JONES. 



, boat to inform the Commodore that he was greatly 

 ha Paul, afraid o f Paul Jones, and to beg some powder and shot. 

 ~-~ .""' Our hero, much amused with the message, sent him a 

 barrel of gunpowder, with a civil answer to quiet his 

 Fears, and an apology for not including shot in the pre- 

 sent. Next morning, at day-break, every thing was in 

 perfect readiness to commence the engagement, and 

 two tacks more would have brought the strangers along- 

 side their enemies, when, at that critical moment, a 

 sodden gale of wind swept down the Frith, raging with 

 such violence, as completely to overpower them, to 

 link one of the prizes, and drive all the re-t of the 

 squadron fairly out to sea. By this failure, the cap- 

 tains of the I'allas and Vengeance were so much dis- 

 heartened, that they could not be prevailed on to re. 

 new the attempt. 



Continuing their cruise, after various adventures, the 

 M|iiu<lrr>:i Mi' Menly discovered the homeward bound I5.il- 

 eet, off Soarlorou;;h castle, escorted by H. M. S. 

 the Serapii, and the Countess of Scarborough. After 

 long engagement, in which Paul Jones displayed the 

 roott asti -kill, intrepidity, and presence of 



mind, the Countess of Scarborough struck to the Pal- 

 las, and the Serapis to the Bon-homme Richard, which 

 latter ship was reduced to so shattered a state, that 

 next morning, after' all hands had left her, she went 

 to the bottom. The Serapis was not in much better 

 condition, the Commodore having, with his own hands, 

 1 the two *hip* together, to prevent the enemy 

 from availing himself of his superiority in weight of 

 metal. The Commodore now took the command of 

 the Serapis, erected jury-masts, and with some diffi- 

 culty conveyed his prizes to the Texel. Paul Jones, 

 who never suffered toe interests of his fellow-citizens 

 to be lo*t sight of, exerted all his influence with the 

 French court to have it arranged that his prisoner* 

 should be exchanged against American prisoner* in 

 ml, and be completely succeeded. l>r Franklin, 

 the minister of the United States at Paris, soon cheered 

 his heart, by writing to him, that " he had then cm- 

 pletrd the glorious work he had so nobly begun, by 

 giving liberty to all the Americans who thru languish- 

 ed for it in England." On this occasion, too, the King 

 of France directed his ambassador at the Hague to 

 communicate to Commodore Paul Jones the high per. 

 sonal esteem he bore for hi* character, especially for 

 his disinterestedness and humanity. 



The captain of the Alliance being ordered to Paris 

 to answer for his insubordination, P. Junes took the 

 command of that ve*el ; but be now found himself 



environed with danger*. The Dutch were tummc 

 to deliver him up to the vengeance of the F.nglish go- 

 vernment, at a pirate and a rebel ; and they were most 

 reluctantly constrained to order him out to sea, where an 

 F.nglish squadron was watching to pounce upon him 

 as their certain prey. The acceptance of a commission 

 from the King of France would have saved him from 

 thi* dilemma, and the ambassador from his mot < 

 tian majesty repeatedly urged him to adopt that altema- 

 ')ut he thought hi* honour engaged to decline it. 

 He would not, at whatever risk, abandon the flag of 

 loved America. He, howev. it., make 



ni* escape, passing the Strait* of Dover, ai 

 of Wight, before the very beard* of th. 



Towards the end of 1780, our hero \me- 



n the Ariel, with important dispatches, and hav- 



ncountered in his pa&sage th i. an Eng- 



nm vesorl of W gun*, forced her to strike-. 



A Wtle before this time, the King of France had 



testified his approbation of Paul Jones' services, by 

 presenting him with a superb gold sword ; and a let- - 

 ter from M. de Sartine now reached the President of 

 the L'nited States, requesting liberty " to decorate that 

 brave officer with the cross of the order of military- 

 merit." The demand was Inid before Confess, and a 

 law having been passed on the 27th February, acced- 

 ing to it, he was formally invested by the Chevalier de 

 la Luzerne, at a public fete given to the members of 

 that legislative body. In April following, on the re- 

 port of a committee, Congress passed a vote of thanks 

 to the Chevalier John Paul Jones " for the zeal, pru- 

 dence, and intrepidity with which he had sustained 

 the honour of the American flag ; for his bold and suc- 

 cessful enterprises to redeem from captivity those citi- 

 zens of America who had fallen under the power of 

 the enemy ; and, in general, for the good conduct and 

 eminent services by which he had added lustre to his 

 character, and to the arms of America." 



During the remainder of the war with England, he 

 had no opportunity to signalise himself. After it was 

 over, Congress, as an expression of gratitude, caused a 

 gold medal to be struck, with appropriate legends and 

 devices, to perpetuate the memory of his valour and 

 services. 



In 1787, the United States having rh.-.rgcd the Che- 

 valier with a mission to the court of Denmark, he set 

 sail for that country in the month of November, and, 

 pasting through Paris in his way, was str.-v.;ly j-olicit- 

 ed to assume the command of the Russian fleet in the 

 Black Sea. Soon after hi* arrival at Copenhagen, a 

 courier, sent express by the Empress Catharine, con- 

 veyed to him an urgent invitation to St. 1'utersburgh. 

 Although he saw many reasons for declining to en. 

 gage in the service of that Potentate, he was flat- 

 tered by the offer, and felt himself bound at least to 

 thank her Majesty in person. He therefore set out in- 

 ftantly for her court by the way of Sweden : but, at 

 Creshelham, found the passage of the (iulf of Bothnia 

 blocked up by ice. After several unsuccessful attempts 

 to proceed to Finland by the islands, he conceived that 

 it might be practicable to effect his object by doubling the 

 ice to the southward. The enterprise was formidable 

 and altogether new ; but our hero wa* not easily daunted. 

 Without making known his intentions to his compa- 

 nions, he set tail from Greshelham one morning very 

 early, in an open boat about 30 feet long, followed by a 

 little one to haul over the ice. Towards evening, na- 

 v i"g g* nearly opposite to Stockholm, our adventurer, 

 producing his pistol*, ordered the astonished boatmen 

 to pursue the route which he had secretly devised. 

 Resistance was vain, and he wa* obeyed. All night 

 the wind was favourable, and thet hoped to reach the 

 coast of Finland in the morning ; but they found them- 

 selves opposed by an impenetrable barrier of ice. Nei- 

 ther was it possible, from the state of the weather, to 

 return. The only resource was to make for the Gulf 

 of Finland. When night came on, they steered by the 

 nid of a pocket compass, lighted by the lamp of the 

 Chevalier's carriage ; and at the end of four days, after 

 having lost the smaller of their two boats, they termi- 

 nated a perilous and fatiguing voyage at Revel in I.i- 

 vonia. 



The Chevalier was graciously received at the court 

 of St. Petersburg!] ; and, no longer opposing the wi-li- 

 es of the Empress, attached himself to her service, un- 

 der thi* tingle condition, " That he should never be 

 condemned unheard." 



He proceeded, without delay, with the rank of rear. 



