Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/698

C78 JONES William Kent in 1727 and 1770, and by Isaac Ware in 1743. See " Life of Inigo Jones," by Peter Cunningham (London, 1848). JONES, Jacob, an American naval officer, born near Smyrna, Kent co., Del., in 1770, died in Philadelphia in August, 1850. After studying medicine, he received in April, 1799, a midshipman's warrant, and served for some time in the frigate United States under Com- modore John Barry. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in February, 1801, and at the opening of the war with Tripoli was at- tached to the frigate Philadelphia, in which he was captured off Tripoli in 1803, and remained a prisoner 20 months. He was afterward em- ployed for some years on the S. coast of the United States, a part of the time in command of the brig Argus. In April, 1810, he was commissioned as master commandant, and in 1811 was appointed to the command of the Wasp, a sloop of war of 18 guns. He was on his passage home from France in 1812 when war was declared by the United States against England. On his arrival the Wasp was ordered to sea again immediately, and met a convoy of English merchantmen protected by a sloop of war. An engagement ensued, lasting 43 min- utes, when the Wasp boarded and carried her antagonist. The captured vessel, which proved to be the British sloop Frolic, Capt. Whinyates, was a mere wreck when she surrendered. Be- fore they were able to clear the wreck, the British ship Poictiers, of 74 guns, captured both vessels and carried them to Bermuda. The Americans were soon put on parole, and returned to the United States. Congress vo- ted a gold medal to Jones, and silver ones to each commissioned officer of the Wasp. In March, 1813, he was promoted to the rank of post captain, and appointed to command the frigate Macedonian in the squadron of Decatur. JONES, John, a Welsh clergyman, born in Carmarthenshire, died in London, Jan. 10, 1827. He completed his education at the Uni- tarian college of Hackney, and in 1792 was ap- pointed classical and mathematical tutor in the Welsh academy at Swansea. He continued in this situation for three years, and then re- moved to Plymouth Dock, where he became minister of a Unitarian church. This charge he exchanged in 1797 for that of the Unitarian congregation at Halifax, in Yorkshire. About 1800 he removed to London, and resided there during the remainder of his life, chiefly as a classical teacher. He published a Greek gram- mar (1804), " Illustrations of the Four Gospels " (London, 1808), a "Greek and English Lexi- con" (1823), and Etymologia Grceca (1826), an enlarged edition of his grammar. JONES, John Paul, an American naval officer, born at Arbigland, on Solway firth, Scotland, July 6, 1747, died in Paris, July 18, 1792. His name was John Paul, that of Jones having been assumed in after life. At the age of 12 he was apprenticed to a merchant of White- , haven, who was engaged in American trade. His first voyage was to Virginia, where his elder brother was established as a planter. He was afterward engaged for a short time in the slave trade, which he left in disgust, and made a number of voyages to the West Indies, real- izing, it was said, a fortune by commercial speculations. At the commencement of the American revolutionary struggle he was in Virginia, and entered the colonial service as a lieutenant in the navy, Dec. 22, 1775. It is said that Jones hoisted on the Alfred (of which he was first lieutenant), the flag ship of a squad- ron of eight vessels, the first American flag ever displayed. The device it bore is believed to have been a pine tree with a rattlesnake coiled at its root. From the Alfred he was soon transferred to the command of the sloop Providence, of 12 guns and 70 men, in which vessel he made 16 prizes during a cruise of six weeks between the Bermudas and the gut of Canso. He was appointed a captain in 1776, receiving command of the Alfred, and in 1777 of the Ranger. He made many prizes on his cruisers and broke up the fishery at Cape Bre- ton. In November, 1777, he sailed to Europe, harassed the coasting trade of Scotland, and made a bold attack on W r hitehaven. He also attempted to capture the earl of Selkirk, who resided upon his estate near Kirkcudbright, on the river Dee, in order to bring about a system of exchanges of prisoners, to which England had hitherto showed a reluctance. This de- sign failed, owing to the absence of the earl from home. The crew plundered the house of the silver plate; but Jones bought it of them and restored it to Lady Selkirk. During this cruise the Ranger captured the Drake, a sloop of war superior to her in force. On May 8, 1778, the Ranger arrived at Brest, with her prize and 200 prisoners, being nearly double the number of her own crew. From this time until February, 1779, he used every effort to obtain another and better command The Ranger was despatched by the commis- sioners to America, Jones being retained by them in France. After many months of dis- appointment, he set out for Paris, and made such strong personal appeals to the minister, M. de Sartine, that on Feb. 4 he was appointed to the command of the ship Duras, an old In- diaman converted into a ship of war, and then lying at Lorient. In compliment to Dr. Frank- lin, Jones changed the name of this ship to " Bon Homme Richard." After many delays she was equipped for service, though in a very inefficient manner. On her main or gun deck she mounted 28 12-poimders, and on her quar- ter deck and forecastle 14 9-pounders, making an armament of 42 guns in all. But Jones, de- termined to make the most of her, caused 12 ports to be cut in her gun room below, where 6 old 18-pounders were mounted. This expe- dient did not add to the efficiency of the ship, but, on the contrary, as will be seen, pro- duced disastrous consequences. On Aug. 14, 1779, Jones sailed from Lorient, having under