at the Hague, and whose name I think was Sir Joseph Yorke, made heavy complaints to the Prince of Orange, and their High Mightinesses, on the score of our being in a Dutch port; and that they had suffered his Britannic majesty's rebel subjects to take refuge in the Texel who had made prizes of two of his Majesty's ships of war; and that the Dutch admiral had countenanced this measure, by protecting the said rebels, otherwise his majesty's ships which were dispatched from England on purpose to capture these rebel vessels, would have taken every one of them. Soon after this there appeared to be a coolness existing between the Dutch admiral and the American commodore, as they did not after this visit each other as usual.

Captain Jones now set off for Amsterdam, and was there well received by the Dutch, and treated with every mark of distinction, which gave great umbrage to the English minister, who had the impudence to require of the Dutch government the delivering up of the two English ships of war, and all the English prisoners then in our possession; and to this he demanded a categorical answer. The Dutch government were intimidated, and wished for time to deliberate upon so important a subject; the English minister was not willing to allow more than three days for the Dutch government to draw up an answer; this the government thought too short a time, and the minister threatened to leave the Hague and embark for England. While at Amsterdam, Captain Jones was caressed the same as though he had been in the Dutch service, and they at war with England; in fact he was treated as a conqueror. This so elated him with pride, that he had the vanity to go into the state house,' mount the balcony or piazza, and shew himself in the front thereof, to the populace and people of distinction then walking on the public parade. Not long after this, cartels were fitted up (at what A very magnificent building.

government's expense I never heard) and the English officers, together with all the English prisoners who had been captured by our little squadron, were embarked on board these cartels and sent to England: whether an equal number of American prisoners to the English were afterwards exchanged for them I know not; but this much I know, that Captain Jones assured us this was the case. The crews on board of our vessels at this time were so very sickly that we lost a number of men. We had now begun to repair the Serapis, and had employed a number of Dutch carpenters, who, together with our own, were busily at work, when orders were received from Amsterdam, from the Commodore, who was still there, to Mr. Dale, to get out the jury masts, and that we should have sent us from that place the next day, three new masts to replace those on board our ship which had been lost. Accordingly, carpenters as well as sailors, were immediately set to work in order to get ready for getting in the new masts that were expected. The next day counter orders arrived from the Commodore, and the jury were again erected and rigged as before, and preparations were again likewise made for sailing at a moment's warning; in this business the crews of the different ships in our squadron assisted us. The next day fresh orders were received from headquarters (Amsterdam), the purport of which was to unrig and get out the jury masts again, and make ready to receive the new masts. In fine, orders and counter orders were in like manner and form received on board of the Serapis every day for about ten days successively, which kept all hands constantly at work night and day; until at last we received our new masts alongside and got them in their places; got our topmasts on end, our yards athwart and rigged, provisions on board, and were once more ready for sea by the 16th of October;* when about ten o'clock at night of the same, the Commodore arrived on board from November is meant.-[ED.]

Amsterdam, and gave immediate orders for all the officers and crew of the Serapis to evacuate her and repair on board of the frigate Alliance. These orders were executed with as much silence as possible, about midnight; and Captain Cotteneau of the Pallais, with a set of officers and crew, occupied our places on board of the Serapis, and the next morning the French colours were displayed on board of her. A French captain and crew at the same time possessed the Countess of Scarborough. All this, it seems, was done by advice having been received from the French ambassador then at the Hague, and the American agent at Amsterdam. This was done to obstruct the evil intentions of the Dutch government, who were about to deliver these prizes into the hands of the English. From the repeated remonstrances made to the Dutch government, accompanied with threats by the English minister, on account of these two English ships of war, taken by his Britannic Majesty's rebellious subjects, it was fully known that the Dutch government had come to a determination to deliver the two prizes in question up to the English. This, as it appeared afterwards, came to the knowledge of the French Minister and the American agent; they sent orders to abandon the two English ships, and to place each under a French captain, officers and crew of the same nation. This manoeuvre completely outgeneraled the English minister, and frustrated the designs of the Dutch government.

The French minister now claimed both prizes, in the name of the French King, of the Dutch; and stated at the same time, that they had been captured by his most Christian Majesty's subjects, and that if they delivered them up to the English, they must be sensible after such a breach of faith on their part, that he should immediately quit the Hague ('sans ceremonie') and repair to the French court. The English fleet were still lying off the Texel bar to receive the Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough, as the English

minister had acquainted the English commander, which was afterwards known by us from an intercepted letter to the English commander, that the Dutch government had agreed to deliver them upon a certain day. Soon after this the two prize ships having taken advantage of the English squadron's absence from off the bar, they having been driven by a violent gale of wind some distance to the Northward of it, put to sea and arrived safe at L'Orient, in France, together with the rest of the squadron, excepting the Alliance frigate.

Jones having now the command of the Alliance, at this time had two sets of officers actually on board, besides the remainder of the crew of the Good Man Richard, and her officers, and the officers which properly belonged to the Alliance made out the two sets. The whole number of officers and men now on board of that ship, including boys, amounted to four hundred and twenty-seven nearly all Americans. We now thought ourselves able to take any 44 gun ship in the British navy, and Captain Jones took much pains to impress this idea on the minds of his officers and crew.

A journal was found on board of the Serapis, well written, and formerly kept by a midshipman who had belonged to that ship, and who was killed in the late action. It seems by this journal that the young man who had kept it had been in America, and was on board of one of Lord Dunmore's vessels, which committed such ravages in the southern states, during our revolutionary war. I must confess that my blood was chilled, and my mind struck with horror, in perusing some of the pages of this journal. He vaunted the numerous exploits which he had performed in America against the rebels. It seems by his own story, that he had murdered numbers of decrepit old men and women! * * * * I had a mind at first to have this curious journal printed, to hold up to the view of my countrymen *Omitted because unfit to print.—[ED.]

and countrywomen, a specimen of British humanity! But, reflecting that this young Englishman might have still living, an aged father and mother, and perhaps sisters too; and that its publicity might wound their feelings; and, notwithstanding the enormities which this young man had been guilty of, his parents, sisters and brothers, might be possessed of all the tender feelings of humanity. Besides, he might have been prompted to commit these horrid deeds by examples set him by his superior officers. And in addition thereto, what finally urged me not to make his journal in detail public, was, conforming myself to the good old adage which says, 'we should never speak ill of the dead!'

We were now ready for sailing, but the British squadron before spoken of blockaded the entrance of the Texel, and we were obliged still to continue in our present situation. The Alliance was now unrigged, her yards and topmasts were got down by Capt. Jones's orders; her tops were also got down upon deck, and the carpenters were directed to make new ones, and to make them large so as to hold more men, as Jones had, it seems, a great opinion since the late battle, of having always several men stationed in the top of a ship of war. Our main and fore yards were at the same time reduced in bigness, as well as in length; before this, those yards were nearly as large and as square as an English 74's.

Two of our midshipmen, Choram and Morant, expressed their wishes to Captain Jones to leave the service; and as they had while with him, been only volunteers on board, Captain Jones consented, and gave each a certificate, and one was also given at the same time to myself and the other midshipmen, six in number* who

The Midshipmen were: Reuben Chase-Benjamin Stubbs-Thomas Potter-Beaumont Groube (or Grubb)-John Mayrant (of S. C.)-John Linthwaite (of S. C.)-William DanielRichard Coram (of N. H.) (Jones says of S. C.)—Nathaniel Fanning-(Sherburne adds the name of Benjamin Lundy).

Chase's great-granddaughter Miss Mary J. Chase is still living at Nantucket, Mass. Chase is said to have been the model for Cooper's "Long Tom Coffin."-[ED.]