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found her to be an American ship of war, called the Bon Homme Richard, of 40 guns and 375 men, commanded by Captain Paul Jones; the other frigate which engaged us to be the Alliance, of 40 guns, and 300 men; and the third frigate, which engaged and took the Countess of Scarborough, after two hours action, to be the Pallas, a French frigate, of 30 guns and 275 men; the Vengeance, an armed brig, of 12 guns, and 70. men; all in congress service, under the command of Paul Jones. They fitted out and sailed from Port L'Orient the latter end of July, and came north about. They have on board 300 English prisoners, which they have taken in different vessels in their way round since they left France, and have ransomed some others. On my going on board the Bon Homme Richard, I found her in the greatest distress, her quarters and counter on the lower deck entirely drove in, and the whole of her lower deck guns dismounted; she was also on fire in two places, and six or seven feet of water in her hold, which kept increasing upon them all night and the next day, till they were obliged to quit her, and she sunk with a great number of her wounded people on board her.—She had 300 men killed and wounded in the action, Our loss in the Serapis was also very great.
"My officers, and people in general, behaved well; and I should be very remiss in my attention to their merits, were I to omit recommending them to their Lordships' favour.
"I must at the same time beg leave to inform their Lordships, that Captain Piercy, in the Countess of Scarborough, was not the least remiss in his duty, he having given me every assistance in his power; and as much as could be expected from such a ship, in engaging the attention of the Pallas, a frigate of 32 guns, during the whole action.
