Copies of the Remarks in the Log Book of the _Bon Homme Richard_, now
in the possession of the Selkirk family.
_Remarkes on Wednessday. Sept the 22 1779_
This 24 hourses Begins with a Litte Brieze of wind and Showry weather
att 3 PM saw a Sail and att 4 PM Took him at 1/2 peast 4 took him in
tow and att 6 P.M saw a flet of 16 Sailes Larg and Small Signleled
the prize and Cast him off and made a Signel and made sail after them
the peallice gave Chace to on that was to Leeward and the Veangence
come with us att 7. P M Lost Sitte of them and att 8 got Sitte of on
and gave Chace and att 9 tak Ship
att 11 P M Cam up with the Chace so near as to give hire a gun and
fired a nomber of gunes att hire But Sh Did not Bring too att wore
Ship and spid a Sail ahead which was the Veangance att 1/2 peast 12
saw a Sail and att 1 a m Spok with him & She proved to Be a Bridg
from otterdam we hoisted out the Small Boat and Sent an offsir and
2 hands to take Charge of here and 2 hands to fich the Boat and
prissoners a Bord and mad Sail
att 8 a m Cald all hands to Quarters Saw a Ship in Shore hoisted a
jack att the fore top galmast head for a poilot att 9 we saw 2 poilot
Bots aComing att 10 one Borded us att 1/2 peast 10 the other Borded
the prise we mand first Boat and Sent to the prise and Brought the
other aBord
_Remarkes on Thursday Sept the 23: 1779_
This 24 Hourses Begins with a Litte Breze of wind and Raniey weather
the wind Vearible Att 4 P. M toek the Littel Sloop pulot in tow att
healef peast to sent Shooneur pilot Boat to go a Bord of the prise
Bridg to sink hir But seeing hir make Sail for the Land hald the
Boat to Come Beack att 1/2 Peast 5 the Boat got a Long Sid and we
took hir in tow a Stairn of the other att 6PM Spirean Littes Bor W N
W Distance 6 Leagues att 1/2 peast 11 P M Saw two Sailes att 1 A. M
Cald all hands att 2 A M all to Quearters att 1/2 peast 2 hoistd 3
Littes 1 fowd 1 amid Shipes & 1 afte att 3/4 peast 2 hoistd 2 more
Leites att the mirzon peak Laid the m & mison top Sailes to the mast
the Sailes Shod a Litte att 4 wore Ship att 5 A M hisde a Chuckerd
flag att the mezin peak att 1/2 peast 5 found them to Be the Elliance
and pealaice two of our Cone Sortes or twoo of our flete
_Remarks on Friday 24th.. September 1779_
The First part of this twenty four Hours clear and Pleasant Weather
with Moderate Breeses of Wind---- At 3 P.M. sent the small Schooner
with Mr. Lunt and A Number of Marines in her to Board a =Schooner=
Brigg to the Windward of us at 1/2 past Do. the Alliance hove out
a Signal and bore away we immediately fir'd a gun for the Schooner
to give over Chase and kept away---- at 4 sett Steering Sails fore
and aft (in Chase of two Ships) At 6 P.M. Hoisted a Blue flag Blue
Pendant & a Blue & Yellow Flag At 1/2 past Do. came up with the
largest Ship and engaged her; the Alliance engag'd the small Ship
which soon struck. Att 8 A.M. the Alliance came under our stern and
Rak'd us fore & aft. She then shot just ahead of us and did the like
again, we were all this time closely engag'd with our Antagonist
lying so near each other that our Yard Arms was within her's; at 10
P.M. She Struck her Colours and prov'd to be the Searuppus of 44 Guns
soon after She Struck her Main Mast fell over her side. The People
employed in putting fire out that had catch'd in several parts of the
Ship & in Pomping for we were very near sinking; The Ship that the
Alliance Took prov'd to be the Scarborough of 20 Guns
EDITOR'S NOTE: The foregoing are copies of the entries or Remarks
in "A Log Book for the Ship Bon Homme Richard, the Honorible John
Paul Jones Commander begun at L'Orient Saturday, 8th of May 1779,"
of which a typewritten copy is in the Navy Department Library, and
the original is supposed to be now in the possession of the Selkirk
family at St. Mary's Isle.
Facsimiles of the three Remarks of the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th of
September are also in the Navy Department Library. The entries of
the 22nd and 23rd are in the _same_ handwriting, and of similar
orthography, as are the preceding Remarks in that log. The
handwriting of the Remarks on Friday the 24th is that of Lieut. Henry
Lunt, who also wrote the Remarks on the same day in the _Serapis'_
log book.
There are no entries in the column of Knots, F., Courses, Wind, for
which the pages are ruled, for those days.
If this log was the regular Ship's Journal, it is remarkable that it
should have been kept by a man whose handwriting and orthography were
so bad as to be decipherable with difficulty. That the record of the
transactions on the eventful 24th day of September on the _Richard_
and _Serapis_ and the following days should have been delegated to
Lieutenant Lunt and Midshipman Groube seems to have been thought
desirable by some one in authority.