from stem to stern. You know, the ships were foul and lashed
together. Jones says in his own account he aimed at our main-mast
and kept firing at it. You can see that no crew could have lived
under such a fire as that. There you have the last two hours of
the battle: Jones's men all above, our men all below; we pounding
at his main deck, he pelting at our upper deck. If there had not
been some such division, of course the thing could not have lasted
so long, even with the horrid havoc there was. I never saw
anything like it, and I hope, dear boy, you may never have to."

[_Mem._ by Ingham. I had just made my first cruise as a midshipman
in the U.S. navy on board the Intrepid, when the old gentleman
wrote this to me. He made his first cruise in the British navy in
the Serapis. After he was exchanged, he remained in that service
till 1789, when he married in Canso, N.S., resigned his
commission, and settled there.]

The letter continues:--

"I have been looking back on my own boyish journal of that time.
My mother made me keep a log, as I hope yours does. But it is
strange to see how little of the action it tells. The truth is, I
was nothing but a butterfly of a youngster. To save my conceit,
the first lieutenant, Wallis, told me I was assigned to keep an
eye on the after-battery, where were two fine old fellows as ever
took the King's pay really commanding the crews and managing the
guns. Much did I know about sighting or firing them! However, I
knew enough to keep my place. I remember tying up a man's arm with
my own shirt-sleeves, by way of showing I was not frightened, as
in truth I was. And I remember going down to the cockpit with a
poor wretch who was awfully burned with powder,--and the sight
there was so much worse than it was at my gun that I was glad to
get back again. Well, you may judge, that, from two
after-portholes below, first larboard, then starboard, I _saw_
little enough of the battle. But I have talked about it since,
with Dale, who was Jones's first lieutenant, and whom I met at
Charlestown when he commanded the yard there. I have talked of it
with Wallis many times. I talked of it with Sir Richard Pearson,
who was afterwards Lt.-Gov. of Greenwich, and whom I saw there.
Paul Jones I have touched my hat to, but never spoke to, except
when we all took wine w