150 
Rill<carry my former colours, while the 
prizes fhould hoift the French flag. 
At length, the wind becoming favour- 
able, on the 27th of February, 1779, the 
Alliance fet fail, after having loft all her 
anchors, one only excepted, in confequence 
of Admirai Rhynft’s inftruétions to the 
pilot; and it was at leaft an hundred to one, 
that we fhould fall in with the enemy. f, 
however, had the good fortune’ to efcape, 
although the Alliance paffed the Straits of 
Dover, within fight of the Englifii fqua- 
dron in the Downs. After getting clear 
of the Channel, I foow reached the lati- 
tude of Cape Finifterre, and entered the 
port of Corunna, January 16, 1780. 
On my return to France, I found that 
the’ French Commiflary had made a pri- 
vate fale of my prizes to the King, with- 
eut confulting me. On this, I repaired 
to Verfailles, along. with Dr. Franklin, 
but was received with great coolnefs by the 
Miniiter of the Marine. On this account, I 
declined afking him te prefent me to his 
Majelty ; this honour was conferred on 
me next day by the Prince de Beauveau, 
Capt. of the Guards. The public received 
me at the opera, and all the public places 
where I appeared, with the moft lively en- 
thufiafm: this, added to the very favour- 
-able reception I received from his Majef- 
ty, afforded me fingular fatisfaftion ; and 
the Minifter of the Marine from that’ 
moment paid me the moft marked atten- 
tion. 
The Count de Maurepas, about this’ 
time, intimated to me, that his Majefty had 
refolved to confer fome diftinguithed mark 
of his bounty and perfonal efteem on me; 
this proved to be a fword, mounted with 
gold, on which was engraved the following 
flattering motto: 
VINDICATI MARIS 
LUDOVICUS XVI. REMUNERATOR 
STRENUO VINDICI. 
The hilt was of gold, and the blade, 
&c. were emblazoned with his Majefty’s 
arms, the attributes of war, and an em- 
blematical reprefentation of the alliance 
. between France and America. The Mott 
Chrifian King, at the fame time, tranf- 
mitted a moft admirable letter to Congrefs, 
in which he offered to decorate me with 
the Order of Military Merit. All this was 
extremely flattering, as Louis XVI, had 
never prefented a {word to any other offi- 
cer, and never conferred the crofs, except 
on fuch officers as were invefted with his 
Majefty’s commitiion. ‘ 
’ The Minifter of the Marine, a fhort 
time aiter this, lent me the Ariel, a king’s 
fhips carrying twenty guns, with which I 
Account of Paul Fones, 
fSept. oa 
failed, O&tober 8th, 1780, for America. 
The wind was at firft favourable, but I 
was foon after in danger of foundering on 
the Penmarks, and efcaped only by cut- 
ting away my main and mizen mats. As 
foon as the ftorm abated, we ereéted jury- 
mafts, and returned to refit; in fhort, it 
was the r$th of December before I could 
proceed for Philadelphia. 
During the voyage, I fell in with an 
Englith twenty-gun ihip, called the Tri- 
umph, and partly by ttratagem, and partly 
by hard fighting, forced her to ftrike her 
flag ;but,while we were about to take poflef- 
fion of her, the Captain, taking advan- 
tage of her fuperior failing, made off, and 
efcaped, : 
On my arrival in America, the Con- 
grefs, on thereprefentation of the Chevalier 
de la Luzerne, pafled a law to enable me 
to accept the-Military Order of France. 
The French Minifter, on this occafion, 
gave an entertaiment, to which all the 
Members of Congrefs, aad the principal 
inhabitants of Philadelphia, were invited ; 
after which I was invefted, in their pre- 
fence, with the decorations of the Order. 
As the three Minifters-plenipotentiary 
from America had unfortunately dii- 
agreed, it neceflarily follows that there 
would be fome contradiétion in relpect to 
their’ reports concerning me. © In confe- 
quence of this; the Congrefs enjoined the 
Admiralty toinquire into the nature of my 
conneétion with theCourt of France,and the 
reafons which had induced me to remain 
in Europe, and delay the convoy of the 
military ftores appertaining to the United 
States.. In confequence of the examiga- 
tien that enfued, and the report that was 
delivered in, the Congrefs pafled an Act, 
dated April 14, 1781, in which I was 
thanked, in the moft flattering manner, 
‘* for the zeal, the prudence, and the in- 
trepidity, with which I had fuftained the 
honour of the American’ flag; for my 
bold and fuccefsful enterprizes, with a 
view to redeem from captivity the citizens 
of America, who had fallen into the 
power of the Englith, and for the eminent. 
fervices by which I had added luftre to 
my own chara&ier and the arms of Ame- 
rica.” A Committee of Congrefs was 
alo of opinion “ that I deferved a gold 
medal in remembrance of my fervices.’” 
On the 21ft of June, 1731, I was ap- 
pointed, by an unanimous vote of Con- 
greis, tothe command of the America, a 
jeventy-four-gun fhip, then building ; 
and, en the birth of the Dauphm, 1, at 
my own expence, celebrated that happy 
event by royal falutes during the pacar: 
a biil- 
