Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1846-04-29
panl Jones.

The fate of Paul Jones, living and dead,
has been a strange and a hard one, and
contains as many items Of injustice as
ever fell to one mans lot. Among the
foremost aud most devoted, he plunged in
to the struggle of our Revolution, and
threw into the common treasury soul as
heroic, ms adventurous, as exhaustless OF
resources, as ever lived, endless labor
and money to the last dollar of his fortune.
The only naval officer in the service who
showed the intuitive genius of great
chief he not only was not placed where he
belonged, at the head of the navy, but was
postponed in rank to long string of men
who had no reputation, and never acquired
any. Engaged in the most active and
successful service, for seven years, he moi
only received not dollar of pay, and no
rations, but he was almost the whole time
in advance to Congress for money paid
out in ropairing his ships and feeding his
crews. From time 10 time he occupied
himself in giving to the navy department
his views, full of sound sense and com
prehensive system, of the organization OF
the navy. But while time has confirmed
his views and led to their adoption, it was
moi I'LL the world had forgotten who was
their author.
But the most heinous wrong done TO
Paul Jones, is found in the popular notion
Of his character, which seems 10 have been
borrowed from the coarse ISLANDERS Of the
British press, what time he frightened the
Isles from their propriety, and put Mis-
lress BrlIannla IN par0xysm OF terror
and rage. For half a century he existed
in the popular mind as little better than a
successful rulTiau--a big, ferocious savage,
with a diabolical eye, whose voice in bat
tie was that Of ar enraged tiger, whose
soul exuted in killing men, sinking ships
and burning towns. The friend, cores.
pondent and companion Of Franklin, u
rudian! The idolzed hero of the Court
of Versailles, savage! Never was there
a more rascaIIy caricature. Paul Jones
was slender man, delicately moulded and
organized, handsome, with great love of
refined society, and with qualities TO adorn
il, given to poetry, and as distinguished for
his humanity as his heroism. And if we
consider that, excepting the lion courage
and intuitive genius that God gave him, he
was in all respects a self-mado man, the
refinement Of his manners, the cultivation
Of his mind, his comprehensive and pro.
found knowledge Of his profession, and
his power Of developing his ideas in logi-
cal order, and with rare cearness OF ex-
preston, will seem scarcely less marvel.
Ious than the successful daring of his &C.
lion. We cannot find in all naval history
q hero with higher and more various claims
to admiration, than JoHN PAUL JOKES
But 10 the people of the United States
he is something more. lie is their first
naval hero--he, moro than any other, de.
served TO be honored as the founder of our
navy and the fount of its inspiration the
tuielnr genius of our wooden walls. He
first showed that success was possible, and
so unexpected and astounding was the
proof, that all Europe rung with the capture
Of The Scraps, as If il had been the down.
fall of an empire. II was in fact the birth
of a rival 10 the proud Mistress Of the
Ocean. Such is the man 10 whose memo.
ny the Congress of The United States are
called on to do simple Justice.
Charleston Mercury.
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II is now certain that there is large
80.