[Pamphlets. American history]

23
Thursday, 24th.-After watching the night and all the morning
till broad day light in expectation of seeing the smoke of the Town
and Shipping (ascend as the smoke of a Furnace) began to fear that
Our People had fallen into the Enemies Hands; however about half
an hour after sun rise we discovered two small Boats at a great Distance comining out of the Rivers mouth, and clouds of smoke arising
from the Shipping, soon after we saw them fire on the Boats from
the Shore, but most of the Cannon being spiked up by our People
they could do but very little the Boats were soon out of their Reach
and came along-side with 3 prisoners for one left behind.
The same Day crossed over to the other side of the Bay to the
Mull of Galway Capt. Jones with Lt. Wallingsford and about 12
Men went on shore [at St. Mary's Isle] with design to take
Ld. Selkirk, Prisoner. As he was not at Home and no man
in the House, for the sake of his Lady & her Company they
came off without doing any further Damage than plundering Him
of Plate to the amount of (as near as I can judge) 1 60lb. weight
of Silver.'
_Friday, 24th. —Early in the morning our Capt. proposed making
a second attempt to cut out the Ship in Caraefergus, which was now
within a small Distance, the People both officers & men discovr'd
gread unwillingness to make the attempt. Capt. Jones notwithstanding declar'd publickly his determination to go in, in short it seem'd impossible to avoid it for the Tide & what little wind there was, had
showing, by discharging their pistols, &c. in return of the salute. Had it been possible to
have landed a few hours sooner, my success would have been complete. N ot a single ship,
out of more than two hundred, could possibly have escaped, and all the world would not have
been able to save the town. What was done, however, is sufficient to show, that not all
their boasted navy can protect their own coasts; and that the scenes of: distress, which they
have occasioned in America, may soon be brought home to their own door. One of my
people was missing; and must, I fear, have fallen into the enemy's hands after our departure. I was pleased that in this business we neither killed or wounded any person. I
brought off three prisoners as a sample."
In a memorial to congress Jones says, " His first object was to secure an exchange of
prisoners in Europe, and his second to put an end, by one good fire in England, of shipping, to all the burnings in America," and he expresses the opinion, that had his officers in
the Providence and Alfred been with him in the Ranger, two hundred and fifty to three
hundred large ships at Whitehaven would have been laid in ashes. In the Ranger's logbook the man left on shore is named David Smith, and it was thought he remained on
shore voluntarily, and that under the name of Freeman, he gave information at several
houses that fire had been set to the ships.
1 The attempted Seizure of the Earl of Selkirk, &c.-On the 8th of May following, Jones
wrote fiom Brest to the Countess of Selkirk, with regard to the taking of this plate, that
he was obliged to command while he did not approve of the act, and thus expresses the
object of the expedition.
Knowing Lord Selkirk's interest with the King, and esteeming as I do his private character, I wished to make him the happy instrument of alleviating the horrors of a hopeless
captivity, when the brave are overpowered and made prisoners of war," and " it was my
intention to have taken him on board the Ranger, and to have detained him until, through
this means, a general and fair exchange of prisoners, as well in Europe as in America, had
been effected. When 1 was informed, by some men whom I met at the landing, that his
L,ordship was absent, I walked back to my boat, determined 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 Itowns, 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 Nwith me
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