his Lordship, and received from him a letter of thanks, couched in the most grateful and flattering terms. This was perfectly in character with this gallant and peculiar man. He would have given more to have had the Earl a prisoner on board the Ramger, than to have had the fee-simple of all his Lordships domains in Scotland. The commander of the British ship Drake, now in turn went in pursuit of the Ranger. In the latter end of April, 1778, about six weeks after the loss of Com. Biddle in the Randolph, the two ships hove in sight of each other. Com. Jones disguised his ship as much as possible-masked his guns-concealed his men, and had the appearance of a merchantman. A boat's crew from the Drake approached to reconnoitre the Ranger, and were suddenly made prisoners. The Drake immediately bore into action. The Ranger laid to, until the enemy came within pistol shot. She then poured in her fire with such admirable gunnery and rapidity, that in one hour, the hull and rigging of the Drake were severely injured-her Captain and 1st Lieutenant slain, and over forty men killed and wounded. She struck her flag to the Ranger, and was carried triumphantly into Brest on the 7th May, 1778. Com. Jones had beside taken a number of prizes, and had with him more than 200 prisoners, for which the imperious court of St. James was necessitated to deliver the same number of American Rebels. Count D'Orvilliers sent an express to Dr. Franklin, American minister, informing him of this brilliant affair, and his majesty Louis XVI. gave an order for Com. Jones to repair to Versailles. France and England were now seriously at war, and very important designs were communicated to him. It is unnecessary to detail the various plans conceived, and then relinquished. He was illy calculated to digest a system of extensive operations. The negotiations of the courts at Versailles and Amsterdam were not so well calculated for the genius of John Paul Jones, as negotiation at the cannon's mouth. That was a language he better understood than he did that of the diplomatist. Although in the midst of the blandishments and charms of France, he became impatient at the delays which from time to time occurred. He was determined to take his little Ranger, and range where he chose. At length an ill-appointed and ill fitted squadron was prepared for him. The American frigate Alliance was in France. An old ship, which he named Le Bon Homme Richard, (the Good Man Richard) was fitted up with old cannon, unfit for a ship of war. She was called a 40 gun ship; but was no ways equal to the late American frigate Essex, of 32 guns. The Pallas was a large merchantmen, and was furnished with about 30 little eight pounders. The Vengeance with 12 three pounders, and Cerf with 18 nine pounders. The crews were of the worst possible description. Undisciplined, inexperienced, mutinous, and turbulent; of almost all nations and tongues, they cared little about glory, and were almost wholly bent upon plunder. Prize money instead of glory was their object. With this incongruous mass of materials, called a squadron, Com. Jones sailed from Groays, in France, upon the 14th August, 1779, the Richard, flag ship. The object was to cruise for the Baltic fleet, which was known to be on the homeward bound passage. The squadron was dispersed either by the weather or the insubordination of the crews. Com. Jones captured a number of prizes and privateers with the Richard, and sent them to the most convenient ports in France. ap At length, upon the 23d September, the Baltic fleet, under convoy of the Seraphis, one of the heaviest and best pointed frigates in the British navy, of 44 guns; and the new Countess of Scarborough of 22 guns; two ships, considering their batteries and munition, equal to Com. Jones' whole squadron, appeared off the coast. They had approached within two leagues of the coast of England, and in sight of Scarborough Castle, The Alliance was at a distance, lying to; and the Pallas hauled her wind; so that the Good Man Richard was to encounter the Seraphis and Countess, single handed. Her crew was diminished, and there was but one lieutenant on board. Before mentioning any particulars of the engagement, I have the satisfaction of presenting the reader with Com. Jones official account of the desperate battle which followed. In point of brevity and perspicuity, it will suffer but little from a comparison with the justly admired, naval letters in the second war with Britain * Copy of a letter from John Paul Jones, late commander of the ship of war Good Man Richard, dated on board the ship of war Seraphis, off the Texel, Oct. 31, 1779. "I have only time, my dear friends, to inform you, that I have this day anchored here, having taken this ship in the night of the 23d ult. on the coast of England, after a battle of three hours and a half; two hours and a half of that time the Good Man Richard and this ship being fast along side of one another, both ships being in flames, and the Good Man Richard making water faster than all the pumps could deliver it. This ship mounts 44 guns, and has two entire batteries, one of them eighteen pounders, so that my situation was severe enough, to have to deal with such an enemy, in such a dreadful situation. Judge then, what it must have been when the Alliance came up, towards the close of the action; and, instead of assisting me, directed her whole fire against the Good Man Richard, not once or twice, but repeatedly, after being spoke to, and shewing a private signal of recognizance. The Alliance killed eleven men and mortally wounded an officer on the Good Man Richard's forecastle, at one volley. I have lost, in killed and wounded, the best part of my men. The Good Man Richard went to the bottom on the morning of the 25th ult. in spite of every effort to bring her into port. No action before was ever, in all respects, so bloody, so severe, and so lasting. I beg of you to communicate this, with my best respects, to the gentlemen of your port. "The fire was not quite extinguished on board of the Good Man Richard, till eight hours after the enemy had struck and at last it had reached within a few feet of the magazine. We lost all the stores and all our private effects; but no lives were lost from the conflagration. The Pallas took, at the same time, an armed ship of twenty 6 pounders. JOHN PAUL JONES. N. B. The prizes taken and ransomed by the Good Man Richard during her cruize of about three months, amount to at least about a million of livres." As this action excited astonishment and wonder in Europe as well as in America, I offer the letter of Capt. Pearson, of the Seraphis, as a specimen of British veracity half a century ago. The antiquity and scarcity of such revolutionary papers, give them a great value at this time SIR, "Pallas, French frigate, in Congress service, You will be pleased to inform the lords commissioners of the Admiralty, that on the 23d ult. being close in with the Scarborough, about 11 o'clock, a boat came on board with a letter from the Bailiffs of that corporation, giving information of a flying squadron of the enemy's ships being on the coast, and a part of the said squadron having been seen from thence the day before, standing to the southward. As soon as I received this intelligence, I made the signal for the convoy to bear down under my lee, and repeated with two guns; notwithstanding which, the van of the convoy kept their wind, with all sail stretching out to the southward from under Flamborough head, till between twelve and one, when the headmost of them got in sight of the enemy's ships which were then in chase of them; they then tacked and made the best of their way under the shore for Scarborough, &c. letting fly their top-gallant sheets and firing guns; upon which I made all the sail I could to the windward, to get between the enemy's ships and the convoy, which I soon effected. At one o'clock we got sight of the enemy's ships from mast head, and about four we made them plain from the deck to be three large ships and a brig, upon which I made the Countess of Scarborough's signal to join me, she being in shore with the convoy, at the same time I made the signal for the convoy to make the best of their way, and repeated the signal with two guns; I then brought to, let the Countess of Scarborough come up, and cleared ship for action. At half past five the Countess of Scarborough joined me, the enemy's ships then bearing down upon us, with a light breeze at S. S. W. at six tacked, |