Mate died on the passage; and John Paul, being the only man on board capable of taking charge of the vessel, navigated her for the remainder of the voyage, and had occasion to cause one of the men to be severely punished for misconduct. It was reported that his death was occasioned by said flogging, but this has been disproved by legal evidence. "This report having reached Lord Selkrig" (so given in the original), "his Lordship resolved to prosecute Paul on his return to Scotland*; which occasioned his betaking himself to America, and entering the naval service of that country. He did not assume the name of Paul Jones' until he had become a citizen of America. The expressed determination of Lord Selkrig to bring Paul to trial occasioned his dislike, and induced him to endeavour to obtain possession of his Lordship's person when he made his descent on St. Mary's Isle. "There is a funeral stone erected by the son over his father's grave in our churchyard; and there is engraved upon it, Erected by John Paul in memory of his father, who was universally esteemed.' "The mansion-house of Arbigland is within two miles of this (Kirkbean) manse. I believe John Paul's father was principally employed in laying out the grounds about it and planting the trees, which have now become very large and ornamental. The father's name was also John Paul, and the mother's name was Jean M'Duff: she was the daughter of a small farmer in the neighbouring parish, New Abbey. This, their youngest son, was born, according to a printed life of him in Mr. Craik's possession, on the 5th of July, 1747; but Mr. Craik told me to-day that he believed him to have been born several years earlier (1742). He used to carry about the present laird of Arbigland, then a child, on his back." In the above narrative we have a plain unvarnished account of the origin of this extraordinary man, who by his audacity rather than any great skill he possessed, raised himself to a degree of consequence which he could scarcely, in his most sanguine moments, have anticipated. All must be familiar with the circumstance of his having in command of the Ranger privateer, made a descent upon St. Mary's Isle, and plundered the house of the Earl of Selkirk +. His design appears to have * A curious and somewhat humorous account of this hero-which, however, bears certain marks of authenticity about it-is found in a work entitled "The Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia," by John Mactaggart, published in 1824. He states that, on one occasion, Jones was beset by a press-gang in Liverpool, who boarded a sloop he then commanded, and that he killed three men, and threw the rest over the vessel's side into the Salthouse Dock. It is further stated, that, when in command of a vessel belonging to Kirkcudbright, and bound to America, a lad on board, from some cause, irritated him very much; upon which, Jones caught up a ladle of pitch boiling on the deck, and threw it over the lad, who, being distracted with the pain, jumped overboard and was drowned. The Earl of Selkirk, having heard of this diabolical act, openly vowed vengeance against Paul if he ever returned to England; and this having reached our hero's ears, gave him the first notion of changing his mode of life. In reference to this particular transaction we have the pleasure of presenting our readers with an accurate copy of the letter addressed by Paul Jones to the Countess of Selkirk,-which has never, as a whole, before appeared in print. It strikes us as the finest specimen of the "mock-heroic" extant :— "Ranger, Brest, 8th May, 1778. "MADAM,-It cannot be too much lamented that in the profession of arms the officer of fine feelings, and of real sensibility, should be under the necessity of wink been principally to obtain possession of the Earl's person, his reason for which is variously given. Some have imagined that Jones's intention was simply to extort money by way of ransom. But the authority just quoted would lead us to believe that the whole was the result of pique, and that Jones's chief object was to show his power. ing at any action of persons under his command which his heart cannot approve ; but the infliction is doubly severe when he finds himself obliged in appearance to countenance such action by his authority. "This hard case was mine when, on the 23rd April last, I landed on St. Mary's Isle. Knowing Lord Selkirk's interest with his King, and esteeming, as I do, his private character, I wished to make him the happy instrument of alleviating the horrors of hopeless captivity when the brave are overpowered and made prisoners of It was, perhaps, fortunate for you, Madam, that he was from home; for it was my intention to have taken him on board the Ranger, and to have detained him until, through his means, a general and fair exchange of prisoners, as well in Europe as in America, had been effected. war. "When I was informed by some men whom I met at landing that his Lordship was absent, I walked back to my boat, determining to leave the island: by the way, however, some officers who were with me could not forbear expressing their discontent, observing that in America no delicacy was shown by the English, who took away all sorts of moveable property, setting fire not only to towns and to the houses of the rich without distinction, but not even sparing the wretched hamlets and milch cows of the poor and helpless, at the approach of an inclement winter. That party had been with me as volunteers the same morning at Whitehaven; some complaisance, therefore, was their due. I had but a moment to think how I might gratify them, and at the same time do your Ladyship the least injury. I charged the two officers to permit none of the seamen to enter the house, or to hurt anything about it; to treat you, Madam, with the utmost respect,―to accept of the plate which was offered, and to come away without making any search, or demanding anything else. I am induced to believe that I was punctually obeyed; since I am informed that the plate which they brought away is far short of the quantity expressed in the inventory which accompanied it. I have gratified my men, and when the plate is sold I shall become the purchaser, and will gratify my own feelings by restoring it to you, by such conveyance as you shall please to direct. "Had the Earl been on board the Ranger the following evening, he would have seen the awful pomp and dreadful carnage of a sea-engagement; both affording ample subject for the pencil, as well as melancholy reflection for the contemplative mind. Humanity starts back from such scenes of horror, and cannot but execrate the vile promoters of this detested war. For they, 'twas they, unsheathed the ruthless blade, The British ship-of-war Drake, mounting 20 guns, with more than her full com. plement of officers and men, besides a number of volunteers, came out from Carrickfergus, in order to attack and take the American continental ship-of-war Ranger, of 18 guns, and short of her complement of officers and men. The ships met, and the advantage was disputed with great fortitude on each side for an hour and five minutes, when the gallant Commander of the Drake fell, and victory declared in favour of the Ranger. His amiable Lieutenant lay mortally wounded, besides near forty of the inferior officers and crew killed and wounded. A melancholy demonstration of the uncertainty of human prospects, and of the sad reverse of fortune which an hour can produce. I buried them in a spacious gravet, with the honours due to the memory of the brave. I "Though I have drawn my sword in the present generous struggle for the rights of men, yet I am not in arms as an American, nor am I in pursuit of riches. My fortune is liberal enough, having no wife nor family, and having lived long enough to know that riches cannot insure happiness. I profess myself a citizen of the world, totally unfettered by the little mean distinctions of climate or of country, which * This is false, as is almost the whole sentence following.-J. A, † Meaning, no doubt, that he threw them overboard.-J. A. His capture of the 18-gun sloop, Drake, of inferior force, the Captain and Lieutenant of which (George Burdon and William Dobbs) were killed, added very considerable éclat to his marauding excursion. One point must here be remarked upon as having given great advantages to Jones. His accurate knowledge of the coast of Scotland, upon which he was aware no adequate naval force was stationed, gave confidence to his proceedings, and assured success to his plans. He entered Brest harbour with his trophy of war, and his achievement was not suffered to languish under obscurity and neglect. The Drake was magnified until looked upon as a frigate, and the Ranger diminished in an equal ratio. His next essay was infinitely less successful, (thanks to the valour of Captain Pearson and his gallant crew,) though subjected also by the French to the same crescendo and diminuendo process we have just detailed; and it is possible another instance of his prowess might have been afforded, had it not been for the line of conduct Jones subsequently pursued. Haughty and overbearing in the extreme, he quarrelled with Capt. Landais, and attempted to take the Alliance from him; but the French Government supported Landais, and Jones soon found himself without the means of coping with the squadrons sent in pursuit of him. Thus the spirit of arrogance which had led him onwards to the position he gained proved a barrier to his further advancement; and his after career was marked by various degradations, which must, one would think, have been to him insupportable. Such was his appointment to diminish the benevolence of the heart, and set bounds to philanthropy. Before this war began, I had, at an early time of life, withdrawn from the sea service in favour of calm contemplation and poetic ease.' I have sacrificed not only my favourite scheme of life, but the softer affections of the heart, and my prospects of domestic happiness; and I am ready to sacrifice my life also with cheerfulness, if that forfeiture could restore peace and good will among mankind. As the feelings of your gentle bosom cannot but be congenial with mine, let me intreat you, madam, to use your soft persuasive arts with your husband to endeavour to stop this cruel and destructive war, in which Britain never can succeed. Heaven can never countenance the barbarous and unmanly practices of the Britons in America, which savages would blush at, and which, if not discontinued, will soon be retaliated in Britain by a justly enraged people. Should you fail in this, (for I am persuaded you will attempt it, and who can resist the power of such an advocate?) your endeavours to effect a general exchange of prisoners will be an act of humanity which will afford you golden feelings on a death-bed. "I hope this cruel contest will soon be closed; but should it continue, I wage no war with the Fair. I acknowledge their power, and bend before it with profound submission; let not therefore the amiable Countess of Selkirk regard me as an enemy. I am ambitious of her esteem and friendship, and would do anything consistent with my duty to merit it. The honour of a line from your hand in answer to this, will lay me under a very singular obligation; and if I can render you any acceptable service in France or elsewhere, I hope you can see into my character so far as to command me without the least grain of reserve *. "I wish to know exactly the behaviour of my people, as I determine to punish them if they have exceeded their liberty. I have the honour to be, with much esteem, and with profound respect, Madam, "Your most obedient and most humble servant, "To the Right Hon. the Countess of Selkirk, St. Mary's Isle, Scotland." "JNO, P. JONES. We do not remember to have seen anything at all approaching the above paragraph in egotism, ignorance, or impudence, except, perhaps, in the celebrated compositions of Tittlebat Titmouse, Esquire. the command of the Russian fleet. The officers, many of them English, on being made acquainted with the appointment, instantly resigned their commissions; and the Empress, fearing the dilemma in which she was about to be placed, decided on retaining her tried officers, and cancelled Jones's appointment. This remarkable man died at Paris, July 18, 1792, in the fortyfifth year of his age, according to the American accounts, but, by Mr. Craik's supposition, he must have been five years older. It is asserted by some authorities that he died in poverty, and by others that he had amassed considerable wealth; but it is difficult now to determine between the two opposite statements. The Biographie Universelle contains the following sketch of his person and character, and as the latter appears to be in a great degree unprejudiced, we think it acceptable in this place. "Paul Jones* was of middle stature and thickset, of a surly, taciturn, and harsh temperament; domineering, and eager for glory. He was so excessively vain that he attached no value to any plan which he had not himself originated; and if in execution it chanced not to succeed he invariably laid the blame of the failure either to the jealousy of his officers or mutinous behaviour of his crew. It cannot be denied that he was more than ordinarily brave, his bravery often bordering ontemerity; and he also possessed an extensive knowledge of naval tactics, while his mind was capable of conceiving the boldest projects, which he. was never at a loss in putting into practice." MEANS OF SECRET COMMUNICATION IN ANCIENT ARMIES. BY H. CURLING, H.P. 52ND. THE extraordinary means by which the warriors of the olden time contrived to communicate with each other whilst cooped up and surrounded by their adversaries in the beleaguered city, or the tented field, will be found, on perusal of those old worm-eaten works wherein such contrivances are dilated on, well worthy of the contemplation of the curious in military matters. It is my purpose in this paper to set forth some of the practices the "old soldier" resorted to when war (less civilized than in later days) was a war of extermination. At the same time, it was the business of life, and harness of proof "your only wear." In those days of iron men, then, it would appear that a considerable deal more ingenuity was wont to be displayed than is either customary or at all necessary in our own times; and the means used by the ancients to communicate their intentions, necessities, and perils, to their advancing or distant allies, so contrived, in many instances, that if, by adverse circumstances, the Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 501, pp. 263, 264, contains an account of Paul Jones, highly eulogistic, and to a certain degree interesting. The writer, however, to his eternal disgrace, if a subject of Great Britain, has had the audacity to conclude his article by stating-"He" (Paul Jones) "had all the spirit and all the talent which under favourable circumstances present to the world Bonapartes and Nelsons." The Author of the Wooden Walls cannot but express his astonishment. at Messrs. Chambers for permitting such a gross profanation of the IMMORTAL NELSON'S name to stain the pages of their Journal. messenger and his letter happened to be intercepted, the communication being artfully worded, although it failed in the immediate purpose in hand, it yet might serve the turn of misleading the foe; by which means, when so completely blocked up and surrounded by fierce and savage foes, that (unless the bird of the air could take their message in his flight, or the blind mole burrow with it through the firm-set earth), their case seemed altogether hopeless, they have yet managed, by some swift and secret intelligence, either to obtain a diversion in their favour, or gain assistance from their friends. For example, an alphabet having been agreed upon amongst the host, ere separated and detached in a hostile country, with the letters so marked, or varied, as to be understood by themselves alone, it was frequently the custom of the ancients, in their extremity, to write that which, on being unluckily intercepted, would, as I have before said, although it failed in obtaining them the succours or assistance they required, at least, mislead their enemies as to their real situation. No. 1.-Involved Epistles of the Ancients. In the first place, then, we will exemplify the means resorted to in very early times of writing a letter, with the help of two alphabets-the letters of which were so nearly similar, that, unless previously agreed on and fully comprehended by the allies, it was almost impossible to detect the involved meaning of the scrawl. 1ST AND 2ND Alphabets. a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w y z a b c d e f g hikm n o p q r 8 t u V w x y z Now, if by these alphabets we write the following letter, it will be found to answer the purposes described above, FROM THE BESIEGED. Wee prosper still in our affaires and shall without hauing any further helpe endure the seige. Giving (as mentioned), in case of being intercepted, a false account of prosperous times and full granaries, where, in truth, there was nothing but " a bare-ribb'd death" in prospect; for if the letters of the second alphabet be picked out of this smiling and confident epistle, the situation of the garrison will be fully described with military brevity sufficient to satisfy the Great Captain of our own times— Wee perish with hunger helpe us. Another way of secret writing was to express all the letters by any five of them doubled; for instance, A B C D E doubled into the following alphabet да A B C D E F G H I K bd be W X Y Z ca cb CC cd ce 0% &c. By which contrivance, that which appeared an incomprehensible jumble of letters, "signifying nothing" if intercepted, might convey a certain and true account of the situation or wants of the besieged; for instance, "I am betrayed," may be thus written Bd aa cb ab ae dd db aa ec ae ad I a mbet a y e d |