PAUL JONES OFF FLAMBRO' 321 



represented America in France, Jones had been furnished 

 with a small squadron of ships, of which the largest was 

 an old Indiaman named the Due de Duras. Jones 

 altered this name to the Bon Homme Richard, in compli- 

 ment to a saying of Poor Richard " If you would have 

 your business done, come yourself if not, send," one of 

 Franklin's proverbs. The Richard carried forty guns, 

 and, like the rest of Jones's ships, was manned by a 

 mixed crew, including not a few renegade Englishmen. 

 No one, however, could condemn an Englishman at that 

 time from entering the service of any navy, provided it 

 was not his own, for he was flogged into loyalty, and 

 treated worse than a dog when on board ship. Jones 

 also had the Alliance, a frigate of thirty-six guns, com- 

 manded by a Frenchman who showed neither courage 

 nor obedience, and was afterwards dismissed the service 

 on the ground of insanity ; the Pallas, a French ship of 

 thirty-two guns ; the Cerf, of eighteen guns ; and the 

 Vengeance, a twelve-gun vessel. 



At the head of this force Jones sailed from France 

 and appeared off the Scotch coast, meaning to swoop on 

 Leith, as he had previously descended, but with slight 

 success, on Ireland and Whitehaven. 



Styling himself " The Honourable Paul Jones, 

 Commander-in-Chief of the American Squadron now in 

 Europe, etc.," he prepared his momentous summons to 

 the Leith fathers. 4< Savages would blush at the un- 

 manly violation and rapacity that has marked the tracks 

 of British tyranny in America," he wrote, " from which 

 neither virgin innocence nor helpless age has been a 

 plea of protection or pity. Leith and its port now lies 

 at our mercy ; and did not our humanity stay the hand 



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