JONES. 



217 



JONES, JOH.V PAUL. Chevalier of the French order 

 of Military Merit, and of the Russian order of St Anne, 

 a distinguished officer in the navy of revolutionary 

 America, and afterwards a rear-admiral in the service 

 of Russia, was the son of Mr John Paul, a respectable 

 gardtner. He was born at Arbigland, in the parish of 

 Kirkliean.and .-tewartry of Kirkcudbright, in the month 

 of July 1747, and received the rudiments of his educa- 

 tion at the parochial school. The contiguity of his re- 

 sidence to the bhore of the Sol way Firth, inspired him 

 with an early predilection for a seafaring life ; and 

 while yet a mere child, he hoisted his flag on board his 

 mimic ship, and issued audible mandates to his imagi- 

 nary officers and crew, with a'l the consequence of a le- 

 gitimate commander. Nor was he content with this. 

 As his skill in mamru vring improved, he ventured to 

 criticise the nautical knowledge of practical sailors ; 

 and in the eager and confident tone with which, from 

 the eminence on which he took his station, he thun- 

 dered forth his orders to the vessels which were enter- 

 ing the port at Cane-thorn, might be remarked the ar- 

 dent and enterprising mind of one who felt that he was 

 born to future command. 



At the tinv- of which we speak, the town of Dum- 

 fries carried on a very considerable trade in tobacco 

 with America; and as the Nith was not navigable to 

 foreign vessels, the cargoes were unshipped at Cane- 

 thorn, near the mouth of that river. There, from his 

 earliest yean, Paul had opportunities of conversing 

 with mariners from the discontented colonies ; and it 

 is probable that he thus first imbibed that enthusiastic 

 attachment to the United States, and tho-e revolution- 

 ary principles, which exerted ao decided an influence on 

 bis conduct when he grew up to maturity, and eventually 

 lad him to renounce nis allegiance, and raise his hand 

 against the country which gave him birth. 



His partiality to a sailor's life was so determined, that 

 his friends resolved to indulge it ; and accordingly, at 

 the age of IS, he was sent across the firth to White- 

 haven, where he was bound apprentice to Mr. Young- 

 er, a respectable merchant in the American trade. His 

 first voyage was made on board the Friendship. Capt. 

 Benson. His course was steered for the Rappahannoc, 

 and before he had completed his 13th year, be had 

 landed on the shore of that country which he was des- 

 tined to adopt as his own. His home, while the ship 

 waa in port, was the house of an elder brother, who, 

 having married a native of that country, bad previous* 

 Ijr settled there. Here his early prepossessions in fa- 

 vour of America were confirmed, and from that period, 

 as be afterwards expressed himself to Baron Van der 

 Capellan, that became the country of his fond elec- 

 tion." 



In the mean time, hii intelligence and good conduct 

 acquired him the esteem and confidence of his employ- 

 er, who promised to give him a substantial proof of hii 

 favour, by promoting him to the command of a vesel ; 

 and he would have kept his word, had not the embar- 

 rassed state of his affairs deprived him of the power to 

 doit. 



( )ur adventurer, being at length freed from the tram- 

 mels of apprenticeship, made several voyages to the coast 

 of Africa ; but he soon became disgusted with a traffic 

 which had too long been the disgrace of civilized na- 

 tions, and confined his services to the command of ves- 

 seU engaged in a more reputable and legitimate com- 



- , ln th y emr 1""H, he went to Virginia to arrange the 

 aflairs of his brother, who had died there without leav- 

 TOL.'XII. PAT i. 



injL,' any family, and about this time, in addition to his Jones, 

 original surname, he assumed the patronymic of Jones, Jonn^iu 

 his father's Christian name having been John. This 

 custom, which is of classical authority, has long been 

 prevalent in Wales, and in various other countries, al- 

 though it is not practised in that part of the island in 

 which he was born. 



This visit revived and rivetted the attachment which 

 young Paul Jones had conceived for America ; and in 

 spite of the native ardour and restless activity of his 

 mind, he resolved to withdraw from the vicissitudes of 

 a sea-faring life, to fix his residence in that country, 

 and to devote the remainder of his days to retire- 

 ment and study. He was little aware of the turbu- 

 lent scenes in which he was destined soon to perform 

 a part, nor of the conspicuous figure he was to make 

 in them. 



The discontents of the colonists had by this time oc- 

 casioned much commotion, and their murmurs became 

 daily deeper and more frequent, till at last they fair- 

 ly broke oft' all connection with the parent country. 

 Towards the conclusion of the year 1 773, it was deter- 

 mined by Congress to fit out a naval force to it-sin in 

 the defence of American independence, and an anxious 

 search was ma/le for friends to the cau-e who should 

 be at once able and willing to act as officers on board 

 their vessels. It now appeared that I'aul Jones had, in 

 hi> romantic schemes of tranquil enjoyment, falsely es- 

 timated the natural bent of his genius With dee), in- 

 terest, he had watched the progress of those political 

 events which were to decide the fate of his adopted 

 country ; and when an open resistance was made to the 

 dominion of Britain, he could no longer remain :.n in- 

 active spectator. Having only just completed hi- : -th 

 year, he was full of bodily vigour and of mental imr- 

 g\, and he conceived that his nautical skill would qua- 

 lity him to be a distinguished a>vrtor of the right* of 

 the colonists. He was immediately appointed fir -l lieu- 

 tenant of the Alfred, one of the only two ships belong- 

 ing to Congress, and on board that vessel, before Phila- 

 delphia, he hoisted the flag of independent America 

 with his own hands, tkcjSnt lime it teas eaer duplaytd. 

 In the course of a very active and successful campaign, 

 having found means to gain the confidence of th 

 rine committee by his real and intrepidity, he h..d not 

 served many months before the president sent him a 

 captain's commission. 



In November I777t he sailed for France in th 

 Ranger, a new sloop of war of 18 guns, with dispatch- 

 es of the victory of Saratoga. It was intended that, 

 " as a reward for the important services" which he had 

 already rendered to America, he should be appointed 

 to the command of the Indian, n fine frigate, just built 

 for Congress at Amsterdam, and that the Ranker should 

 act under his orders ; but the American commissioners 

 at Paris found it their best pol-.cy to a.ij;n tlii vessel 

 over to the Kin;: of France, and Captain Paul Jones 

 continued with the Ranger. Having convoyed some 

 merchant ships to Quiberon Bay, he there received 

 from the French commander the first salute that was 

 ever given to the fUg of Congress. 



Eager to retaliate upon Britain for some successful 

 exploits of her sailors on the American coast, and exas- 

 perated by the resolution which the English govern, 

 ment had taken to treat all the ;upporters of indepen- 

 dence as traitors and rebels, Captain Paul Junes soon 

 after this entered the Irish Channel, and approached 

 his native shores, not as a friend, but an implacable 

 enemy. On the night of the 22d April 1778, he cam 

 ' r. 



