The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-07-23
BODY OF NAVY'S FOUNDER
REACHES AMERICAN SHORE

release. AT st. Mary's Isle lived the
Earl of Selkirk and as he happened TO
De near by he planned to make that
hobleman his prisoner. What was his
chagrln, however, after swooping down
on the island, to find his lordship away
from home. Only the countess and her
servants We're there, and Jones was
about to go when some of his men de-
manded prizes. They said they were
SO poorly paid by the American gov
eminent that they ought to get some
booty when there was a chance. The
captain demonstrated, but as the men
had just risked their lives at his COM
mand in the futile attack on Whitehav-
en- he saw mutiny ahead unless he APP
peased them. AS he explained after
ward in letter to the countess:
Il had but a moment to think how [
might crafty them and at the same
time do your ladyship the least injury. 1
charged the two officers to permit none
of the seamen to enter the house, or to
hurt anything in it; to treat you,
madam, with the utmost respect, to
accept of the plate which was offered.
and to come away without making
earch or demanding anything else
Il am induced to believe that 1 was
punctually obeyed, since / am inform
ed that the plate which they brought
away is far short of the quantity ex-
pressed in the inventory which accom-
panied it. 1 have gratified my men,
and when the plate is sold I shall be-
come the purchaser, and will crafty
my own feelings by restoring it to you
by such conveyance as YOU shall please
to direct
John Paul Jones kept his word. The
plate was returned, although he had to
buy it back at his own cost.
NOT A LOVER OF COURTS.
Though for a time Jones seemed to
enjoy the social life of Paris and did
not resent the title of Chevalier that
the courtiers gave him, yet in his heart
he despised the hollow gaiety of the
French capital. Had he not been de-
pendent on the French treasury to buy
him ships and pay the expenses of his
cruises he might have abandoned it all
long before he did. Just before he did
leave Paris he wrote to Robert Morris:
You will observe with pleasure that
my connection With court is at an
end, and that my prospect of returning
TO America approaches. The great
seem only to wish to be concerned
with tools who dare not speak or write
the TRUTH
Of the Russian court Jones made
much the same comment At the re-
quest of Catherine II. he had become
an admiral in the Russian navy and
fought valiantly in the cause of Chris
tianity against the Turks, but because
of the intrigues of his fellow officers his
services received little recognition. AS
he said in his own account of this ex-
perience:
1T is painful to reflect on how many
ma-evolent and deceitful persons sur
round the great"
While fighting with the Turks Jones
was hidden by companion officer to
follow the traditional Russian custom
OF exaggerating his successes as far as
possible. This he refused to do, and
in consequence he was completely over
Swallowed by the fiamboyant reports
of his rivals He refers to this when
he says:
Since | am found too frank and too
sincere to make my way at the court
OF Russia without creating powerful
enemies, 1 have the philosophy to