The Topeka state journal., 1905-07-03

that Jones was to organize and COM
mand the Black sea naval forces, with
the rank of rear admiral. he set out FOR
st. Petersburg. He was in Copenhagen
when the business came to a positive
settlement, and so great was his haste
to reach the Russian capital that he
could not wait to travel the usual
southern route. but made up his mind
to go to Stockholm and cross over from
that city to Finland the best way he
could. 1t was early in April, and the
passage was still blocked with ice No
boatmen would venture to make the
voyage. Undaunted, he hired small
open boat and compelled the owners at
the point of the pistol to steer to the
south along the coast of Sweden. For
three days and nights they were cast
about, but on the fourth they made
their way into the gulf of Finland and
landed at Revel. Jones hastened on to
the capital, and a few hours after en-
tering the city he was presented at
court.
Catherine received him most gra-
ciously, and, it seems, the bluff sea
fighter was captivated by her manner.
She put the matter of organizing the
feet into his hands without hesitation.
only stipulating that he should consider
himself bound to certain extent by
the wishes of the commander in chief.
Prince Potemkin. Jones reported at
once to the prince and was assigned
to the command of the Kherson squad
ron. This was a damper upon his am
bition at the very start, for he was
now only one of three separate com
manders, the other two ranking with
him. This was not what the empress
had promised him, but he kept silent
and raised his flag on the Vladimir.
fe ret nov.
of his squadron in fighting trim. They
were in such a wretched condition that
it required positive genius to restore
them to usefulness. Jones did all this
so quickly and so well that the Russian
officials began at once to hate him for
doing what they had neglected to do.
Prince Potemkin was inordinateIy jeal-
Gus of the foreigners capacity, and he
and the other high officials began to
plot against the newcomer. Jones dis
covered their duplicity, but made no at
tempt to counteract it. When hostili-
ties opened Jones' success was so re-
markable that the opposition was driv-
en- to fresh virulence. Potemkin, it ap-
pears, required from his subordfnates
that every advantage gained should
without further parley be attributed to
his own ability. Jones refused fatty to
become party to this scheme to glori-
fly the chief at the expense of all the
others. He was advised to yield, but he
was obdurate. He had not been accus-
toned to that method. He promptly
announced his intention of appropriat-
ing to himself every honor to which he
believed himself entitled. His frank
ness precipitated an eruption. Moth
ing like it had ever been heard of in
Muscovite official circles, and it met
with general disapproval from the en-
tire army of hungry and venal public
servants. A loud cry of dissent went
up to ST. Petersburg and reached the
empress in the great palace on the
Neva.
Not long afterward Admiral Jones re-
ceived orders to report to the capital in
person He obeyed with such disregard
for personal comfort that he was taken
violently i'll on the journey and was de-
layed a month. On his arrival Gather
inc received him kindly, made him vice
admiral and assigned him to a position
on the Baltic sea. Jones was too wise,
however, to be blind to the fact that his
Russian career had received its coup
de grace. Two weeks later he had
pneumonia, and when he was GONZALES
cent it was decided by the Russian
medical men that the climate did not
suit his constitution. The empress
gave him leave of absence, and he went
to Paris. Although he did not resign
his commission until two years after
ward, his Russian service was ended
He never recovered his health and died
three years after crossing the frontier.
JOHN WILSON.