enabled Jones to carry out a scheme he
had long entertained of spending a quiet
and studious life in the country of his
adoption. But the war just then breaking out
roused his old spirit of enterprise, and
induced him to seek command under the
new flag. In 1775 he was appointed first
lieutenant of the Alfred, then lying before
Philadelphia, and he hoisted the flag of
Independence, as he always boasted, with
his own hands, the first time it was ever
displayed. We soon find him at work,
taking forts at New Providence, and
exchanging blows with English men-of-war.
His first great difficulty was to get seamen,
the sailors having for the most part
joined the army when the war had first
thrown them out of employment. Being
placed in command of the sloop Providence,
after helping to convoy vessels, Paul,
in an incredibly short time, took, sunk,
or burned sixteen sail (schooners and
brigantines), destroyed part of our
Newfoundland fisheries, and planned a chivalrous
expedition to release the American
prisoners employed in our coal pits at
Cape Breton, a plan which only failed from
the want of co-operation in a colleague. At
the same time the zealous young adventurer
made many valuable suggestions to
the naval department, suggesting that all
officers should pass an examination before
appointment, urging a parity of rank
between sea and land officers, and giving it
as his opinion that a commander in the navy
should be "a man of strong and well-connected
sense, with a tolerable education; a
gentleman as well as a seaman, both in
theory and practice; want of learning, and
rude, ungentle manners, being by no means
characteristic of an officer." He also urged
on Congress an imitation of English naval
discipline, and advised liberality in the
distribution of prize-money. After waiting
long for a larger ship, in 1777 he was
appointed to the Ranger, and despatched on an
adventurous privateering cruise. It is supposed
that this vessel was the first to bear
the new national flag to Europe, touching
at Nantes to obtain five hundred louis from
the American Commissioner in Paris.

Paul now planned a descent on Whitehaven,
to retaliate on us the injuries we
had done on the American seaboard. We
take Paul Jones's own version of the
descent. He landed at night at Whitehaven
with thirty-one volunteers in two
boats. Unfortunately for the foragers, day
began to dawn just as they reached the
outer pier. A boat was, however, instantly
despatched to set fire to the shipping on the
north side of the harbour, Paul himself
undertaking to burn that on the south. The
walls were soon scaled; the cannon spiked
in both forts, and the astonished and drowsy
sentinels secured in the guard-house. To
the commander's vexation, however, the
party sent to fire the shipping on the north
side returned in confusion, having failed to
carry out their purpose, and having burnt
out all their lantern candles. Jones, furious
at this, set fire to a large ship that was
aground, surrounded by at least one
hundred and fifty others. A barrel of tar was
poured upon the flames, and the conflagration
soon spread. The Whitehaven people
gathered at this, buzzing and angry; but
Paul, pistol in hand, standing between
them and the burning ship, drove them
back in a frightened crowd. Releasing
all their prisoners but three, as the boats
could not carry them, Jones's men
re-embarked without opposition. The moment the
boats were well off, the Whitehaven people
ran to the forts, but the thirty cannon lay
all spiked, and there were only two
dismounted guns on the beach which were
available. With these the Cumberland
men commenced a hot but ill-directed fire
on the boats, Paul's men replying in
bravado by discharging their pistols. Only
one of Jones's men was missing, and in the
descent no one on either side had been
killed or wounded.

Standing over now for the Scotch shore,
Paul arrived at noon at St. Mary's Isle,
in hopes of capturing Lord Selkirk, and
using him as a hostage to secure a fair
exchange of prisoners during the war. He
landed with one boat only, and a very
small party. Lord Selkirk being absent,
Paul, according to his own despatch to
Franklin, was on the point of leaving the
island, when his officers began to complain
of getting no plunder, whereas in America
the English had not only destroyed rich
men's houses, but burnt hovels, and carried
off poor men's cows. The American
captain, seeing no other means of gratifying
his turbulent men, compelled Lady Selkirk
to surrender family plate valued at six
hundred and fifty pounds. This plate Paul
afterwards purchased, and returned to the
countess, with a romantic gallantry worthy
of the days of chivalry.

About this time also Paul Jones went
round to the Firth of Forth, and suddenly
made his appearance off the "lang town
of Kirkcaldy" to the horror of the Fifeshire
people, who looked upon him as a