The Rhode Island Republican

JOURNAL OF A NAVAL OFFICER.

DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

KEPT BY JOHN TREVETT, OF NEWPORT.

[Continued.]

At L'Orient I found my old friend and Commodore, Paul Jones. He was on board a sloop-of-war called the Ariel, and ready to sail for America. The next day I went on board his ship; I there found Mr. Nathaniel Fanning and Mr. Thomas Potter, with whom I had long been acquainted.—

They invited me to dine with them, and as I was going down to dinner I saw Commodore Jones walking the quarter deck, but as he did not speak to me, I was not inclined to speak to him. Talking with Fanning and Potter, I said I was surprised that the Commodore did not speak to me. They made this reply: he seldom speaks to any of the officers; and I found by their talk they did not like him. I said he will send for me as soon as he knows I am on board; they said, no, but in a few minutes a midshipman came down to the berth, and said the Commodore requested me to come up there. I went, and after asking me a few questions, where I had been, &c., he informed me he should sail in a few days for America, and said he, I will give you a good chance if you will go with me, and provide any thing you want. I told him there was one American on board the Amazone, that I should like to have go with me, and he appeared well pleased. After a short time I went below and dined with Messrs. Potter and Fanning, and found the Commodore had treated the most of his officers with disrespect and had grown more haughty than when I formerly sailed with him, and I told Fanning and Potter that I was going on board the French frigate, and from thence on shore, and I would think more about going. They both of them laughed at me and said you have not got out of our ship yet, and you will find hard work to get out. I said but little about it, but thought that I knew Com. Jones better than they did, for I had sailed with him ever since he went as Lieutenant. I went on the quarter deck and spoke to the Capt. of the Ariel, as the Commodore had gone on shore, and told him I had a notion of going on board the French frigate. He said, I have no such orders from the Commodore, and I cannot let any man go out of the ship. I said no more, and at 12 o'clock at night the Commodore found his way on board. All this time Potter and Fanning kept laughing, and telling me that I should not go out of the ship until I got to America; for said Potter, we have got Gov. Ward's son, of Rhode Island, on board, and he was first mate of a large French ship, that sailed out of L'Orient, and every American who is at this place, if the Commodore says the word, is sent on board; and, said Fanning, there are now on shore, confined in Jail, several of our under officers, and they will stay there until we are ready for sea. I said but little more, and tried to make myself easy until the next morning. After we had breakfasted, I went on deck, and soon after, the Commodore made his appearance, on the quarter deck. I found orders had been given to the boatswain to have the barge manned to put the Com. on shore, and I immediately went on the quarter deck and informed the Commodore in the presence of the Captain, that in the course of the day I should like to go on board of the French ship to see my old companion Capt. Parker, of Ipswich Mass., and to see if I could not get him to go with us to America, and likewise to go on shore to view the town. He turned to the Capt. of the ship and said, when Mr. Trevett is ready, put him on board or ashore, where he wishes to go. I did not make myself in haste about it, but waited for him to go on shore first. and I was determined that neither Parker nor myself should go with him to America. I went down and saw my friends Fanning and Potter, and told them the success I had met with, and they appeared to be surprised at his letting me out of the ship. I did not tell them my intention, but went on board the French ship, and Capt. Parker and myself went on shore. I went to the Jail and saw the officers there confined, and they told me what treatment they had received from Com. Jones. I then took a ramble all over the city of L'Orient, and then went on board the French frigate again.

The next morning the Capt. of the frigate informed us that he was bound to Brest, to convoy some ships laden with provisions, and then he was going to take the frigate into dock, to be new coppered, and expected to sail for America. This was what I wanted, for I wished to see more of Europe before I returned home.

Accordingly, the second day after I left my old Commodore, our French ship got under way, bound for Brest, and we were obliged to run so near Com. Jones, that I could have jerked a biscuit onboard. I got in full sight of the Commodore and my two friends Potter and Fanning, and wished them a good time to America, and informed them that I was going to take a tour through a part of Europe. I knew then how the Commodore felt, for it was his intention to entrap Parker and myself, but old fowl are hard to be caught in such snares!

We run past friend Jones and the victualling ships, in company with two other French ships, bound also to Brest. Nothing happened and we arrived safe at Brest, and took all our guns out and stores, and hauled into the dry-dock, and set as many men to work on her as could stand side of each other. I got liberty to go in and out of all the Forts, or where else I pleased. I visited a very large hospital, and the city generally. It is a dirty place, but the hospital is very neat; and every part is in excellent order. I went into one of their batteries, which gave me a fine view of the harbor; it is very large and commodious. Our ship was in the dock but three days, and in that short time, all the old copper was taken off and every seam newly caulked, and new copper put on.