The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-04-15
THE REMAINS OF
JOHN PAUL JONES.

| 0ntlnDGd from 7 aye l.
/ Congress in placing other names above
| his in the list of captains, he complain
1 ed. somewhat arrogantly, of the injus-
tice. but in vain. In. June, 1777, Con
gress appointed Jones 10 the command
of the Ranger, a new ship, in which
he sailed from Brest, in April, ITS,
and after burning a British brig off
Cane Clear. made a daring descent up
on the town and shipping of White
haven: he then made a fruitless at
tempt to capture the Earl of Selkirk,
hoping to make him the instrument of
obliging Great Britain to agree to a
system of exchanges. During this
cruise he fell in with the Drake, a
vessel superior in crew and armament
which he captured and took into Brest.
In August, 1879, Jones left France in
command of seven vessels, his own
ship being the Bon Homme Richard.
In month s time they had captured
or destroyed twenty-six vessels. On
Septemer %, the squadron, consisting
of the Richard, the Alliance. the Pallas
and the Vengeance, when off Flambor
ough Head. sighted a fleet of forty
one sail, which proved to be the Baltic
commercial fleet under convoy of the
Scraps and the Countess of Scarbor>
ough About 7:30 p. N. the Richard
came up with the Scraps and "a terri
bic engagement, lasting upward of
three hours, ensued during all of
which time the vessels Were in close
proximity and during the latter part
of the fight in actual contact. At the
beginning of the action two of the
Richard s guns burst disabling their
crews and causing the abandonment of
the battery. The Countess of Scar
borough surrendered to the Pallas after
a short action, and the Alliance now
approached the scene of conflict be
tween the Richard and Serapis but
her commander, Captain Landais, open
ed an indiscriminate fire on both yes
sells, killing several of the Richard IS |
crew. Notwithstanding this discour
aging circumstance, and the fact that |
the Richard was in a sinking condition |
and surrender counseled by many, |
Jones maintained the conflict until |
shortly after 10 o'clock, when the
Scraps struck. The Richard, being on
fire in two places and in a hopeless
condition, was abandoned CATER the
had been removed), and went
down about 10 a. m. of the 25th. The
Scraps was taken into the Texel and
Jones was received in Paris and
throughout France with the greatest
honors, the king making him a cheva-
lier, bestowing upon him an elegant
sword and the cross of the order OF
the Military Merit, which Congress
permitted him to accept, and with
which he was decorated by the French
minister at Philadelphia, where Jones
arrived on February 18, 1871. Congress
also gave him a vote of thanks, and,
by resolution, the command of the new
frigate America; but as this fine ship
was subsequently presented to France
to replace the Magniique, Jones never
saw active service at sea again. he |
was, in 1888, sent to Paris to recover
moneys due in Europe received for
prizes taken under his command. In
1877, Jones returned to the United
States, where Congress voted him a
gold medal. He returned to Europe in
1888, accepted the appointment of
Rear Admiral in the service of Russia,
and rendered important services
against the Turks. He became the
subject of personal enmity among the
favorites at court, and-was retired on
a pension, which, however, was not I
paid. He removed to Paris, where he
died, July Is, 1892. Napoleon, in after
years mourned his untimely death,
saying that, if he had lived, victory
night have peen wrested from Nelson