1802.] 
had made four voyages to the Eaft Indies. 
As proper guns could not be procured at 
POrient, where the lay, I re- 
paired, firt to Bourdeaux, and then to 
Angouléme, where I made a contraé& for 
fuch as Twanted. On my return, I found 
that the Marquis de Ja Fayette, who had 
returned from America, was defirous to 
join me in the expedition, it being intend - 
ed that he fhould command 2 body of 
_dand-forces, he having obtained the King’s 
command for that purgofe. 
While the neceflary arrangements were 
waaking at court, a naval commifflary pur- 
chafed at Nantes a merchantman, called 
La Pallas, of thirty-two eight-pounders, 
and a brig, named La Vengeance, of 
twelve three-pounders; but neither of them 
was calculated for war: to thefe was 
added Le Cerf, a very fine cutter belong- 
ing to the royal navy, carrying eighteen 
nine-pounders ; with the Alliance, a new 
frigate, belonging to the United States ; 
but, asthe guns had not as yet arrived from 
Angouléme, The Good Man Richard was 
armed from an old battery of twelve- 
pounders, and, as the expedition was in- 
tended again{t the enemy’s ports, I mount- 
ed fix old eighteen-pounders in the gun- 
room, fo that fhe might, in fome meafure, 
be called a forty-gun fhip. As it was 
found impoffible to procure a fufficient 
number of American failors, I determined 
to fupply the denciency by enrolling Eng- 
lith ones, who happened to be prifoners of 
war in France; and, in addition to thefe, a 
certain number of peafants was levied, 
fo that we may be faid to have had as. 
bad a crew as was ever fhipped on board 
any veflel. I was given to underftand, 
however, that the chofen body of troops, 
under the command of the Marquis de la 
Fayette, would ferve as a guarantee for 
their geod conduét; buf, no fooner was 
the little fguadron ready, than I received 
a letter from the Marquis, intimating that, 
the object of the expedition having been 
divulged at Paris, the King had iffued 
orders to prevent the embarkation of the 
troops, in confequence of which he had 
joined his regiment. 
Thus the projest, which was no lefs 
than that of putting Liverpool, the fe- 
cond town in England, under contribu- 
tion, failed, in coufequence of having been 
indifcreetly communicated to ****** 
IT ought alfo to remark, that, according 
to the firft arrangement, my little fqua- 
dron was to have been joined by two 
fire-fhips, and 500 men of Walth’s Irifh 
regiment ; but the minifter did not keep 
his word, for he neither procured for me 
‘MONTHLX Mag. Ne. 91, = 
Account of Paul Foness 
145 
the fire-fhips, nor the foldiers, fo that it 
became impoflible for me to fulfil the plan 
I had concerted, although it was {till 
more important than that of feizing on 
Liverpool. 
I now received orders to efcort a flee 
of tran{ports and merchantmen from l’O- 
rient, dettined for different ports, between 
that and Bourdeaux ; and after that, I 
was to chafe away the Englifh cruifers 
from the Bay of Bifcay, and then to res 
turn for further orders. 
After executing this commiffion, on 
my reprefenting how neceflary it was to 
make a diverfion in favour of the Count 
D'Orvilliers, then cruifing in the Chan- 
nel, with fixty-fix fhips of the line, I re- 
ceived a carte blanche, during fix weeks, 
without any other reftri€tion than that of 
repairing to the Texel, by the 1ft of Oc- 
tober. By this time, I received intima- 
tion from England, that eight Eaft India- 
men were foon expeéted on the coat of 
Ireland, near to Limerick. ‘This was aa 
object of great attention : and asthere were 
two privateers at Pore Orient ready for 
fea, Le Monfieur of forty guns, and Le 
Granville of fourteen, the captains of 
which offered to place themfelves under 
my orders ; Laccepted the propofition, But 
the French commiffary who fuperintend- 
ed the naval department, acted with great 
impropriety: on this, as well as on many 
former, occafions. 
The little f{quadron, at length, fet fail 
from the road of Groays, on the rath of 
Auguft, 1779; but we had no fooner 
proceeded to the north of the mouth of the 
Channel, than Le Monfieur and Le Gran- 
ville abandoned me during the night, and 
Le Cerf foon after imitated their conduéts 
I was extremely anxious to cruife for a. 
fortnight in the latitude of Limerick: but 
the Captain of the Alliance, after objects 
ing to this, alfo left me during the night 3 
and as I had now with me only the Pal. 
las and the Vengeance, I was obliged to 
renounce my original intentions. 
I took two prizes on the coaft of Ire 
land; and, within fight of Scotland, came 
up with and feized two privateers, of 
twenty-two guns each, which, with a brie 
gantine, I fent to Bergen in Norway, ac» 
cording to the orders [ had received from ' 
Dr. Franklin: thefe prizes, however, were 
reftored to the Englith by the King of 
Denmark. 
When I entered the North Sea, I caps 
tured feveral veflels, @nd ‘learned by my 
prifoners, as well ag by the new/papers, 
that the capital of Scotland and the Port 
of Leith were left totally defencelefs. 
. y | alfe 
