Recd. from Capt. Richard Deal the sum of Twenty one pounds seventeen and sixpence for thirty five days work on Board the ShipCount De Artois. July 27. 1782.Theobald Jennings
Recd. from Capt. Richard Deal the sum of Twenty one pounds seventeen and sixpence for thirty five days work on Board the ShipCount De Artois. July 27. 1782.
Theobald Jennings
and
Reserved, August the 11—1782 of Mr. Richard Dale twenty Eight pounds as an Advance to gow in the ShipQueen of France——£28.00.00.James Dick
Reserved, August the 11—1782 of Mr. Richard Dale twenty Eight pounds as an Advance to gow in the ShipQueen of France——
£28.00.00.
James Dick
Another log is also contained in the book. It immediately follows the "List of the Officers and Crew of theAriel," and is headed, "A Journal Kept on Board the ShipQueen of France, from Cape Henlopen towards Lorient." Beginning on August 20, 1782, it records the courses, distances run, the latitudes and longitudes of each day, up to and including September 10th, when the ship was in latitude 47° 19' N. and longitude 19° 15' W. There are no entries in the column under "Remarks."
Importance is attached to this log because it shows conclusively that the book was in the possession of Dale until the end of the cruise of theQueen of France, in February, 1783, about the time of the end of the Revolution.
From Cooper's "Life of Richard Dale" we learn that after his return to the United States in theArielJones was anxious to take him with him to the shipAmerica, to which Jones had been appointed, but Dale declined the service and was employed on theTrumbull, which was captured by an Englishfleet, and for the fourth time Dale was made prisoner, but was exchanged in November, 1781. No new service in the regular navy offering, Dale obtained a furlough and joined a large letter-of-marque called theQueen of France, that carried twelve guns, as her first officer. Soon after he was appointed to the command of her and, in company with several other letters-of-marque, sailed for France, making many captures by the way. Dale's ship, however, parted from the fleet, and, falling in with an English privateer of fourteen guns, a severe engagement followed, in which both parties were much cut up, and they parted by mutual consent.[19]
Upon the termination of hostilities, in common with most of the officers of the navy, Dale was "disbanded," and engaged in the East India trade until 1792, when he was restored to the navy as captain in the reorganized marine.
It was probably during this period that our log-book passed into the possession of Jones, who was urging his claims for rank and prize money before Congress.[20]Failing to obtain what he termed "proper consideration," after a cruise with the French fleet Jones was commissioned as agent to look after the prizes made on his cruises in European waters and sailed for France November 10, 1783, in theWashington, lateGeneral Monk, the ship captured by Barney in theHyder-Allyand then commanded by Barney. Jones left in the care of a Mr. Hyslop of New York a portion of his papers, being the same which later turned up in the keeping of the baker in New York, and upon which Sherburne based his life of Jones, and from him the logs of theRangerandBon Homme Richardappear to have been purchased in 1824 by Captain Boyd, before alluded to. But Jones took with him those papers which he deemed most important to the discharge of his mission to France, not the least of which was the book containingthe muster-roll of theBon Homme Richard, which probably was the only authentic and official list then in existence, and indispensable to the proceedings in the French prize courts.
The papers and property of Jones, upon his death in Paris in 1792, passed to his sister Mrs. Taylor, and upon them as a base followed the Edinburgh "Life of Jones," also that by Sands—by all conceded to be the best of the numerous biographies of Jones—while Sherburne's book, published in 1825, is properly criticized as a chaotic compilation, creating inextricable confusion in the mind of a reader.
There has always been some difficulty in finding a correct muster-roll of theBon Homme Richard.[21]The list published by Sherburne he states is made from "official sources," and is shown by the correspondence on the subject to have been made from "a certified copy of a copy." This is undoubtedly the document now in the Congressional Library, being a copy, written by a Frenchman, of the muster-roll filed by Jones in the French prize courts and certified to by him as correct. As this list corresponds with great exactness to the muster-roll of the officers and crew of theBon Homme Richard, making due allowances for desertions, men sent away in prizes, and possibly new enlistments, it seems evident that the original basis of the lists was that contained in the log-book. The names of the French volunteers and marines were not entered in the muster-roll, but were probably ascertained by Jones in France, and added to the copy filed by him.
The editor has alluded to the fact that the logs of theSerapis,Alliance, andAriel, as well as the list of the officers and crew of theAriel, are all written by the same hand. The penmanship is remarkably good, the orthography correct, showing the writer to have had some pretensions to scholarship and clerical ability, much more than that shown by either Dale or Lunt. It had been conjectured that the writer was Midshipman Nathaniel Fanning, who served under an appointment by Joneson theRichard,Serapis,Alliance, andAriel. He it was who, stationed in the maintop, threw, or caused to be thrown, the bomb which, exploding on the gun-deck of theSerapis, created such havoc as to have been largely instrumental in bringing the action to a close.
Fanning has left a narrative of his life, in which he claims to have been Jones' private secretary, and to have had close and intimate relations with him. He also refers to the journal kept by him, and the dates of the occurrences, as stated at length in his narrative, correspond with some accuracy with the same events as recorded in the several logs.[22]The journal of theArielceases when Fanning left theAriel, probably because of the slight misunderstanding recorded in theAriel'slog on the 2d of September, an occurrence which sufficiently accounts for Fanning's severe criticisms of Jones, given in his narrative, with frequent allusions to his ungovernable temper.
Another reason for the conjecture arose from the fact that the name of Nathaniel Fanning, as well as that of Beaumont Groube, both in the muster-roll of theRichardand theAriel, are in the unmistakable handwriting of the penman of the logs. As opposed to the conjecture, however, the name of Nathaniel Fanning is spelled Fenning in theRichard'slist, while in that of theArielit is correctly spelled.
This caused the editor to make further investigations, as it was apparent that if Fanning was not, possibly Midshipman Groube was, the writer of the logs, particularly as he had been considered competent to act as judge-advocate of a number of courts martial, and, inferentially, was a better scholar than other officers under Jones' command.
Availing himself of the cordial assistance of Mr. Putnam, the Librarian of Congress, and Mr. Hunt, chief of the Manuscripts Division, the editor procured a facsimile of a long letter written by Beaumont Groube to Captain Bell, commandingthe privateerLuzerne, then at L'Orient, dated May 3, 1780, when both Groube and Fanning were attached to theAlliance, asking his good offices in accommodating a quarrel with Lieutenant Degge, one of the officers then on theAlliance.
Upon comparison of the penmanship of this letter with that of the logs, it was established, beyond any possible doubt, that Midshipman Groube was the scribe of all three logs, the handwriting being identical.[23]
There is a certain amount of interest attached to Midshipman Groube, growing out of the fact that there are a great many contemporaneous prints which represent Jones in the act of shooting a Lieutenant Grubb for attempting to haul down the colors of theRichard. As there was no Lieutenant Grubb in the ship, Groube has been made, by writers of numerous chap-books, the victim of this act of Jones. These chap-books are mainly fabrications of their authors and engravers, and may properly be called the "dime novels" of the period.
Groube probably returned to the United States with Jones in theAriel, although he discontinued keeping the log on the 14th of October, 1780. He seems to have disappeared, as no further trace of him can be found, nor is there any account of his previous life. It is evident, however, that he was a young man of good education, as shown by his handwriting and correct spelling—unusual accomplishments of the sailors of that period—as well as from his selection as judge-advocate of the many courts martial held on the officers and men of theRichard[24]when that ship was fitting for sea at L'Orient.
The editor would call attention to the fact that, although the greater part of Jones' voluminous correspondence is now deposited in the Library of Congress, Mrs. Taylor, or her daughter Jeanette Taylor, parted with many interesting documents, and there are also to be found in the hands of individuals many others which have never been published. Besides the log-bookshere printed—as well as the log-books of theRangerandBon Homme Richardheretofore referred to—Miss Taylor informed Mr. Cooper that she had given Jones' original commission as lieutenant, dated August 8, 1776, to some one in Scotland as an autograph of President Hancock. The original certificate of Hancock, appointing him to the command of theProvidence, is in the editor's collection, while his commission, dated October 10, 1776, of which Sherburne in his edition of 1851 prints a facsimile, is now in private hands.
On the following four pages are reproduced for the purpose of a comparison of the handwriting facsimiles of the first page of theSerapis'log, and opposite it a page from a letter by Beaumont Groube. On the two subsequent pages are the continuation of the letter and a page from the ship's muster-roll. Almost at a glance it can be seen that the two signatures were written by the same hand and that the writing in the log and that in the letter are identical as to penmanship.
Miss Taylor also presented to a relative the original certificate of Jones' membership in the Society of the Cincinnati, signed by Washington, dated October 31, 1785, which is now owned by Colonel N. Arnott of Edinburgh, a descendant of the Paul family.[25]The original commission of Jones authorizing him to arrange the difficulties with the Barbary powers is in the remarkable collection of Mr. Grenville Kane, of New York. Eighteen autograph letters from and to Jones are now offered for sale by a London dealer for the modest sum of $5,000; these evidently escaped from the Taylor family.
The editor has deemed it not uninteresting, although not immediately connected with the principal object of this publication, to refer to the dispersion of Jones' letters and public documents, and to print in the Appendix an interesting letter to Commodore Esek Hopkins,[26]also a letter from Captain James Nicholson to Commodore John Barry relating to Jones' efforts before Congress to be placed at the head of the navy, both of which are in the editor's collection of manuscripts. In the Appendix will also be found a copy of a letter of Jones, addressed to John Wendell—which as a composition may be considered as one of the most remarkable of all his epistolary effusions. The original letter is now in the possession of the Wendell family. None of these letters have ever been published.[27]
In concluding this preamble to the logs, it will be noted that the editor has supplemented the ship's stories by drawing largely upon the accounts of the events, barely touched upon in the remarks to be found in the numerous biographies of John Paul Jones, and upon the papers relating to his career now deposited in the Congressional Library. This has been done because it was possible that, as the biographies are out of print and rather scarce, they might not be readily available to many of the readers.
The first authentic "Life of Jones," throwing aside the numerous so-called chap-books, was that of André, published in French in Paris, 1798, translated and republished in "Niles' Register" for the year 1812. Following the discovery of Jones' letters, Sherburne produced his first edition in 1825. The manuscript of this first edition he sent also to John Murray in London, who caused it to be edited by Disraeli, later the Earl of Beaconsfield, and published the book in the same year, 1825.[28]The preface of this book, according to the editor of the "Life of Disraeli," was the earliest appearance of Disraeli as an author. Sherburne was aware of the existence of the papers in the possession of the Taylor family, and endeavored to obtain them; but his request was refused, as they were already in the hands of the author of the Edinburgh "Life of Jones," published in 1830.
Then followed the "Life of Jones" by Robert C. Sands, from the original letters and manuscripts in the possession of Miss Jeanette Taylor—New York, 1830. Mackenzie's "Life," in 1845, and Cooper's "Life," in 1846—both based upon Sands and Sherburne—contain but few additional matters of interest. Sherburne's "Life," published in 1825, was so freely criticized that a second edition, corrected and enlarged, was published in 1851.
Several other lives of Paul Jones, simply reproductions of the foregoing, with illustrations, and in cheaper popular form, have also appeared, worthy of place only in a bibliography. Later we have the "Life" by Buell, which, although he calls it a history, is simply a pleasing, popular romance.
The history of the logs here reproduced may be thought somewhat obscure, being founded upon some conjectures, deductions, and probabilities, as well as absolute facts. The editor purchased the log-book at the sale of the library of Mr. S. L. M. Barlow, of New York, in 1889, it being item No. 2760 in the catalogue prepared by Mr. J. O. Wright. Mr. Wright states that Mr. Barlow acquired the book through Mr. Harrisse or Mr. Stevens, of London, some time previous to 1869.
The portrait facing the title-page has been selected from the numerous engraved portraits of Jones as not only the best authentic likeness taken from life, excepting perhaps the bust by Houdon, but the earliest in point of execution, having been drawn by a celebrated artist, Moreau le Jeune, in May, 1780, when Jones was in command of theAlliance, at L'Orient.
The portrait by Charles W. Peale, now in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, was executed seven years later, and has been reproduced many times. A comparison of the two with the Houdon bust demonstrates at once that the Moreau le Jeune portrait is by far the more faithful likeness, and of a greater personality than Peale's painting, with which we are more familiar. The great number of engraved contemporaneous so-called portraits of Jones attest the interest attached to his career in Europe. Many of them are purely imaginative, and exist in all forms of engraving from the grand folio mezzotint to the absurd caricature, and have formed the special object of pursuit by many collectors of Americana, with the result of extraordinary values for the rare ones, including the one here reproduced.
The most remarkable collection of Jones' portraits, and picturesrelating to Jones' career, is that of Mr. Grenville Kane, of New York.
The picture of the engagement is a rare print, and has been selected instead of the more familiar one taken from the painting by Richard Paton.
The original painting by Paton is owned by the heirs of Lord Amherst, whose ancestral estate included Flamborough Head, off which the famous battle was fought. It has recently been offered for sale for the sum of £3000.
In concluding this introduction to the logs, it has been the editor's purpose to avoid repeating the incidents of Jones' life related in his numerous biographies or quoting literally from his voluminous correspondence, but he has referred to them only in so far as they seemed to be connected in some measure with the log stories. The letters given in the Appendix have been copied from the originals and have never before been printed, while the extracts from Fanning's narrative are taken from a book of which very few copies are in existence.
A reprint of this narrative has been contemplated by the executive committee as one of the future publications of the Society, it being the only known autobiography of a man and officer who served under Jones in European waters.
It remains for the editor to express his acknowledgments to Mr. Robert W. Neeser, the secretary of the Society, for his very able assistance in the preparation of this volume for the press, in correcting and revising the proof-sheets, and in verifying the references.
To Mr. Herbert Putnam, Librarian of the Congressional Library, and his able assistants Mr. Gaillard Hunt and Mr. J. C. Fitzpatrick, the editor's thanks are due for their interest and assistance, as well as to Mr. Charles W. Stewart, the Librarian of the Navy Department.
The absence of Rear-admiral Goodrich, at whose instance the Naval History Society was organized, this publication undertaken, and whose coöperation was expected, has contributed to the delay in the publication, for which the editor begs the indulgence of the members of the Society.
Print Published in London, First of December, 1781By John Harris, Sweetings Alley, Cornhill.
"To the Merchants trading to Russia, this Print representing the gallant Defence of Capt.nPearson in his Majesty's Ship Serapis, and the Countess of Scarborough Arm'd Ship Capt.nPiercy, against Paul Jones's Squadron, whereby a valuable Fleet from the Baltic were prevented from falling into the hands of the Enemy, is with the greatest respect Inscribed by their Humble Servant.
John Harris."
Ships.
THE LOGS OF THESERAPIS—ALLIANCE—ARIEL
(List of Officers and Men of the Continental Ship, Bon Homme Richard)(July the 26th, 1779)
A List of Officers and Men, belonging to the American Continental Ship of War (Ariel) Commanded by the Honble John Paul Jones Esqr[29]
A List of The Men Names that has Desarted fromThe Bone Homme Richard, Lorient July. 19th. 1779
A List of Officers, & Men, belonging to the American Continental Ship of War, Ariel, Commanded, by the Honble, John Paul Jones