Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-07-15
JOHN PAUL JONES
AND THE
AMERICAN NAVY
AND THE

tory Of Our Navy" writing in Col
liers for July 1, tells the full story OF
John Paul Jones. He says:
The biographies OF John Paul Jones
(born John Paul. in Scotland) show
that he was a sailor in the merchant
service at twelve, a second mate al
seventeen, a master at twenty, and that
when twenty-six, being then in COM
mand Of the brig Two Friends. lying
In the reach Of the Rappahannock Riv-
er. he left the merchant service and
settled down for life, as he supposed.
on a plantation Of three thousand acres
Of good Virginia land. which he had
Just inherited from his brother Will
liam. William had inherited the land
from an uncle named Jones, and had
assumed the uncle's name when he did
so. It was provided that John Paul
should also add the name OF Jones
when taking the estate, and thus John
Paul, the merchant captain OF excel.
lent repute. became John Paul Jones, q
Virginia planter. That he was thus
made In law and in fact a fellow
citizen Of Washington seems to be
worth mention. because ignorance OF
the facts has led people into error in
regard to the status of this famous
fighter Of the Revolution. John Paul
Jones was rebel or a patriot accord
Ing to the point Of view, but the state
ment that he was a pirate comes only
from ill-mannered ignorance. How
Jones, the planter. won the regard OF
his neighbors, how he knocked down
British naval lieutenant for speaking
insultingly OF Virginia women, and
how that little fracas was taken So
riously by all the Colonial newspapers
Of the day, can be but mentioned here.
The story Of what he did for the Ameri-
can Navy begins In ITS. II was then
apparent that war with the old coun-
try was at hand, and the Virginians
saw that the people OF Massachusetts
would be the ones to bring on the rup-
ture The Virginians we're fully de.
termined to stand by the New Eng
landers In this crisis. while Jones. with
his natural instinct OF war. was so
anxious to do his part that he left his
plantation, and with his little twenty
ton sloop started on voyage to Bos.
ton. early in the spring. He was visit
ing In New York, for his voyage was
that Of yachtsman. when the news
Of the battle Of Lexington arrived April
q. Seeing that war had come sooner
than he expected. Jones turned back
home to prepare for actual service
The passage was made In three days.
showing that he would carry on sail
when in hurry. even In tiny sloop.
and the day that he arrived (April 20
he wrote to four members OF the Con-
tinental Congress, asking them to keep
him In mind In connection with "any
provision that may be taken for a ma
val force"
While Jones waited for a reply, two
French frigates-one Of which, La
Terpsichore, was new-came into
Hampton Roads. They were carrying
Louis Philippe, Duke de Chartres, on a
schooling voyage. for the Duke was to
become High Admiral Of France. From
his own and the neighboring planta-
tons John Paul Jones loaded his sloop
with produce pleasing to sailors Just
In from a sea voyage, and going down
to the French ships. offered the load
with his compliments. The Duke was
he who became Philippe Egalite during
the French Revolution he was no,
afraid OF losing dignity by making
friend OF the Virginia planter, and he
kert Jones on the Terpsichore for three
days as a guest.
That was a great social triumph for
Jones. but 1t was planned and secured
with patriotic end In view. For when
Jones left the ship he carried full de-
tails OF her construction. her battery.
and even copies Of her sail plan. AS
naval architects the French then led
the world, and Jones knew 1t. He ex-
pected to 90 to Philadelphia to consult
with Congress about the building of a
naval force for the defence of the Colo
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