Commodore Paul Jones 23
he had no suitable shot. He detained one of the boatmen, however, as a
pilot for one of the other ships. During the interim the following
proclamation was prepared for issuance when the town had been
captured. The document is somewhat diffuse in its wording, but the
purport of it is unmistakable:
"The Honorable J. Paul Jones, Commander-in-chief of the American
Squadron, now in Europe, to the Worshipful Provost of Leith, or, in
his absence, to the Chief Magistrate, who is now actually present, and
in authority there.
"Sir: The British marine force that has been stationed here for the
protection of your city and commerce, being now taken by the American
arms under my command, I have the honour to send you this summons by
my officer, Lieutenant-Colonel de Chamillard, who commands the
vanguard of my troops. I do not wish to distress the poor inhabitants;
my intention is only to demand your contribution toward the
reimbursement which Britain owes to the much-injured citizens of the
United States; for savages would blush at the unmanly violation and
rapacity that have marked the tracks of British tyranny in America,
from which neither virgin innocence nor helpless age has been a plea
of protection or pity.
"Leith and its port now lie at our mercy; and, did not our humanity
stay the hand of just retaliation, I should, without advertisement,
lay it in ashes. Before I proceed to that stern duty as an officer, my
duty as a man induces me to propose to you, by means of a reasonable
ransom, to prevent such a scene of horror and distress. For this
reason I have authorized Lieutenant-Colonel de Chamillard to conclude
and agree with you on the terms of ransom, allowing you exactly half
an hour's reflection before you finally accept or reject the terms
which he shall propose. If you accept the terms offered within the
time limited, you may rest assured that no further debarkation of
troops will be made, but the re-embarkation of the vanguard will
immediately follow, and the property of the citizens shall remain
unmolested."
On the afternoon of the 16th, the squadron was sighted from Edinburgh
Castle, slowly running in toward the Firth. The country had now been
fully alarmed. It is related that the audacity and boldness of this
cruise and his previous successes had caused Jones to be regarded
with a terror far beyond that which his force justified, and which
well-nigh paralyzed resistance. Arms were hastily distributed,
however, to the various guilds, and batteries were improvised at
Leith. On the 17th, the Richard, putting about, ran down to within a
mile of the town of Kirkaldy. As it appeared to the inhabitants that
she was about to descend upon their coast, they were filled with
consternation. There is a story told that the minister of the place, a
quaint oddity named Shirra, who was remarkable for his eccentricities,
joined his people congregated on the beach, surveying the approaching
ship in terrified apprehension, and there made the following prayer:
"Now, deer Lord, dinna ye think it a shame for ye to send this vile
piret to rob our folk o' Kirkaldy? for ye ken they're puir enow
already, and hae naething to spaire. The wa the ween blaws, he'll be
here in a jiffie, and wha kens what he may do? He's nae too guid for
onything. Meickle's the mischief he has dune already. He'll burn thir
hooses, tak their very claes and tirl them to the sark; and wae's me!
wha kens but the bluidy villain might take their lives! The puir
weemen are maist frightened out o' their wits, and the bairns skirling
after them. I canna thol't it! I canna thol't it! I hae been lang a
faithfu' servant to ye, Laird; but gin ye dinna turn the ween about,
and blaw the scoundrel out of our gate, I'll na staur a fit, but will
just sit here till the tide comes. Sae tak yere will o't."
This extraordinary petition has probably lost nothing by being handed
down. At any rate, just as that moment, a squall which had been
brewing broke violently over the ship, and Jones was compelled to bear
up and run before it. The honest people of Kirkaldy always attributed
their relief to the direct interposition of Providence as the result
of the prayer of their minister. He accepted the honors for his Lord
and himself by remarking, whenever the subject was mentioned to him,
that he had prayed but the Lord had sent the wind!
It is an interesting tale, but its effect is somewhat marred when we
consider that Jones had no intention of ever landing at Kirkaldy or of
doing the town any harm. He was after bigger game, and in his official
account he states that he finally succeeded in getting nearly within
gunshot distance of Leith, and had made every preparation to land
there, when a gale which had been threatening blew so strongly
offshore that, after making a desperate attempt to reach an anchorage
and wait until it blew itself out, he was obliged to run before it and
get to sea. When the gale abated in the evening he was far from the
port, which had now become thoroughly alarmed. Heavy batteries were
thrown up and troops concentrated for its protection, so that he
concluded to abandon the attempt. His conception had been bold and
brilliant, and his success would have been commensurate if, when the
opportunity had presented itself, he had been seconded by men on the
other ships with but a tithe of his own resolution.
The squadron continued its cruise to the southward and captured
several coasting brigs, schooners, and sloops, mostly laden with coal
and lumber. Baffled in the Forth, Jones next determined upon a similar
project in the Tyne or the Humber, and on the 19th of the month
endeavored to enlist the support of his captains for a descent on
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as it was one of his favorite ideas to cut off
the London coal supply by destroying the shipping there; but
Cottineau, of the Pallas, refused to consent. The ships had been on
the coast now for nearly a week, and there was no telling when a
pursuing English squadron would make its appearance. Cottineau told de
Chamillard that unless Jones left the coast the next day the Richard
would be abandoned by the two remaining ships. Jones, therefore,
swallowing his disappointment as best he might, made sail for the
Humber and the important shipping town of Hull.
It was growing late in September, and the time set for the return to
the Texel was approaching. As a matter of fact, however, though Jones
remained on the coast cruising up and down and capturing everything he
came in sight of, in spite of his anxiety Cottineau did not actually
desert his commodore. Cottineau was the best of the French officers.
Without the contagion of the others he might have shown himself a
faithful subordinate at all times. Having learned the English private
signals from a captured vessel, Jones, leaving the Pallas, boldly
sailed into the mouth of the Humber, just as a heavy convoy under the
protection of a frigate and a small sloop of war was getting under way
to come out of it. Though he set the English flag and the private
signals in the hope of decoying the whole force out to sea and under
his guns, to his great disappointment the ships, including the war
vessels, put back into the harbor. The Richard thereupon turned to the
northward and slowly sailed along the coast, followed by the
Vengeance.
Early in the morning of September 23d, while it was yet dark, the
Richard chased two ships, which the daylight revealed to be the Pallas
and the long-missing Alliance, which at last rejoined. The wind was
blowing fresh from the southwest, and the two ships under easy canvas
slowly rolled along toward Flamborough Head. Late in the morning the
Richard discovered a large brigantine inshore and to windward. Jones
immediately gave chase to her, when the brigantine changed her course
and headed for Bridlington Bay, where she came to anchor.
Bridlington Bay lies just south of Flamborough Head, which is a bold
promontory bearing a lighthouse and jutting far out into the North
Sea. Vessels from the north bound for Hull or London generally pass
close to the shore at that point, in order to make as little of a
detour as possible. For this reason Jones had selected it as a
particularly good cruising ground. Sheltered from observation from one
side or the other, he waited for opportunities, naturally abundant, to
pounce upon unsuspecting merchant ships. The Baltic fleet had not yet
appeared off the coast, though it was about due. Unless warned of his
presence, it would inevitably pass the bold headland and afford
brilliant opportunity for attack. If his unruly consorts would only
remain with him a little longer something might yet be effected. To go
back now would be to confess to a partial failure, and Jones was
determined to continue the cruise even alone, until he had
demonstrated his fitness for higher things. Fate had his opportunity
ready for him, and he made good use of it.
CHAPTER X.
THE BATTLE WITH THE SERAPIS.
About noon on the 23d of September, 1779, the lookouts on the Richard
became aware of the sails of a large ship which suddenly shot into
view around the headland. Before any action could be taken the first
vessel was followed by a second, a third, and others to the number of
six, all close hauled on the starboard tack, evidently intent upon
weathering the point. The English flags fluttering from their gaff
ends proclaimed a nationality, of which, indeed, there could be no
doubt. The course of the Richard was instantly changed. Dispatching a
boat under the command of Lieutenant Henry Lunt to capture the
brigantine, Jones, in high anticipation, headed the Richard for the
strangers, at the same time signaling the Alliance, the Pallas, and
the Vengeance to form line ahead on his ship--that is, get into the
wake of the Richard and follow in single file. The Alliance seems to
have been ahead and to windward of the Richard, the Pallas to windward
and abreast, and the Vengeance in the rear of the flagship.
It had not yet been developed whether the six ships, which, even as
they gazed upon them, were followed by others until forty sail were
counted, were vessels of war or a merchant fleet under convoy; but
with characteristic audacity Jones determined to approach them
sufficiently near to settle the question. He had expressed his
intention of going in harm's way, and for that purpose had asked a
swift ship. He could hardly have had a slower, more unwieldy,
unmanageable vessel under him than the Richard, but the fact had not
altered his intention in the slightest degree, so the course of the
Richard was laid for the ships sighted.
Captain Landais, however, was not actuated by the same motives as his
commander. He paid no attention, as usual, to the signal, but instead
ran off to the Pallas, to whose commander he communicated in a measure
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