, are by no means characteristic of an officer." Captain Jones, having at length obtained the number of men required, in obedience to orders sailed for New London, where he took from the hospital all the seamen who had been left there sick but who had recovered, and sailed for Providence, Rhode Island. Scarcely had he arrived there when he received orders from the commander-in-chief to come immediately down Narragansett Bay» to HIS EARLY LIFE. 3I attack an English sloop-of-war, then in sight. He obeyed with alacrity. But the sloop had disap- peared before he reached Newport, He was then ordered to Newburyport, to convoy a vessel with a cargo of cannon to New York, and then, return- ing, to convoy some vessels from Stonington to Newport. It will be remembered that England then had a fleet of a thousand sail ; superior, probably, to all the combined navies of the globe. This was the naval power we were to resist with our poor little squadron of five vessels, mounting in all but one hundred guns. The majestic frigates of the enemy blockaded almost every harbor in the colonies. There were several of these cruising at the eastern entrance of Long Island Sound, to cut of all naval intercourse between the colonies of the Middle and those of the Eastern States. CHAPTER II. The Infant Navy, Rescoing the Brigantine. — Commissioned as Captain.— Escape from the Solway. — Conflict with the Milford. — Adventures at Canso and Madame. — Return with Prizes. — Expedition to Cape Bre- ton. — Wise Counsel of Jones. — Brilliant Naval Campaign. — Saving the Prizes. — Value of the Mellish. — Mission to France. — Disappointment. — Sails with the Ranger. Captain Jones found all his intelligence, bravery and nautical skill tested to the utmost, in evading, thwarting, and struggling against the British men-of- war swarming around him. He had several very- fierce rencontres with forces superior to his own. One day he saw a foreign vessel (I think it was Spanish), coming from St. Domingo, with a cargo of military stores for the colonies. This brigantine was hotly pursued by the Cerberus, a British man-of-war. The thunders of her bow-guns echoed over the waves, while the balls of solid shot, ricochetting for more than a mile, proclaimed how terrible the bolts which those thunders sent forth. The courage and nautical skill of Captain Jones rescued the brigantine and her precious cargo. The THE INFANT NAVY. 33 vessel was afterwaid purchased by Congress, and namea the Hampden. He was then ordered to Boston, whence he convoyed some merchant vessels to Philadelphia. This was indeed an arduous and perilous mission. The war-ships of the enemy were daily arriving off Sandy Hook, under the guidance of Lord Howe. Captain Jones caught sight of several of these ships, which, with a single broadside, could have sunk him. But he had the address to avoid them. On the 8th of August, 1776, he received from John Hancock, President of Congress, his com- mission as captain. It contained the following words : "John Paul Jones, Esq. " We', reposing especial trust and confidence in your patriotism, valor, conduct, and fidelity, do, by these presents, constitute and appoint you tc be captain in the navy of the United States, fitted out for the defence of American liberty, and for re- pelling every hostile invasion thereof. You are therefore carefully and diligently to discharge the duty of captain, by doing and performing all manner of things thereunto belonging. And we do strictly charge and require all officers, marines, and seamen, under your command, to be obedient to your ordert as captain." 2* 54 PAUL JONES. He then received orders to set out on a cruise of two or three months against the navy of Great Bri. tain. For this enterprise he was furnished with the sloop Providence, which mounted twelve guns, and was manned by but seventy sailors. He was left entirely to his own discretion, not being confined to any particular station or service. Captain Jones sailed from Philadelphia, on this chivalric expedition, the latter part of August, 1776. Not far from the Island of Bermuda he encountered a British frigate, the Solway. It was like the fox meeting the hound. The only safety was in flight. A chase took place, with a constant interchange of shot. This running fight continued for six hours. Those who are familiar with nautical affairs, will understand the bold measure by which he escaped. He gradually edged away until he brought his heavy adversary upon his wea- ther quarter. Then, putting his helm suddenly up, he stood dead before the wind. At the same mo- ment he threw out all his light sails, with which his little sloop was abundantly furnished. This man- oeuvre compelled him to pass within pistol-shot of his pursuer. But he knew that he could sail much faster than the frigate, before the wind. The captain of the Solway was quite unprepared for such a manoeuvre. Before he could change hii THE INFANT NAV\ . 35 course to imitate it, the Providence had gained such a start as to be soon beyond the reach of the Sol- way's guns. Triumphantly the little sloop swept the waves until the discomfited frigate gave up the chase. Not long after this, as Captain Jones was lying to, on the banks near the Isle of Sables, to allow his men to fish, another large English frigate hove in sight, which proved to be the Milford. Though he had much confidence in the speed of his light little sloop, which, under her cloud of canvas, could almost like a bubble skim the wave, he prudently tried her speed with that of the gigantic foe ap- proaching. Finding that he could easily outstrip her, he tauntingly allowed the Milford to approach to nearly within gun-shot. He then spread his sails,' keeping just out of harm's way. The frigate rounded to and discharged her broadside. The shot skipped over the waves and sank at some distance before reaching the sloop. After each broadside. Captain Jones, in token of his contempt, ordered his marine officer to return the fire, by the discharge of a single musket. He kept up this burlesque of a battle, causing the frif;a*:e to throw away her ammunition, from ten o'clock in the morning till sunset. He then spread all sail &nd went unharmed on his way. 36 PAUL JONES. The next morning he entered the Gut of Canso which separates the Island of Cape Breton from the mainland. He found three English schooners in the harbor of Canso. He burned one, and sunk another, after having filled the third, a schooner, the Ebenezer, with what fish had been found in the other two. Here he learned that at the Island of Madame, near by, on the east side of the Bay of Canso, there were nine British vessels, consisting ©f brigs, ships, and schooners. He sent boats, well armed, to destroy them, while he kept off and on with his sloop, ready to punish severely any attempt to rescue the shipping. The enterprise was entirely successful, and, as no opposition was made, it was bloodless. These vessels had transferred their cargoes to the shore, and were unrigged. It would take some time to fit them for sea. Despatch was of the utmost impor- tance. Captain Jones humanely, and very wisely, informed the crews of these vessels, that if they would cordially assist him in rigging and fitting out such vessels as he required, he would leave them vessels suflficient to cross the Atlantic to their own homes. Though the British oflEicers were generally very bitter in their hostility to the colonial cause, it was not so with the masses of the English people. There THE INFANT NAVY. 37 was in their hearts an underlying feeling of sympa- thy with the brave colonists who were struggling against intolerable oppression. These English sail- ors, therefore, heartily joined their American bro- thers, and assisted, with the utmost energy, until the business was accomplished. On the evening of September 25th, a violent tempest arose, with deluging rain. Captain Jones was compelled to cast anchor at the entrance of the harbor, where, with both his anchors and whole cables ahead, he with difficulty rode out the storm. One of the prize ships, the Alexander, which was just ready for sea, anchored under the shelter of a projecting point of rocks, and thus narrowly escaped destruction. Another of the prizes, a schooner, called the Sea-Flower, with a valuable cargo, was torn from her moorings and driven ashore, a total wreck. As she could not be got off the next day, she was set on fire. The schooner Ebenezer, which he had brought from Canso, laden with fish, was driven on a reef of sunken rocks, and totally lost. With great difficulty the crew saved themselves on a raft. Toward noon of the 26th this fierce gale began to abate. The British ship Adventure he burned in the harbor. He then put to sea, taking with him 38 PAUL JONES. three heavily laden prizes, the ship Alexander, and the brigantines Kingston and Success. The fishery at Canso and Madame he thus effec tually destroyed. He left behind him two small schooners and one brig, to convey the British sea- men, about three hundred in number, back to the'> homes. He said, ** Had I not done this, I shoul*^ have stood chargeable with inhumanity." This bold enterprise was indeed bearding thu lion in his den. It woke up the British Govern ment to a new sense of the vigor of that worm which it supposed was squirming helplessly beneath its feet. It taught the proud Court of St. James that in war there were blows to be received as well as blows to be given. These acts seem cruel. But 'war," says General Sherman, " is cruelty. You cannot re- fine it." While England was wantonly laying our villages in ashes, and driving women and children in home- lessness and starvation into the fields, Captain Jones spared all private property on the land. He only seized or consigned to destruction that private pro- perty afloat, which the code of war England her- self had established, pronounced to be lawful booty. England, proud mistress of the seas, supposed that she, with her invincible navy, could plunder the commerce of all nations, and that she had nothing to THE INFANT NAVY. 39 fear in the way of retaliation. It must have been to her indeed a surprise to find the shipping in her own harbors plundered and blazing. Captain Jones felt the necessity of the utmost possible expedition. He had learned that there was ar English war-brig, of powerful armament, within forty-five miles of him to the southward. This for- midable antagonist might, at any hour, loom in sight. As *he little fleet was crowding along under full sail making all haste, on the morning of the 27th, two sails were discerned in the distant horizon. There could be no doubt that they were English vessels. Perilous as Captain Jones's situation was, he could not resist the temptation to give them chase. He therefore signalled his prizes to rendezvous on the southwest part of the Isle of Sables, and wait for him there three days, should he not sooner appear. He then spread all sail in pursuit of the strangers. They also spread every inch of canvas they could command, and before they could be overtaken ran into the harbor of Louisbourg. There was reason to suppose that there were several British men-of-war there. Captain Jones therefore returned to his prizes at the rendezvous, and again all pressed forward on their homeward voyage. In this cruise, which lasted but six weeks and 40 PAUL JONES. five days, Captain Jones captured sixteen prizes, besides the vessels which he destroyed in the har- bors of Canso and Madame. Of these prizes, eight he manned and sent into port. The remainder were burned. Captain Jones returned to Newport, Rhode Island, where the commander-in-chief of our little navy had established his headquarters. The British officers were treating the captives ctiey had taken from the Americans, with the great- est brutality. They had driven one hundred prison- ers into the coal mines of Cape Breton, where they were forced to labor like slaves. This procedure greatly outraged Captain Jones's sense of humanity and justice. He suggested that an expedition should be fitted out for their release ; and also, as far a.** possible, to destroy England's coal fleet and her fish- ing fleet. The plan was approved of. For the accomplishment of this important enterprise he was allowed to fit out two vessels, the Alfred and the Providence. The whole burden and responsibility of the preparations rested upon him. He took com- mand of the Alfred, committing the Providence to Captain Hacker. He found but thirty men on board the Alfred, and with great difficulty succeeded in enlisting thirty more. When the Alfred entered the harbor at Newport from Philadelphia, a few weeks before, she had two hundred and thirty-five THE INFANT NAVY. 4I men on her muster-roll. Captain Jones, in a lettcf to Hon. Robert Morris, explained the cause of this singular desertion, and proposed a remedy. " It seems to me," he writes, " that the priva- teers entice the men away as fast as they receive their month's pay. It is to the last degree distress- ing to contemplate the state and establishment of our navy. The common class of mankind are ani- mated by no nobler principle than that of self-in- .erest. This, and this alone, determines all adven- turers in privateers; the owners, as well as those whom they employ. " And while this is the case, unless the private emolument of individuals in our navy is made supe- rior to that in privateers, it never can become respect- able ; it never will become formidable. And with- out a respectable navy, alas, America ! In the pres- ent critical situation of affairs, human wisdom can- suggest no more than one infallible expedient : enlist the seamen during pleasure, and give them all the prizes. " What is the paltry emolument of two-thirds of prizes to this vast continent.* If so poor a resource is essential to its independency, we are, in sober sadness, involved in a woful predicament, and our ♦ Congress appropriated two-thirds of all prizes to the Govero ment, leaving but one-third to be divided among the captors. 42 PAUL JONES. ruin is fast approaching. The situation of America is new in the annals of mankind. Her affaiis cry haste ; and speed must answer them. Trifles there- fore ought to be wholly disregarded, as being, in the old vulgar proverb, ' penny wise and pound foolish.' " If our enemies, with the best established and most formidable navy in the universe, have found it expedient to assign all prizes to the captors, how much more is such policy essential to our infant fleet ? But I need use no arguments to convince you of the necessity of making our navy equal, if not superior to theirs." Our navy was so small and our impoverishment so great that Congress could furnish Captain Jones with but two vessels for his important expedition to Cape Breton. The Alfred and the Providence sailed together from Newport harbor, on the 2d of Novem- ber, 1776. This was so late in the season, to embark for those high latitudes, that Captain Jones, discour- aged by the delays which had been encountered, was not very sanguine as to the success of the expedi- tion. The first night he cast anchor at Tarpauling Cove, near Nantucket. Here he found a privateer belonging to Rhode Island, inward bound. He was in great want of men. Many sailors, for reasons which we have already given, had des«rted the regU' THE INFANT NAVY. 43 lar service to enlist on board the privateers. Cap- tain Jones sent his boat on board the privateer to search for deserters from the navy. Four men were found, carefully concealed. They were taken on board the Alfred. This led to a law-suit, which sub- sequently subjected Captain Jones to considerable trouble. Louisbourg, on the eastern coast of the Island of Cape Breton, had a commodious harbor, and was then a seaport of considerable importance. Just off the harbor Captain Jones fortunately encountered an English brig, the Mellish, partially armed, and laden with a large amount of clothing, thick and warm, for the British troops in Canada. The brig made a little resistance, but was speedily captured, with all her precious cargo. Soon after this he cap- tured a large fishing-vessel, which quite replenished his liieagre store of provisions. The next day a violent snow-storm darkened the air, with a severe gale blowing from the northwest. Captain Hacker, in command of the Providence, either frightened by the inclement weather or trea- sonably disposed, took advantage of the darkness of the ensuing night to bear away south, and return to Newport. The Alfred was thus left alone to prose* cute the now impossible enterprise. Captain Jones sent his two prizes, the brig Mellish and the fishing-vessel, to steer for any American 44 FAUL JONES port which could be reached. The fishing-vessel was recaptured by the English. But the Mellish was successfully carried into the harbor of Dartmouth Massachusetts. The clothing, with which she was lader, proved to be of incalculable use to the army of Washington. The Continental troops, thinly clad, had been suffering severel} from the freezing blasts of winter. In the midst of smothering snow-storms and fierce gales. Captain Jones again entered the harbor of Canso. A large English transport, laden with provisions, was aground, near the entrance to the harbor. He sent his boats to apply the torch. The whole fabric, with all its contents, soon vanished in flame and smoke. A large oil warehouse, contain- ing a large quantity of materi?! for the whale and cod fishery, was also consigned to consuming fire. He then continued his voyage along the eastern coast of Cape Breton. In a dense fog, not far from Louisbourg, he fell in with quite a fleet of coal vessels, from the crown mines in Sydney, under convoy of the English fri- gate Flora. Favored by the fog, and unseen by tht frigate, he captured three of the largest of these ves- sels. Two days after this he encountered a British privateer from Liverpool, which he took, after but a slight conflict. Thick masses of ice filled the harboi THE INFANT NAVY. 45 adjacent to the coal mines. He had one hundred and fifty prisoners on board the Alfred. His water- casks were nearly empty, and his provisions mostly consumed. Five prize vessels were in his train. It was clearly his duty to convoy them, as soon as pos- sible, into some safe port. He therefore commenced his return. The little fleet kept together, guarded by the Alfred, and the Liverpool privateer, which, being armed for battle. Captain Jones had manned and given into the charge of Lieutenant Saunders. Just on the edge of St, George's Bank, the British fri- gate Milford was again encountered. It was late in the afternoon when her topsails first appeared above the horizon. All the vessels of Captain Jones's fleet were on the starboard tack. It was evident that, as the wind was then, the Milford could not overtake them before night, which was close at hand. He signalled his vessels to crowd with all sail, on the same tack, through the night, without paying any regard to the lights which he might show. After dark both he and the captured privateer tacked, and thus entered upon a different course from that of the rest of the fleet. To decoy the frigate to follow him, and thus draw it away from the prizes, he carried toplights until the morning The Milford gave him hot chase. When the morn- 46 PAUL JONES. ing light dawned upon the ocean the prizes were n where to be seen. The stratagem had thus f*i4 proved eminently successful. All that now remain- ed for Captain Jones was to make his own escape with the Alfred, and the priv^ateer under Lieutenant Saunders. The privateer, through mismanagement, was overtaken and captured. A terrible storm which had been for some time brewing, in the after noon lashed the ocean, and amid clouds and dark- ness and foaming surges the Alfred made her es- cape. On the 15th of December, 1776, Captain Jonew entered the harbor of Boston. He had then, or board the Alfred, provisions and water barely suffi- cient for two days. To his great gratification he found that his prizes had all safely reache<^ port. The welcome news of the capture of the cargo of clothing, in the Mellish, reached Washir/^ton just before he recrossed the Delaware and captured the British garrison at Trenton. Captain [ones, in his letter to the Marine Committee, writei . " This prize is, I believe, the most valuable which has been taken by the American arms. She made »ome defence, but it was trifling. The loss will dis- tress the enemy more than can be easily imagined, as the clothing on board of her is the last intended to be sent out for Canada this season, and what ha« THfc INFANT NAVY. 47 preceded it is already taken. The situation of Bur- goyne's army must soon become insupportable.' Captain Jones was so impressed with the impor- tance of this capture that he had resolved, at every hazard, to sink the vessel rather than permit it again to fall into the hands of the enemy. He was delayed some time in Boston in disposing of his prizes and in getting rid of his prisoners, or, as he phrases it, of being delivered of the " honorable office of a jail-keeper." He passed the winter in Boston, consecrating all his energies to the creation of a navy worthy of the rising republic. Though his feelings were deeply wounded, and his sense of justice greatly outraged, by being, for political reasons, superseded in command by men who were totally unqualified for naval office, and who had never yet served, he did not allow these considerations, though he remonstrated indig- nantly against the unjust acts, to abate, in the slight- est degree, his patriotic zeal. The suggestions he made the Marine Committee have so commended themselves to the judgment of those in command that nearly all of them have been gradually adopted. A few extracts from these long communications will reflect much light upon the character of this remark- able man. " None other," he writes, " than a gentleman, m 48 PAUL JONES. well as a seaman in theory and practice, is qualified to support the character of an officer in the navy. Nor is any man fit to command a ship of war, who is not capable of communicating his ideas on paper, in langjage that becomes his rank." Again he writes, in reference to the great injustice which he had experienced, " When I entered into the service I was not actuated by motives of self-interest. I stepped forth as a free citizen of the world, in defence of the violated 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 highest degree, tenacious of my rank and seniority. As a gentleman I can yield this point only to persons of superior abilities and merit. Un- der such persons it would be my highest ambition to learn." Again he wrote to Hon. Mr. Morris: "As the regulations of the navy are of the utmost conse- quence, you will not think it presumption if, with the utmost diffidence, I venture to communicate to you such hints as, in my judgment, will promote its honor and good government. I could heartily wish that every commissioned officer was to be previously exam- ined. To my certain knowledge there are persona who have alread)' crept into commission, mthout THE INFANT NAVY. 49 abilities or fit qualification. I am, myself, far from desiring to be excused." After a toilsome winter of many annoyances he repaired early in April, 1777, to Philadelphia, then the seat of the Colonial Government. Prominent members of Congress, when their attention was called to the subject, admitted that Captain Jones had been wrongfully treated. Mr. Hancock, President of Congress, assured him that the injustice of supersed- ing him was not intentional, but was the result of a multiplicity of business. He said to him: " The injustice of that regulation shall make but a nominal and temporary difference. In the mean time you may be assured that no navy officer stands higher in the opinion of Congress. The matter of rank shall, as soon as possible, be arranged. In the mean time you shall have a separate command, until better provision can he made for you." Captain Jones urged that there should be a parity of rank between the officers of the navy and the army. He proposed that, in accordance with the British establishment, which was certainly the best regulated navy in the world, an admiral should rank with a general, a vice-admiral with a lieutenant- general, a rear-admiral with a major-general, a commodore with a brigadier-general, a captain with a colonel, a master and commander with a lieutenant. 5© PAUL JONES. colonel, a lieutenant commanding with a major, and a lieutenant in the navy with a captain of horse, foot. or marines. He also urged strenuously, as an object demand ing immediate attention, that commissioners of dock yards should be established to superintend the building and outfit of all ships of war. They were to be invested with power to appoint deputies, and to provide and keep in constant readiness all naval stores. It speaks well for the intelligence and sound judgment of Captain Jones that, though he was a young officer of but one year's standing, nearly every suggestion he made was subsequently adopted. Soon after this he received an appointment from the Marine Committee, to sail from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the French ship Amphitrite, to France, with a letter to the American Commissioners there, ordering them to purchase as fine a ship as could be obtained in Europe, for Captain Jones. He was to take out a crew with him, to man the ship, from Portsmouth. The letter the Marine Com- mittee wrote to the Commissioners was very urgent, calling upon them to strain every nerve to accom- plish the end as soon as possible. " We hope," they wrote, " you may not delay this business one moment ; but purchase, in such port or place in Europe as it can be done with most THE INFANT NAVY. Jl convenience and despatch, a fine fast-sailing frigate or larger ship. You must make it a point not to disappoint Captain Jones's wishes and expectations on this occasion." On the 14th of June, 1777, Congress established the national flag. It was voted " that the flag of the United States should be thirteen stripes, alter- nate red and white ; that the Union be thirteen stars, white, in a blue field, representing a new con- stellation." The French commander of the Amphitrite, not- withstanding the sympathies of France were then so cordially with the colonies, very reasonably objected to taking a step so decidedly belligerent as to trans- port a crew to France, to engage in direct hostilities against English commerce. The plan therefore had to be abandoned. England and France were then at peace. Soon, however, war commenced between them. Congress then appointed Jones to the command of the ship Ranger, which had recently been built in Portsmouth. He was placed in command of this our first frigate, on the same day when Congress desig- nated the Stars and the Stripes as our national flag. Consequently Paul Jones, who first unfurled the ban- ner of the Pine Tree, over the little sloop Providence, now enjoyed the distinguished honor of being the ^2 PAUL JONES. first to spread to the breeze that beautiful banner the Stars and the Stripes, now renowned throughouv the world, and around whose folds more than forty millions of freemen are ever ready, with enthusiasm, to rally. The Ranger was not prepared for sea until the middle of October. The ship mounted but eighteen guns, though originally intended for twenty-six. She sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on the 1st of November, 177/; and, after a month's voy- age, entered the harbor of Nantes on the 2d of December. This noble city, situated on the river Loire, about thirty-four miles from its mouth, and two hundred miles from Paris, was then one of the most important seaports in France. Ships of two hundred tons burden could cast anchor ir the broad, clear, deep river. An immense amout of shipping crowded her quays, one of which was a mile and a half in length. On the voyage, soon after passing the Western Islands, he encountered many vessels, but none which proved to be English, until he was approach- ing the Channel. He then overtook a fleet of ten British vessels, under a strong convoy. Captain Jones exerted all his nautical skill to detach some of these from the convoy, but was unable to succeed. He, however, soon captured two brigantines, or small I THE INFANT NAVY. 51 brigs, laden with fruit from Malaga, bound to Lon- don. Both of these piizes he sent into French ports. Upon his arrival at Nantes, he forwarded the let- ter which he had received from the Marine Commit- tee of Congress, to the American Commissioners at Paris, Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee. In this letter. Captain Jones writes : *' It is my first and favorite wish to be employed in active and enterprising service, where there is a prospect of rendering acceptable services to America. The singular honor which Congress has done me, by their generous conduct, has inspired sentiments of gratitude which I shall carry with me to the grave. And if a life of services devoted to America, can be made instrumental in securing its independence, I shall regard the continuance of such approbation as an honor far superior to what kings even could bestow." He urged that since our navy was so feeble that it could not cope with the powerful armament of England, our only feasible course was to send out small squadrons, and surprise defenceless situations. This was the course adopted. By invitation of the Commissioners, Captain Jones repaired to Paris, where he met with a severe disappointment. This is explained in the following extract from his first despatch from Nantes 54 PAUL JONES. *' The Commissioners had provided for me one o^ the finest frigates that was ever built, calculated for thirty guns on one deck, and capable of carrying thirty-six pounders. But they were under the neces- sity of giving her up, on account of some difficulties they met at court." The failure of this plan was owing to the vigilance of the British minister at Amsterdam. He discov- ered the secret of her ownership and destination, and remonstrated so effectually as to thwart the plan. He then decided to put to sea with the Ranger, as soon as possible. The Commissioners addressed to him the following instructions : " As it is not in our power to procure you such a ship as you expected, we advise you, after equipping the Ranger in the best manner for the cruise you propose, that you shall 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 commission." On the loth of Feburary, 1778, Captain Jones, in the Ranger, sailed down the Loire, and coasted along in a northerly direction to Brest, then the great naval depot of France, enjoying one of the finest harbors in the world. In this month a treaty oi alliance between France and the United States THE INFANT NAVY. 55 was signed at Paris. France ;vas the first nation to recognize the independence of the United States, and to recognize the Congress of the thirteen colonies as a legitimate Government. France promptly engaged in fitting out a nava] expedition to assist the American colonies. CHAPTER III. Bearding the British Lion. Aid from France. — Plan for the Destniction of the British Fleet. — The American Flag Saluted. — Bold Movement of Captain Jones — Cruise along the Shores of England. — Capture of Prizes. — Salutary Lessons given to England. — Operations in the Frith of Clyde. — At Carrickfergus. — Attempt upon the Drake. — Burning the Shipping at Whitehaven. — Capture of the Plate of Lord Selkirk. France,^ upon recognizing the independence of the United States and entering into an alliance with our Government, promptly engaged in fitting out a naval expedition to assist the American patriots who were so heroically struggling for freedom. Captain Jones immediately wrote a letter to the Commission- ers in Paris, suggesting a plan of operations for the French fleet, which was placed under the command of Count d'Estaing. The count was a brave naan, an able officer, and was heartily devoted to the cause of the feeble colonies. The plan Captain Jones recom- mended was eventually adopted. Had it been at once carried into execution, it would probably have BEARDING THE BRITISH LION. 57 SO crippled the English as to have brought the wai to a speedy termination. Nearly the whole British fleet, sent to operate against the colonies, was in the Delaware. It had abundant supplies for the British army, which, almost without hindrance, was ranging the country, plun- dering and burning. The plan proposed was, that Count d'Estaing, with the superior force which he had under his command, should fall suddenly upon the British fleet under Lord Howe, and destroy it, or, at least block it up in the Delaware, with all the transport ships under its convoy. This could then have easily been done. But unfortunately the fleet, instead of being fitted out at Brest, on the Atlantic coast, whence it could have a speedy voyage across the Atlantic, was got ready at Toulon, a Mediterranean port, requiring a much longer voyage. Just before the fleet arrived, Lord Howe, aware of his danger, had effected his escape. In those days the French fleet could have arrived almost as soon as the intelligence of the alli- ance had reached these shores. In a letter to M. De Sartine, the French Minister of Marine, Captain Jones subsequently writes: " Had Count d'Estaing arrived in the Delaware a few days sooner, he might have made a glorious and most easy conquest. Many successful projects may 58 PAUL JONES be adopted from the hints which I had the honot to draw up. And if I can furnish more, or execute any of those already furnished, so as to distress and humble the common enemy, it will afford me the truest pleasure." Captain Jones, on his voyage from Nantes to Brest, convoyed some American merchant vessels as far as Quiberon Bay. Thence they were to be convoyed to America by a French fleet, commanded by Admiral La Motte Piquet. Here, for the first time, the Stars and Stripes of our Union received the honor of a national salute. John Paul Jones managed the somewhat delicate affair with the instincts of a gentleman, and the sensitiveness of an accomplished naval officer, conscious that the honor of the infant nation was, in some degree, intrusted to his guardianship. I give the interesting event in his own words. In a letter to the Marine Com- mittee, dated February 22, 1778, he writes : " I am happy in having it in my power to con- gratulate you on my having seen the American flag, for the first time, recognized in the fullest and com- pletest manner by the flag of France. I was off their bay the 13th instant, 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, tho BEARDING THE BRI TISH LION. 59 same salute which he was authorized, by his court to return to an admiral of Holland, or 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, aftei 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 Piquet with thirteen guns, which he re- turned with nine. However, to put the matter beyond a doubt, I did not suffer the Independence to salute till next morning, when I sent the admiral word that I would sail through his fleet in the brig, and would salute him in open day. He was exceed- ingly pleased, and he returned the compliment also with nine guns." The Independence here alluded to, it it said, was a privateer which had been fitted out to sail iinder the orders of Captain Jones. His sailing through the French fleet was characteristic of the man, as he fully appreciated, at this time, the im- portance of this interchange of national courtesies. 6o PAUL JONES. and the importance that it should be so emphatic- ally done that there could be no denial of it. Thus he who first raised the American Pine-Tree flag to the topmast of the Alfred, and who first unfurled the national banner from the Ranger, now enjoyed the honor of being the first to secure for that flag a national salute. The times have changed. The infant republic has become one of the most power- ful nations on the globe. There is no Government now which hesitates to return, in salute of our national banner, gun for gun, On the loth of April, Captain Jones, in the Ran- ger, sailed from Brest. It was his intention to strike a blow first upon some unprotected point on the south side of England. It was indeed a bold and chivalric movement for the little Ranger, with her eighteen guns, to plunge into the very heart of the British Channel, which was crowded with the mas- sive seventy-fours of Britain's proud navy. England was discharging the broadsides of her invincible fleet upon our defenceless towns, and was landing her boats' crews to apply the torch to our peaceful villages. Not a fishing-boat could leave a cove without dan- ger of capture and the imprisonment of all the crew. Little did the British Government imagine that any commander of an American vessel would have the audacity to approach even within sight of hei BEARDING THE BRITISH LION 6l shores. It was the main design of Captain Jones to punish England for the atrocities she was so cruelly perpetrating upon us — and to punish her in kind. On the loth of August he launched forth, from the magnificent harbor of Brest, and directed his course almost due north, for Land's End, the extreme south- ern cape of the island of Great Britain. The dis- tance across, at this point, is about one hundred and fifty miles. About thirty miles ofif the southern coast of Eng- land, in a southwest direction, there is a group of islands called the Scilly Islands. Captain Jones ran his vessel between them and Cape Clear, within full view of the shores of England, and where the flash of his guns could be seen and the thunders of his cannon distinctly heard on those shores. Opposing winds and a rough sea so impeded his progress that he did not gain sight of England's coast until the 14th. Then he descried a merchant-brig. He bore down upon her and captured her. The brig was freighted with flax, and was bound from Ireland to Ostend, in Bel- gium. As the freight was of no value, and Captain Jones did not wish to encumber himself with pri- soners, the crew were sent ashore in the boats and the brig was scuttled and sunk. These tidings must have created a strange sensa- tion, as they spread like wildfire throughout Eng- 62 PAUL JONES. land. It must have roused the whole British navy to wreak vengeance upon the intrepid voyager. He then entered St. George's Channel, which separates Southern England from Ireland. When almost with- in sight of the spires of Dublin he encountered, on the 17th of August, a large London ship. He cap- tured her. Her cargo consisted of a variety of valua- ble merchandise. The crew were sent ashore. Xhe prize he manned and sent back to Brest. Thus far dense clouds had darkened their way, and rough winds had ploughed the seas, but now the weather changed. The skies became fair and the wind favorable. He sailed rapidly along into the Irish Sea, and passed by the Isle of Man, intending to make a descent at Whitehaven, with whose harbof and surroundings he from childhood had been fami- liar. About ten o'clock in the evening of the 17th, he was off the harbor, with a boat's crew of picked men ready to enter and set fire to the shipping. But the wind, which had been blowing strong during the afternoon, by eleven o'clock increased to a gale, blowing directly on shore, and raising such a heavy sea that the boats could not leave the ships. Dur- ing the night the storm so increased, threatening to drive the vessel upon the rocks, that it became neces* sary to crowd all sail, and put out to sea so as to clear the land. BEARDING THE BRITISH LION. 63 The next morning the storm abated, and the Ranger was near destine Bay, just off the southern coast of Scotland. A revenue wherry hove in sight. It was the custom of the revenue boat to board all merchant vessels in search of contraband goods. As the Ranger concealed, as much as possible, all warlike appearance. Captain Jones hoped that the wherry, which was one of the swiftest of sailers, would come alongside, so that he might effect her capture. But it seems that the tidings of the Ranger had reached the ears of the officers of the governmental boat. After examining the vessel carefully with their glasses, they crowded on all sail, to escape. The Ranger pursued, opening upon the af- frighted boat a severe cannonade. The balls bound- ed over the waves, and the explosions reverberated amid the cliffs of Scotland, but the wherry escaped. The next morning, April 19th, when near the ex- treme southern cape of Scotland, called the Mull of Galloway, he overtook one of the merchant schoon- ers of the enemy, from which he took what he wanted, sent the crew ashore, and sunk the vessel. By a just retribution he was thus chastising England for the crimes she was committing on the American coast. Hudibras writes : " No man e'er felt the halter draw With good opinion of the law." C4 PAUL JONES. England was astonished and enraged in finding the laws of naval warfare which she had enacted, and had so long practised with impunity upon all other nations all around the globe, now brought home to herself. She called Paul Jones all manner of hard names. He was a beggar, a thief, a trai- tor, a highway robber, a pirate. He was thus de- nounced for doing that, in the English and Irish Chan- nel, which England's fleet was doing all along the coast of America. And yet it was heroic in Jones thus to brave all the terrors of the British navy, while it was ignoble and mean for that proud navy to plunder and burn the few unprotected vessels of the feeble colonies struggling for existence in the New World. England had long made her banqueting-halls resound with the song, " Britannia needs no bulwarks To frown along the steep ; Her march is on the mountain wave. Her home is on the deep." It was the noble mission of Paul Jones to teach Britannia that the arm of the avenger could reach her even in her own Channel, and in her own har- bors. Thus England was compelled to drink of the poisoned cup which she was forcing to the lips of others. Upon the western coast of Scotland, about fifty BEARDING THE BRITISH LION. 65 miles ncrth of the Mull of Galloway, there was a ca- pacious harbor called Lochryan, or Lake Ryan. Captain Jones learned from his captives that there was there a fleet often or twelve English merchant vessels, and also the tender of a man-of-war, which had on board a large number of impressed seamen, who were to be forced into the British navy. It was not improbable that many of these were American citizens, who had been seized in our merchant or fishing vessels, and who would thus be compelled to work the guns of Great Britain against their own countrymen. " I thought this an enterprise," writes Paul Jones, " worthy of my attention." Indeed it was. He spread his sails for Lochryan. The wind was fair, so that he could run into the bay, speedily apply the torch, kindle the whole fleet into flame, and then run out before a sufficient force could be collected to prevent his escape. But just as he reached the entrance of the bay, and every- thing was in readiness for the successful prosecution of his enterprise, the wind changed, and blew with great fierceness dir::<_tly into the bay. Thus, though he could easily effect his entrance, he could not sail out from the bay until the wind changed. He might therefore be caught in a trap. He was thus •onstrained to abandon the project. About sixty miles north of Lochryan is the 66 PAUL JONES. Frith of Clyde, whose river is the most important stream in the west of Scotland. Captain Jones see- ing upon his lee bow a cutter, or small sloop-rigged vessel, belonging as a tender to a man-of-war, steer- ing for the Clyde, gave chase. But when he reached the remarkable rock of Ailsa, finding that the cutter was outsailing him, he abandoned the chase. In the evening he fell in with a merchant sloop, which he sunk. The next day, which was the 2 1st, he entered the Bay of Carrickfergus, on the eastern coast of Ire- land. At the western extremity of the bay lies the city of Belfast, which occupies the first rank among the commercial marts of Ireland. The fortified town of Carrickfergus. is situated upon the northern shore. A British ship of war, the Drake, mounting * twenty guns, was at anchor in the bay. Thoroughly armed and manned, she was a- formidable antago- nist for the Ranger to attack. As vessels of all sizes were continually coming and going in this great thoroughfare, and as the Ranger carefully avoided all warlike appearance, no suspicion of her formidable character was excited on board the Drake, Jones therefore cast anchor, preparing to make his attack in the night. I will give the result in his own words: " My plan was to overlay her cable, and to fall BEARDING THE BRITISH LION. 67 upon her bow, so as to have all her decks open and exposed to our musketry. At the same time it was our 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 Ran- ger was brought to upon the enemy's quarter, at the distance of half a cable's length. " We had made no warlike appearance. Of course, we had given no alarm. This determined me to cut immediately, whic'h might appear as if the cable had parted. At the same time it enabled me, after making a tack out of the Loch, to return with the same advantage which I had at first. I was, however, prevented from returning, as I with diffi- culty weathered the light-house on the leeside, and as the gale increased. The weather 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 North Channel, which separates Ireland from Scotland, is at this point about thirty miles wide. The next morning the sun rose in a cloudless sky. It was bitterly cold in those northern latitudes. Captain Jones was on the same parallel with New. foundland. From the deck of his vessel he could 68 PAUL JONES. clearly discern the coasts of England, Scotland, and Ireland. A white mantle of snow covered the hills and valleys as far as the eye could extend. He de- cided to direct his course to the shores of England, and to make another attempt upon the shipping in the harbor of Whitehaven. The wind became very light, and it was not until midnight that he reached the entrance to the harbor. For the hazardous en- terprise of penetrating a harbor defended by two batteries, he manned two boats with volunteers, fifteen men in each. There were in the harbor two hundred and twenty vessels, large and small. The tide was out, and many of these vessels aground. About one hundred and fifty of them were on the south side of the harbor adjoining the town. The remainder were on the north side. Captain Jones had command of one of the boats Lieutenant Wallingford was intrusted with the other. Jones supplied Wallingford with the neces sary combustibles to set fire to the shipping on tht north side. With fifteen men, armed only with pis- tols and cutlasses, he set out to capture two English forts on the south side, and then to set fire to the shipping there. The garrisons of these forts had no more apprehension of an attack from the despised Americans, than Gibraltar fears assault from som« BEARDING THE BRITISH LION. 69 feeble tribe in Southern Asia with whom England may chance to be at war. In consequence of the unfortunate delay, they did not reach the first fort until just as the morning was beginning to dawn. Most of the soldiers were soundly asleep in the guard-house. There were a few drowsy sentinels dozing at their posts. Jones, with his heroic little band, silently clambered over the ramparts. The terrified sentinels, not knowing what was coming, rushed into the guard-house. Jones quietly locked them in, spiked every gun, and then rushed forward to the next battery, which was distant about a quarter of a mile. Here he success- fully repeated his achievement, so that not a gun from either of the batteries could harm his boats. He looked eagerly across the harbor, expecting to see the bursting forth of the flames. It was now broad day ; but no sign of flame or smoke was to be seen. To his great disappointment, the boat under Lieutenant Wallingford had crossed to the south side, having accomplished nothing. The party seemed confused and embarrassed, and made the very extraordinary statement that their torches went out just as they were ready to set fire to the ihips ! The failure was probably caused by sheer cow- ardice. And it must be admitted that it was TO PAUL JONES. indeed one of the most desperate of enterprises. These fifteen men, having crossed an ocean three thousand miles wide, had penetrated the heart of a British harbor, to apply the torch to seventy vessels. The crews could not have amounted to less than ten men, on an average, to each vessel. Thus the British sailors alone in that half of the harbor, would amount to seven hundred men. The assail- ants, it will be remembered, amounted to but fifteen men, in a frail boat, armed only with swords and pis- tols. Even the bravest might recoil from such odds. But as these men had volunteered for the enterprise, and knew all its perils, it was the basest poltroon- ery in them to prove recreant at the crisis of the expedition. The torches which Captain Jones's boat party carried, had also, by some strange fatality, all burned out. Captain Jones, however, obtained a light from a neighboring house, entered a large ship, from which the crew fled, and deliberately built a fire in the steerage. This ship was closely surrounded by at least a hundred and fifty vessels lying side by side, and all aground. Captain Jones, to make the conflagration certain, found a barrel of tar, and poured it upon the kindling. The flarnes soon burst from all the hatchways, caught the rigging and, in fiery wreaths, circled to the mast-head. BEARDING THE BRITISH LION. 7I *• The inhabitants," writes Captain Jones, " began to appear in thousands, and individuals ran hastily toward 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 sun was a full hour's march above the horizon, and, as sleep no longer ruled the world, it was time to retire. We reembarked without opposition, having released a number of prisoners, as our boats could not carry them. After all my people had embarked, I stood upon the pier, for a considerable space, yet no person advanced. I saw all the eminences round the town covered with the amazed inhabitants." When the boats had been rowed some distance from the shore, the English began to run to their forts, to open fire from the great guns. To their surprise they found the garrisons locked up in the guard-houses, and the cannon all spiked. After some delay they found one or two cannon on the beach, which were dismounted, and which had not been spiked. These they hastily loaded and fired ; but with such ill-directed aim that the shot all fell wide of their mark. Captain Jones's men, in deri- sion, fired their pistols, returning the salute. If the boats could have entered the harbor a few hours earlier, the success would doubtless have been complete, and not a vessel would have escaped the 73 PAUL JONES. flames. " But what was done," writes Captain Jones, '* is sufficient to show that not all their boasted navy can protect their own coasts ; and that the scenes of distress, which they have occasioned in America, may be soon brought home to their own door." The Ranger now struck across the broad mouth of Solway Frith, to St. Mary's Island, on the Scottish shore, in Kirkcudbright Bay. Here Lord Selkirk had his residence, in a fine mansion. It will be remembered that the father of Paul Jones had been attached to his household. The British were shutting up our most illustrious men in the hulks of prison ships, and treating them with barbarity which would have disgraced savages. Captain Jones deemed it of the utmost importance, as a measure of humanity, to seize some distinguished English- man and hold him as a hostage, to secure the better treatment of our own noblemen who had fallen into the enemy's hands. For this patriotic movement the English press denounced him in terms of un- measured abuse. The motive which influenced him was an exalted one. And he* merits the highest encomiums for the manner in which he conducted the enterprise. In justice to Captain Jones, I ftcl bound to give the narrative in his own words. It is contained in letter which he wrote to the Countess BEARDING THE BRITISH LION. 73 ol Selkirk, with whom he was personally acquainted, immediately after the Ranger returned from itt cruise to Brest. " Ranger, Brest, Maj %, " To THE Countess of Selkirk. " Madam — It cannot be too much lamented that, in the profession of arms, the officer of fine feel- ing and of real sensibility should be under the neces- sity of winking at any action of persons under his command which his heart cannot approve. But the reflection is doubly severe, when he finds himself obliged, in appearance, to countenance such actions by 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 esteem- ing, a"s I do, his private character, I wished to make him the happy instrument of alleviating the horrors of hopeless captivity, when the brave are over- powered 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 Ranger, and to have detained him until, through his means, a general and fair exchange of prisoners, as well in Europe as in America, had been effected. *' When I was informed, by some men whom I 4 74 PAUL TONES. met at landing, that his lordship wa3 absent, 1 walked back to my boat determined to leave the island. On the way, however, some officers who were with me, could not forbear expressing their discontent They said 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 morn- ing, at Whitehaven. Some complaisance was there- fore their due. I had but a moment to think 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 mak- ing 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 its purchaser, and will gratify my ovm BEARDING THE BRITISH LIUN. 75 feelings by restoring it to you, by such conveyance as you shall please to direct. " Had the Earl been on board the Ranger the following 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 gallant commander of the Drake fell, and victory declared in favor of the Ranger. The amiable lieu- tenant lay mortally wounded ; a melancholy demon- stration of the uncertainity of human prospects, and of the sad reverses 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 man, yet I am 76 PAUL JONES. 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 insure happiness. I profess myself a citizen of the world, totally unfettered 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, withdrawn from sea service, in favor of calm contemplation 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 happiness, 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, in 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 retali- ated 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 BEARDING THE BRI'. ISH LIOJN. 77 advocate ? — your endeavors to effect a general ex- change of prisoners will be an act of humanity which will afford you golden feelings on your 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 sub- mission. 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 charac- ter so far as to command me without the least grain of reserve. "I wish to know exactly the behavior of my people, as I am determined to punish them if they exceed their liberty. I have the honor to be, with much esteem and with profound respect, " Madam, yours, etc., "John Paul Jones-' CHAPTER IV. Captain Jones at Nantes and at Brest, Correspondence with Lord Selkirk. — Terrible Battle with the Ship Drake. — Capture of the Ship. — Carnage on board the Drake.— Generosity to Captured Fishermen. — Insubordination of Lieuten- ant Simpson. — Embarrassments of Captain Jones. — Hopes and Disappointments. — Proofs of Unselfish Patriotism. — Letter to the King of France. — Anecdote of Poor Richard. The letter of Paul Jones to the Countess of Selkirk was published widely throughout England, and attracted much attention. Dr. Franklin wrote to Captain Jones from Paris : " It was a gallant letter, and must give her lady- ship a high opinion of your generosity and nobleness of mind." The plate fell into the hands of the prize agents. After mikch difficulty and considerable delay, Captain Jones succeeded in purchasing it, though at a price above its real value. He then returned it to Lord Selkirk, himself defraying all the expenses of trans- portation. Lord Selkirk, in acknowledging its re- ceipt, from London, under date of August, 1789, wrote : AT NANTES AND AT BREST. 79 Notwithstanding all the precautions you look for the easy and uninterrupted co.iveyance of the plate, yet it met with considerable delays, first at Calais, next at Dover, then at London. However, it at last arrived at Dumfries. I intended to have put an article in the newspapers about your having re- turned it. But before I was informed of its being arrived, some of your friends, I suppose, had put it into the Dumfries newspaper, whence it was imme- diately copied into the Edinburgh papers, and thence into the London ones. Since that time I have men- tioned it to many people of fashion. " And on all occasions, both now and formerly, 1 have done you the justice to tell that you made an offer of returning the plate very soon after your re- turn to Brest ; and although you yourself was not at my house, but remained at the shore with your boat, that you had your officers and men in such extraordinary good discipline, that your having given them the strictest orders to behave well, to do no injury of any kind, to make no search, but only to bring off what plate was given them ; that in reality they did exactly as ordered, and that not one man offered to stir from his post on the outside of the house, nor entered the doors, nor said an uncivil word ; that the two officers staid not a quarter of an hour in the oarlor and in the butler s pantry, while 8o PAUL JONES. the butler got the plate together, behaved politely, and asked for nothing but the plate, and instantly marched their men off, in regular order, and that both officers and men behaved in all respects so well that it would have done credit to the best disciplined troops whatever." The style of Captain Jones'sletter has been found fault with. But in literary excellence it is certainly above that of the English lord. One of the Lon- don papers said of him : " Paul Jones is about thirty-six years of age, of a middling stature, well proportioned, with an agreea- ole countenance. His conversation shows him to be a man of talents, and that he has a liberal education. His letters, in foreign gazettes, show that he can fight with the pen as well as with the sword." In the letter which Captain Jones sent to Lord Selkirk upon the return of the plate, he wrote : " The long delay that has happened to the restora- tion of your plate, has given me much concern, and I now feel a proportionate pleasure in fulfilling what was my first intention. My motive for landing at your estate in Scotland was to take you, as a hostage for the lives and liberties of a number of the citizens of America, who had been taken in war on the ocean and committed to British prisons, under an act of Parliament, as traitors, pirates and felons. You ob- AT NANTES AND AT BRESl. 81 served to Mr Alexander that my idea was a mis- taken one, because you were not, as I had supposed. in favor with the British ministry, who knew thai you favored the cause of liberty. On that account, I am glad that you were absent from your estate when I landed there, as I bore no personal enmity, but the contrary, toward you. I afterward had the happi- ness to redeem my fellow-citizens from Britain, by means far more glorious than through the medium of any single hostage. " As I have endeavored to serve the cause of lib- erty, through every stage of the American Revolu- tion, and have sacrificed to it my private ease, a part of my fortune, and some of my blood, I could have no selfish motive in permitting my people to demand and carry off your plate. My sole inducement was to turn their attention and stop their rage from breaking out and retaliating on your house and effects the too wanton burnings and desolation that had been committed against their relations and fellow-citizens in America, by the British ; of which, I assure you, you would have felt the severe conse- quences, had I not fallen on an expedient to prevent it, and hurried my people away before they had time for further reflection." We must now return from this episode to the continuance of Captain Jones's cruise. In his lettcf 82 PAUL JONES. to Lady Selkirk, he alludes to a naval battle with the ship Drake. After the descent upon Mary's Island, Captain Jones again stood across the Channel from the Scottish to the Irish shore. On the morning of the 24th, he arrived off the Bay of Carrickfergus, and would again have entered, to make an attack upon the Drake, had he not seen that that ship was spread- ing her sails to come out. The wind was very light and the progress of the British ship slow. The cap- tain of the Drake had heard of the ravages of the Ranger, for the appalling tidings had spread far and wide, and he was coming out in search of her. See- ing this vessel in the distance, a boat was sent out from the Drake to reconnoitre. Captain Jones kept the ship's stern directly toward the approaching boat, and so succeeded in disguising his true charac- ter that though the boat's crew carefully scrutinized him with a spy-glass, they were completely deceived, and, hailing the vessel, came alongside. As soon as the officer stepped upon the quarter-deck, he found, to his great surprise, himself a prisoner and his boat captured. Captain Jones learned, from his captives, that the night before an express had reached the Drake, with tidings of the destruction of the shipping at White- haven ; and the Drake had immediately increased its crew by a large number of volunteers, and. waf \T NANTES AND AT BREST. 83 now pressing forward in pursuit of the Ranger. Alarm fires were also seen on the eminences on both sides of the Channel, their columns of smokf rising high into the air. It was evident that the achievements of the bold little Ranger had created a great commotion, rousing all England to a sense of danger, for no one knew upon what point her next blows might fall. The wind was light and the tide unfavorable, so that the Drake worked out of the bay slowly. Cap- tain Jones awaited her arrival, laying to with courses up, and main-topsail to the mast. At length, the Drake, having reached the mid-channel, came with- in hailing distance, and ran up the flag of England. At the same instant the Stars and Stripes were un- furled at the topmast of the Ranger. Still an officer on the quarter-deck of the Drake shouted out : " What ship is that?" The reply was immediately returned : " It is the American Continental ship Ranger. We are waiting for you. The sun is but little more than an hour from setting. It is therefore time to begin." The Drake was astern of the Ranger. Jores ordered the helm up, and as his vessel rounded to, discharged a full broadside into the thronged decks of the Drake. The iron storm crashed through timbers and bones and quivering nerves with terrible 84 PAUL JONES. destruction But the spirit of war can never arrest its energies to compassionate its victims. The guns of the Drake were loaded and shotted, and the gun- ners stood, with lighted torches, at their posts. Instantly the fire was returned, while the dead were left in their blood, and the wounded were hurried to the cockpit, to writhe beneath the cuttings of the surgeon's knife. Thus, for an hour and four minutes, the dreadful conflict continued. The thunders of the exploding guns, booming over the waves, echoed along the shores of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The Brit- ish Government dreamed not that its feeble colonies could do anything more than present a brief and totally unavailing resistance behind frail ramparts, suddenly thrown up, three thousand miles away, on the other side of the Atlantic. And yet here were those colonies putting forth energies which were burning ships in England's home harbors, and bom- barding her frigates in her own Channel. At the close of an hour and four minutes of as obstinate a naval battle as could be fought, the Drake dropped her flag and cried for quarter. Her fore and main-topsail yards were both cut away, and hung down on the cap. The top-gallant yard and mizzen gaff were also torn from their fastenings and were dangling against the mast. The first flag had AT NANTES AND AT BREST. 8$ been shot awiy. They had raised a second That also had fallen before the incessant storm of iron hail, and was draggling in the water. Her masts and yards were all more or less shattered, while the main-mast was so seriously wounded as to be in dan- ger of falling. The jib was shot away, and, held by the cordage, was floating on the waves. The hull was pierced in many places, shivered and splintered by the balls. Upon entering the captured ship an appalling spectacle met the eye. A hundred and ninety men had crowded it, in the full assurance of victory. Of these, forty-two were either killed or wounded. A musket-ball had pierced the brain of the captain, and he lay weltering in blood, silent in death. The first lieutenant had also been struck by a mortal wound, and was in death's convulsions. It is very remarkable that on board the Ranger there was but one man killed and six wounded. The night succeeding this terrible storm of human violence was severe and the ocean tranqi'.il. As all hands were busy in refitting the shatterf:d vessels, an English merchant brig came along, bcund for Norway It was captured without viifficulty. As English men-of-war were crowding St. George's Chan- nel Captain Jones decided to paos through the 86 PAUL JONES. North Channel with his two prizes, and letum to Brest by the west coast of Ireland. When Captain Jones first made his appearance off Carrickfergus Bay, he captured a fishing-boat to make inquiries respecting the shipping within the bay. As secrecy was essential to his plan of opera- tion, it was necessary to detain those fishermen with their boat. Otherwise they would communicate intelligence of his movements, and abundant pre- parations would be made to repel him. It was no longer necessary to detain them. Captain Jones writes : " 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 new 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 be.' stowed the last guinea in my possession, to defray their travelling expenses to their proper home in Dublin. They took with them one of the Drake's sails, which would sufficiently explain what had hap- pened to the volunteers. The grateful fishermen were in raptures; and expressed their joy in theti huzzas as they passed the Ranger's quarter." AT NANTES AND AT BREST. 87 This was indeed extraordinary magnanimity when we contrast it with the conduct of England, bombarding and burning our defenceless villages, immuring our most illustrious men in the dungeons of hulks, worse than the oubliettes of the Bastile, and robbing poor fishermen of everything, burning their boats, and often impressing them into her navy, and compelling them to serve the guns against their own countrymen. Contrary winds so impeded the progress of Cap- tain Jones that it was not until the 5th of May that he had skirted the western coast of Ireland, and reached Ushant, a French island a few miles distant from the extreme northwestern coast of France. The Ranger was accompanied by the two vessels she had taken, having the torn and battered Drake in tow. A ship hove in sight to the leeward, steering for the Channel. Captain Jones cast off the Drake, by cutting the hawser, and gave chase to the stranger. His swift-sailing vessel overtook the chase in little more than an hour, and hailing her, found that she was a Swede. He therefore immediately hauled by the wind and returned to the southward to rejoin the Drake, which was then scarcely perceptible in the distant horizon. The evolutions of the Drake surprised him. She seemed to be trying to put as much distance as po* 88 PAUL JONES. sible between herself and the Ranger. Several large ships appeared steering into the Channel. But Jones was prevented from pursuing them in consequence of the extraordinary evolutions of the Drake. He made signals. They were totally disregarded. It was not until the next day he succeeded in overtak- ing the runaway Drake. Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Simpson, was immediately placed under arrest for disobedience of orders. It would seem that the lieutenant left America with the impression, and doubtless a correct one, that, upon arriving in France, Captain Jones was to be transferred to another and much finer ship, while he was to be left in command of the Drake. He consequently seemed to feel that the Drake and her crew belonged to him, and the temporary captain was rather a passenger whom he was conveying to his destination. He therefore assumed airs, and was guilty of petty acts of insubordination, which were very annoying to Captain Jones, who was a (trict disciplinarian. Moreover, Lieutenant Simpson allowed his re^ publican principles to carry him so far as to advo- cate a republican form of government even upon the decks of a war-ship. He declared to the sailors, that they, being free and enlightened American citi« fens, were entitled to decide, by the voice of the AT NANTES AND AT BREST. 89 majority, respecting all questions of importance on ship-board ; that the captain was to be their agent to perform their will. Simpson was daily growing more discontented with the position he occupied, and was probably intending to run away with the Drake, one of the best finished of England's war- ships, to repair her in some French harbor, and to sail forth on a cruise upon his own responsibility, perhaps as a French privateersman. But for this insubordination on the part of Lieu- tenant Simpson, Captain Jones would doubtless have taken several other important prizes. The Ranger. with her two prizes, returned to the harbor of Brest» and cast anchor there on the 9th of May, having been absent but one month. In the mean time the French squadron, under Count d'Estaing, had bees made ready for sea. The news of the brilliant achievements of Paul Jones electrified France and appalled England. The alarm infused along the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland amounted almost to a panic. Lookout vessels were constantly cruising along the shores. The militia were called out. New fortifications were constructed. The whole population of the seacoast was kept in a state of constant alarm. But Captain Jones was now in great pecuniary embarrassment. The Colonial Governn'ent was so poor that it could not honor his drafts. He was not 90 PAUL JONES. only unable to refit his ship, but was in want of the means of providing the daily food for his crew. When he left America he had advanced, from hig own means, seven thousand dollars for the public service. He had, in a foreign land, two hundred prisoners of war to be provided for, a number of his own sick and wounded, and his ship to be repaired, shattered by a terrible engagement, and destitute of provisions and stores. And he was not allowed to dispose of his prizes until he received further orders from the home Government. After a vast amount of mental suffering he suc- ceeded, by his personal credit with distinguished French noblemen. Count d'Orvilliers and the Duke de Chartres, in raising money to meet his immediate and most pressing wants, and in refitting both the Ranger and the Drake for sea. The British seamen who were prisoners, if released, would be immediately forced on board the British men-of-war to man their guns. It was also necessary to retain them to effect exchanges for our own captive countrymen, whom the British were treating with such great bar- barity. In his letters to the Government he urged the imperious necessity of supplying the seamen with the little necessaries and comforts of life. He also, while entreating that the English prisoners should be treated with kindness, and all their needful wants AT NANTES AND AT BREST. Ql supplied urged that they should by no means bt released without an exchange. He now, during several months, passed through a series of trials, mor- tifications, and disappointments, a detail of which would but weary the reader. In carefully examining his voluminous correspondence, during this season of trial, when his whole soul was glowing with the de- sire for active service, and when the inactivity to which he was doomed was, to him, almost insupport- able, I cannot find a single expression unworthy of his noble character, as a self-denying patriot, a gal- lant officer, and a humane gentleman. Humanity required that England should feel the horrors of war which she was so mercilessly inflicting upon her infant colonies. In no other way could she be induced to sheathe the sword. He proposed to the Commissioners in Paris another expedition, of three fast-sailing frigates, to destroy three hundred vessels in the harbor at Whitehaven, to burn the town, and to destroy the important coal-works there. As time would be requisite to prepare for so im- portant an expedition, he proposed that a smaller force should immediately be fitted out, to harass the northern coasts of Great Britain, and to lay contributions upon the important towns. On the loth of July, 1778, Dr. Franklin wrote him saying: " In consequence of the high opinion which the 92 PAUL JONES. Minister of Marine Jias of your conduct and braveiy it is now settled that you are to have the frigate from Holland, which will be furnished with £ls many good French seamen as you may require. As you may like to have a number of Americans, and your own crew are homesick, it is proposed to give you as many as you can engage, out of two hundred prisoners which the ministry of Britain have, at length, agreed to give in exchange for those you have in your hands. They propose to make the ex- change at Calais, where they are to bring the Ameri- cans. The project of giving you the command of this ship pleases me the more, as it is a probable opening to the higher preferment you so justly merit." The conduct of Lieutenant Simpson had been^ exasperating in the highest degree, and yet Captain Jones wrote to the Commissioners, on the 4th of July: " Lieutenant Simpson has certainly behaved amiss. Yet I can forgive as well as resent. Upon his making a proper concession, I will, with youf approbation, not only forgive the past, but leave him the command of the Ranger." In anticipation of a speedy command. Captain Jones was anxious to secure the services of a chap- lain. In a communication to a friend whom he AT NANTES AND AT BREST. 93 desired to asist him in obtaining such an officer, he wrote : ** I should wish the chaplain to be a man of reading and of letters, who understands, speaks, and writes the French and English with elegance and propriety. For political reasons it would be well if he were a clergyman of the Protestant pro- fession, whose sanctity of manners, and happy, natu- ral principles would diffuse unanimity and cheer- fulness through the ship. Such a man would be worthy of the highest confidence." On the loth of August, Captain Jones repaired to Brest, expecting to be put in command of th« splendid ship which had been promised. This ship belonged to the Government. To his bitter disap- pointment he found that it had been assigned to another man. Lieutenant Simpson sailed to America in the Ranger. The Drake was a shattered prize as yet unsold. Captain Jones was- left in the humili- ating position of an adventurer out of employment. He wrote to the Prince of Nassau, with the appro- val of Dr. Franklin, earnestly imploring a commission under the French flag. In his letter he wrote: " Suffer me not, I beseech, you to continue longer in this shameful inactivity. Such dishonor is worse to me than a thousand deaths. I have already lost the golden season, the summer, which, in war, is of 94 PAUL JONES. more value than all the rest of the year. I appeal here as a person cast off and useless. When any one asks me what I purpose to do, I am unable to answer." Dr. Franklin transmitted this letter, and wrote to Captain Jones : " Your letter was sent to the Prince of Nassau. I am confident that something will be done for you, though I do not yet know what, I sympathize with you in what I know you must suf- fer from your present inactivity ; but have patience." It was proposed that he should take command of a prize-ship taken from the English. Examin- ing the ship, and finding that she sailed slow, and had but a feeble armament, he unqualifiedly rejected her. Writing to M. Chaumont, a wealthy French gentleman, who had great influence with the Gov- ernment, he said : " I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast. For I intend to go in harm's way. You know, I believe, that this is not every one's intention. Therefore buy a frigate that sails fast and that is sufficiently large to carry twenty-six or twenty- eight guns, not less than twelve-pounders, on one deck. I would rather be shot ashore than sent to sea in such things as the armed prizes I have described." An offer was made by a wealthy merchant of Nantes, M. Montieu, to place Captain Jones fa AT NANTES AND AT BREST. 95 a finst-class ship, thoroughly armed, to proceed on a privateerinrr expedition. He replied : ** Were I in pursuit of profit, I should accept the offer without hesitation. But I am under such obli- gations to Congress that I cannot think myself my own master. And as a servant of the imperial repub- lic of America, honored with the public approbation of my past services, I cannot, from my own author- ity or incHnation, serve either myself or my best friends in any private line whatsoever, unless where the honor and interest of America is the premier object." War was now openly declared between France and England. The colonies could not furnish Captain Jones with a suitable frigate, and there were many French naval officers eager to take command of such ships as the king could furnish. Consequently the prospects of Captain Jones, notwithstanding his high reputation for both bravery and ability, were very dark. In this emergence, and consumed with the desire for active service, he wrote a letter to the king. In this letter, after a very truthful and very modest narrative of his past experience he says : " Thus have I been chained down to shameful inactivity for five months. I have lost the best sea- son of the year, and such opportunities of serving my country and acquiring honor as I cannot agaip 96 PAUL JONES. expect during this war. And, to my infinite morti. fication, having no command, I am considered every- where as an officer cast off, and in disgrace for secret reasons. " Having written tc Congress to reserve no com- mand for me in America, my sensibihty is the more affected by this unworthy situation in the sight of your majesty's fleet. Although I wish not to become my own panegyrist, I must beg your majesty's per- mission to observe that I am not an adventurer in search of fortune, of which, thank God, I have a suf- ficiency. " WJien the American banners were first dis- played, 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 righteous 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, and therefore I the more ardently wish for future opportunities of testifying tny gratitude by my activity. " As your majesty, by espousing the cause of America, has become the protector of the rights of human nature, I am persuaded that you will not di» AT NANTES AND AT BREST. 97 regard my situation, nor suffer me to remain any longer in this insupportable disgrace. " This letter was enclosed in one to the Duchess of Chartres, with whom he was personally acquainted, and from whom he had received kind attentions,, He besought her to present the letter to his majesty the king; which she did. One day, chance threw into Captain Jones's hands an old almanac, containing Poor Richard's Maxitns, by Doctor Franklin. In that curious medley of wit and wisdom, poor Richard is repre- sented as saying : " If you wish to have any business done faith- fully and expeditiously, go and do it yourself. Other- wise, send some one." The maxim impressed Jones deeply. He pon- dered it, and decided that he had acted ^^ery unwisely in writing so many letters, instead of going directly to court, and making personal solicitations. Imme- diately he set out for Versailles, in whose gorgeous palace the royal family and court were then residing. Such was the potency of his presence that in a few days, on the 4th of February, 1779, he received from M. De Sartine, the French Minister of Marine, the following exhilarating letter : S 98 PAUL JONES. "To John Paul Jones, Esq., ** Commander of the American Navy in Europe. " Sir — I announce to you that, in consequence of the exposition I have laid before the king, of the distinguished manner in which you have served the United States, and of the entire confidence which your conduct has merited from Congress, his ma- jesty has thought proper to place you in command of the ship Duras, of forty guns, at present at I/Orient. I am about, in consequence, to issue the necessary orders for the complete armament of that ship. "The commission which was given you, at youi departure from America, will authorize you to hoist the flag of the United States, and you will likewise make use of the authority which has been vested in you, to procure a crew of Americans. But as you may find difficulty in raising a sufficient number, the king permits you to levy volunteers, until you obtain men enough, in addition to those who will be neces- sary to sail the ship. It shall be my care to procure the necessary officers, and you may be assured that I shall contribute every aid in my power to promote the success of your enterprise. " As soon as you are prepared for sea, you will •et sail without waiting for any ulterior orders; and you will yourself select your own cruising ground. AT NANTES AND AT BR ESI 99 cither in the European or American seas, observing always to render me an exact account of each event, that may take place during your cruise, as often as you may enter any port under the dominion of the king. No one can describe the satisfaction with which Captain Jones read this communication. Feeling that his success was due to the good advice which he had received from Poor Richard, he asked leave to give his ship that name, or as translated into French, the name of BGr^ Homme Richard. Captain Jones, in his gratefu-' reply to the Minister of Marine, writes : " I take the earliest opportunity to offer you my sincere and grateful thanks, for so singular and hon- orable a mark of your confidence and approbation. Your having permitted me to alter the name of the ship, has given me a pleasing opportunity of paying a well-merited compliment to a great and good man to whom I am under obligations, and who honon me with his friendship," CHAPTER V. Cfuise of the Bon Homme Richafd, Plans of Lafayette. — Correspondence. — Humane InslaractioBt ot Franklin. — Proposed Invasion of England. — Sailing of the Squadron. — Conduct of Pierre Landais. — The Collision, — Ad- ventures of the Cruise. — Insane Actions of Landais. — Plan for Capture. — Plan for the Capture of Leith and Edinburgh. Captain Jones eagerly repaired to L'Orient to inspect his ship and prepare her for service. He found that she was adapted to mount a battery of eighteen-pounders. He then hastened to Bordeaux, to order the casting of the cannon. Lafayette was at that time in America, cooperating with the army under Washington. Congress built a frigate of thirty-six guns, which was named the AUiance, out of compliment to the recent alliance with France. Congress also, in expression of gratitude to France, appointed a French officer, Pierre Landais, in com- mand of the frigate. The Alliance was sent out to France to cooperate with Captain Jones, and took Lafayette as a passenger. The distinguished French marquis was well ao CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD lOI quainted with the reputation of Captain Jones, as a courteous and high-minded gentleman, as well as one of the bravest and most skilful of naval officers. He wished to join Jones in his projected expedition. In conference with Dr. Franklin, at Paris, it was de- cided that Lafayette should embark in the fleet with a land force of seven hundred picked men, over whom he was to have the supreme control. Captain Jones was to have the undivided naval command. The Alliance, which was a very fine and fast frigate, was to be joined to his squadron. In reference to this contemplated expedition, Dr. Franklin address- ed a letter to Captain Jones, containing the following judicious counsel : " The Marquis de la Fayette will soon be with you. It has been observed, that joint expeditions of land and sea forces often miscarry, through jeal- ousies and misunderstandings between the officers 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, I am confident that nothing of the kind can happen between you. I look upon this expedition only as an introduction to greater trusts and more extensive commands, and as a kind of trial of both your abilities, and of your fit- I02 PAUL JONES. ness in temper and disposition for acting in concert with others. " As this is understood to be an American expe- dition under the Congressional 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 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 might, in strictness, give him, he will not have the least desire to interfere with you. The circumstance 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 in- creases the difficulty of maintaining a good under- standing. A cool, prudent conduct in the chief, is therefore the more necessary, and I trust, neither of you will, in that respect, be deficient." The following instructions were also added to the letter. But when Dr. Franklin subsequently heard of the burning of Fairfield and other towns in America, and of the fiend-like cruelties which the English officers were authorizing, he was doubtful whether the circumstances did not demand more severe retaliation. " As many of your officers and people have re- CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD. IO5 cently escaped from English prisons, you are to be particularly attentive to their conduct toward the prisoners which the fortune of war may throw into your hands, lest the resentment of the more than barbarous usage by the English in many places to- ward the Americans, should occasion a retaliation and imitation of what ought rather to be detested and avoided for the sake of humanity and for the honor of our country. "Although the English have wantonly burnt many defenceless towns in America, you are not to follow this example, unless when a reasonable ran- som is refused ; in which case, your own generous feelings, as well as this instruction, will induce you to give timely notice of your intention, that sick and ancient persons, women and children, may be first removed." In reply to this communication. Captain Jones wrote : " 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. " Be assured, that very few prospects could afford lie so true a satisfaction as that of rendering some f04 PAUL JONES. acceptable service to the common cause, and at the same time of relieving from captivity, by furnishing the means of exchange, our unfortunate fellow-sub- jects, from the hands of the enemy." Captain Jones then wrote to Lafayette : " So flat- tering 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 that I should do violence to my sen- sibility if I were capable of giving you a moment's pain by any part of my conduct. Therefore, with- out 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 re- proof shall not be lost. I have received from the good Dr. Franklin instructions at large, which it will give me the truest satisfaction to execute." Much to Captain Jones's disappointment this proposed cooperation with Lafayette was soon abandoned. Spain was preparing to unite with France and America against England. An invasion of the island of Great Britain, by the allies, was con- templated. Large forces were raised in the north- ern provinces of France, and marched to the coast, while general officers were named to conduct the CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD. 10$ enterprise. Lafayette was appointed to command a portion of this army. In his letter to Jones, inform ing him of the change which the ministry had made in his plans, he wrote : "I am only to tell you, my good friend, how sorry I feel not to be a witness of your success, abili- ties, and glory." The Richard was soon fitted for sea with a bat- tery of forty guns ; six only of these were eighteen- pounders. The rest were of but twelve-pound calibre. There were three hundred and twenty-nine officers and privates on the muster-roll. The crew had been hastily gathered from American prisoners rescued from the English prisons, from French peas- ants, and from vagabond English sailors who were ready to enlist under any flag for the money. There were not more than thirty Americans among the crew. Four other vessels composed the little squadron The American frigate Alliance, of thirty -six guns, was under the command of the French officer, ta whom we have before eilluded, Pierre Landais. The conduct of this officer was so extraordinary that it can only be accounted for on the supposition that he was actually insane. The Pallas mounted thirty- two guns. It was a merchant-ship, purchased by the King of France and hastily fitted up at Nante» S* I06 PAUL JONES. The Cerf hud eighteen guns, and the Vengeance twelve. The state of affairs on board the Alliance was such that the frigate was no help, but rather a hin- drance to the enterprise. The crew were in a state boidering on open mutiny. The first and second lieutenants had deserted. The captain and his other officers were in a state of open and shameful hostility, ready to cut each other's throats. The Vengeance was also a merchant vessel, very poorly prepared for battle. The Cerf was a fine cutter, and the only vessel in the squadron which was well fitted and manned. Captain Jones, who ever sought the most heroic enterprises, had formed the bold plan of appalling England by the capture of the city of Liverpool. But the withdrawal of Lafayette and his land forces from the expedition rendered it necessary to aban- don this all-important measure. The squadron was first employed in convoying a fleet of merchant ves- sels down the coast of France, a distance of about two hundred miles, from L'Orient to Bordeaux, and to drive all of the English cruisers out of the Bay of Biscay. On the night of the 20th of June, Pierre Landais contrived to run the Alliance upon the Richard. He thus lost his own mizzen-mast, while he tore away CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD. lO; the head and bowsprit of the Richard. This pre- ^nded accident was probably intentional. It soon became evident that he would be glad to cripple the Richard, probably hoping that she would be sent back for repairs, and that he, instead of being a sub- ordinate, might be intrusted with the supreme com- mand of the expedition. Through all the confusion of the scene, when, in almost midnight darkness rtnd on a stormy sea, both vessels were in imminent peril of being sunk, with all their crews, he behaved like a madman. It was attested, by the officers, in the trial which took place — " That the captain of the Alliance did not take the steps in his power to prevent his ship from get- ting foul of the Richard ; for instead of putting his helm aweather, and bearing up to make way for his commanding officer, which was his duty, he left the deck to load his pistols." The next day a British vessel hove in sight. Captain Jones found that the Richard proved to be a lumbering concern and a slow sailer. He there- fore sent the swifter-winged cutter Cerf in pursuit of the stranger. It will be remembered that the Cerf carried but eighteen guns. The vessel proved to be a war-sloop of fourteen guns. A warm engage- ment took place. The thunders of this naval tem- pest swept the ocean far and wide. The Cerf was I08 PAUL JONES. victorious. Grappling her battered and blood-stained prize, she was making her way back to the squad- ron when a large British frigate bore down upon her. The Cerf, maimed by the conflict, was com* pelled to abandon her prize, and escaping to the squadron, was sent back to L'Orient to refit. The next day three British ships-of-war were dis- cerned far away to the windward. Jones, with his four vessels, bore down upon them. The frigates, seeing that they were outnumbered, escaped by superior sailing. A few days after this there was a fog. Though Captain Jones fired signal guns, to keep his squadron together, when the fog cleared away neither the Alliance nor the Pallas was any- where to be seen. Captain Jones was thus left with but two vessels ; and his own, the Richard, was so seriously damaged by the collision with the Alliance, that it was needful to make port as speedily as pos- sible, at L'Orient, for repairs. When a few leagues from L'Orient, between Belle Isle and the Isle of Croix, he gave the Ven- geance permission to run into the harbor while he moved slowly along with his disabled ship. Thus he was left alone. After the Vengeance had left him, in the night of the 31st of June, two British war- vessels attacked him. In his crippled state his vessel amounted to but little excepting a floating battery CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD. IO9 But he served his guns so well and gave his foes so warm a reception, that they speedily retired. *' They appeared at first," writes Jones, " earnest to engage, but their courage failed, and they fled with precipitation, and to my mortification out- sailed the Bon Homme Richard and got clear." The Richard had proved a failure. Upon inspec- tion at L'Orient, she was pronounced to be unworthy of the great alterations essential to fit her for a suc- cessful campaign. The ship was, however, tinkered up for temporary service, and again Captain Jones was sent forth to cruise in the Channel, with a small squadron, under circumstances which would have disheartened any man of ordinary temperament. At daybreak on the 14th of August, 1779, the vessels weighed anchor from the harbor of L'Orient. The squadron consisted of the same vessels which had sailed before, and all of which had rendezvoused at L'Orient. Two French privateers also sailed in company, the Monsieur and the Granville. When four days out, on the i8th, the fleet came in sight of a large French ship which had been captured by an English privateer. A British crew was hurrying with the prize to the nearest British port. The squadron gave chase, and the prize was overtaken and recaptured by the swift-sailing privateer Mooc sieur This fire ship carried forty guns. no PAUL JONES. The privateersman assumed that the prize wait his own property, to which the squadron had no claim. He therefore, in the night, dropping astern, took from the prize such articles as he needed, and placed a portion of his crew and one of his own officers on board to hold possession. But Captain Jones promptly reversed this decision, and sent the prize, under his own orders, to L'Orient, to be dis posed of in accordance with the laws provided for such an occasion. The captain of the Monsieur was so displeased with his manifestly just decision, that the next day he separated from the squadron. Two days after, on the 20th of August, another large ship was caught sight of, far away to the wind- ward. The squadron gave chase, but the ship escaped. The next day another ship was seen in the distant horizon, and pursued. But being to the windward, she also escaped. While engaged in the chase, one of the squadron overtook a brig laden with provisions, bound for London. She was easily captured, and under a prize crew was sent into L'Orient. On the 23d, the squadron was in sight of Cape Clear, the extreme southwestern point of Ireland. Scarcely a breath of wind rippled the mirrored surface of the sea. The sails flapped idly against the masts as the vessels gently rolled on the vast ocean swells. CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD. Ill Far away in the northwest a brig was seen. The calm prevented any advance of the squadron. Cap- tain Jones sent two large boats, well manned, and propelled by oars, to capture the vessel. The afternoon wore away, and as evening came on it was perceived that a strong ocean current was sweeping the Richard into a very dangerous position, between two rocks, called the Skallocks and the Blaskets. The captain sent out his own barge, with strong rowers, to tow the ship from her dangerous course. About one-third of the crew were English sailors. The best men had been sent off in the boats to capture the brig. He had therefore to man his barge mainly with the English. They were unprin- cipled adventurers, and when night came on they cut the tow-rope, and pulled for the shore. The evening was clear and serene. Mr, Trent, who occupied the position of sailing-master on board the Richard, immediately sprang into another of the ship's boats, with a few armed men, and pursued the deseiters. At the same time several cannon-shot were unavailingly thrown at them. A fog came on, and the pursuing boat was lost in the darkness. The deserters reached the shore and escaped. The fog continued, a genuine English fog, until noon of the next day. The boats sent to capture the brig 112 PAUL JONES. wetie successful. The crews under the command ol the lieutenant took possession of the prize. The Cerf was sent to reconnoitre the coast, and to endeavor to recover the two lost boats, the barge and the boat sent in pursuit of it. Approaching near the shore, the Cerf, to avoid detection, raised English colors. Mr. Trent, catching sight of the hostile flag, fearing capture, ran his boat ashore, where he and his crew were made prisoners. They were thrown into a wretched dungeon, where the unhappy Mr. Trent lingered until death came to his relief. Thus the Richard lost two important boats. In the afternoon, Pierre Landais came on board the Richard, and, even assuming an arrogant air of superiority, affirmed, in a very insulting manner, that Captain Jones had lost two boats and their crews from his folly in sending boats to capture a brig. He erroneously supposed that the lost boats were the two which had first been sent out ; whereas they had been entirely successful, and had triumph- antly accomplished their mission. Captain Jones listened calmly to his impertinent tirade, and then, with the courtesy of a true gentleman, replied: " It is not true," Captain Landais, " that the boats which are lost, are the two which were sent to capture the brig." The irate Frenchman, almost insane with pa» CRUI^F OF T'lE BON HOMME RICHARD. II3 sion, whirled upon his heel, and exclaimed, to an officer who accompanied him, " He tells me ///>/ The gestures of Landais were as rude and insult- ing as his language. Lieutenants Weibert and Chamillard endeavored to soothe the unreasonably angry man. But all was in vain. He raved like a maniac. Through all this scene, so disgraceful to the Frenchman, Captain Jones maintained a tranquil spirit. The conduct of Landais was so violent and so utterly unreasonable, that Captain Jones charita- bly excused him, on the supposition that there was a vein of insanity in his nature. The Cerf was utterly lost in the fog. The next night a violent storm arose, and the cutter, finding itself hopelessly separated from the squadron, re- turned to France. The privateer Granville, which mounted fourteen guns, having secured a prize, has- tened with it back to a French port. The modera- tion displayed by Captain Jones under annoyances sufficient to drive most men mad, is worthy of all praise. In his journal for the king he wrote : " It was my intention to cruise off the southwest coast of Ireland for twelve or fifteen days, in order to intercept the enemy's homeward-bound East India ships. I had been informed that they would return without convoy, and would steer for that point of land. But Captain Landais, of the Alliance, 114 PAUL JONES. began to speak and act as though he were nol under my command. He made great objections to remaining on the coast, expressing apprehension that the enemy would send a superior force." On the evening of the 26th, as a violent storm was raging, Landais refused to obey the signal from the Richard, and altering his course, was not seen again for five days. The Pallas also, in the fearful gale, lost her rudder, and became in a great degree unmanageable. When the morning of the 27th of August dawned luridly upon the tempest-lashed ocean, the Bon Homme Richard found herself alone with the Vengeance. On the 31st of August, as the Richard and the Vengeance were in hot chase of an English priva- teer, mounting twenty-two guns, the Alliance, by chance, again appeared in sight. They were then off the extreme northwestern coast of Ireland, within sight of the Hebrides. They had run along the western shore of Ireland. The AlUance had captured a valuable prize, bound from Liverpool to Jamaica. The Richard and Vengeance soon over took the vessel they were pursuing, and captured it, almost without a struggle. It proved to be the Union, bound from London for Quebec. It had a cargo of great value, consisting of sails, rigging, CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD. II5 •nchors, cables, and other essential articles, for the war-vessels England was building on the lakes. Captain Jones, having manned from his crew the brig which he captured off the northwest of Ireland, and having lost the deserters who filled the barge, and twenty of his best men who were sent in pur- suit of them, probably could not well spare enough men to man the guns of the prize, so as to take her into some safe port. Landais sent the following in- sulting message to Captain Jones : " Do you wish to furnish men to carry the prize you have taken to port, or do you wish me to furnish men. If it is your wish that I should take charge of the prize, I shall not allow any boat or any individual from the Bon Homme Richard to go near her." Captain Jones was very anxious, for the honor of our country, and for the success of the cause of American liberty, to avoid all jealousies and bicker- ings with our allies the French. He therefore, in a spirit of exalted patriotism, endured indignities, which, under other circumstances it would not have been his duty to tolerate. With noble forbearance he replied that Captain Landais might take the ex- clusive charge of the prize. In his journal for the king he wrote : ** Ridiculous as this appeared to me, I yielded to Il6 PAUL JONES. it for the sake of peace ; and received the prisoners on board the Bon Homme Richard, while the prize was manned from the Alliance." It was needful for Captain Jones to make this statement, in consequence of the result which ensued. The half-crazed Landais, instead of sending the prizes directly home to some port in France, proba- bly fearing- that they might be captured by some English war-ship, despatched them to Bergen, in Norway. The Danish Government, being on friendly terms with England, gave them both up to the British ambassador. Landais pursued this strange course in direct violation of the order he had re ceived from Jones. The value of the two prizes, thus foolishly lost, was estimated to exceed two hundred thousand dollars. In the afternoon of the same day another large ship appeared in the horizon, near the Flamie Islands. As we have said, the Richard was a lumber- ing merchantman of slow speed. The Alliance was a finely built, swift-footed American frigate. Jones signalled the Alliance to aid him in the pursuit by immediately giving chase. Instead of obeying the commands of the appointed commodore of the squad. ron, he deliberately wore ship, and laid his course in the opposite direction. Night came. The stranger escaped. In the morning, Captain Jones signalled CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD. II 7 Landais to come on board the Richard. He wished to confer respecting more cordial cooperation. Lan- dais contemptuously paid no regard to the signal. The next morning, which was the 2d of Septem- ber, daylight revealed a sail in the distance. The Richard and the Vengeance gave chase, followed sullenly by the Alliance. The ship proved to be the Pallas, which had, in some way, succeeded in repairing the loss of her rudder. A rendezvous had been appointed, in case the fleet should get separated, at Fair Island, north of Scotland. The squadron turned its course in that direction hoping to find the Cerf there. On the evening of the next day, Sep- tember 3d, the Vengeance captured a small brig returning to England from Norway. The Alliance had disappeared. It had gone, no one knew where. The terrible annoyances to which Captain Jones was exposed, in ways innumerable, may be inferred from the following extracts from his journal : " On the morning of the 4th the Alliance appear- ed again, and had brought two very small coasting sloops in ballast, but without having attended pro- perly to my order of yesterday. The Vengeance ioined me soon after, and informed me that, in con- sequence of Captain Landais' orders to the com. manders of the two prize-ships, they had refused to follow him to the rendezvous. I am, to this moment II8 PAUL JONES. ignorant of what orders these men received from Captain Landais ; nor know I by virtue of what authority he ventured to give his orders to prizes in my presence, and without either my knowledge oi approbation. Captain Ricot further informed me that he had burnt the brigantine, because that ves- sel proved leaky. And I was sorry to understand afterward that, though the vessel was Irish pre perty, the cargo was the property of subjects of Norway. " In the evening I sent for all the captains to come on board the Bon Homme Richard, to consult on future plans of operations. Captains Cottineau and Ricot obeyed me ; but Captain Landais obsti- nately refused, and after sending me various uncivil messages, wrote me a very extraordinary letter, in answer to a written order which I had sent him on finding that he had trifled with my verbal orders." Three of the officers of the other ships, gallant officers and courteous gentlemen, Me»srs. Mease, Cottineau, and Chamillard, went on board the Alli- ance to endeavor to persuade Landais not to pursue a course so ruinous to the efficiency of the expedi- tion. The angry man would not listen to the voice of reason. He spoke of Captain Jones in the most contemptuous and insulting terms. He even went *o far as to say : CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD. 1 19 " I will soon meet Captain Jones on shore. Then I will either kill him or he shall kill me." On the afternoon of the 5th of September, a storm arose. For four days one of the fiercest of gales ploughed the seas of those high northern lati- tudes ; for the squadron was then in the parallel of northern Labrador. In the second night of the gale the Alliance again disappeared, though there was nothing to prevent the vessels of the squadron from keeping in sight of each other. The Vengeance and the Pallas alone remained with the Richard. The squadron followed down the eastern coast of Scotland far out at sea. Their first sight of land revealed the summits of the Cheviot Hills, far away in the south. This was in the evening of the 13th. The next day they gave chase to several vessels and succeeded in capturing a large ship and a brig, both laden with coal, some distance off the frith or bay of Edinburgh. The city of Leith is the seaport of the city of Edinburgh, which stands about a mile back from the bay. Leith contained a population of about twenty- five thousand, and its harbor was crowded with ship- ping. Captain Jones learned, from his prizes, that there was no land battery to defend Leith, and that there was, in the harbor, in addition to the ordinary shipping, an armed vessel of twenty guns, and three I20 PAUL JONES. fine cutters. Captain Jones, always eage* for heroic measures, and whose courage, extraordinary as it ivas, was ever tempered by discretion, seeing both Leith and Edinburgh within reach of his blows and reposing in indolence and supposed security, desired to make an instantaneous attack. He summoned Captain Cottineau of the Pallas and Captain Cha- millard of the Vengeance to meet in his cabin. As he opened his bold plan to them they were appalled at the idea of attacking, with three small vessels, Leith, and consequently Edinburgh, which would instantly send all her forces to the rescue. Captain Jones eloquently urged upon the French officers the motives which influenced his own mind. " It is," he said, " a matter of the utmost im- portance to teach the enemy humanity by some exemplary stroke of retaliation. And there is no way in which we can release from the most cruel captivity the American prisoners in England, but by making captives of some persons of note. The aristocratic Government of Great Britain will care but little for the fate cf their poor sailors and fish- ermen. " Moreover, the Allies are soon to make a for- midable descent on the south side of England. It will greatly help their operations, if we can make a diversion here in the north. The bold measure wiU CRUISE OF THE BON HOMME RICHARD. 131 alarm them. They will imagine that an immense force is to follow into the Bay of Edinburgh. This will compel them to hurry their armies to the north, leaving the south unprotected. " And bold as the measure appears to be, it is by no means quixotic. There is every reason to expect success. We know just what resistance we have to encounter. We have ample means to overcome that resistance. And should any unforeseen calamity thwart our plans, we can promptly put to sea, and there are no vessels at hand which will dare to pursue us." Thus he argued all the night, but unavailingly. Objections and difficulties were presented without number. There was perhaps never more unselfish patriotism than that which glowed in the bosom of Paul Jones. The idea of his own personal interest being promoted by the plunder he should take, seemed never to have entered his mind. It would have been unreasonable to expect that such purity of motive could govern the French officers. They were merely the allies of America, and, in the war, had no important national interests at stake. Cap- tain Jones then appealed to another motive. " The cities of Leith and Edinburgh will readily give a million of dollars to ransom their two citiei from the flames." 133 PAUL JONES. A million of dollars ! two hundred thousand pounds. This thought touched and melted theii hearts. All opposition gave way. They were now ready to cooperate, with all the zeal which mercenary instincts could inspire. CHAPTER VI. Tfu Bsn Homme Richard and the Se^apu. Leith Threatened. — The Summons. — Remarkable Prayer. — Widtt- spread Alarm. — Cuntinuatiun of ;he Cruise. — IiiKul>ordination the windward, and did not come into action. She had been commanded to assist in any way she could in the battle, or in taking or destroying the merchant-ships. The Pallas, under Captain Cotti- neau, bore down bravely upon the Countess of Scar- borough, and after the bloody conflict of an hour com- pelled the white cross of St. George to bow to the Stars and the Stripes of the almost nameless repub- lic. Thus the Richard was left alone to contend with the Serapis. The Richard had forty guns. Six of these were eighteen-pounders. The rest were twelve, nine, and six pounders Three hundred and seventy-f.ve men seived these guns. The whole weight of iton balls she could throw at one discharge of thcin all, was four hundred and seventy-four pound:-. The Serapis carried forty-one gur/. Twenty of these were eighteen-pounders. T!,.re were three 134 PAUL JONES hundred and twenty-five men to work these guns The whole weight of metal the Serapis could throw, at one discharge, was six hundred pounds. The Serapis was one of the finest of British fri. gates, agile and very obedient to her helm, fhe Richard was an old and clumsy merchantman, very unwieldy, and poorly fitted for warfare. There was a gentle breeze which swelled the sails, and an almost unrippled sea. The sun had been set for more than a hour. But the moon rose in full splendor, and, shining down from a cloudless sky, shed almost noonday brilliance over the scene. The vessels were but three miles from the rugged cliffs of Flam- borough, which seems but a short distance when looked upon over the water. Those cliffs were blackened with the multitudes who had hurried to witness the strange, sublime, and yet awful spectacle. The coast line and the piers of Scarborough seemed also to be crowded with spectators. The breeze was so light that the vessels had ap- proached each other very slowly. When within pistol-shot, and abreast, with bow to bow, the Serapis hailed the Richard with the question : " What ship is that ? " The answer came back, " What is it you say ? ** Again the shout came from the Serapis, " What THE RICHARD AND THE SERA?IS. 1 35 ship is that ? Answer immediately, or I shall fire into you." Simultaneously both vessels opened their broad- sides. The flash glared upon the spectators like lightning from the cloud. Then came the thunder peal. The storm jf human passion, more dreadful than any storm which ever wrecked the skies, had begun. The iron hail tore through both of the ships, crashing the timbers, scattering death-dealing splin- ters in all directions, and strewing the decks with the mangled bodies of the dying and the dead. At this first discharge two of the eighteen-pounders of the Richard burst, killing almost every man who served them, and so blowing up the deck and creat- ing such havoc as to render the remaining four use- less. Thus Captain Jones's battery of six eighteen- pounders was rendered entirely useless, while his adversary had twenty eighteen-pounders to hurl destruction upon the Richard. The battle was con- tinued with unremitting fury. Broadside followed broadside in such swift succession that there was a continuous flash and a continuous roar. It was a wondrous spectacle presented to the spectators on land. Both ships were enveloped in such a cloud of smoke as to be quite invisible. It seemed as though a thunder-cloud, fraught with th« 136 PAUL JONES. most dreadful tempests, had descended upon th( ocean, and that a supernatural strife was raging there between unseen spirits of darkness, who hurled bolts at each other which illumined the ocean, anc shook the hills. All who witnessed the terrific scene were overwhelmed with emotions of awe and dread. This is indeed a fallen world. Through all the ages, on the ocean and on the land, man has been combining all the energies he could wield for the destruction of his brother man. Very slowly this war cloud moved along, the man- CEuvres of both vessels being entirely concealed from those on the shore. Each was constantly endeavor- ing to cross each other's track, that thus the ship of its opponent might be raked by a broadside which would sweep from the bows to the stern. But sev- eral of the braces of the Richard were shot away ; she would not readily mind the helm, and the bow- sprit of the Serapis was thrust across the stern of the Richard, near the mizzen-mast. Captain Jones grasped the bowsprit with his grappling irons, and made the ships fast. The stem of the Serapis swung round to the bows of the Ri- chard. Thus the ships were brought square alongside ol" each other. Theiryards were all entangled The muzzles of their guns often touched. In the mean- time the gunners were pouring into each other theif THE RICHARD AND THE SERAPIS. 1 3; awful broadsides, creating destruction which was truly appalling. Several eighteen-pound shots had pierced the Richard at the water's edge, and the water was rushing in torrents through the openings. A party of twenty soldiers had been placed upon the quarter-deck of the Richard, to pick off the gun- ners of the enemy, with their muskets. But they were assailed by such a murderous storm of grape- shot, that torn and bleeding, and leaving many dead upon the deck, they ran below. Men were stationed high up in the rigging of both the ships, who kept up an incessant fire upon all exposed persons. The two vessels, sometimes touching each other and again separated by but a few feet, moved slowly along, side by side, dealing such terrific blows as to cause each to stagger. They often crossed each other's track, now passing the bow and again the stern. Captain Jones's battery of twelve-pounders, upon which he had placed his main reliance, was soon entirely silenced. As in this terrible struggle broadside answered broadside, Captain Jones saw that the superiority of his enemy in weight of metai would inevitably give him the victory, if that mode of warfare were continued ; especially as his own vessel was old and easily torn to pieces by the foe- man's shot, while the Serapis was new, with solid 138 PAUL JONES. timbers almost like ribs of steel. He resolved t€ board the foe. In attempting this his vessel became entangled with the jib-boom of the Serapis and tore it away. The grappling irons were again thrown out, and the two ships again swung together, broadside to broad- side, so that the muzzles of their guns not unfre- quently touched, and the gunners, in ramming down the charges, often ran their ramrods into the port- holes of their adversary. With his own hand Cap- tain Jones aided in tying the lashings, that the ves- sels might not again be separated. Still there was not a moment's cessation of the cannonading. The timbers were torn and rent. Huge gaps were opened in the sides of each ship. The cloud of smoke which enveloped them was so dense that the com- batants, in almost midnight darkness, fought mainly by the flash of their guns. A hundred men made a rush over the gunwales into the Serapis with gleaming swords, exploding pistols, and the loudest outcries which frenzy could extort. In such hours of blood and terror, shrieks ttd to embolden the heart and nerve the arm. They were met by an equal number of the foe, with pike, sabre, pistol, and corresponding yells. What imagination can conceive the scene ? In midnight darkness, illumined only by war's portentous flashes THE RICHARD AND THE SERAPIS. 139 enveloped in sulphurous smoke, with the crash as of ten thousand thunders deafening the ear, more than seven hundred men, crowded together in closest contact, and wielding the most powerful weapons modern art could construct were butchering each other. Limb was torn from limb. Dead bodies strewed the decks, which were slippery with blood. Shrieks and groans and prayers and oaths were blended with the horrid clamor. Can hell itself present a scene more infernal than this. And who shall answer for this at God's bar? If Abraham was right in arming three hundred and eighteen men to pursue the savages for the rescue of his nephew Lot, and his family, and if he could look for God's blessing upon the enterprise, as he certainly could, then were these colonies justified in resisting, even to this direful extremity, the attempts of haughty England to enslave our land. The bur- glar who breaks into the peaceful dwelling at mid- night, to rob and murder, may be justly resisted with every weapon which frenzy can grasp. The British government must answer at the Judgment Seat, for these scenes of blood and woe. Truly did Captain Jones write to Lady Selkirk. " Humanity starts back from such scenes of horror, and cannot sufficiently execrate the vile pro moters of the detestable war. I4Q PAUL JONES. •• For thty; 'twas they unsheathed the ruthless blad*, And Heaven shall ask the havoc it has made." The boarders were driven back. Leaving many dead upon the deck of the Serapis, they were forced, pell-mell, over the gunwales, with many a gory wound, to the blood-stained decks of the Richard. As they fled, the two captains, each on his quarter- deck, stood within a few feet of each other. In the darkness the flags could not be seen. Captain Pearson, of the Serapis, shouted out ; " Have you struck your flag ? " " No," responded Captain Jones, " I have not yet begun to fight." With his own hands the intre- pid captain worked, serving the guns. Though blackened with powder and smoke, and painfully wounded by a splinter, he was calm and unagitated, watching every movement, but with a firm expression on his almost feminine features which indicated that he would never, never yield. He endeavored to compensate for the superiority of the guns of his foe by the rapidity of his own fire. His guns thus became greatly heated, and in their terrible rebound threatened to break from their fastenings. At every discharge his ship trembled from stem to stern. In Captain Jones's extremely modest official account, in which not one tv ord is said in praise of himself, he writes : THE RICHARD AND THE 3ERAPIS. I4I " I directed the fire of one of the three cannon against the main-mast with double-headed shot, wrhiie the other two were exceedingly well served with grape and canister shot to silence the enemy's musketry, and clear her decks, which was at last effected. The enemy were, as I have since under- stood, on the instant for calling for quarter, when the cowardice or treachery of three of my under officers induced them to call to the enemy. The T^nglish commodore asked me if I demanded quar- ter, and, I having answered him in the most deter- mined 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 eighteen-pounders, was incessant. Both ships were set on fire in vari- ous 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 carpenter, and the master-at-arms), I must observe that the two first were slightly wounded, and as the ship had received various shots under water, and one of the pumps being shot away, the carpenter sxpressed his fear that she would sink, and the other two concluded that she was sinking, which occasioned the gunner to run aft on the poop, with- out my knowledge, to strike the colors ; fortunately 142 PAUL JONES. for me, a cannon-ball had done that befote, by car lying away the ensign staff; he was, therefore, reduced t3 the necessity of sinking — as he sup- posed — or of calling for quarter, and he preferred the latter." There were six feet of water in the hold. The flood, in streams, was rushing in. The ship was apparently sinking. At that awful moment one of the officers rushed below and, with humane inten- tions, released three hundred prisoners who were in the hold. They came pouring upon deck in a frenzy of dismay. Water would drown them in the hold. Bullets and cannon-balls would strike them on the deck. The Richard was on fire in several places. The rudder was cut off the stern-frame, and the transoms shot away. Fire had broken out in several places. It was burning within a few inches of the powder magazine. The timbers on the ship's side, from the main-mast to the stern, were entirely shot away, so that the balls of the Serapis passed directly through, meeting with no obstruction but the bodies of men. A few blackened posts alone prevented the upper deck from falling. The flames were so near the magazine that Cap- tain Jones ordered the powder kegs to be brought up and thrown into the sea. He compelled the pri- ■oners to work at the pumps, and in the endeavor to THE RICHARD AND THE SERAPIS. I43 extinguish the flames. They were indeed ready enough to do this ; for the sinking of the' ship would drown them, and they were in imminent peril of being burned up by the conflagration. In the midst of this awful confusion, after the battle had raged for two and a half hours, Captain Pearson thought he heard the cry of some one on board the Richard calling for quarter. This cry probably came from the quartermaster. " Hearing this," Captain Pearson writes, " I called upon the captain, to know if he had struck. No answer being made, after repeating my words to or three times, I called for the boarders and ordered them to board ; which they did. But the moment they were on board the Richard, they discovered a superior number, lying under cover, with pikes in their hands ready to receive them ; on which our people retreated instantly to their guns again, till after ten o'clock." The powder-boys of the Serapis, whose business it was to bring up the cartridges for the guns, ap- palled by the horrible scene, of dismounted guns, mutilation, and death, scarcely knowing what they did, threw the cartridges upon the deck, and went back for more. The cartridges were trampled upon and broken. The deck was soon quite covered with cartridges and loose powder. A hand grenade; 144 PAUL JONES. thrown from the Richard, set fire to this, and pnv duced an awful explosion. The effect was horrible. More than twenty were instantly blown to pieces. Many others had every particle of clothing blown from their bodies, and were thrown down, writhing in agony, blackened, and scorched almost to cinders, Captain Pearson, in his official report says : " A hand grenade, being thrown in at one of the lower ports a cartridge of powder was set on fire; the flames of which, running from cartridge to car- tridge all the way aft, blew up the whole of the peo- ple and officers that were quartered abaft the main- mast ; from which unfortunate circumstances, all those guns were rendered useless for the remainder of the actipn, and I fear that the greater part of the people will lose their lives." Just before ten oclock the Alliance, which had stood aloof during all these hours, made her appear- ance. I must give this extraordinary occurrence in the words of Captain Jones. " I now thought," he wrote, " that the battle was at an end. But to my utter astonishment he dis- charged a broadside full into the stern of the Bon Homme Richard. We called to him for God's sake to forbear. Yet he passed along the off side of the Bhip, and continued firing. There was no possibil- THE RICHARD AND THE SERAPIS. I45 t fty of his mistaking the enemy's ship for the Bon Homme Richard, there being the most essential dif- ference in their appearance and construction. Be- sides it was then full moonlight, and the sides of the Bon Homme Richard were all black, and the sides of the enemy's ship were yellow. Yet for the greater security I showed the signal for our reconnoisance, by putting out three lanterns, one at the bow, one at the stern, and one at 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 Bon Homme Richard, head, stern, and broadside, and by one of his volleys killed several of my best men, and mortally wounded a good oflScer of the forecastle. My situation was truly deplorable. The Bon Homme Richard received several shots under the water from the Alliance. The leak gained on the pumps ; and the fire increased much on board both ships. Some officers entreated me to strike, of whose courage and sense I entertain a high opinion. I would not, however, give up the point." The fire from the tops of the Richard had struck down every man on the quarter-deck of the Serapis. Captain Jones's guns had so cut the main-mast of the foe that it reeled and fell with a fearful crash 7 146 PAUL JONES. tearing down with it spars and rigging, and leaving the ship almost a helpless wreck. Flames were bursting forth in several places. Captain Pearson »aw that all was lost. With his own hands he struck his flag. Lieutenant Richard Dale immediately, with the consent of Captain Jones, jumped upon the gunwale, seized the main-brace pendant, and swung himself upon the quarter-deck of the captured ship. He was followed by Midshipman Mayrant, with a large party of sailors. The confusion was so great that it was not known, at that moment, throughout either ship, that the Serapis had surrendered. One of the enemy, stationed at the waist, ran his boarding-pike through the thigh of the midshipman. Lieutenant Dale found Captain Pearson standing aside, the image of despair, on the leeward of the quarter-deck. Addressing the unfortunate captain respectfully, he said : " Sir, I have orders to send you on board the ship alongside." The first lieutenant of the Serapis, coming up at this moment, inquired : " Has the enemy struck her flag?" " No, sir," Lieutenant Dale replied. " On the contrary, you have struck to us." THE RICHARD AND THE SERAPIS. I47 The lieutenant of the Serapis, turning anxiously to Captain Pearson, inquired : " Have you struck, sir." " Yes, I have I " was the sad, laconic reply. All this occupied scarcely one minute. It was ..ear midnight. Darkness and suffocating smoke enveloped the combatants. Random firing had not yet ceased, though on both ships nearly all the cannon had been dismounted. The lieutenant of the Serapis replied, " I have nothing more to say." He turned about and was going below when Lieutenant Dale courteously arrested him saying, " It is my duty to request you sir, to accompany Captain Pearson on board the ship alongside." " If you will first permit me," the lieutenant re- plied, "to go below, I will silence the firing of the lower deck guns." " This cannot be permitted," was the reply. The two distinguished captives passed over to the deck of the Bon Homme Richard. Orders were sent below to cease firing. Thus terminated this most memorable of naval conflicts, after a bloody battle with muzzle to muzzle, of nearly three hours and a half. Through all time, in all naval chronicles the battle between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis will occupy a conspicuous position. CHAPTER VII. Result of the Victory. Dreadfal Spectacle. — Sinkiug of the Bon Homme Richard. — Escape of the H;iltic Fleet. — Sails for the Texel. — Interesting Correspon dence. — Sufferings of the American Prisoners. — Barbarity of the English Government. — Humanity of Captain Jones. — The Trans- ference from the Serapis to the Alliance. — Extracts from the British Press. — Release of Prisoners. After the excitement of the conflict was over, Captain Jones was shocked at the spectacle of de- vastation and misoi y which was presented to him. All sense of triumph was lost in emotion^ of com- passion and sadness. In his official journal he wrote : " A person must have been an eye-witness to form a just idea of the tremendous scene of carnage, wreck, and ruin that everywhere appeared. Hu- manity cannot but recoil from the prospect of such finished horror, and lament that war should pro- duce such fatal consequences." The carpenters were immediately employed in examininiT the Bon Homme Richard, to see if her RESULT OV rilK VICTOR V. I49 wouiuLs were capable of being healed. The lashings were cut which bound her to the Serapis, and all the available hands were employed, at the pumps, to keep her afloat. Captain Jones took possession of his shattered prize, the Serapis, to which he trans. ferrcd all the crew, excepting those which attended the pumps. Boats were in waiting, ready to take them on board the Serapis should the water gain upon them too fast. The surveying officers soon reported unanimously, that the ship could not be kept afloat long enough to reach port. It took all the night, and some hour's the next morning hastily but carefully to remove the wounded. Captain Jones was very anxious to save the ship, and m;ule every possible effort until nine o'clock the next evening. The water was then up to her lower deck. She rolled in the waves in utter helpless- ness, tlireatcning every moment to go down. The water was gushing from her port-holes and swash- ing through her hatchways. It was necessary at once to abandon her. From the deck of the Serapis Captain Jones sadly watched the dying convulsions of his '* good old ship." He wrote : " We did not abandon her till after nine o'clock, A little after ten, I saw, with inexpressible grief, the last glimpse of the Bon Homme Richard. No lives were lost with the ship ; but it v'^'\ impossible to 150 PAUL JONES. save the stores of any sort whatever. I lost the best part of my clothes, books, and papers. Several of my officers lost all their clothes and effects." Making one or two dying surges, the Richaid plunged headlong into the fathomless abyss, carrying her dead with her to their sublime ocean burial. There the mangled bodies will repose till, at the summons of the archangel's trump, the sea shall give up the dead that are in it. According to the most accurate estimate which can be made, forty- two were killed, and forty severely wounded. Light wounds were not counted. There was no accurate account taken of the killed and wounded on board the Serapis. The surgeon's report to the British Admiralty, gives the number of wounded at sev- enty-five, but does not give the number killed. Cap- tain Pearson states that there were many ;'more wounded than appears on the surgeon's list. Cap- tain Jones, who had the best opportunity for know- ing, and who was not given to exaggeration, esti- mates the killed at one hundred, and the wounded at about the same number. Captain Landais, of the Alliance, was court-mar- tialed for his atrocious conduct. There can be no reasonable doubt, from the evidence given on his trial, that he hoped the Serapis would conquer and capture the Bon Homme Richard. During the con- RESULT OF THE VICTORY. I5I flict he kept entirely out of harm's way, so that not a shot struck him. After the Richard had surrendered Captain Landais intended to come forward, attack thz. Serapis exhausted and shattered by its previous conflict, and with her guns dismounted and encum- bered by the wounded and the dead, and thus make an easy conquest of the British ship and rescue her prize. He could thus retire with glory, dragging the Serapis and the Bon Homme Richard in his train. Finding it a little doubtful whether the Richard would yield, he concluded to help the Serapis. Three of his officers declared that Landias said to them : " I should have thought it no harm if the Bon Homme Richard had struck her flag. That would have given me an opportunity to take the Serapis and to retake her." I must now leave Landais, for the present, though I shall have occasion to refer to him again. The Baltic fleet escaped. The fact is easily explained from the loss of the Richard, the crippled state of the Serapis, with both main-mast and mizzen-mast dragging at her sides, and the treacherous conduct of l.andais. Jury-masts were erected upon the Serapis, and for ten days the shattered ship was tossed on the stormy waves of the North Sea. Cap- tain Jones was striving to reach Dunkirk, the mos* 152 PAUL JONES. northerly and consequently the nearest seaport in France. In the extreme northwest of Holland there is a somewhat renowned island called the Texel. It is about thirteen miles long and six broad, and is situ- ated near the mouth of the Zuyder Zee, or South Sea, as that portion of the German Ocean is called. It is nearly two hundred miles north of the most northerly frontier of France. Contrary winds, and the extremely suffering state of the prisoners and his wounded, rendered it necessary for him to run into that neutral port. Captain Jones never made any complaint respect- ing his own hardships. But while upon this event- ful campaign his toils, responsibilities, and anxieties had been such that during the whole time he had never indulged in more than three hours* sleep in the twenty-four. The news of the capture of the Serapis spread rapidly through Europe and America. The haughty attitude England had ever assumed had rendered her unpopular with all other nations. Consequently there was a general rejoicing over the great victory of Captain Jones. It was something new for England to lose one of her finest frigates in a fairly fought battle with an inferior force. It is said that this terrible battle between the f- terms. They would surrender the French captives alone, in return for the English. The sympathies of kind-hearted Captain Jones were deeply moved in behalf of the captive Ameri- cans. And yet his feelings would not allow him to retaliate in treating with inhumanity the British pri- soners in his hands. They were generally poor and ignorant men. Not a few had been impressed into the service. They were not responsible for the cru- elty of the government, over which they had no control. There was a large party in England totally opposed to this unrighteous war, and still more op- posed to the barbarity with which the government was conducting it. When it was proposed and carried in Parliament to employ the savages as the allies of Great Britain, — to hire the savages, with torch and tomahawk and scalping knife, in midnight assault, to burn the log- cabins and butcher the helpless women and children in their lonely homes, far away in the wilderness, hundreds of voices were raised in indignant remon- strance. The Earl of Chatham exclaimed, in the House of Lords, in one of the most eloquent and impassioned of addresses : *' I am astonished, I am shocked, to hear such principles confessed ; to hear them avowed in this house or in this country. Were I an American, as I RESULT OF THE VICTORY. 1$^ am an Englishman, I would never lay down my arms — never, never never." One of the London Journals of September 2ist, 1779, contains the following notice: "The master of a sloop from Harwich, who arrived yesterday, saw on Saturday last, no less than eleven sail-of-war going in search of Paul Jones, and among them was the Edgar of seventy-four guns. By the examina- tion of four men, belonging to one of Paul Jones's squadron, it appears that Jones's orders were not to burn any houses or towns. What an example of honor and greatness does America thus show to us. While our troops are running about from town to town on their coast, burning everything with a wan- ton wicked barbarity. Dr. Franklin gives no orders to retaliate. He is above it. And there was a time when an English minister would have disdained to make war in so villanous a mode. It is a disgrace to the nation." The London Chronicle of October 17th, 1779, con- tained the following notice : " Last Tuesday Paul Jones, with his prizes, the Serapis and Scarborough, entered the Texel, and appeared on the exchange, where business gave way to curiosity. The crowd pressing upon him, by whom he was styled the terroi of the English, he withdrew to a room fronting a public square, where Monsieur Donncville. the 158 taUL JONES. French agent, and the Americans, 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, anc swarthy complexion. Captain Cunningham had received a commission for a privateer, from Commissioners Franklin and Deane. He had cruised in the Channel with great success, and had become quite a terror to the Eng- lish. Being captured he was treated with such barbarity that Congress twice passed resolutions threatening retaliation. But the humanity of the nation recoiled from plunging innocent men into loathsome dungeons, and freezing and starving them, to retaliate for crimes committed by those who were clothed in purple and fine linen and who fared sump- tuously every day. Captain Jones wrote to Dr. Franklin, from Amsterdam, under the date of October nth, 1779: " As I am informed that Captain Cunningham is threatened with unfair play by the British govern- ment, I am determined to keep in my hands the captain of the Serapis, as a hostage for Cunning- ham's release as a prisoner of war. I wish heartily that poor Cunningham, whom I am taught to regard as a Continental officer, was exchanged, as with his RESULT OF THE VICTORY. 1 59 assistance I could form a court-martial, which I believe you will see unavoidable." Captain Pearson and the other British prisoners were provided for, in all respects, as comfortably as circumstances would allow. And yet the English captain wrote the following curious complaint to his illustrious captor. We do not feel at liberty to cor- rect his bad grammar. The letter was dated October 19th, 1799. " Captain Pearson presents his compliments to Captain Jones, and is sorry to find himself so little attended to in his present situation, as not to have been favored with either a Call or a line from Cap- tain Jones since his return from Amsterdam. Cap- tain Pearson is sorry to say that he cannot look upon such behavior in any other light than as a breach of that Civility which his rank, as well as behavior on all occasions entitles to ; he, at the same time, wishes to be informed, by Captain Jones, whether any steps has been taken towards the enlargement or exchange of him, his officers and people, or what is intended to be done with them. As he cannot help thinking it a very unprecedented circumstance their being keeped here as prisoners, on board of ship, being so long in a neutral port." The dignifiai reply of Captain Jones deserves insertion in full. The English Government, through l6o PAUL JONES. its ambassador at the Hague, had positively refused to ransom the EngUsh prisoners, at the Texel, by exchanging for them American prisoners. Captain Pearson could not have been ignorant of this fact. The reply was dated on board the Serapis, October 20th, 1779. " As you have not been prevented from corre- sponding with your friends, and particularly with the English ambassador at the Hague, I could not sup- pose you to be unacquainted with his memorial of the 8th, to the States General, and therefore I thought it fruitless to pursue the negociation for the exchange of the prisoners of war now in our hands. " I wished to avoid any painful altercation with you on that subject. I was persuaded that you had been in the highest degree sensible that my beha- vior toward you had been far from a breach of civil- ity. This charge, sir, is not a civil return for the polite hospitality and disinterested attentions you have hitherto experienced. " I know not what difference of respect is due to Rank between your service and ours. I suppose however the difference must be thought very great va. EngJand, since I am informed that Captain Cunning- nam, of equal denomination, and who bears a senioi Tank, in the service of America, than yours in the RESULT OF THE VICTORY. l6l •ervice of England, is now confined in England, in a dungeon and in fetters ! *' Humanity, which has hitherto superseded the plea of retaliation in American breasts, has induced me, notwithstanding the procedure of Sir Joseph Vorke,* to seek after permission to lajid the danger- ously wounded, as well prisoners as Americans, to be supported and cured at the expense of our continent. The permission of the government has been ob- tained ; but the magistrates continue to make ob- jections. I shall not discontinue my application. I am ready to adopt any means you may propose for their preservation and recovery ; and, in the mean- time, we shall continue to treat them with the ut- most care and attention, eqdally, as you know, to the treatment of our people of the same rank. " As it is possible that you have not yet seen the memorial of your ambassador to the States Gen- eral, I enclose a paper which contains a copy. And I think he has since written what, in the opinion of good men, will do still less honor to his pen. I can- not conclude without informing you that unless Cap- •Sir Joseph Yorke was the British ambassador at the Hague He insisted that the Dutch Government should take from Captain Jones, the Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough. He said that M England had not recognized the United States, the captures wen illegal, as a commission had not been granted to Captain Jones by a •overeign power. l62 PAUL JONES. tain Cunningham is immediately better treated in England, I expect orders, in consequence, from his Excellency, Dr. Franklin. Therefore, I beseech you, sir, to interfere." The British Government, by threats, so intimi- dated the States General, that they disavowed any intention of recognizing the Independence of the United States. They refused to furnish Captain Jones with any munitions of war, and ordered him immediately to leave the Texel. This seemed to insure his utter destruction ; for powerful British men-of-war were cruising just off the island, on the watch to grasp him the moment he should put to sea. In a memorial which the British minister, Sir Joseph Yorke, presented on the 29th of September, he wrote : " I cannot but comply with the strict orders of his majesty (the king of England) 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 Scot- land, who is a rebel subject, and a criminal of the state, has taken." He also demanded that all the officers of the United States navy should be treated as pirates ; for their commissions were illegal, not having been granted by a government which Eng- land had recognized as a sovereign power. RfivlULT OF THE VICTORY. 163 But the French Government promptly and effi- ciently interfered. It assured the States General that though Captain Jones received his commission from the Congress of the United States, still that he also sailed under the sanction of the flag of France, in a French ship, and that the French flag covered the prizes he had captured. The sympathies of the Dutch Government were with America. Under this complicated state of affairs it was decided that prize* which Captain Jones had taken with French ships should be regarded as prizes belonging to the king of France ; and that Captain Jones should take com- mand of the American frigate the Alliance. In obedience with this order, at midnight, Cap- tain Jones, having delivered to the French ambassa- dor the ships and prizes which were deemed to belong to the French king, took command of the Alliance, and surrendered the Serapis to Captain Cottineau of the Pallas. The eccentric if not insane Landais quarrelled with almost every one who ap- proached him. He challenged Captain Cottineau to a duel. He was a very accomplished swordsman. Very unwisely, Captain Cottineau, who was not particularly skilful with that weapon, allowed his insulting opponent, in addition to many other wrongs and outrages, the privilege of thrusting his tword through his opponent's body, inflicting a very 164 I'AUL JONES. painful, disabling, and dangerous wound. Landais then sent a similar challenge to Captain Jones, who very properly replied by sending officers to arrest him. Upon this he fled and made his way to Paris where we shall again hear of him. Extracts from Captain Jones's letters will show, better than any description, the noble character of this truly noble man ; a man who has been strangely misrepresented. He wrote to the Marquis de Lafay- ette, from the Serapis, at the Texel, on the 28th of October, 1779 • " The late brutalities of the Britons in America fill me with horror and indignation. They forget that they are men. And I believe that nothing will bring them to their senses but the most exemplary retaliation. " I wish to answer, very particularly, the points which you have propounded, ist, I never meant to ask a reward for my services, either from France or America. Consequently the approbation of the Court and of the Congress is all the gratification I can wish for. 2d, I yet intend to undertake whatever the utmost exertion of my abilities will reach in sup- port of the common cause, as far as any force that may in future be intrusted to my direction may enable to succeed." One of the London journals, of September 29th, RESULT OF THE VICTORY. 165 1779, gives the following amusing exaggeration oi the force under Captain Jones's command, and of the terror his achievements had inspired : "An express has arrived from Aymouth with information that Paul Jones was off there with five ships of war and two thousand troops ; that on the 19th they appeared off Sunderland and put the inhabitants into great confusion, as they expected them to land every hour, or destroy the ships in the harbor." Another London journal gives the following account of this celebrated cruise : " On Saturday noon two gentlemen of the cor- poration of Hull arrived express at the Admiralty, with the alarming account that the celebrated Amer- ican Corsair, Paul Jones, had entered the river Hum- ber, on Thursday last, and chased a vessel within a mile of the pier, where he sunk, burned, and de- stroyed sixteen valuable vessels, which threw the whole town and neighborhood into the utmost con- sternation. " On Saturday night another express arrived, at the Admiralty, with the further disagreeable intelli- gence that Paul Jones's squadron, after having done more mischief to the shipping on Friday, had fallen in with the Baltic fleet, had taken their convoy, the Serapis man-of-war, of forty-four guns and the armed l66 PAUL JONES. ship, the Countess of Scarborough, of twenty-fotai guns. This action was seen by thousands of specta tors. The other ships of Jones's squadron were mak ing havoc among the fleet, most of which, howevei. had taken shelter near Flamborough Head. " From four captured Americans it was discovered that it was Jones's plan to alarm the coasts of Wales, Ireland, the western parts of Scotland, and the North Channel. He took several prizes on the coast of Ireland, particularly two armed transports with stores for New York. He had it in his power to burn Leith ; but his orders are only to burn ship- ping. His squadron is now but weakly manned, owing to the great number of prizes he has taken ; and it, therefore, may fall an easy conquest to the sixteen sail of men-of-war who have orders to go after him. " Expresses also arrived on Saturday, from Sun- derland, stating that Paul Jones had taken sixteen more sail of colliers. In consequence of the capture of so many colliers and the interruption of the trade, the price of coal will be enormous. Instead of hav- ing the dominion of the sea, it is now evident that we are not able to defend our own coast from depre- dations. Yesterday Lord Sandwich informed some Russian merchants that twenty of his Majesty'* ships were sent in quest of Paul Jones." RESULT OF THE VICTORY. 1 67 Franklin, who was ever in very cordial sympathy urith Paul Jones, wrote him many and very affec- tionate letters when the heroic conqueror, entirely destitute of funds, was surrounded with embarrass- ments, at the Texel, sufficient to break down the spirits and to crush the energies of any ordinary man. It was indeed a question how the prisoners were to be conveyed to France. Those northern seas were swarming with English ships, whose com- manders were intensely anxious to capture the com- missioned naval officer of the United States, whose commission was ratified by alliance with France, and whom they still had the insolence to stigmatize as a pirate. Franklin wrote to him, under date of Octo- ber 15, 1779: " I am uneasy about your prisoners. I wish they were safe in France. You will then have completed the glorious work of giving liberty to all the Ameri- cans, who have so long languished for it in the Bri- tish prisons; for there are not so many there as you have now taken." v Paul Jones, in command of his squadron, was rightly entitled to the designation of commodore, He was so regarded by the French court, who had Intrusted to him the fleet. He is thus addressed by the Duke of Vauguyon. In a letter, under date |68 PAUL JONES. of December 21, 1779, addressed to Commodofrt Jones, the duke writes: " ^ have received, my dear commodore, the let- ter you have addressed to me. I perceive, with pain, that you do not view your situation in the right light. I can assure you that the ministers of the king have no intention to cause you the least disagreeable feelings, as the honorable testimonials of the esteem of his majesty, which I send you, ought to convince you." Every eminent man must have rivals and ene- mies. There were scores of French officers hunger- ing for high command. They envied the renown of Jones. They complained that they were neglected, while a foreipier was intrusted with the command of French ships. Many of these complainants were nobles of great wealth as well as illustrious rank. The French ministry thus had great embarrassments to encounter. They appreciated highly the services of Commodore Jones. They were very desirous of immediately giving him new employment. And yet they felt under the necessity of leaving him, for a time, in idleness, greatly to his chagrin. The impa- tience he manifested under these circumstances reflect honor upon his patriotic enthusiasm. He wrote to the Duke of Vauguyon, on the 25th o< December, 1779, as follows: RESULT OF THE VICTORY. 169 " You do me great honor as well as justice, my lord, by observing that no satisfaction can be more precious to me than that of giving new proofs of my zeal for the common cause of France and America. And the interest you take to facilitate the means of my giving such proofs, by essential services, claims my best thanks. I hope I shall not, through any imprudence of mine, render ineffectual any noble design that may be in contemplation for the general good. Whenever that object is mentioned, my private concerns are out of the question. " With a deep sense of your generous sentiments of personal regard toward me, and with the most sincere wishes to meet that regard by my conduct through life, I am," etc. The Dutch Government, goaded by the menaces of England, though it dared not command the French ships to leave its ports, insisted that the Avierican commodore, whose government Holland had not yet recognized, should immediately, with th» American frigate the Alliance, leave the Texel. But there were twelve British men-of-war, at the mouth of the harbor, watching for him. Eight were at the northern entrance of the port, and four at the southern. Commodore Jones, for I shall henceforth give him the designation to which I consider him justly I/O PAUL JONES. entitled, kept the banner of the Stars and Stripes proudly floating from the mast-head of the Alliance. He also unflinchingly declared that he never bore any commission but that which he received from the Congress of the United States of America. It was said that there, were, in all, forty British men-of-war cruising in the German Ocean, so as to render the escape of Paul Jones impossible. The Dutch admiral, on the I2th, informed him they must insist upon his sailing with the first fair wind. To add to his embarrassments he found that Landais had left the Alliance in the most deplorable •condition, totally unfit for service without extensive repairs. She was an admirable ship in model and construction, and was remarkable for her sailing lualities. But, through sheer negligence and general demoralization, nearly everything was in a ruinous condition. The sails were worn out. The cables had gone to decay. Her battery was in a condition unfit for action, and her small arms quite out of order. Most of the powder had either become dam- aged by leakage, or rendered unfit for use by neglect- ing to turn the kegs. The ofificers were all quarrel- ling with each other, and the men insubordinate. Intemperance and the want of cleanliness, with the total absence of discipline, had struck down many of the crew with epidemical diseases. I RESULT OF THE VICTORY. lyi Commodore Jones made the most vigorous efforts to prepare the Alliance for sea ; and he promised the government that he would leave, at all hazards, as soon as the wind would serve. But before he sailed he enjoyed the great gratification of learning that Dr. Franklin had succeeded in obtaining the libera- tion of all the American prisoners in England, by exchanging for them the prisoners Commoaore Jones had captured. He also had the happiness of grasping the hand, at the Texel, of Captain Cunning- ham, who, by the energies of Commodore Jones, had been rescued from the most dreadful bondage. CHAPTER VIII. Commodore Jones at Court. Offer of a Piivateersman. — Indignant Reply. — The Renown of Cob- modore Jones. — Successful Retreat. — Cruise through the Chan- nel. — Poetic Effusion. — Enters Corunna. — Letter to Lafayette.— Embarrassed Finances of Franklin. — Intrigues of Landais. — His Efforts to Excite Mutiny. — Testimony against him. — Commo- dore Jones at Court. It was indeed running the gauntlet, for Commo- dore Jones, with a frigate of but thirty-four guns, and in poor sailing trim, to escape from the Texel, and run down the German Ocean, through the Eng- lish Channel and the Straits of Dover, to some French port, when the whole available force of the British navy was on the lookout for him, with twelve nien-of-war cruising before the mouth of the harbor. It would seem that, under those circum- stances, escape were impossible. Just before sailing, the French minister, M. de la Sartine, offered Commodore Jones, through the Duke de Vauguyon, a commission as captain of a privateersman, which several gentleman of wealth had fitted out, in the best possible manner, to enrich COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. 1/3 themselves by preying upon British commerce, This assumption that Commodore Jones was a mere adventurer, guided by the love of money, he regarded as an insult. In indignant terms he re- jected the offer. Under date of December 13th, he wrote to the duke, as follows : " My Lord: Perhaps there are many men in the world, who would esteem as an honor the commis- sion that I have this day refused. My rank, from the beginning, knew no superior in the marine of America. How then must I be humbled were I to receive a letter of marque. It is a matter of the highest astonishment to me that, after so many com- pliments and fair professions, the court should offer the present insult to my understanding, and suppose me capable of disgracing 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." The letter containing these sentiments he en- closed in one to Dr. Franklin, that it might be pre- sented by him to the duke, if it met his approval. In his letter he still more forcibly gave expression to his wounded feelings. The heroic man added : " We hear that the enemy still keeps a squadron cruising off here. But this shall not prevent my at- tempts to depart, whenever the wind will permit. 174 PAUL JONES. I hope we have recovered the trim of this ship; which was entirely lost during the last cruise ; and I do not much fear the enemy in the long and dark nights of this season. The ship is well-manned, and shall not be given away. I need not tell you, that I will do my utmost to take prisoners and prizes, in my way from hence." The great victory Commodore Jones had achieved gave him singular renown. The ladies, especially, were charmed by his chivalry. He received con- stant attentions from the most eminent in rank. The palace and the castle opened their doors to welcome him. He had the most urgent invitations to visit Amsterdam and to enjoy the hospitalities of the court. But all these flattering attentions he avoided as much as possible. One great passion ab- sorbed his soul. All his energies were consecrated to the sublime mission of emancipating the United States, and ennobling their flag. " Duty," he said, " must take the precedence of pleasure. I must wait a more favorable opportunity to kiss the hands of the fair." The Alliance had a picked crew of four hundred and twenty-seven men. Nearly all these were Ameri- cans, Ma*iy of them had been liberated from British prisons by the energies of Commodore Jones. He Impressed upon both officers and crew his deter COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. 1 75 mination that he should never shrink from an en- gagement with any English ship which did not mount more than fifty guns. The night of the 26th of December was dark, with a fresh, fair wind. The Alliance, in the mid- night gloom, proudly unfurled at her mast-head the Stars and Stripes. Every inch of canvas was spread to catch the breeze. Flying closely along the Flemish banks, he was so fortunate as to elude the observation of the fleets watching for his capture. Before the morning dawned he was far away upon the broad expanse of the German Ocean, where fleets might cruise for weeks and not meet each other. There had been a very severe gale just before the departure of the Alliance, which blew so fiercely upon the shore, that the English squadron had been compelled to put to sea for safety. Doubt- less to this event Commodore Jones was much in- debted for his escape. This successful retreat of Commodore Jones from the overwhelming forces which surrounded him is regarded, by naval authorities, as one of the most successful of naval exploits. Keeping well to the windward of the enemy's fleet, he traversed the North Sea, sailing through the narrow Straits of Dover, in full view of the British fleet in the Downs ; passed the Isle of Wight, almost within hailing distance of 1/6 PAUL JONES. the shore, though quite a fleet was at anchor at Spit, head; and, though he saw two-decked cruising ships of the enemy before him and behind him and on each side of him, he eluded them all, safely emeiged from the British Channel and continued his course down the western coast of France. This was a voy- age of not less than fifteen hundred miles. Sometime before leaving the Texel he had received a complimentary poetic epistle from a young lady at the Hague, who addressed him as King of the Sea. When fairly out upon the Ger- man Ocean, with leisure hours, he on the 1st of January, 1780, went into his cabin and wrote a poetic reply. He was not a poet. But it is very doubt- ful whether Lord Nelson, under the circumstances, could have done as well. As a specimen of his skiU in versification I will give the last stanza. " But since, alas ! the rage of war prevails, And cruel Britons desolate our land, For freedom still I spread my willing sails, My unsheathed sword my injured country shall commuid. Go on, bright maid ; the muses all attend Genius like thine, and wish to be its friend. Trust me, although conveyed through this poor shift. My New Year's thoughts are grateful for thy gift." Commodore Jones was very desirous of not going empty-handed into port. It was not enough for him merely to elude his enemies. He was resolved, if COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. 1 7 possible, to take some prizes. He therefoie ran down the Bay of Biscay and westerly along the coast of Spain, several hundred miles, in a region where it was very certain that the British men-of-war would not be searching for him. When cruising off Cape Finisterre, the extreme northwesterly cape of Spain, he encountered a very severe storm. This led him to run for shelter into the Spanish port of Corunna, where there was a fine harbor. I may remark, in passing, that this Corunna subsequently became renowned in history. Southey writes : " Its filth is astonishing. Other towns attract the eye of the traveller. But Corunna takes his at- tention by the nose." This place became famous in the struggle between Spain and Napoleon I. To this point Sir John Moore was fleeing iTi his disastrous retreat before Napoleon, and near its walls he fell. The poet has immortalized the event in the sublime ode, upon his burial by moonlight. " Not a drum was heard, nor a funeral note. As his corpse to the ramparts we hurried; Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot. O'er the grave where our hero was buried." At Corunna Commodore Jones was very kindly received by the Spanish authorities. He remained 8* 1/8 PAUL JONES. in port twelve days, making sundry needful repairs Upon the evening of his arrival he wrote to Lafayette : " I made my passage safe through the Channel in spite of all their cruising ships and squadrons ; and had the pleasure of looking at them in the Downs, and in passing in sight of the Isle of Wight. I steered this way in hopes ol meeting some of their cruisers off Cape Finisterre, but am hitherto disap- pointed." On the 28th of January, 1780, he again set sail, and after the unsuccessful cruise of a fortnight, entered the harbor of L'Orient, in France, on the 13th of February. This strongly fortified French port is seated at the head of the bay Port Louis, about three miles from the ocean. Here he learned that he was accused of cherishing a strong dislike for the French people. In reply to this rumor he wrote to the Marquis de Lafayette, undei date of Febru- ary 1 8th, 1780. ** M. Weibert has, I understand, taken great pains to promulgate that I do not love France. To come to the point, here follows my political profession I am a citizen of the world, totally unfettered by the little mean distinctions of countrj' or of climate, which diminish or set bounds to the benevclence of the heart. Impelled by principles of gratitude and COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. 1 79 philanthropy I drew my sword at the beginning of the American Revolution. And when France so nobly espoused that great cause, no individual felt the obligation with truer gratitude than myself. When the Court of France, soon after, invited me to remain for a time in Europe, I considered myself as highly honored by the application that was made to the American commissioners. Since that time I have been at every instant, and I still am, ready to do my utmost for the good of the common cause of France and America. " As an American officer, and as a man, I affec- tionately love and respect the character and nation of France, and hope the alliance with America may last forever. I owe the greatest obligation to the generous praise of the French nation on my past conduct, and shall be happy to merit future favor. I greatly love and esteem his most Christian Majesty as the great ally of America, the best of kings, and the amiable friend and protector of the rights of human nature. Therefore he has few of his own subjects who would bleed, in his present cause/* with greater freedom than myself, and none who are more disinterested. At the same time I lament the calam- ities of war, and wish, above all things, for an hon- orable, happy, and lasting peace. " My fortune is not augmented by the part I l8o PAUL JONES. have hitherto acted in the revoktion, although I have had frequent opportunities of acquiring riches. And I pledged myself to the worthy part of man* kind, that my future conduct in the war shall not forfeit their good opinion. I am, with great and sin. cere affection, happy in your friendship." Though Commodore Jones had not captured any prize, he fortunately met an American ship, the Livingston, laden with tobacco, which he convoyed into L'Orient. The Alliance was needed to convey stores to the United Colonies. But she was in need of very thorough repairs before she could safely spread sail on so important a voyage. The seas were covered with British war vessels of double her number of guns. It was therefore essential that she should be prepared for a rapid flight. There were fifteen thousand stand of good arms to be sent, and one hundred and twenty large bales of cloth for the army, with other freight of great value. The loss of these would prove a great calamity. Commodore Jones felt that it would be madness to undertake to cross the ocean, with so valuable a cargo, without putting the ship in the best possible trim. But the French court, which had been at great expense in fitting out its own ships, declined furnishing funds from an exhausted treasury; and COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. l8l the American commissioners in Pa^'s, representatives of the feeble colonies, had neither money nor credit. There is true pathos in the letter which Dr. Frank- lin wrote the commodore on this occasion. "As to refitting your ship," he wrote, " at th€ exper.se of this court, there is not the least proba- bility of obtaining it ; and therefore I cannot ask it. The whole expense will therefore fall upon me ; and I am ill provided to bear it, having so many unex- pected calls upon me from all quarters. I therefore beg you would have mercy on me. Put me to as lit- tle charge as possible, and take nothing you can possibly do without. I approve of your applying to Messrs. Gourlade and Moylan for what repairs you want, having 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 in my hands to pay them." To this appeal the commodore replied, " I feel your reasons for urging frugality. And as I have not, hitherto, been among the extravagant servantt of America, so you may depend upon it, my regard for you will make me particularly nice in my present situation." By the middle of April the AlHance, under the very energetic and skilful superintendence of (!)om- l82 PAUL -ONES. modorc Jones, was ready for sea. Competent judges declared that it was one of the finest frigates to be found in I'^rancc. Though it was manifestly for Commodore Jones's })ecuniary interest to remain with his spleiulid ship in the region of rich prizes, where at au)- lime, in a few lu)urs, he could run into the fortified ports of France, yet, without a murmur, he undertook the more humble employment of convey- ing stores to America. There were four gentlemen in Paris, including one o( the commissioners, Mr. Arthur l.ee, who wished to take passage with him. Landais, when he^fied from the Texel, left his trunks on board the Alliance. Doctor Franklin wrote to Commodore Jones : " Captain Landais has demanded of me an order to you, to deliver to him his trunks. I find him so exceedingly captious and critical, and so apt to mis- construe, as an intendeil injustice, eveiy expression in a language which he does not immediately under- stand, that 1 am tired of writing anything for him or about him, and an^ ietermined to have nothing further to do with him." Innumerable difliculties had arisen about the ad- justment and distribution of the prizes. The sailors had not received their wages, and not even a dollar of their prize money. Many of them were in a state COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. 1 83 of great destitution. Their chests of clothing l^ad gone down in the lion Homme Richard ; and aftei the long delay in the Texel they were almost in rags. Landais, having been commissioned by the Amer- ican Congress, demanded to be sent to this country for trial upon the charges brf>ught against him. This request had been granted, and Dr. Franklin had furnished him with funds to pay his passage, in the Luzerne, an American merchant ship. There were many very serious charges tabled against him. In defence of the most severe accusation, that he had fired into the Bon Homme Richard, he presented the plea that the two ships were lashed together, and that he could not fire into the Serapis, without some of his shot being liable to strike the Richard. But the testimony given by Nathaniel Fanning seems conclusive, as it was corroborated by much other testimony. He was .stationed in the main-top of the Richard, where he remained during the whole action. He testified that two hours after the engagement commenced, the Alliance came under the stern of the Richard, and discharged her whole broadside into the ship. She then came under the bow of the Richard, and di.scharged another volljy of grape and round shot. The Alliance was within hail, and some of the officers of the Richard shouted, " For God's l84 PAUL JONES. sake don't fire into us. You have already killed sev<»ral of our men." Still she fired a number cf shot afterwards into the Richard. Another officer of the Richard testified that he was standing on the quarter-deck in the midst of the smoke and tumult of the battle, when they were struck by a raking fire, and two men fell dead at his side. He then heard several cry out, '* The Alliance is manned with Englishmen, and is firing on us." The Alliance then passed by, and after a couple of hours came under their stern and discharged a full broadside into the Richard. ** It is my sincere opinion," this witness testified, " that the motive of Captain Landais must have been to kill Captain Jones, and distress the Richard, so as to cause her to strike to the Serapis, that he might be able to take both vessels and honor him- self with the laurels of that day." Several pages of similar testimony might be given. All alike testified that the Alliance never passed on the off-side of the Serapis ; but ever kept the Ri- chard between the Serapis and her guns. Thus, if any of her shot struck the Serapis, they must have first passed through the Richard. Commodore Jones, sympathizing with his men in their utter destitution, and the apparent wrongs under which they were suffering, felt constrained to COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. IS5 go personally to Paris to plead with the court at Versailles, in their behalf. Months had passed dur- ing which they had received no wages. They had captured many valuable prizes, but no money had come back to them. Two of these, it will be remem- bered which were valued at two hundred thousand dollars, Captain Landais, contrary to the orders of Commodore Jones, had sent to Norway. The Nor- wegian Government, alarmed by the menaces of England, surrendered them both to the British am- bassador, on the ground that Captain Jones had not been commissioned by any government which Norway had recognized. The other prizes, which were in French ports, were to be sold at auction. But in consequence of some technicalities of the laws, whose delays are proverbial, the ships had not yet been sold. The commissioners at Paris, in their poverty, sent to the crew of the Alliance a sum of money which amount- ed to about ten dollars apiece. This did but excite their indignation and derison. Some, in their cha- grin, chucked the coin into the water. Commodore Jones was a handsome man about thirty-six years af age, of fine figure, fair complexion, pleasant features, and courtly bearing. He was 9 man of literary tastes and studious habits. He «»rrote poetry, and spoke the French language with |86 PAUL JONI,"S. considerable fluency. These personal and mental accomplishments, added to his chivalric exploits, the fame of which had filled the world, rendered him an object of remarkable and universal attention in the Court of Versailles. The king was his personal friend, and made him a present of an exquisitely wrought gold-headed sword. The king and the court were united in lav- ishing honor upon him. He was invited to dine with the most illustrious members of that aristo- cratic court. Wherever he appeared, the eyes of the crowd followed his steps. These extraordinary attentions, which were sufficient to turn the head of any ordinary man, do not appear to have diminished, in the slightest degree, Paul Jones's zeal in the pub- lic service. The court was then greatly embarrassed for money. The measureless extravagances of Louis XIV. and Louis XV. had plunged the nation into hopeless bankruptcy, and hourly, matters were ripening for all the horrors of the French Revolu- tion. Thus the court, though lavish in compliments, had but little money to confer in charity upon the struggling colonies. Commodore Jones, with unu- sual literary culture for a man in his situation, moved through all these scenes with the winning manners of a well-bred man. He felt the importance of con. COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. 1 87 dilating all possible influences in favor of the im- perilled country of his adoption. In the court of Versailles, the ladies often con- trolled the most important affairs of state. The guilty favorites of the two preceding kings had in a great measure guided the destinies of Europe. Maria Antoinette was far more the sovereign than her weak but well-meaning spouse. Among the ladies of highest rank, by whom he was particularly honored, were a daughter of Louis XV., and the Countess of Lavendahl. An English lady at Versailles writes to a friend, " 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 poet as well as a hero. He is greatly admired here, especially by the ladies, who are wild for love of him. But he adores the Countess of Lavendahl, who has honored him with every mark of politeness and distinction. A few days ago he wrote some versef extempore, of which I send you a copy." The fol. V)wing are the verses. " Insulted freedom bled : I felt her cause, And drew my sword to vindicate her laws From principle, and not from vain applauM IVe done my best ; self-interest apart And self-reproach a stranger to my heart. My zeal still prompts, ambitious to puna* The foe, ye fair, of liberty and yon i l88 PAUL JONES. Giattful for praise, spontaneous and unboagkl, A generous people's love not meanly sought ; To merit this, and bend the knee to beauty Shall be my earliest and my latest duty." In a subsequent letter the same lady wrote, ' 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. The most formidable is Lady Lavend2.hl --)?'> jjossessea 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, wit, and every other female accomplishment." Commodore Jones had but just left L'Orient, on the all-important mission to Versailles, when Lan- dais went to that port to get his trunks and to take passage in the Luzerne for America. Finding the commodore absent, and the crew almost in a state of mutiny, he resolved to make an attempt to re- cover the command of the Alliance. He represented that Jones, leaving the crew in their destitution, had gone to Paris to enjoy the feasting and adulation which were lavished upon him there. He insinuated that they had been rob- bed of their prize money, and that Jones and his confederates had appropriated it to their own luxu- rious indulgence. He also represented that Jones ••as regarded by the European courts, and would be COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. 1 89 regarded by Congress, simply as a privateersman, sailing on his own account, and that consequently his seamen, when they arrived in America, would be deserted by him, and that they could expect no wages from Congress. This was very artful malice. It shows that Lan- dais possessed very considerable powers of wicked intrigue. He even succeeded in winning over to his side Commissioner Lee, who was to return in the Alliance, and who was not on very good terms with the other members of the Congressional delegation. Captain Landais obtained from Commissioner Lee an opinion containing the following statement, under date of May, 13th : " From documents exhibited to me, it is clear, beyond the possibility of doubt, that Captain Lan- dais commands the Alliance, 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 frigate intrusted to him, till he re. ceives an order of Congress to deliver her to another. If such order exists, those who have it do infinite wrong to the service, in not producing it. If there is no such order, the subjects of the United States, who attempt to divest Captain Landais of the com- mand he holds from the sovereign power, or to dis- 190 PAUL JONES. curb him by violence in the exercise of it, ccmmit a high crime against the laws and sovereignity of the United States, and subject themselves to a proper- tionable punishment." Mr. Lee knew full well the views of Dr. Franklin upon this all-important subject. Rather defiantly he wrote : " This is my opinion, founded on a cool and candid consideration of the authorities on both sides. You are at liberty to show this letter to whom you please, or to send it to Dr. Franklin." Landais had abandoned the Alliance at theTexel, and had run away, to avoid arrest for challenging his superior officer to a duel. For seven months hf had not stepped on board the ship, during which timi Jones had been in undisputed command. He was now virtually under arrest, to be sent back to Amer- ica to be tried for one of the most atrocious crimes which could be committed. Dr. Franklin, learning that Landais was still at L' Orient, and that he had written to some one, " I am waiting for Frankhn's orders to take command of the Alliance," addressed a letter to him, expressing his astonishment that he was not long before on his way to America for trial, for which voyage Franklin had provided him with funds. And he added, " I waive any further dis- pute with you. But I charge you not to meddle with the command of the Alliance, or to create an" COMMODORE JONES AT COURT. I9I listurbance on board her, as you will answer to the rontrary at your peril." Landais succeeded in having a paper drawn up, ind signed by one hundred and sixteen of the more han four hundred sailors of the Alliance, which was iddressed to Dr. Franklin, and which stated that :hey would not raise the anchor, to leave L'Orient, intil they had received six months' wages, the utmost arthing of the prize money due, including the ships ;ent to Norway, and until their legal captain, Pierrt Landais, was restored to them. Dr. Franklin immediately went to the court at Versailles, which is but twelve miles from Paris, and 'ntered a complaint against Landais as a fomenter of nutiny. The proof of Landais' guilt was manifest, md orders were immediately sent for his arrest and mprisonment. In the meantime Jones had obtained rom the court, orders for a fine copper-bottomed "rench ship, the Ariel, to sail to America in com >any with the Alliance. He had made all his rrangements to spread his sails a week after his eturn to L'Orient from Paris. Franklin wrote to the mutinous crew of the AlH- .nce, expressing his surprise that they could have ny confidence in one who had behaved as they all :new Landais to have done. He closed his lettet irith the following conciliatory words : 192 PAUL JONES. " For myself, I believe you to be biave men and lovers of your country and its glorious cause. And I am persuaded that you have only been ill advised and misled by the artful and malicious representa- tions of some persons I guess at.* Take in good part this friendly counsel from an old man, who is your friend. Go home peaceably with your ship. Do your duty faithfully and cheerfully. Behave respectfully to your commander, and I am persuaded he will do the same to you. Thus you will not only be happier in your voyage, but will recommend yourselves to the future favors of Congress and your country." To Commodore Jones he wrote. " You are liable to have great trouble. I wish you well through it. You have shown your abilities in fighting. You have now the opportunity of showing the other necessary part in the character of a great chief — your abilities in policy." * He doubtless refers to Commissioner Lee. CHAPTER IX. The Mutiny of Landais. be Visit of Jones to Versailles. — Intrigues of Landais. — The Alliance Wrested from Jones. — Complicity of Arthur Lee. — Magnanimity of Jones. — Strong Support of Dr. Johnson. — Honors Conferred upon Jones. — Strange Career of Landais. — His Life in America, and Death. — Continued Labors and Embarrassments of Jones. — His Correspondence. Jones immediately, upon his arrival at L'Orient, lade preparations for his departure, with the two rmed ships, the Alliance and the Ariel, which were ► convoy several American vessels, with cargoes nounting to four hundred thousand dollars in value, [aving heard that his authority had been called in Liestion, he, on the morning of the 13th of June, lustered the crew of the Alliance on the quarter- 2ck, and caused his commission from Congress to 2 read to them, together with the order from Dr. ranklin for him to take command of the Alliance, tid a subsequent order to take her to Philadelphia, /hen he asked if any of the crew had any complaint ) make against him, not one stepped forward Jl seemed to be satisfied. 9 194 PAUL JONES. Soon after, he went ashore to confer with the French authorities in reference to the armament of the Ariel. Landais was on the watch. As soon as Com- modore Jones stepped ashore, Captain Landais sent an order to one of his confederates, by the name of Degges, who had been first Heutenant of the AlHance, to take command of the ship until he should receive further orders. Degges mustered the crew ; read the order to them, and also the very decided opinion of Commissioner Lee, that Landais was the legal com- mander of the Alliance. The sailors were bewil- dered. They were in danger of losing all their prize-money, and their wages for several months of arduous and perilous labor. Landais had made them golden promises. The majority decided for Landais. At that opportune moment, be came over the side of the ship and took the coinmaL->J. Lieutenant Dale and the other offi<''Ms of the Richard, who had come from the S'irapis on board the Alliance, and who remained faithful ti. Commo- dore Jones, were thrust into boats and ser.t ashore. It is hardly just to call this a mutinj on the part of the sailors, for they were reasonably in d?ubt as to who was the commander they were legally hound to obey. Commodore Jones, hearing the cheers oi the crew of the Alliance, hastened on board. He {o^*^d THE MUTINY OF LANDAIS. 195 Landais parading up and down the deck, flourishing his commission in his hand, and haranguing the crew in broken English. Jones was aLso unceremo- niously sent ashore with his officers. He hastened to Versailles, to inform the governmental authorities there of what had transpired. On the 17th of June, Dr. Franklin wrote to Commodore Jones. He had probably not then been fully informed of the very serious character of the events which had taken place. In this letter he said : " Having been informed by several gentlemen of and from L'Orient, that it is there generally under- stood the mutiny on board your ship has been advised or promoted by the Honorable Arthur Lee, whom I had ordered you to receive as a passenger, I hereby withdraw that order so far as to leave the execution to your direction. If from the circum- stances which have come to your knowledge it should appear to you that the peace and good gov- ernment of the ship, during the voyage, may be endangered by his presence, you may decline tak- ing that gentleman ; which I apprehend need not obstruct his return to America, as there are several ships going under your convoy, and no doubt many of their passengers may be prevailed to change places. But if you judge these suspicions ground, less you will comply with the order aforesaid." 196 PAUL JONES. Honorable Arthur Lee was a disappointed and angry man. He had quarrelled with his associates, and was returning to America in very ill humor. The Alliance was crowded with freight of the utmost importance to the struggling colonies. Mr. Lee insisted upon large accommodation for himself and family, for room for his carriage, and for a vast amount of baggage. This would have demanded space which was needed for transportation of the soldiers' clothing. Commodore Jones, with his soul absorbed in devotion to the public interests, and who scarcely allowed chest-room for himself, objected to the surrender of so much space to the commis- sioner and his family. This grievously offended Mr. Lee, and added to his discontent. Commodore Jones gives the following account of the difficulty: " I am convinced that Mr. Lee has acted in this manner merely because I would not become the enemy of the venerable, the wise, the good Franklin, whose heart as well as head does, and will always do, honor to human nature. I know the great and good, in this kingdom, better perhaps than any other American who has appeared in Europe since the treaty of alliance. And if my testimony could add anything to Franklin's reputation, I could wit- ness the universal veneration and esteem with which his name inspires all ranks, not only at Versaillei THE MUTINY OF LANDAIS. I97 and all over this kingdom, but also in Spain and Holland. And I can add from the testimony of the first characters of other nations that, with them, envy itself is dumb when the name of Franklin is but mentioned." Upon the day of the mutiny which put Landais in possession of the Alliance, Paul Jones dined with the French admiral. He was keenly sensible of the disgrace to our nation should two commissioned officers, in a foreign port, each perhaps leading two hundred men, have a bloody battle on the deck of one of our war-ships. Such an untoward event would have disgraced our country, and the holy cause in which we were engaged, in the eyes of all Europe. And it would but add to our reproach that, in this deplorable conflict, the commissioners, sent to Paris to win France to our cause, were divided, Mr. Lee being on the one side and Dr. Franklin on the other. The Alliance was in a French port, and conse- quently under French law. When the commission- ers were in antagonistic opinion whether Jones or Landais was the legal commander of the ship, the sailors might well be excused for being also hon- estly divided in their views. Commodore Jones, a humane man, a lover of peace and justice, could not bear the thought of strewing the deck of the ship 198 PAUL JONES. with the bloody corpses of these ignorant men. He preferred to submit the question to the arbitration of the laws, rather than to brutal violence. Jones despatched an express to the court, at Versailles, and immediately followed it. Upon his arrival he found, that through the intervention of Dr. Franklin, orders had already been issued for the detention of the Alliance, and the arrest of Landais. Journeying was comparatively slow in those days. After the absence of a week Commodore Jones returned. He found that, during the night preced- ing his arrival, Landais had warped the ship from the inner to the outer harbor, which was called Port Louis. There was still a narrow entrance through which the ship must pass before it could be out at sea. A battery commanded that passage. A boat was sent on board, with an officer, to arrest Landais in the king's name, and to announce that the Alli- ance would be sunk should she attempt to leave the port. Captain Landais, standing beneath the Stars and Stripes, and surrounded by his men, refused to surrender himself. The Alliance had been placed by Congress at the disposal of Dr. Franklin. He, as the representa- tive of the Government, was to order all her move- ments in Europe. This both Lee and Landaia knew perfectly well. The French officer now pre- THE MUTINY CF LANDAIS. I99 sented to Landais the positive orders of Dr. Frank- lin to Landais, his officers and his men, to surrendet the ship to the command of Commodore Jones. The commodore now had the ship completely in his power. One or two broadsides from the battery would sink her and all her crew in the bottom of the bay, French soldiers were accustomed to obey command. The guns were loaded. The gunners stood ready with lighted matches. At one word of command a storm of balls would pierce the ship, and all France would receive another impressive lesson of the peril involved in disobeying the orders of the king. And yet the madman Landais, reckless of all consequences, was firm in his insubordination. The AUiance was by far the finest ship in the feeble navy of the colonies. It was freighted with stores of inestimable value to our thinly clad, hun- gry, ill-provided soldiers, struggling against the most formidable military power then upon the globe. A large minority, probably a majority of the sailors were in favor of Commodore Jones. Those who adhered to Landais were assured by Commissioner Lee that they were surely in the right, and that if they abandoned Landais they would be exposed to be hung for mutiny against their lawful com mander. All the sailors felt deeply wronged. They could 200 PAUL JONES. not understand why they received neither wages nor prize-money. They could not know but that the malignant and artful representations of Landais were true ; that Jones, with his confederate aristo^ crats of the court, was squandering, in luxurious dis- sipation, their hard earnings. Under these circum- stance it would have been cruel to consign these poor men to destruction, and our country to so great a loss. Commodore Jones, forgetting his resentment, acted the part of a magnanimous man, for which he merits the highest commendation. He hastened to the quarters of M. Thevenard, the commandant of the port, and by his personal inter- position, prevented him from opening fire upon the Alliance. He wrote to Dr. Franklin : " Thevenard had received orders to fire on the Alliance and sink her to the bottom, if they at- tempted to approach ar»d pass the barrier that had been made across the entrance to the port. Had I even remained silent an hour the dreadful work would have been done. Your humanity will, I know, justify the part I acted, in preventing a scene that would have rendered me miserable for the rest ol my life. Yesterday the within letter was brought me from Mr. Lee. He has pulled off the mask, and I am convinced is not a little disappointed that his THE MUTINY OF LANDAI? 201 operations have produced no bloodshed between the subjects of France and America. Poor man ! " The commandant of the port called all his officers together, and they signed a paper, minutely stating the preparations they had made to render the depar- ture of the Alliance impossible, and their great admiration of the magnanimity of Commodore Jones in causing their operations to be suspended. Landais, unopposed, warped his ship through the mouth of the harbor and cast anchor in the roadstead of Groix. We must now take leave of Landais, with but a brief record of his subsequent career. Pierre Landais was the youngest son of one of the proudest and, in rank, one of the most illustrious families in Normandy. Their ancestral estates had gradually passed away, and the family had become impoverished, but not the less proud. Pierre en- tered the Naval School, and was thoroughly instruct- ed in the theory both of building and navigating a ship. He, however, found it difficult to get a com- mission so as to put his knowledge into practice. He had neither money, nor interest at court, with which to purchase court favor. He was thus kept a mere midshipman until he was thirty-two years of age. Then for many years he remained in the humble situation of a sub-lieu- tenant. He was serving in this capacity, greatly 9* 202 PALL JONES. discontented with his lot, when the war broke out between England and her American colonies. Lan- dais than came to this country in command of a French merchant-ship laden with public stores. He was a man of much address and of boundless assu- rance. According to his representation he enjoyed the rank of captain in the royal navy ; had com- manded a ship of the*^line ; had been chief officer of the naval depot at the port of Brest, and could have commanded any advancement he desired in his own country. But he said that his love for freedom was such, and such his admiration of the heroism of the Amer- icans in drawing the sword in defence of popular rights, against such a gigantic power as that of Great Britain, that he had declined receiving the Cross of St. Louis, and had abjured the Roman Catholic religion, the religion of his forefathers, that he might, with all his energies, enter into the service of America. Believing all this, and wishing, as we have said, to compliment France, Congress placed its finest frigate in the hands of Landais. The result, until the time tehen the Alliance left L'Orient, the reader knows. The Alliance, with Mr. Lee on board, at length reached Philadelphia. The conduct of Landais, whose title to command his own men doubted, was so THE MUTINY OF LANDAIS. -xOJ insane that the officers, passengers and crew all became incensed. Mr. Lee was prominent in this movement. The ship was committed to the officer next in rank. A court of inquiry was held, in which Mr. Lee testified strongly against the captain as insane. The charge was so fully sustained that he was dismissed from the service of the United States. It was not deemed expedient to waste time by prosecuting the more serious charges against him. He was consequently consigned to insignificance* Thus thrown out of service, Landais took up hia residence in the city of New York. Destitute of funds, he was miserably poor, living, one can hardly tell how, upon an income of but two hundred dollars a year. Still he retained all his ancient pride, main- taining the air of a gentleman, and refusing any assistance which could indicate that he was in want. He contrived, at every session of Congress, whether at Philadelphia or Washington, to make his appearance, and to urge a memorial expressive of the injustice which he thought had been done him, and demanding restitution to his rank and the arrears of pay. It is said that at one time he was reduced almost to nothing, when an unexpected division of some prize-money gave him an annuity of ore hun- dred and five dollars. With true French hilarity he 204 PAUL JONES. said, *• I have now two dollars a week on which tc live, and an odd dollar for charity at the end of the year." To the last he kept up the exterior and the courtly bearing of a gentleman. All that was visible of his linen was ever spotlessly clean. His thread-bare coat was brushed with the utmost neat- ness. On ceremonious occasions, or when making a call, he wore conspicuously a pair of paste knee- buckles, yellow silk stockings, carefully preserved, though much faded, and which were adorned with what were then called red clocks. Claiming to be an officer in the United States Navy, unjustly deprived of command, he ever wore upon his hat the American cockade. On the Fourth of July, and on the day which commemorated the evacuation of the city of New York by the British troops, Landais, who had assumed the title of admiral, invariably dressed himself in his old Conti- nental uniform. The large brass buttons, though they had lost their brilliance, attracted attention. The long skirts of his blue coat reached almost to his heels, enveloping his thin, shrivelled form. The sleeves seemed to have shrunken, for they scarcely came to his wrists. He thus paraded the streets, with all the airs Oi a nobleman of the ancient regime. THE MUTINY OF LANDAIS. 205 His spirit of independence was such that he refused all presents, even the most trifling. A gen- tleman, on one occasion, sent him a dozen bottles of Newark cider. He returned them because it was not in his power to reciprocate. He became, with advancing years, very irritable in temper. In one of the debates in Congress in reference to his claims, a member spoke, as he thought, disrespectfully of him. He dressed him- self in his uniform, belted a small sword at his side, and repairing to the gallery of the House, announced to all the acquaintances he met, that he was pre pared to fight a duel with any gentleman who might give him occasion to do so. " If there is any bad blood in Congress," said he, "I am prepared to draw it." He always affirmed that he, and not Jones, captured the Serapis. The ship, he said, was com- pelled to surrender because he raked her with the guns of the AlHance. Thus this strange man lived for forty years, until he had attained the age of eighty-seven. He died, or, to use his own language, disappeared from this life, in the summer of 18 18. As he was buried in the church-yard of St. Patrick's Cathedral it is probable that he had returned to the Roman Catholic faith. Some unknown friend raised a plain marble slab 206 PAUL JONES. over his remains with the inscription, beneath a cross . A la Memoire de Pierre de Landais, Ancien Contre-Amiral au service Des Etats-Unis. Qui Disparut. Juin 1818. Age, 87 years. Let US now return to Paul Jones. There were five hundred tons of pubHc stores still at L'Orient to be shipped to the United States. The Ariel, which was in port preparing to sail, could afford additional room for but about one hundred tons. There were thus four hundred tons to be provided for. The Serapis, which Paul Jones had so heroically captured, was one of the finest and most strongly built war-ships in the British navy. The king had just purchased the prize for a sum amounting to about forty thousand dollars. As France was certainly indebted to an American commodore for his valuable prize, and as France was in alliance with America, and as the cause of the two countries was, in some respects, a common cause, France wishing to resist the intolerable tyr- ann\- of England on the seas, Jones made the very reasonable suggestion to Dr. Franklin, that he should obtain the loan of the Serapis, to accompany the THE MUTINY OF LANDAIS. TXyj Ariel in conveying these stores across the Atlantic Upon their arrival in America, the two ships, as he thought, might inflict very serious damage on the common enemy. Franklin, deserted by his col- league Lee, mortified by the flight of Landais with the Alliance, and embarrassed for want of money, was in a state of great perplexity. Through irregu- larity of the mails he had not received Commodore Jones's letter of the 2 1st of June, giving him the par- ticulars of the departure of the Alliance. He had, however, received his letter of the 27th, proposing the loan of the Serapis. Philosopher as he was, he could not conceal the perplexities which annoyed him. He wrote . " I only knew, by other means, that the Alliance is gone out of the port; and that you are not likely to recover, and have relinquished the command of her. So that affair is over. And now the business is, to get the goods out as well as we can. I am per- fectly bewildered with the different schemes that have been proposed to me for this purpose. Mr. Williams was for purchasing ships. I told him I had not the money ; but he still urges it. You and Mr. Ross proposed borrowing the Ariel. I joined in the application for that ship. We obtained her. She was to convey all that the Alliance could not take. " Now you find her insufficient. An additional ao8 PAUL JONES. ship has already been asked and could not be ob« tained. I think therefore that it will be best that you take as much into the Ariel as you can, and de- part with it. For the rest I must apply to the gov- ernment to contrive some means of transporting it in their own ships. This is my present opinion. When I have once got rid of this business, no con- sideration shall tempt me to meddle again with such matters, as I never understood them." The stores which were ready to be transported to America, amounted in value to about four hun- dred thousand dollars. It was needful that immedi- ate and vigorous measures should be taken to send them on their way. Commodore Jones, on the 27th of June, wrote, as in duty bound, to the Honorable Robert Morris, giving him a very unimpassioned and truthful account of the untoward events which had occurred. He closed this admirable letter with the following words : " I cannot see where all this will end. But surely it must fall dreadfully on the heads of those who have stirred up this causeless mutiny. For my own part I shall make no other remark than that I have never directly or indirectly sought after the command of the Alliance. But after having, in obedience to orders, commanded her for seven months, and after Mr. Lee had made a written THE MUTINY OF LANDAIS. 209 application to me, as commander of that ship, for a passage to America, I am at a loss what name to give to Mr. Lee's late conduct and duplicity in stir- ring up a mutiny in favor of a man who was first sent to America, contrary to Mr. Lee's opinion, by Ml. Deane, and who is actually under arrest by order of his sovereign. ** What gives me the greatest pain is, that after I had obtained from government the means of tran- sporting to America, under good protection, the arms and clothing I have already mentioned, Mr. Lee should have found means to defeat my inten- tions. You will bear me witness, my worthy friend, that I never asked a favor for myself from Congress. You have seen all my letters, and know that I never sought any indirect influence ; though my ambition to act an eminent and useful part in this glorious revolution is unbounded. " I pledge myself to you and to America that my zeal receives new ardor from the opposition it meets with ; and I live but to overcome them, and to prove myself no mock patriot, but a true friend to the rights of human nature upon principles of dis- interested philanthropy. Of this I have given some proofs, and I will give more. Let not, therefore, the virtuous Senate of America he misled by the insinuations of fallen ambition. Should anything SIO PAUL JONES, be said to my disadvantage, all I ask is a suspension of judgment until I can appear before Congress tj answer for myself." The next day after Commodore Jones had written this letter, on the 28th of June, a letter was de- spatched to him, from Monsieur de Sartines, the French minister, dated at Versailles. He wrote : " The king, sir, has already made known his satisfaction with the zeal and valor which you have displayed in Europe, in support of the common cause of the United States of America and his majesty ; and he has also informed you of the dis- tinguished 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 accom- panying packet addressed to M. de 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." Before the Alliance sailed, the trunks of Commo- dore Jones which were on board that ship were broken open, robbed of their most valuable contents, and sent on shore. Those who openly adhered to J<"nes, refusing to obey Landais, were confined and i arried away in irons. Almost inumerable obstacles arose THE MUTINY OF LANDAIS. 211 to delay the sailing of the Ariel and the other vessels needed to transport the stores. Never did a man consecrate himself more entirely to the promotion of the public interests, to the neglect of ail selfish considerations, than did Paul Jones during the months of June and July. A detailed account of his difficulties and disappointments would but weary the reader. His soul was almost consumed with the desire to strike the haughty enemy blows which he would feel. He was willing to go back to America, animated by the hope that the government, hearing of what he had already achieved, would place such a force at his command as to enable him to do some- thing effectual toward the emancipation of America from British thraldom On the 2d of August, just before he was ready to sail, he wrote to the Count of Vergennes. After expressing his gratitude for the favors he had received from the French court, and his intense desire for active employment, he added : " 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 necessary 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 fl(iets of equal force. ft*2 PAUL JONES. '^ 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 the right to retaliate ; and, by our having the same language and customs with the enemy we are in a situation tc 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 opportunity I will yet prove it more fully." Still there were the most annoying delays. Noth- ing In this world can be more difficult than to fit 'Out a military expedition without money and with- out credit. The Ariel sailed out of the harbor and •cast anchor in the road of Groix. Commodore Jones ifeceived during this time many flattering letters from tidmiring ladies of the French court. But his en- gagements were so pressing that he found but little time to reply to them. His instinctive sense of courtesy was such that this apparent neglect some- times quite seriously annoyed him. To one lady he wrote • " When one is conscious of having been in fault, I believe it is the best way to confess it and to prom- ise amendment. This being my case in respect to you madam, I am too honest to attempt to excuse THE MUIINY OF LANDAlb. 21 3 myselt; and theretore 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 writ- ing you two letters, wait so long for an answer. Are you sc much devoted to war as to neglect wit and beauty? I make myself a thousand such reproaches, and believe I punish myself as severely as you would do, madam, were you present here." Again he wrote to a noble lady, Madame L'Or- moy: " My particular thanks are due you, madam, for the personal proofs I have received of your esteem and friendship, and for the happiness 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 concerns me. Now 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 nature.' CHAPTER X. The Return to America. Fitting the Ariel. — Painful Delays. — The Sailing. — Terrible Toa- pest.— The Disabled Ship.— Puts back to L'Orient.— The Sec- ond Departure. — Meets the Triumph. — Bloody Naval Battle. — Perfidious Escape of the Triumph. — The Ariel Reaches America — Honors Lavished upon Jones. — Appointed to Build and Command the America. — Great Skill Displayed. — The Ship given to France. — The Launch. Tardily the French government had ordered the Ariel to be fully armed and equipped. Com- modore Jones crowded the ship to its utmost pos- sible capacity. Such a quanity of powder, arms, and other stores were taken on board, that he had room for provisions for only nine weeks. The commodore had hoped to have left port at an earlier period, and at a more favorable season of the year. He was not able to weigh anchor and to spread his sails, for his adventurous voyage, until the 8th of October. He then sailed, with a fair wind and with promise of pleasant weather. But the very next night a terrible tempest arose. In the midst of midnight darkness, with howling THE RETURN TO AMERICA 215 winds and dashing waves, the Ariel barely escaped being wrecked on the rocks of Penmarque, a ledge which was the terror of all seamen, between L'Orient and Brest. The gale was so severe that the lower yard-arms were frequently plunged into the water. The peril was so great that it was necessary to cut away the fore-mast. This seemed in some degree to relieve the ship from the terrible strain, so that her head was brought to the wind. But in the terrible plungings of the heavily laden ship over the billows, the main-mast had got out of the step, and reeled to and fro in the most threatening manner. The dan- ger was imminent that the mast would either break off below the gun-deck, or that it would crush its way through the bottom of the ship. Commodore Jones gave orders for the main-mast to be cut away. But before this could be done the chain plates parted, and the main-mast, breaking off at the gun-deck, fell with a terrible crash, carrying with it the mizzen- mast, and the quarter-gallery. In that deplorable situation, the Ariel, rolling like a log upon the tem- pest-lashed sea, by rare good luck floated in midnight darkness, to the windward of the ledge generally deemed the most dangerous in the world. For two days and three nights this autumnal storm raged, covering the shore with wrecks, and with the bodies of the drowned. Even in the Jl6 PAUL JONES. port of L'Orient many ships were torn from tfieii anchorage, and were dashed on the shore. Probably nothing saved the Ariel but the loss of her masts. Had they remained standing, to receive the force of the gale, no anchor could have held her from being thrown upon the rocks. Jury-masts were rigged, and the shattered Ariel, after the gale, was taken back to L'Orient. On the i6th, he wrote to Lady D'Ormoy, in reply to a letter from her. In this communication, he said : " I have returned without laurels, and, what is worse, without being able to render service to the glorious cause of liberty. I know not why Neptune 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 and of shipwreck. I can give you no just idea of the tremendous scene that nature then presented, which surpassed the reach even of poetic faacy and the pencil. I believe no ship was ever before saved from an equal danger off the point of the Penmarque rocks. " I am extremely sorry that the young English *>ady you mention should have imbibed the national hatred against me. I have had proofs that many of the first and finest ladies of that nation are my THE RETURN TO AMERICA. 217 friends. Indeed I cannot imagine why any fair lady should be my enemy, since, upon the large scale of universal philanthropy I feel, acknowledge, and bend before the sovereign power of beauty. The Eng- lish nation may hate me, but I will force them to esteem me too." Jones was exceedingly distressed that his sailors had not received one single dollar of prize money. They blamed him, and he could not make it clear to their impassioned minds that he was not to blame. The prizes, which had been sent into the French ports, had now been sold. But legal technicalities seemed to render it necessary that the money should be paid in America. Even Dr. Franklin could not deny that such was the proper interpretation of the statute. The money was consequently remitted to the French minister, M. Chaumont, to be forwarded to this country. Commodore Jones wrote pleadingly in behalf of the suffering sailors. " By virtue of the authority I had received from the government," he wrote, " my honor was pledged to see these men justly paid. I have already suf- fered many reflections on their account. I beseech your excellency to order them immediate payment." The spirit of Dr. Franklin was in a state of great perturbation in view of these wrongs, which seemed to paralyze all the sinews of action. Fiom a sick 3l8 PAUL JONES. bed, upon which it is not improbable that trouble had thrown him, he wrote to the Court, strongly soliciting, under the circumstances, the payment of the money. It was not until the i8th of December that the shattered, heavily laden Ariel was again prepared for sea. In his journal, Jones writes : " On this day I bade adieu to the beloved nation of France ; where, though I have met with some difficulties, I have many reasons to be satisfied. I am charmed with the courteous behavior that so nobly marked the character of that generous minded people." As he had important despatches on board, which he was directed to sink rather than allow to fall into the hands of the enemy, and as the cargo he carried was of inestimable value to the colonies, he resolved to seek no prizes, but to cross the ocean as rapidly as possible, by an unfrequented track, taking the southern passage along the edge of the trade winds. After being out several days he found himself far south, in the latitude of Barbadoes. In a dis. tance a ship hove in sight. There could be but lit- tle doubt that it was an English ship. After care- fully examining it with his glass he saw that it was a fast-sailing, well-armed English frigate. The Ariel was not in a condition to give battle to such an opponent. He hoped, in the darkness of the night THE RETURN TO AMERICA. 219 to escape. He therefore changed his couise and spread every sail. In the morning he found, much to his disappointment, that the frigate was still nearer to him than the evening before. An action was now unavoidable. The frigate would surely board him, and, by examining his papers, find out who he was and where he was bound. Immediately the most vigorous measures were adopted to prepare for action. It is probable that Commodore Jones had resolved never, under what- ever circumstances, to surrender to the British flag Everything was thrown overboard which could in- terfere with the efficiency of the defence. The sails and helm were so managed, and other precautions adopted, as to conceal, as far as possible, the force of the Ariel. He assumed the character of a merchant- ship lightly armed. The chase soon became very eager. As soon as the frigate came within gun-shot of the Ariel, Jones opened fire from his quarter-deck, with his stern chasers. The wind became very light, so that hour after hour, on these mild tropical seas, the pursued and the pursuer glided along, without the distance between them being sensibly diminished. As night approached the frigate came within hailing distance of the Ariel. Jones, as he examined her armament, was well pleased to find that he had 220 PAUL JONES. a foice to contend with not much sjperior to his own. He immediately raised the English flag, and quite a conversation took place between the com- manders of the two ships. Jones learned that the frigate was called the Triumph, under command of Captain John Pindar. Assuming that the Ariel was an English ship conveying stores to the British army in America, he obtained very important infor- mation, in reference to the position of the English squadron on the coast. At length Jones pretended not to believe Caj> tain Pindar, that his ship belonged to the British navy. He therefore ordered the captain to come on board the Ariel and show his commission. Pin- dar probably at this time had his suspicions excited. He declined upon the excuse that his boats leaked, and that he had not yet learned the name of the fri- gate before him, or of her commander. Jones replied : " I have no account to render to you. You can have five minutes to decide whether you will come on board of me or not." Jones held his watch in his hand. The frigatrf were lying nearly abreast and within thirty feet uf each other. The tops of both vessels were filled with sharp-shooters, and the gunners, with lighted matches, «tood at the batteries. The moment the five min- utes had elapsed, Jones ran up the Stars and Stripe^ THE RETURN TO AMERICA. 221 and hurled a full broadside, within pistol-shot, into the Triumph. It was then past seven o'clock in the evening. Daylight had completely faded away. Starlight and the flash of the guns alone lighted the combatants in their dreadful conflict. The crew of the Ariel was inspired with the indomitable energies of its commander. The Triumph instantly returned the fire of the Ariel. It is said that the vigorous and regular fire, from the top and batteries of the Ariel, had never been exceeded. Such a conflict could by no possi- bility last long. The flash and the roar of this tem- pest of war were incessant. Every bolt was death dealing. The massive irons balls tore through and splintered the oaken timbers, smashed gun carriages, tumbled about the massive ordnance, and strewed the decks with lifeless bodies and dismembered limbs. There was not one moment's intermission. Blow followed blow instantaneously. Amidst darkness and sulphurous smoke, and the angry gleam of the flashing guns, there were ghastly wounds, and gush- ing blood, and death — misery and inconceivably awful ruin. It was one of those scenes in this lost world, which has led many to inquire, " Can hell exceed this?" Ten minutes of this horrible carnage settled the question. Pindar struck his colors and cried out few 222 PAUL JOInES. quarter, saying that one half of his men were killed. Instantly the Ariel stopped fire. The men, aban- doning the batteries and running down from the tops, clustered on the deck, and gave three cheers in token of their victory. When a ship thus sur- renders, and calls for and accepts quarter, she is considered as a prisoner of war is considered, who has given his word of honor not to attempt to escape. With a few more broadsides Jones might have sunk the Triumph, which was preying upon American commerce. And it was his duty to have done this, rather than allow her to escape. But relying upon the honor of the English com- mander, he accepted the unconditional surrender. The Triumph was not injured in her sails or rigging. In the confusion of the moment, when the dead cov- ered the decks and the wounded were being hurried below to the care of the surgeon, and the guns of the Ariel were abandoned, the treacherous captain, watch- ing his opportunity, suddenly spread every sail, and commenced running away with all speed. Jones was astonished at this perfidy. He immediately spread every sail in pursuit. But the Triumph was much the swiftest sailor, and soon got out of gun-shot, and disappeared in the darkness. In the account whicli Commodore Jones gives of this conflict, in the jour- nal which he sent to the king of France, he wrote : THE RETURM TO AMERICA. Saj " In a minute I ordered the firing to cease. And there were several huzzahs on board the Ariel, as is usual after a victory. But a minute afterwards the captain of the Triumph had the baseness to fill his sails and run away. It was not in my power to pre- vent this, the Triumph sailing much faster than the Ariel. But if the British government had that feel- ing of honor and justice which becomes a great nation, they would have delivered up to the United States that frigate as belonging to them ; and would have punished, in the most exemplary manner, her captain for having thus violated the laws of war and the customs of civilized nations." On the 1 8th of February, 1 781, Paul Jone? arrived at Philadelphia, having been absent fron America three years, three months, and eighteei days. He now received what was to him an ample reward for his past years of toil and care. The renown of his exploits had spread through the land No one in the army or the navy had acquired more celebrity. Even Mr. Lee, who had now himself quarrelled with Landais, and had become convinced that he was insane, joined in the laudations of Com- modore Jones. The Board of Admiralty condemned the course of Mr. Lee, and sustained Jones. In a report which the Board made to Congress, on the 2d of November, 1781, it was said 324 PAUL JONES. *' It appears that Captain Landais regained com* mand of the Alliance by the advice of Mr. Lee, not- withstanding his suspension by Dr. Franklin, who, by the direction of the Marine Committee, had the sole management of our marine affairs in Europe." Congress had already passed a resolve, stating, "That the thanks of the United States, in Congress assembled, be given to Captain John Paul Jones, for the zeal, prudence, and intrepidity, with which he has supported the honor of the American flag ; for his bold and successful enterprises to redeem from captivity the citizens of these 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 lustre to his character and to the Ameri- can arms." General Washington, with his customary cir- cumspection, wrote to him : " Whether our naval affairs have, in general, been well or ill conducted, would be presumptuous in me to determine. In stances of bravery and good conduct, in several of our officers, have not, however, been wanting. Deli- cacy 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 his favor, which can only be THE RETURN TO AMERICA. 22$ obtained by long and honorable service, or by the performance of some brilliant action." The warm-hearted Marquis de Lafayette wrote, in much more glowing terms, to his old friend. He was just on the point of sailing for France. His let- ter was dated on the Alliance, off Boston, December 22d, 1 78 1. " 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 was every min- ute expecting to put to sea. As to the pleasure to take you by the hand, my dear Paul Jones, you know my affectionate sentiments, and my very great regard for you, so that I need not add anything on that subject. " Accept my best thanks for the kind expres- sions in your letter. The downfall of Cornwallis 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 flattering com- pliment 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 ui ite, 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 10* 226 PAUL JONES. provisions, and carte blanche. I am sorry I cannot see you. I have also many things to tell you." Honorable John Adams wrote him, from the Hague. In this letter he said : " Could I see a pros- pect of half-a-dozen line-of-battle ships, under the American flag, commanded by Commodore Paul Jones, engaged with an equal British force, I appre- hend the event would be so glorious for the United States, and lay so sure a foundation for their pros- perity, that it would be a rich compensation for the continuance of the war." Commodore Jones was summoned to appear before Congress to answer a large number of ques- tions, which had been carefully drawn up, in refer- ence to the delay of the stores in Europe, and the many other difficulties in the marine which had occurred there. His answers were so full and satis- factory as to draw from Congress the most cordial approval of his course. In the complimentary re- solves it was added : " That the Minister Plenipotentiary of these United States, at the Court of Versailles, communi- cated to his most Christian Majesty the high satis- faction 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 offei THE RETURN TO AMERICA. 227 yi adorning Captain Jones with a Cross of Military Merit, is highly acceptable to Congress." Congress at that time held its sessions in Phila- delphia. The French minister, M. de la Luzerne, j/ave a very brilliant fete to all the members of Congress. In the presence of that august body, with imposing ceremonials, he conferred upon Jones, in the name of the King of France, the honor he so richly merited. Congress commenced building, under the super- vision of Commodore Jones, a very splendid seventy- four-gun ship, to be called the America. By unani- mous vote of Congress, Captain Jones was intrusted with the command. For sixteen months he devoted his tireless energies to building this ship, with which he could bid defiance to any single ship in the British navy, and which would enable him to render really efficient service to his country. While abroad he had collected copies of all the important treatises upon naval tactics; upon the construction of ships, the police of fleets and dock- yards, and every other branch of his noble profession. Every moment of leisure was devoted to these studies. He became an enthusiastic student, resolved tc make himself as perfect as possible in all the accom- plishments of his noble profession. And it is safe to 228 PAUL JONES. say that there was not, in our navy, any officer more thoroughly instructed. On the birth of the Dauphin, the unfortunate son of Louis XVI. and Maria Antoinette, Commodore Jones mounted, on the deck of the unfinished ship America, a battery, at his own expense. The flag of France was unfurled from the mast-head, and salutes were fired at repeated hours during the day. At night the ship was illuminated, and there was a brilliant display of fireworks. Jones obtained great credit with both American and French officers for the skill he displayed in the construction of this ship. It was fifty and a-half feet in breadth, and one hundred and eighty-two and a-half feet in length. The best judges pronounced her to be a model of naval architecture. It was the largest seventy-four-gun ship then in the world. And yet she floated so gracefully that, at the dis- tance of a mile, she appeared like a delicate frigate : and no one would have suspected that she had a second battery. The embarrassments which Jones experienced, and the delays to which he was exposed in building, arming, and rigging this admirable structure, were innumerable. Money, first of all, was wanted ; suit- able workmen were with difficulty found, and he never had more than twenty-four carpenters em. THE RETURN TO AMERICA. 225. ployed. Our machinery and manufactures were not in a sufiftciently advanced state to furnish proper material for the rigging, and suitable armament for a first-class ship. Nearly all such stores were to be brought from Europe. The ships which brought them had to run the gauntlet through the powerful fleet of England. There probably was not another man, then in the United States, capable of doing what Commodore Jones did in building this ship. It is to be remem- bered that the whole population of the United States, widely scattered, amounted to but i.hont three millions, about the same as the present popu- lation of the State of New York. For such a little band to bid defiance to the majestic power cf Eng. land was one of the boldest deeds ever performed. We should inevitably have been crushed but for the aid of our generous ally. About the middle of August Jones left Phila- delphia for Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where the ship was being built. On the way he visited the allied army under General Washington and the French General Rochambeau, then encamped at White Plains, in Westchester county, New York. There was scarcely any name then more prominent iu the army and the navy than that of Paul Jones. He was received by the officers of both armies with 230 PAUL JONES. flattering distinction. In addition to his merits as a brave warrior he was an intelligent, courteous, accom- plished gentleman — one whose upright and elevated character commanded universal respect. He reached Portsmouth near the middle of September. There was everything to discourage him. The resources of the country seemed to be exhausted, and but a small portion of the materials for building the ship had been purchased. But Commodore Jones plunged into the great enterprise with all his thoughtful and intelligent energies. No time was wasted in useless repinings. He was intensely anxious for active service. Super- intending work in the ship-yard was not congenial employment for him, when he longed to be upon the deck of his ship humbling, by his broadsides, that proud power which was stigmatizing the officers in the United States Navy as traitors, pirates, and thieves. During these weary months he was, how- ever, cheered by the conviction that he would soon unfurl his flag on board the America ; and that then, with a combined French and American squad- ron, he would strike blows which would compel the British government to respect the rights of hu- manity. Before Commodore Jones commenced work on the America, he had quite despaired of obtaining THE RETURN TO AMERICA. 23I another ship. In his eagerness to be actively em- ployed in working out the redemption of his adopted country from British thraldom, he contemplated entering the army, to serve in the corps of Lafayette. The English naval officers heard of the building of the America, and were anxious to destroy her before she could put to sea. They had formed various plans, which were communicated by Washington to Commodore Jones. Ships were cruising off the har- bor of Portsmouth, and a fleet of armed boats was to be sent in at night, to apply the torch. Jones organized an armed guard for the protec- tion of the America. It was necessary for him to employ in this service the mechanics who were engaged in building the ship. Jones himself fre- quently took command of this guard, and carefully drilled them in the art of defence. They were thoroughly drilled, and had several pieces of cannon which they were taught to manage with great skill. They were prepared to give a very warm reception to any assailants. Several times, in the dim starlight, crowded boats were seen, pulling silently into the harbor with muffled oars. But the defences were BO formidable that they never ventured to make ar attack. It was near the close of 1782 when the ship was nearly completed and ready for launching. J ones 132 PAUL JONES. now felt that he was soon to reap the reward of hU long and painful labors. And then came a sudden, unexpected, terrible disappointment. A squadron of French line-of-battle ships, coming over to our aid, entered Boston harbor. One of the finest of these ships, the Magnifique, stranded, and was entirely lost. As they had come to assist us. Congress justly regarded the ship as lost in our service. To indem- nify the King of France for this loss, and to show our gratitude to our allies, it was at once voted to present the America to the King of France. Thus again, in a moment, were all the brightest hopes of Paul Jones dashed. It was the duty of Honorable Robert Morris, agent of Marine, to communicate this intelligence to the Chevalier Paul Jones. He evidently recoiled from the unwelcome task. In his kind and sympathetic letter he said : " I know you so well as to be convinced that it must give you great pain, and I sincerely sympathize with you. But although you will undergo much concern at being deprived of this opportunity to reap laurels on your favorite field, yet your regard for France will in some measure alleviate it. I must entreat you to continue your inspection until she is launched, a«nd to urge forward the business. When that is done, if you will come hither I will explain to THE RETURN TO AMERICA. 333 you the reasons which led to this measure, and my views for employing you in the service of your country." The answer of Commodore Jones was worthy ot the man. There were few who could have received so terrible a blow so meekly, and with so much dig- nity. Honorable Robert Morris acknowledged the receipt of his reply in a letter, which justice to Com- modore Jones demands should be given in full. It was as follows : " Marine Office, October 9th, 1782. " Chevalier Paul Jones, Portsmouth. " Sir — I have received your letter of the 22d of last month. The sentiments contained in it will always reflect the highest honor upon your character. They have made so strong an impression upon my mind that I immediately transmitted an extract of your letter to Congress. I doubt not but that they will view it in the manner which I have done. " I am, etc., " Robert Morris. Mr. Morris wrote, in his letter to the President of Congress : " I do myself the honor to enclose your excellency the copy of a letter which I received this morning from the Chevalier Paul Jones. The pres- ent state of our affairs does not permit me to employ 234 PAUL JONES. that valuable officer; 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 disinterestedness. I should do injustice to my own feelings as well as to my coun- try, if I did not most warmly recommend this gen- tleman to the notice of Congress, whose favor he has certainly merited by the most signal services and. sacrifices." Jones continued faithfully superintending the completion of thr, America, until she was launched, on the 5th of Nove-nber. It was necessary to build this ship where sh.e could be protected from the assaults of the B'-'jtis^^ navy. It was anticipated, by many, that tHt lau.iching would be attended with great diffirnlty. Commodore Jones attended to the minut- est c'jtails with wonderful skill. The river was not more than two hundred yards »vlde. On one side of the building slip there was a Midge of rocks, running half-way across the river, and parallel to the direction of the ship's keel. The opposite shore was fringed with rocks. The tide rushed in and out with great rapidity. It was ne- cessary to launch near flood-tide, when the current was very rapid. There was much danger that the ship might be swept against the ledge. This could THE RETURN TO AMERICA. 235 only be obviated by cables and anchors secured on the shore. With great ingenuity, these were so ar- ranged as to check the speed of the ship, and bring her to a stand at a particular spot. The flags of France and America were blended in friendly union at the stern. Jones took his stand on a platform, near the bows of the ship. He gave every signal ; watched every movement, and ordered when the anchors at the bows were, in succession, to be let go. Beautifully, majestically, successfully, the vast fabric glided into its native element. The ad- miration of the thousands of spectators was an- nounced in enthusiastic cheers. On the same day Chevalier Jones gracefully sur- rendered the America to Chevalier de MarMgne, who had commanded the Magnifique. The next morning, again out of employment, he set out for Philadelphia, to seek new engagements in the service of his country CHAPTER XI. The War Ended. #T«aau A*v\\ > ,tii Carolina. — A New Disappointment. — The Great Exp^inion rt«iined. — Magnitude of the Squadron. — The Ap- pointed Ren .resvciis. — Commodore Jones Joins the Expedition. — His Cordial i terms with the admiral and officers, both of the fleet and army, that I have nothing to wish from dhem. Deeply sensible how favored I am in being thus placed, I beg you to express my gratitude to Congress on the occasion, and to the Chevalier de Luzerne. The Marquis de Vaudreuil is promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and now carries a vice-admiral's flag." On the 25th of March Jones wrote to Lafayette, who had received from the king military promotion. In this letter he wrote: " I am really happy to hear that justice has been rendered, by his majesty, to such distinguished worth and exertion as yours. No less indeed could be expected from such a prince to such a subject. We hear that you are at Cadiz, in order to embark with his excellency Count d'Estaing. This would afford me the greatest pleasure, did not my love of glory give place to my more ardent wish for peace, and that you might have the happiness to carry over the olive branch, to a country that already owes you so much gratitude. " Humanity has need of peace ; but though I was led to expect it from the late speech from the throne, I begin to fear it is yet at some distance. There »eeras to be a malignity in the English blood, which 248 PAUL TONES. cannot be cured till, in mercy to the rest of man* kind, it is let out, that the disease may not become epidemical. I pray you to present my most respect- ful compliments to the Count d'Estaing. If the war continues, I hope for the honor of making the cam- paign under his orders." Early in April a solitary ship was seen in the dis- tant horizon. Her approach was watched with the most intense eagerness. She entered the harbor with floating banners and triumphant music and shouts of peace. She conveyed the tidings of the treaty which brought the dreadful war to a close. There were but few Americans in the fleet. Their joy must have been great, that their country had successfully fought the battles of freedom, and had at length escaped from the grasp of the oppressor. We know not with what emotions the French received the tidings which convinced them that the naval campaign in which they had anticipated such great results had proved so serious a failure. Commodore Jones was weary of war. He ever abhorred those atrocities inevitably involved in what Napoleon I. has called " The science of barbarians.' Just before the sailing of the fleet he thought he saw indications that peace was not far distant. There was quite a sum of money due to him from France, whose remittance he was daily expecting. There THE WAR ENDED. 249 «ras a farm house and an extensive tract of excellant land for sale near Newark, New Jersey. It had been valued at forty thousand dollars. But property had so depreciated during the war, and money was so scarce, that it was now seeking a purchaser at ten thousand dollars. Commodore Jones, with his hu- mane feelings, literary taste, and yearnings for the joys of domestic life, was anxious to purchase this property. He wrote accordingly, on the 24th of December, 1782, intrusting the business to his friend John Ross, Esq. But the money did not come. The purchase was not made. Jones was far away in the harbor of Port Cabello. He had received no response to his letter, and did not even know whether his agent had ever received it. In this uncertainty he again wrote to Mr. Ross, from Port Cabello, on the i6th of March 1783. After briefly recapitulating the contents of his former letter he added : " As New York will probably be one of our first naval ports, the proximity of that estate made me more desirous to own it. If, therefore, you should find, on inquiry, that I have been rightly informed, and if you can turn the merchandise in your hands into money, to answer for the purchase, I pray you to act for me as you would for yourself on the occ» uon. II* ajO PAUL JONES. ' We have as yet no certain news from Europci 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 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 eighteen thousand troops, I shall have instruc- tions at the greatest military school in the world." The satisfaction of Jones, upon the establishment of peace, and the independence of the land of his adoption, appears to have been unqualified. He immediately wrote to a friend : " The most brilliant success, and the most in- structive experience in war could not have given me a pleasure comparable with that which I received, when I learned that Great Britain had, after so long a contest, been forced to acknowledge the indepen- dence and sovereignty of the United States of America." Nothing can be more evident, in the whole career of Commodore Jones, than that he fought not from the love of war, but to secure for America an honorable peace. Immediately upon the receipt of the intelligence of the treaty, the little squadron weighed anchor, and sailed for Cape Francois, upon the island of San Domingo. After a passage of eight days the cape was reached on the i6th of th« THE WAR ENDED. 25I month. Here Commodore Jones, though still suf- fering from an intermittent fever, took leave of his friends, and embarked for Philadelphia. It is manl fest that he had commanded warmly the esteem of all his associates, by his upright and noble character. The Marquis de Vaudreuil wrote to Chevalier de la Luzerne, the French minister in America, as follows. The letter was dated at Cape Francois, April 20th, 1783. " The peace, which has been so much desired, and which is going to make the happiness of Ameri- ca, since it puts a seal to her liberty, terminates our projects. We shall sail for France in a week, with the troops under command of Baron de Viomenil. Mr. Paul Jones, who embarked with me, is about returning to his dear country. His well-deserved reputation had made him very acceptable to me, not doubting but that we should have had some oppor- tunities in which his talents might have shone forth. But peace, of which I cannot but be glad, puts an obstacle in the way ; so we must part. Permit me, sir, to request of you the favor of recommending him to his superiors. The intimate acquaintance which I made with him since he has been ou board the Triomphante, makes me take a lively interest In what concerns him ; and I shall be veiy much 252 i-AUL JONES. Obliged if you ^/ill find means of being serviceable to him." It will be remembered that Paul Jones had been assigned a room on board the crowded Triom- phante, with Baron de Viomenil, who was in com- mand of the land forces. The baron, for five months, was in the most intimate relation with Jones. No one could have a better opportunity of ascertaining his true character. He wrote as follows, to the French ambassador at Philadelphia : " Mr. Paul Jones, who v/ill have the honor of delivering to you, sir, this letter, has for five months deported himself among us with such wisdom and modesty as add infinitely to the reputation gained by his courage and exploits. I have reason to believe that he had preserved as much the feeling of gratitude and attachment toward France, as of patriotism and devotion to the cause of America. Such being his titles to attention, I take the liberty of recommending to you his interests near the Presi- dent and Congress." Viomenil also wrote the Honorable Mr. Morris, in high commendation of Paul Jones, and express- ing his desires for the prosperity of 'V^ brave ei honnite komine." Jones appeared in Philadelphia on the i8th of May, 1783. He was still suffering from fever and THE WAR ENDED. 253 his constitution was greatly shattered by the hard- ships he had experienced. He therefore retired, for the recovery of his health, to the beautiful little Mora^ vain village of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, about sixty miles northwest of Philadelphia, on the banks of the Lehigh river. Here he passed the summer, rest- ing from his toils and employing his time in those literary and scientific studies which ever deeply in- terested him. His health being much improved, he was ap- pointed on the 1st of November, 1783, an agent of the United States Government to collect the amount of money for prizes taken, in Europe, by vessels under his command. The ships had been sold, and the money had gone into the French treasury, and was not yet paid. The question was full of embar- rassing complications. Several years had elapsed since the prizes were captured. The sailors who had taken them were scattered in all parts of the world, and many were dead. Was the distribution of the prizes to be adjudged according to French taw, or American law ? and these laws were very dif ferent. The Bon Homme Richard was a Frend •hip, purchased and armed at the expense of the French court, and entitled to raise ahke the French or American flag What proportion of the prizes the took belonged to France, and what to America ? 254 PAUL JONES. It is manifest that, in carrying claims involving such embarrassments through any court or Congress, there was a fine opportunity for years of diplomatic strug- gles. It was in the autumn of 1779, that the prizes were taken by the Bon Homme Richard. Four years had since elapsed, and yet nothing had been done toward the settlement of the distribution of the prize-money. There was not another man in the world so well qualified to manage this difficult and delicate business as was Commodore Jones. He was personally familiar with all the facts in the case. By midnight studies he had made himself thor- oughly acquainted with the naval code of all the Eu- ropean nations. He was well known in the court of France and was very highly esteemed, alike by the monarch, his cabinet officers, and the people. And in addition to all this he was a well-bred gentleman, who scorned all trickery, who would make no claim which he did not honestly believe to be just, and who, while unyielding in his righteous demand, was ever cour- teous and gentle in his bearing. Even Arthur Lee was one of the committee who recommended to Congress that this all-important commission should be assigned to Commodore Jones. As it was ex- pected that a large sum of money would be placed in his hands, he was required to give bonds, to the amount of two hundred thousand dollars, in pledge THE WAR ENDED. 255 of his faithful administration of the trust. It is evi- dence of the high esteem with which he was re- garded by the leading men of the nation, that he found no difficulty in obtaining bondsmen. On the loth of November, Jones sailed from Philadelphia, in the ship Washington. After a stormy wintry passage of twenty days, the ship, instead of making the French harbor of Havre, baf- fled by head winds in the Channel, ran into the Eng- lish port of Plymouth. As Mr. Jones had impor- tant despatches for John Adams, then our minister at the court of St. James, he travelled post to Lon- don. Mr. Adams, after examining his documents, in- formed Commodore Jones that the despatches with which he was intrusted to Dr. Franklin, in Paris, prob- ably contained authorization for Adams and Franklin to conclude a commercial treaty with England. It required a journey and voyage of five days for Jones to traverse the distance between London and Paris. I'ranklin received his old friend with great iordiality. Marshal de Castries was Minister of Marine, Count de Vergennes occupied another of the most important positions in the government. They both received Paul Jones with all those flatter- ing attentions which render French society so fasci- nating. The Chevalier Luzerne had written to them both from Philadelphia, afectionately com- 256 PAUL JONES. mending Paul Jones to their kind regards. With true French pohteness they informed him that they had received such letters, but that they were entirely unnecessary. " We have no need of letters," they said, " to inform us of the merits of Commodore Jones, or to influence us to do him justice." There are different ways of doing things in this world ; and certainly the courteous way is the most agreeable. England had denounced Commodore Jones as a pirate. Had England captured him, it is not improbable that he might have been hung like a pirate. Captain Pearson, who commanded the Serapis in the encounter with the Bon Homme Richard, was a brave man, perhaps a humane man, but coarse and vulgar, quite unacquainted with the courtesies which regulate the intercourse of gentle- man. As he presented his sword to Commodore Jones, the unmanly Briton said : " It is with great reluctance that I surrender my sword to a man who fights with a halter about his neck ! " What reply should the commodore make to such an insult, which Pearson probably regarded merely as British pluck? Should he strike his unarmed and helpless prisoner? Should he soil hia THE WAR ENDED. 257 lips in a contest of blackguardism ? His reply was noble. " Captain Pearson, you have fought like a hero. And I have no doubt that your sovereign wiD reward you for it in the most ample manner."* * Life of Puil Jones, by Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, VoL i, ^ CHAPTER XII. The Difficulties of Diplofnacy. Coarteous Reception in Paris. — Compliment of the King. — Principles of Prize Division. — Embarrassing Questions. — Interesting Cor- respondence. — The Final Settlement. — Modest Claims of Com- modore Jones. — Plan for a Commercial Speculation. — Its Failure. — The Mission to Denmark. — Return to America. Commodore Jones, upon his arrival in Paris, was invited to dine with Marshal Castries, Minister of Marine. After dinner the marshal took the commo dore aside, and said to him : " I am requested by his majesty the king to say to you that it will afford him much satisfaction to be able, in any way, to promote your future for tune." The commodore immediately entered, with all his energies, upon the arduous duties of his mission There is no diplomacy equal that of a straight-for- ward, honest purpose. There was nevei a shrewd manoeuvrer who did not eventually manoeuvre him- self out of all influence. The reader would be weary of the detail of all the embarrassments which, though the labors of two years, Commodore Jones THE DIFFICULTIES OF DIPLOMACY. 259 encountered, and over which, one by one, he trl- umphed And his success was never owing to cun- ning or intrigue, but to the frank and manly pursuit of that which was just. A careful examination of the diplomatic corre- spondence, which was long-continued and with great ability on both sides, shows that he was ever cour- teous, and that he held his own spirit under such control, that rarely could any annoyance provoke him to utter an irritable or a hasty word. On the 20th of December Paul Jones was intro duced to the king. He presented his credentials, and was received with the cordiality of established friendship. The following letter to the Minister of Marine will show the style and literary ability with which he conducted the correspondence. It was addressed to " My Lord Mar^chal," under date of February 1st, 1784. " As I wish to give your excellency as little trouble as may be, respecting the money arising from prizes taken by the squadron I had the honor to command in Europe, I have waited, since the day you did me the honor to present me to his majesty, until this moment, in order to give you sufficient time for any arrangement you might find essential, before the division should take place between the ships and vessels that composed the 26o PAUL ;ONES. force under my command when the prizes were taken. " I now do myself the honor to transmit you the enclosed official letter on that subject, from Mr. Franklin, Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States, containing a copy of my credentials as agent from Congress, of which I had occasion to offer an account upon my arrival. I also enclose a statement of the force, in guns and men, of each ship and ves- sel that composed the squadron I commanded, which is the only paper essential to the first division of the prize-money. " It is the custom, in cases like the present, to multiply the number of the crew by the sum of the calibre of the cannon mounted on board each ship. The product gives the intrinsic force in proportion to which the share of the prize-money arising to each ship is determined. On that ground it is my duty to claim the proportion arising to the Bon Homme Richard and the Alliance. Their propor- tions will afterward be divided by the American Su- perintendent of Finance, agreeably to the rules of the American navy, between the officers and the crews ol the two ships. " The subdivision of the shares of the other ships and vessels, in proportion to their force in men and metal, of the prizes in which they are concerned. THE DIFFICULTIES OF DIPLOMACY. 26 1 will remain with your excellency to determine, as may be most agreeable to the respective officers and men As those ships and vessels were entirely his majesty's property, and their officers and men com- posed of French subjects, I do not presume to inter* fere in their respect any further than to pray youi excellency, in the most earnest manner, to render them, and all concerned, that immediate justice to which all Europe knows their distinguished services so highly entitle them. As nearly four years and a half have already elapsed since those captures were made, I rely on the kind promise you gave me, that the prize-money shall now be immediately settled. " I am, with profound respect, my lord mar6- chal, your most obedient and most humble servant, " John Paul Jones." The prize ships had been sold in France, and the money had been placed in the hand of Monsieur de Chaumont, one of the crown officers of finance. But the treasury was in debt to him. He therefore took the liberty of keeping the money in payment of that debt, leaving it for the claimants to draw upon the empty treasury for whatever sum might be due them. In reference to this aspect of affairs Commodore Jones wrote to the minister. " Whether Monsieur de Chaumont is indebted to 262 PAUL JONES. the government, or the government is, as he says indebted to him, is a matter which does not concern the captors of the prizes. But they have a right to claim the protection of government to force Monsieut de Chaumont to render the money, with interest, which he has unjustly detained from them, for four years and a half, while many of them are perishing with cold and hunger." This point he successfully carried. He had very wisely arranged with Congress that all the money he might recover should be transmitted by him to the Congressional treasury, to be paid by the minister to the individual claimants. According to the concor- dat or agreement which was entered upon with the French government when the little squadron sailed, it was 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. ' But here there were conflicting principles. By the laws of France a certain proportion of all prize- money was set apart for the support of the Hospital of Invalids, from which institution American sailors could derive no benefit. The American prize laws THE DIFFICULTIES OF DIPLOMACY. 263 gave captors the whole value of ships of war, and half the value of merchantmen. After long negotia- tion the French government yielded this point also, and allowed the distribution to be made according to American law. There were, it will be remembered, five hundred British prisoners, captured by Jones, maintained at very considerable expense for some time by the French government, at the Texel. The British gov- ernment refused to surrender, in exchange for these men, American prisoners. They did, however, give up French prisoners, in exchange for them. When Commodore Jones passed over these men to the French authorities, it was with the distinct under- standing that they, in conference with the British government, should obtain for them an equal num- ber of American captives, to be delivered to Commo- dore Jones. But the spirit of the British cabinet was so implacable toward the Americans, that the French government could not accomplish this. Marshal Castries now contended that the ex- penses attending the maintenance of these prisoners at the Texel, and their transportation to England, should be deducted from the prize-money. With justifiable intensity of purpose, Commodore Jones combated this claim. Dr. Franklin, then in PariS; mras in entire accord with Commodore Jones upon 264 PAUL JONES. this question, as upon all the other principles Junes had insisted upon in the adjustment. On the 25th of March he wrote, in a letter addressed to " Honor- able Paul Jones, Esq." : " I certainly should not have agreed to charge the American captors with any part of the expense of maintaining the five hundred prisoners in Holland till they could be exchanged, when none of them were exchanged for the Americans in England, as was your intention, and as we both had been made to expect." The commodore immediately enclosed this letter in another, which he addressed to Marshal de Castries. He wrote : " The within copy of a letter which I had the honor to receive yesterday from Mr. Franklin, will convince you that he never consented, and could not consent, to the manner proposed by your prede- cessor and by M. de Chaumont for settlement of the prize-money due to the American officers and men who served under my orders in Europe. " I will not 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 confined in the English dun- geons by civil magistrates, as traitors, pirates and THE DIFFICULTIES OF DIPLOMACY. 265 felons. I will only say / had such a promise from thi 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. Franklin had made an infallible arrangement with the courts of France and England, for their immediate redemption, nothing but a superior force should have arrested them out of my hands, till they had been actually exchanged for the unhappy Americans in England." This claim the French government also yielded. But still the weary months rolled on, and no pay- ment was made. The simple fact was that there was no money in the treasury. The government was in a condition of a man, struggling and flounder- ing amidst all the intolerable embarrassments of approaching bankruptcy. There were claims upon them vastly more pressing than the payment of a few thousand livres to a few hundred poor foreign seamen. Commodore Jones was fully aware of all this. With characteristic courtesy, kindness, and yet firmness, he addressed a letter, as follows, to the marshal on the 23d of June, 1785. '* By the letter your excellency did me the honor to write me on the 13th of May last, you were IS 266 PAUL JONES. pleased to promise that as soon as M. de Chardon should have sent you the liquidation of my prizes, which you expected without delay, you would take measures for the payment, and you would let mc know. " From the great number of affairs more important that engage your attention, I presume this little mat- ter, which concerns me in a small degree personally, but chiefly as the agent of the brave men who served under my orders in Europe, may have escaped your memory. Since the first of November, 1783, when I received authority to settle this business with your excellency, I have been waiting here for no other purpose, and constantly expecting it to be concluded from month to month. To say nothing of my ex- penses during so long an interval, the uncertainty of my situation has been of infinite prejudice to my other concerns. My long silence is a proof that nothing but necessity could have prevailed on me to take the liberty of reminding your excellency of your promise. I hope for the honor of a final deter- mination, and I am with great respect, etc." Still there were delays of the most annoying character too numerous and too tedious to be narrated. Through all these, Commodore Jones retained his equanimity, and commanded the respect of those with whom he was contendmg. THE DIFFICULTIES OF DIPLOMACY. 2O7 The expenses of Commodore Jones, as agent of the United States at the court of Versailles, were neces- sarily considerable. One could not fill the post of an ambassador there upon the wages of a day- laborer. It was essential to his influence, as he was daily brought in contact with the ancient nobility of France, that he should maintain the style of a gentleman. At length, on the 15th of July, 1785, Marshal Castries issued an order to pay to Commodore Jones, at L'Orient the sum of one hundred eighty-one thou- sand and thirty-nine livres, one sous, and ten der- niers. Thomas Jefferson was then our minister at Paris, In a letter addressed to him about this time, Jones wrote : " 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 been in my power to procure for them advan- tages as solid and extensive as the merit of their services. I would not have undertaken this business from any views of private emolument that could possibly have resulted from it to myself, even sup- posing I had recovered a sum more considerable than the penalty of my bond. 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 268 PAUL JONES. my own. It will, I believe, be proper for me to make oath before you, to the amount charged for my ordinary expenses." Our minister received a salary of ten thousand dollars a year. It required the most rigid economy, with that sum, to meet expenses. Mrs. Adams, the wife of our distinguished ambassador John Adams, in her letters, gives a graphic account of their resi- dence at the little village of Auteuil, about four miles from Paris. The house was large, and coldly elegant. There were massive mirrors and waxed floors, but no air of comfort. A servant polished the floors each morning with a brush buckled to one of his feet. The expenses of housekeeping were enormous. A heavy tax was imposed upon every- thing. All articles of domestic use about thirty per cent, higher than in Boston. It was absolutely necessary to keep a coach. The coachman and horses cost fifteen guineas a month. The social customs of the country required seven servants. The inevitable expenses of the family were so heavy that it required all Mrs. Adams's remarkable finan cial skill to save them from pecuniary ruin. The humble style in which they lived, compared with the splendor with which the other foreign ministers yrere surrounded, often caused mortification. Mr THE DIFFICULTIES OF DIPLOMACY. 269 Jay was compelled to resign, since he could net sup- port himself upon his salary. Such were the surroundings of Commodore Jones in his arduous mission. And yet he practised such rigid economy, that he charged but five thousand dollars a year for all his services and expenses. Franklin and Jefferson both carefully examined his accounts and gave them their approval. They were then sent to Congress, where they were again sub- jected to a rigid scrutiny, and were again approved. Not long after, on the i6th of October, 1787, Con- gress passed the following vote : " 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 the 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 war; and that the Honor- able Mr. Jefferson, minister plenipotentiary of the United States at the court of Versailles, have the same executed with the proper devices." At the same time, Congress commended Com- modore Jones to the special regard of the king of France, and solicited permission for him to embark in the French fleets of evolution, convinced that he can nowhere else so well acquire that knowledge 270 PAUL JONES. which may hereafter render him more extensivelj useful," The commodore, with his intense views of life's duties, never found time for conviviality or any dissl pating pleasures. He employed his otherwise unoc- cupied hours in writing a very carefully prepared narrative of his past services. This was not printed, but was read in manuscript by many distinguished personages. The illustrious Malesherbes, after read- ing the journal, wrote as follows to Mr. Jones : " I have received with much gratitude the mark of confidence which you have given me ; and I have read, with great eagerness and pleasure, the interest- ing relation. My first impression was to desire you to have it published. But after having read it, I perceive that you had not written it with a view to publication, because there are things in it which are written to the king, for whom alone that work was intended. However actions, memorable as yours are, ought to be made known to the world, by an authentic journal published in your own name. I earnestly entreat you to work at it as soon as youi affairs will allow. In the meantime, I hope that the king will read this work with that attention which he owes to the relation of the services which had been rendered to him by a person so celebrated." While these scenes were transpiring, the re- THE DIFFICULTIES OF DIPLOMACY. 2/1 nowned American traveller, John Ledyard, was in Paris. He proposed to Commodore Jones a com- mercial speculation, upon a scale of grandeur likely to interest his mind, and which would call into requisition all his administrative energies and ac- quired information and skill. The plan was to fit out a vessel of two hundred and fifty tons, to be thoroughly armed and equipped, with forty-five officers and men, to be selected in France. She was to sail, on the first day of October, for Cape Horn, and thence to the Sandwich Islands. There she was to take in new stores of provisions, and continue her route to the northwest coast of North America. She was to remain from April to October, running up and down the coast, purchas ing furs of the Indians. Having filled the vessel, they were to make sail across the Pacific, for China or Japan. The rich furs would there bring a great price. They were to be sold for gold or other commodities. With this gold and merchandise the ship was to return to France, by way of the Cape of Good Hope. It was thought that the whole voyage would occupy about eighteen months. After a very close calculation it was esti- mated that the profits of the enterprise would amount to a little over one hundred and eighty thousand dollars. 172 FAl'l JONKSi. Such was the plan in general, subject to various modincations, such as whether one ve.<>;el sliouKi go alone, or whether two should go in company. It was by a somewhat similar commercial enterj^irise that John Jacob Astor subsequently laid the t'oun- dation of his colossal fortune. There was much to recommend this plan to en- thusiastic and enterprising men. Its novelty lent a great charm. It was considered that the risks were small, decidedly less than those which usually at- tended voj-ages to the F.ast or West Indies. The expense of the anuament. and the cargo of trinkets, small ware, and cutler^-, for traffic with the Indians, was very inconsiderable. It was well known that the northwest coast of America abounded in the richest furs, above all other regions in the world. These furs could be purchased for a mere tritle frora tlie Indians. In China and Japan they would com- mand extravagant prices. JetTerson was deeply interested in this plan. In his mind, as in that of Paul Jones, it assumed a dig- nity far above that of a mere money-making enter- prise. It would extend our knowledge of those vast regions, with their wild inhabitants, which both of these sagacious men foresaw would eventually be included within the limits of the American Union. Paul Jones was to have the supreme command, and TUK J^irf JCrjLTTEH OF hU'l/yUACY, 273 Dy bis yjwf:rfii'. influ'rncc wa» to obtain the veMel and the outfit. Ledyard ura« to be supercargo. A« they pondered the plan, aided by the cool judgmei;t of Mr. jtufftnon, it assumed ever4ncrea»- ing proportions. A trading post was to be estab- H»hed, strongly stockaded and well garrisoned. The Indians were to be treated with the greatest justice and humanity, so as to secure their good-wilL There were to be two vessels employed, one of which should always be on the coast. Silks and teas were to be purchased, upon which there would be an additional profit in Europe. The plan was manifestly so feasible and so full of promise, that it was necessary to keep it as secret as possible, lest many others should embaHc in the same enterprise, and the rivalry should become great. Indeed, there were rumors, which reached Mr. Jones's ears, that there were other parties con- templating a similar movement. He wrote to Dr. Bancroft upon the subject. He replied, under date of September 9th, 1785 : " I endeavored, as early as possible, to gain infor> mation respecting the object of your inquiry. But it was a difficult matter, none of my acquaintance knowing anything more of it than what had appeared in the public papers. Yesterday, however, I was informed, by a gentleman who I believe has some 274 PAUL JONES. more knowledge of the fact, that the two vessels. King George and Queen Charlotte, have actually sailed on the expedition which was thought of by Mr. Ledyard, for furs, which I should suppose must interfere with, and vcMy much lessen the profits of any simular undertaking by others." Mr. Jones wrote to Madrid, and was informed that the court of Spain woukl not allow any com- mercial speculation in the neighborhood of California, by the subjects of any other nation than her own. It is supposed that this fact mainly led to the abandon- ment of the scheme. There may have been, and probably were, other considerations. But we hear of the enterprise no more. The reader will remember that there were three prizes sent by Landais to Norway, and that the Danish government rcstorotl them to the British ambassador upon the ground that the vessels had been captured by a people not recognized by them as an independent government. This was sustain- ing the British claim, that Jones was not a legiti- mate naval officer, but a mere pirate, whom they would be justified in hanging could they catch him. Every officer in the colonial army and navy, in the view of the British government, stood upon the •ame platform. The prizes thus lost to us at Copenhagen wero THE DIFFICULTIKS Ol- DII'.OMACY. 2/5 valued at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, Tliis was five-fold the amount recovered from the prizes sent into France. Upon the threatened sur- rcnderof these prizes, Dr. Franklin immediately sent a memorial to Count Bernstorf, the Danish prime minister. This admirable state paper contained the followinj^ very characteristic sentences. After reca- pitulating the circumstances (jf the case, he adds: ** Permit me, sir, to observe on this (occasion, that the United States of America have no war but with the English. They have never done any injury to other nations, particularly none to the Danish nation. On the contrary, they are in some degree its benefac- tors, as they have ()i)ened a trade of whicii the Eng- lish made a monopoly, and of which the Danes may now have their share ; and by dividing the British empire have made it less dangerous to its neighbors. They C(;nceived that every nation whom tliey liad not offended was, by tlie rights of humanity, their friend. They confided in the hospitality of Denmark, and thought themselves and their property safe when under the roof of his Danish majesty. " Jiut they find themselves stripped of that pro- perty, and the same given up to their enemies, on the principle only that no acknowledgment had yet been formally made, by Denmark, of the indepen- dence of the United States ; which is to say that »y6 PAUL JONES. there is no obligation of justice toward any nation, with whom a treaty, promising the same, has not been made. This was indeed the doctrine of ancient barbarians ; a doctrine long since exploded, and which it would not be for the honor of the present age to revive. And it is hoped that Denmark will not, by supporting and persisting in this decision, obtained of his majesty apparently by surprise, be the first modern nation that shall attempt to revive it. " The United States, oppressed by, and in war with one of the most powerful nations of Europe, may well be supposed incapable, in their present infant state, of exacting justice from other nations not disposed to grant it. But it is in human nature, that injuries as well as benefits, received in times of weakness and distress, national as well as personal, make deep ^and lasting impressions. And those ministers are wise who look into futurity, and quench the first sparks of misunderstanding between two nations, which neglected, may in time grow into a flame, all the consequences whereof no human prudence can foresee, which may produce much mis- chief to both, and cannot possibly produce any good to either. •' I beg, through your excellency, to submit these considerations to the wisdom and justice oi THE DIFFICULTIES OF DIPLOMACY. 2/7 his Danish majesty, whom I infinitely respect, and who, I hope, will consider and repeal the order above recited ; and, if the pri/x-s which 1 hereby re- claim, in behalf of the United States of America, are not actually gone to England, that they may be stopped and redelivered to M. de Chezaulx, the con- sul of France, at Bergen, in whose care they were before, with liberty to depart for America, when the season shall permit. But if they shall be already gone to England, I must then reclaim from his ma- jesty's equity the value of the said three prizes, which is estimated at fifty thousand pounds sterling, but which may be regulated by the best information that can, by any means, be obtained." The three prizes thus surrendered, were the Betsey, the Union, and the Charming Polly. Mr. Jones had been so successful in his negociations with France, that it was deemed expedient to send him to Copenhagen to seek redress from the Danish court. He obtained the works of Grotius, and all other eminent writers upon the Law of Nations, and, aided by Thomas Jefferson, made himself familiar with all the principles involved in the questions at issue. Thus thoroughly equipped, he entered upon this new and difficult enterprise. In every move- ment of importance, at this time, Paul Jones confer- red with his highly valued friends, Thomas Jefferson 2/8 PAUL JONES. and Benjamin Franklin, and acted with their concur rence. A little before this, the Danish government had so far recognized the injustice of its acts, and the validity of our claim, as to offer to pay an in demnity of forty thousand dollars. Dr. Franklin de- clined this offer upon the ground that the fair value of the prizes should be first ascertained. It was thought best that Commodore Jones should repair, at once, to Copenhagen. He left Paris, with this purpose, in the spring of 1787. At Brussels he failed to receive an expected remittance from the sale of some bank stock he had ordered in America. Thus he found himself out of funds. This induced him to turn back, and take passage to the United States, to inquire into the condition of his pecuniary affairs. He speedily at- tended to his private concerns and prepared to return to Europe. Fully aware of the difficulty of his mission, he was anxious to fortify himself with all those moral forces which could add to his influence. He wrote to Honorable John Jay, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, soliciting from him such testimonials as would commend him to the Danish court. His letter was dated New York, July i8th, 1787. It was easy for his enemies to represent this as an act of mere vanity. Perhaps it was. But it was cer. tainly an act of w isdom, thus to endeavor to secure THE DIFFICULTIES OF DIPLOMACY. 2/9 the confidence and good-will of the court, to which he was commissioned for the performance of duties so arduous. In the conclusion of his letter to Mr. \a.y, he wrote : "Since the year 1775, when I displayed the American flag, for the first time, with my own hands, I have been constantly devoted to the interests of America. Foreigners have perhaps given me too much credit. This may have raised my ideas of my services above their real value. But my zeal can never be overrated. " I should act inconsistently, if I omitted to mention the dreadful situation of our citizens in Algiers. Their almost hopeless fate is a deep re- flection 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, throughout the continent, and I am persuaded that nc difficulty would be made to that requisition. CHAPTER XIII. The Mission to Denmark. Letter to Mr. Jefferson. — The Marquise de Marsan. — UnfoundeJ Charges and Vindication. — Flattering Application from Cathe- rine II. — His Reception at the Polish Court. — Jones receives the Title of Rear-Admiral. — English Insolence. — Letter of Cathe- rine II. Just before Mr. Jones left Europe, he transmit- ted a letter to Congress, informing them that the piratic regency of Algiers had armed eight war ves- sels, carrying from eighteen to thirty-four guns each, which were to cruise between Cape St. Vincent and the Azores, to capture American ships. The French minister, M. Soulanges, at Toulon, had ascertained this fact, and very kindly, immediately communica- ted it to Mr. Jones. In writing to Mr, Jefferson upon the subject, the commodore said : " This event may, I believe, surprise some of our fellow-citizens. But, for my part, I am rather sur- prised that it did not take place sooner. It will pro- duce a good effect, if it unites the people of America in measures consistent with their national honor and interest, and rouses them from that ill-judged secu THE MISSION TO DENMARK. 28 1 rity, which the intoxication of success has produced since the revolution." One of his most valued lady friends in France, a daughter of Louis XV., wrote to him, in deepest affliction. Though a daughter of the king, and as such enjoying high rank, she was not regarded as a member of the royal family. The king bestowed a large fortune upon the mother, on the daughter's account. The father died when the daughter, who was a great favorite of his, was very young. The mother then greatly neglected this child of a royal sire, treating her neither with natural affection nor justice. This young lady was adopted by the Mar- quise de Marsan, who became to her as a mother, and introduced her to the highest society of the court. She was very happily married to M. Tellison, a very worthy gentleman, but without fortune. In this virtuous family. Commodore Jones had found, in his lonely hours in Paris, a congenial and happy home. The aged marquise regarded the young hero as het own son. Monsieur and Madame Tellison treated him with truly fraternal affection. Their little boy was a great favorite of the commodore, as he fondled him upon his knee, and lavished caresses upon him. Man is born to mourn. The day of sorrow came to this united and happy family. On the 23d of 282 PAUL JONES. June, 1787, Madame Tellison wrote to Paul Jones, in New York, informing liim of tlie sudden death of her friend and protectress, the Marquise de Marsan, and of consequently a great reverse in their pecuni- ary condition. Jones, writing to Dr. Bancroft in London, alluding to this event, said : " This is also a great grief and loss to me, as I had in that lady a valuable friend." The letter Madame Tellison had written to Mr. Jones, was forwarded to him by Thomas Jefferson, He immediately wrote to Mr. Jefferson as follows: " The letter you sent me, left the feeling author all in tears. Her friend, her protectress, her intro- ductress to the king, was suddenly dead. She was in despair. She lost more than a mother. A loss indeed that nothing can repair ; for fortune and favor are never to be compared to tried friendship. I hope, however, she has gone to visit the king in July, agreeably to his appointment given to her in the month of March. I am persuaded that he would receive her with additional kindness, and that her loss would, in his mind, be a new claim to protec- tion ; especially as he well knows and has acknowl edged her superior merit and just pretensions. " As I feel the greatest concern for the situation of this worthy lady, you will render me a great favor by writing a note requesting her to call on you, i THE MISSION TO DENMARK. 283 as you have something to communicate from me. When she comes, be so good as to delivei her the within letter, and show her this ; that she may see both my confidence in you and my advice to her." The enclosed letter, full of gushing sympathies, was as follows. It was dated New York, Septem- ber 4th, 1787. " No language can convey to the fair mourner the tender sorrow I feel on her account. The loss of our worthy friend is, indeed, a fatal stroke ! It is an irreparable misfortune, which can only be alle- viated by this one reflection, that it is the will of God, whose providence has, I hope, other blessings in store for us. She was a tried friend and more than a mother to you. She would have been a mother to me also, had she lived. We have lost her. Let us cherish her memory and send up grateful thanks to the Almighty that we once had such a friend. " I cannot but flatter myself that you have your- self gone to the king, in July, as he had appointed. I am sure your loss will be a new inducement for him to protect you and render you justice. He will hear you, 1 am sure. You may safely unbosom yourself to him and ask his advice, which cannot but be flattering for him to give you. Tell him you Tiust look on him as your father and protector. If 284 PAUL JONES. it were necessary I think too that the Count d'Ar tois,* his brother, would, on your personal appli cation, render you good offices by speaking ir youi favor. I should like it better, however, if you i m do without him. " I am almost without money, and much pi zzled to obtain a supply. I mention this with ir finite regret, and for no other reason than becaus? it is impossible for me to transmit you a supply, mdcr my present circumstances. This is my fifth etter to you since I left Paris. The two last were Worn France. But you say nothing of having rec^ ived any letters from me. Summon, my dear frien 1, all your resolution. Exert yourself and plead youi own cause. You cannot fail of success. Your < luse would move a heart of flint. Present my oest respects to your sister. You did not mention h< r in your letter. But I persuade myself she will < on- tinue her tender care of her sweet godson, ind that you will cover him all over with kisses frora me, They come warm to you both, from the heart.' While in New York he heard very ungenerous complaints that his charge for services in recovf ring the prize-money was exorbitant. Earnestly seel'ing the good-will of his fellow-citizens, these reproaches pained him. He wrote upon the subject as follov««i: * Subsequently Charles X THE MISSION TO D1;NMAKK. 285 "The settlement I made, with the court of France, had first Dr. Franklin's, and afterwards Mr. Jefferson's approbation, in every stage and article of the business. And I presume it will be found, so far as depended on me, to merit that of the United States. In France I was received and treated by the king and his ministers, as a general officer, and a special minister from Congress. The credit with which I was honored as an officer, in the opinion of Europe, and the personal intimacy I have with many great characters at Paris, with my exclusive knowl- edge of all circumstances relative to the business, insured me a success which no other man could have obtained. My situation subjected me to consider- able expense. I went to court much oftener, and mixed with the great much more frequently than our minister plenipotentiary. Yet the gentlemen in that situation consider their salary of two thousand pounds sterHng a year as scarcely adequate to their expenses." His busy niind was ever fertile in expedients foi the public welfare. In urging upon Congress im- mediate and effectual measures for the rescue of the I / unhappy American captives in piratic and barbaric Algiers, he had urged the establishment of a fund for that object. He also urged that, from this fund, a great national hospital should be established, for the iS6 PAUL JONES. ber efit of invalid seamen, on the plan of the renowned Greenwich Hospital in England, and the still more far-famed Hotel des Invalides in Paris. On the nth of November, Mr. Jones sailed from New York on his mission to Denmark. Unfavora- ble weather caused the ship to put into Dover early in December^ 1787. He repaired to London and spent a few days with our minister at the court of St. James, Honorable John Adams. He proceeded to Paris, where he arrived on the nth of the month. For some unexplained reason he did not wish to have the fact of his arrival noised abroad. The day after he reached Paris, he had a private interview with Mr. Jefferson. In this interview he received the startling and flattering announcement, that the Empress of Russia was anxious to engage his ser- vices as an officer, in the war she was then carrying on against the Turks. M. Simolin, the Russian ambas- sador at Versailles, had been instructed to apply to Mr. Jones, through Mr. Jefferson, to see if the ser- vices of the chevalier could be engaged as an officer in her navy. While this plan was under considera- tion, he called upon several of the French ministers, from whom he met a very cordial reception. On the 4th of March, 1788, after a long and fa- tiguing winter journey, Mr. Jones reached Copen- hagen. He was then but forty years of age. His THE MISSION TO DENMARK. 287 health, however, was much impaired by the cares, toil, and exposure of his stormy life. Soon after his arrival he breakfasted with the chamberlain of the king of Poland, for the purpose of meeting Mr. Simolin, the Russian ambassador. He informed Mr. Jones, that in consequence of the knowledge which the empress had obtained of his character, she wished him to take command of her fleet in the Black Sea, and that she would soon make to him advantageous proposals. After the Russian ambas- sador had retired, the chamberlain, whose guest the commodore was, informed him that Mr. Simolin had written to the empress : " If your Imperial Majesty will confide to Com- modore Jones the chief command on the Black Sea, with carte blanche, I will answer for it, that, in less than a year he will make Constantinople tremble." Soon after this he was presented to the royal family, to all of the corps diplomatique, and to many other distinguished personages of the court. In speaking of his reception by the king, the queen dowager, and the young prince and princess royal, he wrote : " The queen dowager conversed with me for some time, and said the most civil things. Her majesty has a dignity of person and deportment which become her well, and which she has the secret 288 PAUL JONES. to reconcile with great affability and ease. The princess royal is a charming person ; and the graces are so much her own, that it is impossible to see and converse with her without paying her the hom- age which artless beauty and good-nature will ever command. All the royal family spoke to me except the king, who speaks to no person when presented. His majesty saluted me with great complaisance at first, and as often afterwards as we met in the course of the evening. The prince royal is greatly beloved, and extremely affable. He asked me a number of pertinent questions respecting America. I had the honor to be invited to sup with his majesty and the royal family. The company at table, consisting of seventy ladies and gentlemen, including the royal family, the ministers of state, and foreign ambassa- dors, was very brilliant. Very earnestly Commodore Jones engaged in the object of his mission. He had a double motive to impel him to make all possible haste. In addi- tion to the natural desire to close up the business, which had been thus lingering for years, he was now daily expecting offers of employment from the Em. press of Russia, which it might be greatly for his interest to accept. The Algerines, those merciless pirates of all seas, were united with the Turks of Constantinople, in their warfare against Russia. Aa THE MISSION TO DENMARK. 289 opportunity might thus be afforded him to strike a blow for the liberation of the American captives This was an object very near his heart. There is power in an illustrious name. The achievements of Commodore Jones were well known at Copenhagen. He had received a golden medal, for his services, from the Congress of the United States. The king of France had honored him with a gold-headed sword, and had conferred upon him the distinguished honor of constituting him a Knight of the Order of Military Merit. It was also known that he had won the esteem of the most distinguished men in Paris, and was an honored guest in the high- est circles of the court. These considerations were all elements of power, of which Mr. Jones very wisely availed himself. In urging the Danish min- ister, Count de Bernstorf, to a prompt decision, Mr. Jones wrote under date of March 24th : " The promise you have given me of a prompt and explicit decision, from this court, inspires me with full confidence. I have been very particular in com- municating to the United States all the polite atten- tions with which I have been honored at this court. And they will learn, with great pleasure, the kind reception I have had from you. I felicitated myself on being the instrument to settle the delicate national business in question, with a minister who 13 390 PAUL JONES. conciliates the views of the wise statesman with tbt noblest sentiments and cultivated mind of the true philosopher and man of letters." If any one regards this as excessive in its com- plimentary tone, as it certainly appears to be, let him read the next letter to Count Bernstorl, after a delay of six days, which indicates that he could deal with other coin besides that of laudation. This letter was dated March 30th. " Your silence on the subject of my mission from the United States to this court, leaves me in the most painful suspense ; the more so as I have made your excellency acquainted with the promise I am under, to proceed, as soon as possible, to St. Peters- burg. This being the ninth year since the three prizes reclaimed by the United States, were seized upon in the port of Bergen, in Norway, it is to be presumed that this court has long since taken an ultimate resolution respecting the compensation demand made by Congress. " Though I am extremely sensible of the favor- able reception with which I have been distinguished at this court, and am ^rticularly flattered by the polite attentions with which you have honored me, at every conference, yet I have remarked with great concern, that you have never led the conversation to the object of my mission here. THE MISSION TC DENMARK. 29I •• A man of your liberal sentiments will not there- fore be surprised, or offended at my plain dealing when I repeat that I impatiently expect a prompt and categorical answer, in writing, from this court to the Act of Congress of the 25th of October last. Both my duty, and the circumstances of my situation, coustrain me to make this demand in the name of my sovereign the United States of America. " But I beseech you to believe that though I am extremely tenacious of the honor of the American flag, yet my personal interests in the decision I now ask, would never have induced me to present myself at this court. You are too just, sir, to delay my business here, which would put me under the necessity to break the promise I have made to her imperial majesty, conformable to your advice." To this very decisive communication the minister returned an answer full of compliments and full of evasions. The king had no money to spare. Yet he was very desirous of securing the friendship of the United States, that he might enter into a commer- cial treaty, which would be of great benefit to Den- mark. Amidst a vast massof verbiage the commodore was informed that the king thought it best to defer a final settlement until the Constitution of the Uni- ted States was fully established ; that a settlement could only be made with an ambassador invested 292 PAUL JONES. with plenipotentiary powers ; and that, as the nego tiations were commenced with the United States ministers in Paris, it was not expedient to transfer the seat of the suspended negociation from Paris to Copenhagen. In conclusion, he begged Commodore Jones to assure the government of the United States of the cordial esteem of the king of Denmark, of the earnest desire of his majesty to form connexions solid, useful and essential with this country, and to assure the government that when the proper time came, nothing should be allowed to retard the con- clusion of an amicable settlement of a question, already so far advanced toward a solution. Under these circumstances, the only thing to be done was to transfer the business to Mr. Jefferson. This ena- bled him immediately to enter upon the service of the Empress of Russia. In his letter, on this occa- sion, to Mr. Jefferson, he wrote : " If I have not finally concluded the object of my mission it is neither your fault nor mine. The honor is now reserved for you to display your great abilities and integrity by the completion and im provement of what Dr. Franklin had wisely begun. I rest perfectly satisfied that the interests of the brave men I commanded will experience in you, parental affection, and that the American flag can lose non« THE MISSION TO DENMARK. 293 of its lustre, but the contrary, while its honor is con- fided to you. "While I express, in the warm effusions of a grateful heart, the deep sense I feel of my eternal obligations to you, as the author of the honorable prospect that is now before me, I must rely on your friendship to justify to the United States the impor- tant step I now take conformable to your advice. " I have not forsaken a country that has had many and disinterested proofs of my affection. And I can never renounce the glorious title of a citizen of the United States. It is true that I have not the express permission of the sovereignty to accept the offer of her imperial majesty. Yet America is inde- pendent, is in perfect peace, and has no public em- ployment for my military talents. " The prince royal sent me a messenger request- ing me to come to his apartment. His royal high- ness said a great many civil things to me; told me that the king thanked me for my attention and civil behavior to the Danish flag, while I commanded in the European seas ; and that his majesty wished to testify to me his personal esteem." It is said that Jones was offered a pension from the Danish government of fifteen hundred crowns a year. Jones, however, never mentioned this circum- 294 PAUL JONES. stance to any of his most familiar correspondenta There is no evidence that he ever received one dol- lar of this money, but, on the contrary, much evi- dence that he never received any. The commodore repaired to St. Petersburg He was received by the empress with more flattering attentions than the court had ever before con- ferred upon any stranger. The empress immedi- ately conferred upon him the rank of rear-admiral. He was detained in the capital, contrary to his wishes, a fortnight, where he was introduced to the first cir- cles of society, feasted and caressed. Jones, speak- ing of this reception, writes to Lafayette : " You would be charmed with Prince Potemkin. He is a most amiable man, and none can be more noble-minded. For the empress, fame has never done her justice. I am sure that no stranger who has not known that illustrious character, ever con- ceived how much her majesty is made to reign over a great empire, and to attach grateful and suscep- tible minds." The attentions which Paul Jones received from the Russian court greatly annoyed the English in and about St. Petersburg They still insolently per sisted in stigmatizing a commissioned officer in the American navy as a renegade and a pirate ^ becauM, VhE mission to DENMARK. 295 having been born in Scotland, he had espDused the cause of American liberty. Tooke, in his life of Catherine II., gives vent to all his bitter British prejudices. Calling Admiral Jones an " English pirate and renegado," he adds, " Jones, not meeting with the consideration he ex- pected in America, made a tender of his services to the court of St. Petersburg ; and the British ofificers, applicants for employment, went in a body to the amount of near thirty to lay down their commis- sions, declaring it was impossibly to serve under him, J' or to act with him in any measure or capacity. We read in an Edinburgh paper of that date the following notice of that event, probably written by a Russian officer. " Paul Jones arrived here a few days ago. He is to set out soon, to take command of a squadron in the Black Sea. I had the satisfac- tion to see this honest man, while he was examining one of our dock-yards. He is a well-made man of middle size ; he wears the French uniform with the Cross of St. Louis, and a Danish order which he re- ceived at Copenhagen, where he had the honor to dine with the king. He has also received, since he came here, one of the first Orders of Merit in this country sc that it is to be feared that they will spoiJ him by making too much of him The English 396 PAUL JONES. officers in the service have presented a memorial to Admiral Greig, refusing to serve with Jones, and threatening to throw up their commissions. Whether they will stand to their text, it is difficult to say." The empress paid no attention whatever to this petulance. Admiral Jones treated it with profound contempt. In writing to Lafayette, in reference to his treatment by the Russian court, he says : " This was a cruel grief to the English, and I own that their vexation, which was generally in and about St. Petersburg, gave me no pain." The empress with her own hands wrote to the admiral. In her letter she probably refers, though slightly, to this unmanh' opposition of the English We give her letter. " Sir — A courier from Paris has just brought from my envoy in France, M. Simolin, the enclosed letter to Count Besborodko.* As I believe that this letter may help to confirm to you what I have already told you verbally, I have sent it, and beg you to return 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 toward you. I * Russian Minister for the Home Department. THE MISSION TO DENMARK, 297 have no doubt but that on your side you will fully justify the opinion which we have formed of you, and apply yourself with zeal to support the reputa- tion 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. " Catherine." ■»• I CHAPTER XIV. The Russian Campaign. Axlmlral Jones repairs to the Black Sea. — Designs of Catherine II — Imposing Cavalcade. — Turkey Declares War against Russia — Daring Conduct of Admiral Jones. — A Greek Officer Alexiana. — The Prince of Nassau Siegen. — Annoyances of Admiral Jones from Russian Officers. — Battle in the Black Sea. — Jones yields the Honor to the Prince of Nassau. At the same time when Chevalier Jones re- ceived his flattering letter from the empress, her prime minister sent to him a despatch, requesting him to repair to the naval headquarters on the Black Sea, that he might take part in the opening of the campaign. The minister also assured him, in the name of the empress, that everything possible should be done to make his situation agreeable, and to furnish him with opportunities for the exercise of his valor and skill. It is not surprising that the admiral, receiving such marks of attention from her imperial highness, should have formed a high esti- mate of the excellence of her character. He wrote to Count Segur at this time, saying : " I shall write to the empress, who hath sent me TF E RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. 299 a letter full of goodness. But I shall never be able to express how n.uch greater I find her than fame reports. With the character of a very great man, she will be always adored as the most amiable and captivating of the fair sex." War had been impending for several years between Russia and Turkey. The Turks, in the wanton spirit of barbarian conquest, without the shadow of excuse for the invasion, had crossed the Hellespont with an overwhelming army, had seized Constantinople, and rushing onward in the tide of victory, had unfurled their triumphant banners within sight of the battlements of Vienna. All Europe had trembled beneath the tread of the terrible Moslem armies. Catherine was anxious to drive these usurp- ing Turks back from Europe, across the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, into their Asiatic wilds. She would make the imperial city of Constantine her maritime capital and her great naval depot, from which most admirable point she could command the commerce of the world. This was the real and ever- constant cause for the war, which for nearly a cen- tury had been waged between Russia and the Porte. But innumerable and frivolous pretexts had been brought forward, as excuses for an appeal to arms. About ten years before this, the empress had established a naval depot on the right bank of the 300 PAUL JONEb. Dnieper, not very far from the entrance of the rivei into the Euxine, or Black Sea. Imperial influence soon brought a population of forty thousand to this port, which became an important dock-yard, where the largest ships-of-war were launched. The region around was wild, savage, filled with wandering, half- civilized Tartar tribes. Russian gold and Russian arms gradually gained the ascendency and the tribes, with their territory, were gradually annexed to the majestic Russian Empire. Catherine then contrived, by a treaty with the Porte, to obtain the sovereignty over the immense province of the Crimea ; also a sort of dominion over the Black Sea, and the right to pass with her ships through the Dardanelles. In anticipation of the con- quest of Constantinople, she caused her young son to be called Constantine. The King of Poland, the Emperor of Austria, and most of the other powers of northern Europe, were in sympathy with the ambitious designs of Russia. They all wished to see the Turks driven back into Asia. In that case, most of them would receive portions of the immense terri- tory which the Turks had overrun in Europe. But England was intensely opposed to the designs of Russia. The Turkish Empire, England regarded as an important and necessary barrier between the THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. 3OI rapidly growing power of Russia and her own pos« sessions in the East Indies, In the year 1786, Catherine projected a magnifi- cent progress to her new possessions on the Euxine. The enterprise was organized with all the imposing brilliance which oriental grandeur could create. The immense cavalcade, numbering thousands of the plumed and gayly dressed chivalry of Europe, fol- lowed down the magnificent valley of the Dnieper. All the most prominent members of the Russian court accompanied the empress. The ambassa- dors of France, Austria, and of England were in her train. The latter were probably instructed, careful- ly to observe all the movements. At the city of Kief, some six or seven hundred miles from the mouth of the river. Prince Potemkin joined the imperial party with a brilliant cavalcade of the princes, dukes, and counts of the minor pow- ers of Europe. The King of Poland, with a large retinue of his nobles, commenced the journey with the empress. The Emperor of Austria, with a still more imposing escort, joined her on the way. The Turkish government was quite troubled, in view of this remarkable visitation. Four of the larg- est ships of the line were sent to cast anchor at the mouth of the Dnieper ; though they were instructed not to make any hostile demonstrations. 302 PAUL JONES. The empress returned to St. Petersburgh. Soon after this, Turkey declared war against Russia, with England for her adviser. An army of eighty thou- sand men was ordered to march instantly along the western shore of the Euxine, to the mouth of the Dnieper. Sixteen ships of the line, eight frigates, and a large number of gun-boats, passed through the Bosphorus into the Euxine. The Turks had drawn the sword, and thrown away the scabbard. The news of this declaration of war by Turkey was received with great joy at St. Petersburg It was just what the empress desired. At Cherson, Odessa, and other points at the mouth of the Dnie- per, she had created quite a formidable fleet. At very short notice, she could launch on the waters of the Euxine, eight ships of the line, twelve frigates, and nearly two hundred gun-boats. Joseph II. of Austria had entered into alliance with the empress. Eighty thousand Austrian troops were sent to cooperate with the Russian arms, in Wallachia. Two Russian squadrons, under Admirals Kruse and Greig, were ready to cooperate in the Mediterranean. Such was the state of affairs between Russia and Turkey, at the time Commodore Jones accepted the invitation of the empress. He subsequently wrote a very carefully prepared journal of the difficulties he I THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. 303 encountered, and of the results of this all-important enterprise. This journal, very handsomely executed, was en^ grossed in the French language, and was accompan- ied by ninety-three Pieces Justificatives^ or documen- tary proofs, of the accuracy of all his important state- ments. The truthfulness of this narrative has never been called in question. It was not published until after his death. Justice to Admiral Jones demands that I should quote freely from this very important document. The reader will thus obtain a more cor- rect idea of the true character of the man, and of thr, adventures upon which he entered, than could bt gained in any other way. After describing the cir cumstances under which he was led to enter into the service of the empress, he writes : " In Denmark I put in train a treaty between that power and the United States, but it was inter- rupted by a courier from St. Petersburg, despatched express by the empress, inviting me to repair to her court. " Though I foresaw many difficulties in the way of my entering the Russian service, I believed 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. 304 PAUL JONES- and set out for St. Petersburg, by Sweden. Al Stockholm I staid but one night, to see Count Rasoumorsky. Want of time prevented me from appearing at court. " At Gresholm, I was stopped by the ice, which prevented me from crossing the Gulf of Bothnia, and even from approaching the first of the isles in the passage. After having made several unsuccessful efforts to get to Finland by the isles, I imagined that it might be practicable to effect my object by doub- ling the ice to the southward, and entering the Bal- tic 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 Elsinore. " I left Gresholm early one morning, in an un- decked passage-boat about thirty feet in length. I made another boat follow of about 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 -for the south, and we kept along the coast of Sweden THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN . '5 all the day, finding with difficulty room enou jh to pass between the ice and the shore. Toward .'^ight, being almost opposite Stockholm, pistol in hand I forced the boatmen to enter the Baltic Soa, and steer to the east." Here it is obvious to remark, that this was out- rageously unjust. These poor boatmen, with parents, wives, and children perhaps, dependent upon them, had never promised at whatever hazard, to take him across that stormy sea. Indeed he had studiously concealed from them the peril of the enterprise upon which he had embarked. If the admiral were willing, in view of the fame and fortune which were enticing him beyond those tempest-tossed ice-fields, to incur the dreadful risks, he had no right to compel these poor men to peril their lives in a cause in which they had nothing to gain. If we understand the facts^ as given by the commodore himself, the course which he pursued on this occasion is entirely unjustifiable. Admiral Jones continues : " We ran toward the coast of Finland. 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 directly contrary. I had no other course but to make for the Gulf of 306 PAUL TONES. Finland. There was a small compass in the boat, and I fixed the lamp of my travelling carriage so a3 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 difficulty escaped the same fate. At the end of four days, we landed at Revel 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 pro- visions necessary for their homeward voyage when the weather should become more favorable." The admiral arrived at St. Petersburg on the evening of 23d of April, O. S. On the 25th, he had his first audience with the empress. On the 7th of May, he set out for the seat of war. The long and dreary journey across the whole breadth of Russia to the banks of the Euxine, occupied twelve days. He reached the mouth of the Dnieper on the 19th. The Prince Marshal Potemkin was there, and re- ceived him very kindly. He requested the admiral immediately to assume command of the naval force stationed near the mouth of the river. He remained at Cherson but one evening and night, but that short time showed him that he would have very serious obstacles to encounter. The Russian rear-admiral, Mordwinofif, did not THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. 307 affect to disguise his displeasure at his arrival. He gave the new admiral a very sullen reception, delayed communicating to him the details of the force under his command, and manifested no disposition to place him in possession of the silk flag, which belonged to his rank as rear-admiral. The River Bog empties into the Dnieper near the point where that majestic stream pours its flood into the Black Sea. Here the waters expand into a bay, affording good anchor- age ground, called the Roads of Shiroque. The Russian fleet of ships and gun-boats was assembled at this place. Early in the morning after the admi- ral's arrival at Cherson, he accompanied General Mordwinoff down the river to the naval rendez- vous. They reached the flag-ship Wolodimir about mid-day. One of the most prominent officers in the squad- ron was a Greek by the name of Alexiano. He was a fearless, coarse, unmannerly fellow, who had been, it was said, a pirate in the Archipelago, and by his piracies, plundering the commerce of all nations, had greatly enriched himself. This man had assembled all the commanders of the ships, and had endeav- ored to unite them in a cabal against the new ad- miral. In this he had not been fully successful Still he had created antagonisms to the authority of Admiral Jones which caused him great embarrass- 308 PAUL JONES. ment. Alexiano had obtained the grade of captain with the title of brigadier. The Turkish fleet and flotilla were a few miles below the roads of Shiroque, nearly opposite Ocza- kow, which was held by a strong garrison of the Turks, and was besieged on the land side by the Russians, the Turkish fleet holding the harbor. Ad- miral Jones, very wisely avoiding all angry contention with his opponents, proposed to one of the Russian ofiicers who was friendly to him, that they should descend the bay together, and carefully reconnoitre the strength and position ot the Turkish forces. While he was absent. Prince Potemkin, who was second in authority to the empress only, exerted all his influence to restore harmony. In this he was partially successful. The admiral, upon his return, found all the officers apparently contented ; and on the 26th of May, 1788, he hoisted his flag on the Wolodimir. The Prince of Nassau Siegen, one of the German principalities, was a very singular man. He was rat- tle-brained, excessively vain, and quite destitute of either ability in counsel or skill in execution. Ad- miral Jones had been slightly acquainted with him in Paris, and was very sorry to meet him as an asso- ciate on a military expedition. This man had a most exalted idea of his own importance, and joined THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. 309 the expedition of the Russian empress, with the im- pression that the success of the campaign depended mainly upon him. One of his first instructive remarks to Admiral Jones was: " If we gain any advantage over the Turks, it 13 essential to exaggerate it to the utmost." To 'his statement, which was made with a very patronizing air, the admiral simply replied : " I have never adopted that method of making myself of consequence." The rank of the prince, his possessions, and his boastful braggadocio spirit had strangely deceived the empress. The fleet consisted of two pretty dis- tinct portions ; a squadron of powerful war vessels and a large flotilla of gun-boats. The necessity of cooperative action in military expeditions is such, that Napoleon I. once remarked : " It is better to intrust the command of an army to one poor general than to two good ones." Admiral Jones found that while he was intrusted with the command of the war-ships, the flotilla of gun-boats was placed under the independent orders of the Prince of Nassau. Nothing efficient could be accomplished against the powerful and well-manned navy of the Turks without the cooperation of the whole Russian fleet of ships and boats under the direction of a single mind. And yet there probably 3IO PAUL JONES. were not in all Europe two men less calculated to act together than Admiral Jones and the Prince ol Nassau. These two immense fleets and armies were fa- cing each other. The headquarters of the Russians was at Cherson, while the Turks had their central rendezvous about fifty miles farther southeast, at Oczakow. The spacious waters between Cherson and Oczakow, where the Dnieper and the Bog pour their widening floods into the Euxine, were filled with the ships of the line, the frigates, and the gun- boats of the contending parties. For four months there was almost a continuous series of manoeuvres and skirmishes, rising occasionally into hotly contested battles. The region was full of shoals and sand-bars, where the heavily-armed ships, and even the gun-boats, were continually running a ground. Prince Potemkin was in the supreme com- mand of the whole force, naval and military. He stood in the place of the empress, and was said in reality to have more power than Catherine herself. Admiral Jones found that he could originate no movement. He could only obey orders, and must wait patiently until he received them. When orders were given, the ships alone were subject to his com- mand. The Prince of Nassau was jealous of his renown, and seemed often disposed rather to thwart THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. 3 II than to aid the efforts of the admiral. He was a man of considerable skill in cunning and intrigue, and had led even Potemkin to apprehend that great results were to be accomplished by the action of his gun- boats. The latter part of May, 1788, the Turkish admi ral came to the succor of Oczakow, with an addi- tional fleet of one hundred and twenty armed vessels, and other armed craft. Thus the Turkish naval fftrce, in those waters, far surpassed that of the Russian. Admiral Jones was requested with his ships to harass the Turks, in all the ways in his power without exposing himself to loss. The Turks, conscious of their superiority, were not disposed to run any risks. Admiral Jones was also disappointed in finding that several of his ships were merely large pleasure barges, with which the empress and her court, had floated down the Dnieper. These were inefficiently armed, and were but poorly prepared for a conflict with the oak-ribbed ships of the Turks. Admiral Jones was sorely tried. He saw but little opportunity, under such circumstances, for any- thing to be accomplished to the honor of the Russian flag. He however invited all the leading officers, both of the squadron and of the flotilla to his cabin, and thus addressed them : 312 PAUL JONES. " Gentlemen — Having been suddenly called to serve her imperial majesty, I have need of double indulgence, being as yet ignorant of the language and customs of the country. 1 confess I mistrust my capacity properly to discharge all the duties of the high trust with which her majesty has honored me. But I rely on my zeal, and your favor, coopera tion, and candid advice, for the good of the service You are met, gentlemen, on serious business. Wj are to discuss points which touch nearly the honor of the Russian flag and the interests of her majesty. " We have to deal with a formidable enemy, but if we are united, and of one mind in all our efforts ; if our operations are well concerted and vigorously executed, the known courage of the Russians, the cause of the empress and of the country, the re- membrance of so many past victories, afford us the most flattering hope of success, and cannot fail to inspire invincible resolution. We must resolve to conquer. Let us join our hands and our hearts. Let as show that our feelings are noble, and cast far from us all personal considerations. Honor enough may be gained by every individual ; but the true glory of the citizen is to be useful to his country." This concilatory speech of the admiral seemed to have produced a good impression. They all THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. 313 agreed to combine their energies in an attack, the next day, upon an exposed portion of the Turkish fleet, in accordance with a plan presented by Ad- miral Jones. In consequence of the shallowness of the water, most of the manoeuvres were to be conducted by the gun-boats. The heavy ships could sweep ovei only a limited range, being of necessity confined to the channels of deep water. Admiral Jones, conse- quently, took his station on board the gun-boats, passing from one to another, as the incidents of the conflict required. A very fierce battle was fought. Admiral Jones seems to have been born insensible to fear. Amidst the most terrific scenes of death and destruction, he moved with as unperturbed a spirit as if he were merely contending with an ordi- nary storm at sea. Much of the time, he was in the same gun-boat with the Prince of Nassau. The prince had the good sense to be guided by the advice of the officer who was, in every respect, so vastly his superior. The victory was decisive for the Russians. Two of the Turkish ships were burned. The Turk- ish flotilla of fifty-seven vessels was driven from the ground it had occupied, to seek protection under the heavy guns of the squadron. As the battle was mainly conducted by the gun-boats, the admiral left all the honor with the Prince of Nassau. Still \d 14 314 PAUL JONES. miral Jones formed the plan, and guided in all the tactics of the strife. And he could not prevent it from being whispered, that the honor of the victory really belonged to himself. This annoyed the Prince of Nassau. Alluding to this fact, Admiral Jones wrote, on the nth of June, in a letter to Mr. Littlepage, chamber- lain of the King of Poland : " Prince Potemkin wrote me a letter of thanks for the affair of the 7th. If the honor had been ten times greater, I should have renounced it al- together, in favor of the Prince of Nassau. But I am sorry to say he is too jealous to be content with my self-denial. Perhaps he is ill-advised without knowing it. There is nothing consistent with my honor that I would not do, to make him easy. I am the more in pain, as I understand he spoke favorably of me to Prince Potemkin before I arrived. If he now becomes my enemy, I shall not imitate his example. It was my intention to pay him a compliment, when I said in my letter to the prince, ' that he had taken my counsel in good part, in the affair of the 7th.* I showed the Prince of Nassua that letter, and he seemed pleased with it. In the affair, he embraced me, and said we ' should always make but one.* But now I find a false construction has been put upon my THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. $15 letter, and his jealousy supersedes every noble sentU ment." Ten days after this, Admiral Jones again wrote to Mr. Littlepage, in which letter he says : " I have put up with more from the Prince of Nassau than, under other circumstances, I could have done from any man who was not crazy. I can no more reckon upon his humor than on the wind. One hour he embraces me, and the next he is ready to cut my throat." As we have mentioned, the naval force of the Turks far exceeded that of the Russians. The Turk- ish admiral, whose title seems to have been " Capi- taine Pasha," was a man of decided ability. Admi- ral Jones had been led to form a very high opinion of his character both as an officer and a gentleman. He had formed the plan to make a sudden and un- expected attack, with his whole force of ships and gun-boats, upon the Russian flotilla and squadron ; by running down the gun-boats and throwing a shower of fire-balls upon the squadron, he hoped to destroj' the whole fleet. CHAPTER XV. Adventures m the Black Sea. ^e First Battle. — Folly of the Prince of Nassau. — IneflSciencj of the Gun-boats. — Burning of the Greek Captives. — Humanitj of Jones. — Alienation between the Admiral and the Prince of Nassau. — The Second Conflict. — Annoyances of the Admiral. — Hostility of the English. — Necessary Employment of Foreign Seamen. — Disgrace of Nassau. — Transference of the Admiral to the Baltic. It was the plan of Admiral Jones, to anticipate the contemplated attack of the Capitaine Pasha, and so to weaken him as at least to embarrass his movements. The plan he proposed was so neces- sary and apparently so feasible, that it was accepted by all the officers. During the night, as the wind did not favor, he warped the ships of his squadron, by meansof their anchors, to the positions he wished them to occupy. The next morning, which was th« 17th of June, 1788, the wind was fresh and fair. At the earliest dawn the admiral signalled for all his war ships to bear down upon the Turkish fleet, which was before him in the broad shallow bay, at the distance of but a few miles. The gun-boats. ADVENTURES IN THE BLACK SEA. 317 under the command of the Prince of Nassau, followed tardily behind the squadron. Their progress was so slow, though there was no occasion whatever for the delay, that the admiral had to halt twice, in order to allow the gun-boats to come up with him. It was a brilliant spectacle which was presented in the rays of this June morning's sun. The majes tic bay, into which were poured the waters of the Dnieper, the Bog, the Liman, and several othei minor streams, spread out in all directions. The whole Russian fleet of ships and gun-boats, in beautiful battle array, was bearing down under full sail with a fair wind, upon the unsuspecting ar'd unprepared Turks. The moment the Capitaine Pas'ia caught sight of the wondrous spectacle, he was terror-stricken. The force rushing upon him appeared far more powerful than it really was. The wind being fresh and fair, the Turkish admiral saw at once that the whole Russian armament might strike any portion of his Hne before other portions could come to its aid. His only resource was in flight. The same wind which was bringing down the Russian fleet upon him, would bear him onward in his escape, to take shelter under the massive guns of the batteries and ramparts of Oczakow. The signal was given for the flight. As in the twinkling of an eye, a wonderful scene of tumult and 3l8 PAUL JONES. confusion was presented along .he whole Turkish line. The ships, the frigates, the gun-boats were rais- ing their anchors, cutting their cables, spreading their sails, and pulling their oars, in the frantic endeavor to escape the impending peril. Admiral Jones opened fire upon the bewildered foe, from his bow chasers, wherever a gun could be brought to bear. The second officer in command of the Turkish fleet seemed to act like one bereft of reason, in the panic which had apparently seized all alike. He had charge of one of the finest of the Turkish line- of-battle ships ; a mammoth fabric, with its tiers of death-dealing guns, which would have been a match for any ship in the British navy. But assailed by a dozen Russian ships and gun-boats, it would in a few moments have been sunk beneath the waves, or blown into the air. As the vast sails of this ship were flung to the breeze, it slowly wheeled around, got under rapid headway and ran plump upon a sand-bank, beyond all possible hope of extrication As she struck, she careened over at an angle of forty-five degrees. The muzzles of her guns, on the lower side, were dipped into the water ; upon the upper side, they pointed to the clouds. Thus the ship could neither fight nor run. The crew, as many as could, crowded into the boats, escaped from the ship, and took refuge in other vessels of the fleet. ADVENTURES IN THE BLACK SEA. 3I9 Admiral Jones knew that the ship was his. It was a magnificent prize. It needed no further atten- tion. He therefore gave chase to the ship of the Capitaine Pasha. The Prince of Nassau, to the great chagrin of Admiral Jones, came up with his gun-boats, threw fire-balls into the splendid prize, and burned it to the water's edge. The flag-ship of the Turkish admiral was also an unwieldy mass to navigate the intricate channels of this shallow bay. It soon struck a sand-bank, and was helpless. The crew fled. There were now nine of these large Turkish ships-of-war aground. I'^ey were manned by Turkish sailors, and also by a large number of Greeks, who had been subjugated by the Turks, and being nominal Christians, were in entire sympathy with their Christian brethren the Russians. These men were compelled to serve the Turkish guns, as England often compelled im- pressed American seamen. The Prince of Nassau seemed to have lost all control of his gun-boats. They ran about here and there, independent of all command, and did what they would. Like Indian warriors, each boat fought, plundered, or destroyed, on its own account. A cannon-ball had struck the flag-staff of the deserted admiral's ship, and broke it off* so that the flag hung do'-vn draggling it ir the water. The Prince of Na« 320 PAUL JONES. sau, eager of the honor of capturing the flag of the Turkish admiral, hurried up with one of his gun- boats, seized the defenceless banner, and then in- sanely threw his fire-balls into the ship till it was wrapped in flame and disappeared. The other boats of the flotilla, imitating this ex- ample, rushed about pell-mell without order or plan, offering no cooperation to follow up the victory, and wantonly amusing themselves in burning the grounded ships. All of these Turkish vessels had more or less of the Greeks on board. In vain these poor creatures cried for mercy. They threw them- selves upon their knees ; they made the sign of the cross, to indicate that they too were Christians. The barbarous and fanatic Russian sailors, ignorant and cruel, threw their fire-balls on board the ships, and consigned vessels and crew alike to the flames. Above three thousand of these unhappy men were burned with their ships. Only two of the stranded vessels were saved from the flames. One was a sloop, very indifferently armed, and the other a small brig. Though this was a great victory, it probably gave Admiral Jones more pain than pleasure. He was appalled by the frightful, needless carnage, of burning the poor Greeks crying for mercy. Such a mode of carrying: on war was abhorrent to his humane ADVENTURES IN THE BLACK SEA. $3 1 feelings. No results had been accomplished com- mensurate with what might have been secured, had there been order in the fleet. These nine grounded vessels, with their powerful armaments, would have been of immense advantage, transferred from the line of the Turks to that of the Russians. It is. not strange that by this time Admiral Jones lost all patience with his very undesirable coadjutor. Under date of June 20th, he wrote to his Polish friend. Chamberlain Littlepage, as follows : " Without explaining to me any of his reasons, the Prince of Nassau wished to go to the sand-bank which was under the guns at Oczakow, with all his flotilla. I opposed it, for all the Turkish flotilla was undvt the cannon of the place, within cannon- shot of our right wing. He permitted himself to say many uncivil things. Among others he said that he was always wanted to protect my squadron with his flotilla. " As he had often said such things, I told him that it was improper for him to say this to me, or for me to hear him say it. He boasted that he had taken the two ships. I told him ' I saw nothing won- derful in that ; for they were both aground and cap- tured before he came up.* He said ' he knew better than I did how to take ships.* I told him that with- out impugning his skill, he was not ignorant that I 14* 322 PAUL JONES. had piuved my ability to take ships which were not Turks'. He lost all control of himself, and threat- ened to write against me to the empress and Prince Potemkin. ** As for that, I told him if he were base enough to do it, I defied his malice. Before this ridiculous dispute, our combination was unnecessary. Other- wise I would have put up with still more for the good of the service. I feel no rancor against him ; and though he said, in a bitter tone, that I would be rejoiced to see him beaten, he little understood my heart." The prince claimed all the honor of this victory. He so boastfully proclaimed his achievements, that Prince Potemkin was disposed to accept his account of the adventure, especially as Admiral Jones had too much self-respect to dispute his statements in a disgraceful squabble for the honor. Potemkin, elated by this discomfiture of the Turks, brought up his whole land force to the walls of Oczakow, intending to attempt to carry the works by storm. The Turkish gun-boats were riding at anchor, under the protection of the guns of the for- tress. The Prince of Nassau was ordered to attack the flotilla with his whole force of gun-boats. The admiral was to assist, as he could, in towing the Rus sian flotilla to the position it was to take in the coo ADVE^TURES IN THE BLACK SEA. 323 test. The whole plan of the battle was arranged by Potemkin, so that Admiral Jones had but Httle to do but to obey the orders, which were sent to him, though in some respects he was left to his ow i dis« cretion At one hour after midnight, the flotilla com- menced its advance toward the Turkish boats ; but hesitatingly, with no indication that they were under the impulse of a guiding and inspiring mind. Some of the most important of the boats were swept by the current to positions where they could accom/Ish nothing. In the vicinity of the fortress there was deep water. The admiral cooperated with grea efd- ciency in bringing the boats into position, i* i six o'clock in the morning, he saw five Turkish ga 'Jeys, protected by the guns of Fort Hassan. He plunged upon them, boarded the first one he came to, seized it as a prize, and with his boats towed it away. He then attacked the next galley, which was a ver> large one, bearing the flag of the Capitaine Pasha. Before the admiral could arrange his boats, to haul out the prize, a young officer, inexperienced and agi- tated, cut the cable by which she rode at anchor, and a fresh breeze drove her rapidly toward the fort. The Turks were now pouring a destructive fire upon their own vessel. The admiral despatched a boat to the Wolodimii to fetch another anchor and 324 PAUL JONES. cable. Leavin' and the English merchants in St. Peters- burg. It was intended utterly to ruin the man whom they had so unscrupulously assailed. Bio- graphical fidelity renders it necessary that this story should be told, notwithstanding the nature of its details. The admiral promptly wrote to his friend, Prince Potemkin, informing him of the cruel slander. His letter sounds like a wail of grief. It was dated St. Petersburg, April 13, 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 tes- timonies of your friendship, with which you have honored me. As I have served all my life for honor, I had no other motive for accepting the flattering invita- tion of her imperial majesty than a laudable ambition to distinguish myself in the service of a sovereign so magnanimous and illustrious ; for I never yet have bent the knee to self-interest, nor drawn my sword for hire. " A few days ago I thought myself one of the happiest men in the empire. Your highness had 344 PAUL JONES. renewed to me your promise oi friendship, and the empress had assigned me a command of a nature to occupy the most active and enterprising genius. " A bad woman has accused me of violating 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 the assurance becoming a military character, that I am innocent. Till that unhappy moment, I have en- joyed the public esteem and the affection of all who knew me. Shall it be said that, in Russia, a wretched woman who eloped from her husband and family in the country, stole away her daughter^ lives here in a house of ill-fame, and leads a debauched and adulterous life, has found credit enough on a simple complaint, 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. " I thought that in every country, a man accused had a right to employ advocates, and to avaU him. RETIREMENT AND DEATH. 345 self of his friends for his justification. Judge, my prince, of my astonishment and distress of mind, when I yesterday 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 per sotiy to meddle Avith my cause. " I am innocent before God ! 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 with confidence, my prince, and am assured that the friendship you have ^o kindly promised me, will be immediately exerted in my favor ; and that you will not suffer the illus- 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 Oczakow, which will always rank among the most brilliant of military achievements. If your highness will conde- scend to question Monsieur Crimpin,* (for he dare not now even speak to me\ he can tell you many cir- cumstances which will elucidate my innocence. I * Monsieur Crimpin was the advocate whom he had first engaged IS* 34^ PAUL JONES am, with profound respect, my lord, your highness'a devoted and most obedient servant," etc., etc. The proof of the admiral s innocence of this atro- cious charge was soon made out beyond all possibil- ity of question. Count de Segur, the long-tried and disinterested friend, wrote an account of the affair. This document, which was perfectly conclusive, was published in all the leading papers of Europe, for the abominable slander had been spread far and wide Justice to the memory of the admiral demands that this document should be given with but slight abridgment. *' 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 society in the city. On a sudden, Catherine com- manded him to appear no more in her presence. He was informed that he was accused of an infamous crime; of assaulting a young girl of fourteen, and of grossly violating her. It was said that probably he would be tried by the Courts of Admiralty, in which there were many English officers who were strongly piejudiced 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 RETIREMENT AND DEATH. 347 deor was shut against him. All those by whom but yesterday he had been eagerly welcomed, now fled from him as if he had been inflicted by a plague. No advocate would take charge of his cause, and at last even his servants would not continue in his ser. vice. And Paul Jones, whose exploits every one had so recently been so ready to proclaim, and whose friendship had been sought after, found himself alone, in the midst of an immense population. Petersburg, a great capital, became to him a desert. He was moved even to tears at my visit. " ' I was unwiUing,' he said to me, shaking me by the hand, ' to knock at your door, and to 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 appearance, his arms being laid upon the table, made me suspect some desperate intention. I said to him : " ' Resume 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 unhappily 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.' 34S PAUL JONES. "He replied, ' I am ready to take my most sol- emn oath, and upon my honor, that I am innocent, and a victim of the most infamous cahamny. This is the truth. Some days ago 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 indulged in some rather earnest and indecent allurements. Aston- ished at so much boldness in one of such few years, 1 felt compassion for her. I advised her not to enter upon so vile a career, gave her some money, and dis- missed 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 neckerchief, raised great cries, com- plained that I had assaulted her, and threw herself into the arms of an old woman whom she called her mother, and who certainly was not brought there by chance.* " 'Very well,' said I, 'but cannot you learn the names of these adventurers? ' "' The porter knows them,' he replied. 'Here are their names written down, but I do not know where they live. I was desirous of immediately pre- senting a memorial about this ridiculous affair, first lo the minister and then to the empress. But I have been interdicted from access to both of them RETIREMENT AND DEATH. 349 ** * Give me the paper,' I said. ' Resume youi accustomed firmness. Be comforted. In a short time we shall meet again.' " The count returned home, and by the aid of some efficient agents soon unravelled the whole affair. It was proved, by evidence which no one could ques- tion, that the woman, Sophie Koltzwarthen, was one of the most infamous creatures, who had been long employed in carrying on a traffic in young girls, whom she passed off as her daughters. The count, having obtained all the necessary documents and attestations, hastened to show it to Paul Jones. Ex- ultingly he said to him, " You have nothing to fear. The wretches are unmasked. All that you need now do, is to send these proofs to the empress. She has directed, under very heavy penalties, that no one shall detain on the way any letters which may be addressed to her personally, and which may be sent to her by post." The admiral immediately wrote a letter to her majesty, under date of St. Petersburg, May 17, 1789. After briefly recapitulating the circumstances :nder which he had been induced to enter into the crvice of the empress, the incidents in his campaign t> the Black Sea, and his recall to the Baltic, he added : " Such was my situation, when, upon the nier« 35C PAUL JONES. accusation of a crime, the very idea of which woundi my delicacy, I have found myself driven from court, deprived of the good opinion of your majesty, and forced to employ the time which I wished to devote to the defence of your empire, in cleansing from myself the stains with which calumny had covered me. Condescend to believe, madame, that if I had received the slightest hint that a complaint of such a nature had been made against me, and still more that it had come to your majesty's knowledge, I Q t know ta well what is owing to delicacy to have ven- / tured to have appeared before you till I was com pletely exculpated. " Understanding neither the laws, the language, nor the forms of justice of this country, I needed an advocate and obtained one. But whether from terror or intimidation he stopped short all at once, and durst not undertake my defence, though con- vinced of the justice of my cause. But truth may always venture to show itself alone and unsupported at the throne of your majesty. I have not hesitated to labor unaided for my own vindication. I have collected proofs. And if such details might appear under the eye of your majesty I would present them. But if your majesty will deign to order some person to examine them, it will be seen, by the report which will be made, that my crime is a fiction, in- RETIREMENT AND DEATH. 35 I vented by the cupidity of a wretched woman, whose malice has been countenanced, perhaps incited, by the malice of my numerous enemies. Her husband has himself certified and attested to her infamous conduct. His signature is in my hands, and the pas- tor Braun, of the district, has assured me that if the College of Justice will give him an order to this effect, he will obtain an attestation from the country peo- ple that the mother of the girl referred to is known among them as a wretch utterly unworthy of belief. " Take a soldier's word, madame. Believe an offi- cer whom two great nations esteem, and who has, been honored with flattering marks of their approbation of which your majesty will soon receive a direct proof from the United States.* I am innocent, and if I were guilty I would not hesitate to make a can- did avowal of my fault, and to commit my honor, which is a thousand times dearer to me than life, to the hands of your majesty." The admiral closed this letter with expressions of devotion to the service of the empress. He assured her of his readiness to serve her in any way in his power, but added ** that if for any reason he could not be employed again during the campaign, he might be permitted to return to France or America." The empress received this letter, examined the * He refers to the gold medal ordered to be struck by Congrca* 352 PAUL JONES. documents, and became fully convinced of his inno* cence. She inveighed bitterly against the authors of the calumny, recalled Paul Jones to court, and received him with even more than her usual kind- ness. But the admiral, having received blow after blow and finding no employment immediately before him, became weary of the country where he had endured so many humiliations. He consequently requested permission to retire. His request was granted. The empress admitted him to an audience of leave, wished him a pleasant voyage, and he left Russia forever. He bore with him letters of high commendation from the most distinguished men in the capital of Russia. He directed his steps first to Warsaw. Here he was received with the highest consideration by the titular king and his court. He spent two months in Warsaw, hospitably entertained by the nobility, and intensely occupied in preparing for the Empress of Russia a journal of his services, from the time he entered the navy of the United States to the campaign of the Black Sea. In a lettei to the empress, which accompanied this document, ho wrote, under date of Waisaw, Sept. 25, O. S. 1789. " I owe it to my reputation and to truth to ac- company this journal with an abridgment of the campaign of the Liman.* If you will deign, madftine * It vas near the mouth of the riTcr Liman that all these —.rti battles wtre fought RETIREMENT AND DEATH. 353 to read it with some attention, you will observe how little I have deserved the mortifications which I have endured, and which the justice and goodness of your majesty can alone make me forget. As I never offended, in word or speech or thought, against the laws or usages of the strictest delicacy, it would assuredly be most desirable for me to have the hap- piness of regaining, in spite of the malice of my ene- mies, the precious esteem of your majesty." At Warsaw, the admiral made the acquaintance of, and became the intimate friend of Kosciusko On the second of November he left Warsaw for Vienna. Here again he was kindly received by those in the highest ranks of society. But in consequence of the sickness of the emperor, he was not favored with an audience. From Warsaw he proceeded to Amsterdam. Kosciusko was at that time deeply engaged in the disastrous conspiracy to liberate Poland from the thraldom of Russia. Sweden was also at war with Russia. There can be no doubt that great efforts were made to enlist the wonderful energies of the admiral, in favor of the two belligerents, against the empress. These efforts were necessarily secret. It is but a glimpse we can get of them. We simply know that the admiral declined all such proffers. From Amsterdam he wrote, under date of December, 1789, to his firm 354 PAUL JONES, friend President Washington. In that letter ht writes : " Count Segur and myself have frequently con- versed on subjects that regard America. And the most pleasing reflection of all has been the happy estabhshment of the new constitution, and that you are so deservedly placed at the head of the govern- ment, by the unanimous voice of America. Your name alone, sir, has established in Europe a confi- dence that was for some time before entirely wanting in American concerns ; and I am assured that the happy efforts of your administration are still more sensibly felt throughout the United States. This is more glorious for you than all the laurels that your sword so nobly won in support of the rights of human nature. In war your fame is immortal, as the hero of liberty. In peace you are her patron, and the firmest supporter of her rights. Your great- est admirers and even your best friends have now but one wish left them — that you may long enjoy health and your present happiness." From Amsterdam he went to Hamburg by way of Copenhagen. Toward the close of April, 1790, he crossed the channel to London. " Upon land- ing," he writes, " I escaped being murdered." After a short visit there he went to Paris. His health was feeble Still he kept up an active correspond RETIREMENT AND DEATH. 355 ence with his numerous distinguished friends all over the continent. His mode of expressing himself, as the reader will have perceived, was peculiar. He was a man of singular frankness and transparency 0/ character. He gave free utterance to his thoughti as they arose. In Paris he again enjoyed the friend ship of Lafayette. Nothing special occurred during his residence in Paris. Early in June, his health began more rapidly to fail. He lost his appetite, and a dropsical affection swelled his legs and expanded his chest. His phy- sician at length warned him that his symptoms were alarming, and advised him to settle his worldly affairs. He sat in his chair as he dictated to the notary his will. After his friends had retired he rose from his chair, went into his bedroom, and probably feeling a little faint threw himself with his face upon his bed, and his feet resting upon the floor. Soon after, the queen's physician arrived to visit the illustrious pa- tient. He was conducted into the bedroom, where the admiral was found dead. His disorder had ter- minated in dropsy of the breast. It was the evening of the 20th of July, 1789. The admiral had reached the age of but forty-five /ears. His funeral attracted a large concourse of the most distinguished of the residents in Paru 356 FAUL JONES. The National Assembly, then in session passed th« following resolve : " The National Assembly, desirous of honoring Ihe memory of Paul Jones, Admiral of the United States of America, and to preserve by a memorable example, the equality of religious rights, decrees that twelve of its members shall assist at the funeral so- lemnities of a man who has so well served the cause of liberty." A funeral sermon was preached by M. Marson, a French Protestant clergyman. In this oration he said : " We have just returned to the earth the remains of an illustrious stranger ; one of the first champions of the liberty of America, of that liberty which so gloriously ushered in our own. And what more flattering homage can we offer the memor}' of Paul Jones than to swear on his tomb to live or to die free. Let neither tyrants nor their satellitor ever pollute this sacred earth. May the ashes of the great man, too soon lost to humanity, enjoy here an undis turbed repose. May his example teach posterity the efforts which noble souls are capable of making when stimulated by hatred to oppression. Identify your- self with the glory of Paul Jones, in imitating hia contempt of danger, his devotion to his country, and the noble heroism which, after having astonished the RETIREMENT AND DEATH 357 present age, will continue to call forth the veneration of ages yet to come." Such was the career of this remarkable man. Such is a faithful record of what he said and wrote and did. A.nd this record surely exhibits the cha- racter ot a worthy and a noble man. He rose to distinction by his own energies. His achievements gave him world-wide renown. His character secured for him not only a cordial welcome in the palaces of kings and in the castles of nobles, but, that which is far higher praise, won for him the esteem and affection of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Morris, Lafayette, Count Segur, Count d'Estaing, and a host of others of the worthiest spirits in America and France. The following is a brief recapitulation of the ser- vices which, during his short life, he rendered his country. During the Revolution he fought twenty- three battles at sea, and was never vanquished. He made seven victorious descents upon Great Britain and her colonies. He captured two ships of equal size with his own, and two of far superior force; besides taking many store-ships and other smaller craft. He spread alarm throughout the whole island of Great Britain, compelling the government to for- tify all her ports. He also forced the British to desist from their atrocious system of pillaging and 358 PAUL JONES. burning in America, and to exchange, as prisoner! of war, the Americans whom they had captured and plunged into prison dungeons as " traitors, pirates, and felons." The distinguished Matthew Carey of Philadel- phia, after examining the voluminous correspondence of Paul Jones, contained in the valuable biography compiled by Colonel John Henry Sherburne, wrote to the author : " I have read, with intense interest, your Life of John Paul Jones. And it must be regarded as a valuable national object, placing, as it does, in strong relief, the shining qualities of this hero, not only as a naval commander but as a profound politician. The latter quality appears clearly and distinctly in various parts of the correspondence, wherein are developed views of the proper policy of this country which are worthy of the first statesmen that sat in the Congress of 1774 and 1775 — men never exceeded in the annals of the world for sagacity, patriotism and public spirit. " No man has been the subject of more gross and •hocking abuse, and none of those who have distin- guished themselves in the Revolution were so little known as he has been to the nation to whose service he devoted all the energies of his magnanimous soul. I confess that for one I always regarded Paul Jonet RETIREMENT AND DEATH. 359 as very few degrees above a freebooter who, in the prospect of plunder was reckless of his life. I am now thoroughly undeceived, and consider him as deserving a conspicuous rank among the most illu*. trous of those heroes and statesmen who not only formed a wreath around the brow of this country, but secured her a prouder destiny than ever fell to the lot of any other portion of mankind." THE EMD. ^IdfiS-'f ■741