1802.] 
peareft port, I changed my courfe, fet up 
lights, and by this ftratagem faved the 
veflels ? had captured, as the frigate con- 
tinued in chaceof me. Next day, I my- 
{elf was fortunate enough to efcape, after 
avery ferious aétion, which was not ter- 
munated until dark, and even then in con- 
fequence of a hard gale of wind. 
Having returned to Bofton, December 
30, 1776, the intelligence of the uniforms 
taken on board the Mellifh re-animated 
the courage of the army under General 
Wathington, which at. that period hap- 
pened to be almoft deftitute of clothing. 
Let me add alfo, that this unexpected fuc- 
cour contributed not a little to the fucceds 
of the affair at Trentown againft the Hef- 
fians, which took place immediately after 
my airiyal. 3 es 
_ Lnow paid out of my own purfe the 
wages due tothe crews of theAlfred andthe 
Providence, and lent the reft of my money 
to the Congrefs. That aflembly tran{fmit- 
ted me orders from Philadelphia, on the 
5th of February, to undertake a fecret ex- 
pedition of great importance, the defign 
“of which was, to lay the ifland of St. 
Chriftopher, and the north fide of Jamai- 
ca, under contribution; after which we 
were to attack Penfacola. This project 
was firft conceived by me, and then com- 
municated to Mr.-Morris, afterwards Mi- 
nitter of Finance; but fuch was the jea- 
louiy of Hopkins, the Commander in 
Chie?, that it was never carried into exe- 
cution. He was, however, foon after ful- 
pened, and then difmifled from the fervice. 
> The feafon being now toe far advanced 
for the execution of the fcheme in the 
Weft Indies, myfelf and crew received or- 
ders to remove on board the Amphytrite, 
a French veiiel, deftined to fail from Port{- 
mouth, in New Hampfhire, to France, 
whence we were to pals into Holland, and 
take pofleffion of the Indiewne, a jarge tri- 
gate, conftructing there for the Congrefs; 
fome difficulties, however, enfued, and I 
was ordered to prepare the Ranger, a veffel 
mounting:.eighteen yuns. 
When General Burgoyne and his army 
were obliged to furrender at Saratoga, it 
. was I whe was the fir to carry this inte- 
refting intelligence to Nantes, whither I 
arrived on the 2d of December, .1777. 
In the courfe of my voyage, I teok two 
prizes, forming part of a convoy from the 
Mediterranean, under the protection of the 
‘Invincible, a feventy-four-gun fhip, under 
the guvs of which one of them was taken. 
in the month of January, 1778, I re- 
paired to Paris, to make the neceflary ar- 
gangements with the American minifters, 
Account of Paul ‘fones. 
141 
relative to the equipment of the Indienne ; 
but, as the recent intelligence relative to 
the capture of Burgoyne had determined 
the court of France to recognize the inde- 
pendence of America by means of a 
treaty of alliance, and ag the Englifh am- 
baffador at the Hague, in confequence of 
obtaining pofleffion of the papers of an 
American agent, found that the Indienne 
was the property of Conerefs, I acquiefced 
in the opinion of the American minifters ; 
and it was determined to cede the property 
to his Mo& Chriftian Majeity, this being 
the moft likely method of preferving the 
property. 
I then returned on board the Ranger, 
and, as I had received information from 
America, relative to the force and {tations 
af the Enplift fleet in that quarter, I im- 
mediately tranfmitted a letter to Mr. 
Deane, one of the American miniffers at 
Paris, communicating the plan of an expe- 
dition witha fquadronof ro fail of the line, 
afew frigates,anda {mall bodyofland forces, 
with a view of completely deftroying the 
enemy’s naval power acting againft the 
United States. This fcheme was not 
adopted until it was too late, and then it 
of courfe became impracticable. , 
In the mean time I took feveral Ames 
rican veflels under my convoy, from Nantes 
to the Bay of Quiberon, where M. fa 
Motte Piguet was lying at anchor with 
fix fail of the line, a few frigates, and fe- 
veral merchantmen, which he was to take 
under his protection to the weftward of 
Cape Finifterre. M. de la Fayette was on 
board this fleet, which was provided with’ 
cloathing, ammunition, and military ftores 
for America. 
Ireached the Bay, February 13, 1778, 
and fent to demand of the Admiral, if he 
would return my falute; and this compli- 
ment was immediately agreed to by that 
brave officer, although neither he nor I 
knew at thar period, that a treaty of al- 
liance had been figned between France 
and America feven days before. This 
was the firlt falute received by the Ame- 
rican flag from any power, and occafioned 
much difpute in the Englith Parliament. 
I now fet fail from the Bay of Quiberon 
to Breft, but did not enter the road; on 
the contrary, I anchored at Cammeret, 
where J was detained by contrary winds 
until the French ambaflador at the Court 
of St. James’s, had announced the treaty 
lately concluded between his Moft Chrif- 
tian Majefty and the United States, 
On this, I immediately failed into Brett 
water, and faluted the Count D’Orvilliers, 
who returned the falute, and received me 
with 
! 
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