In the following winter we find Jones in command of a frigate, the _Bonne Homme Richard_, of forty guns, with a complement of 370 men, having under him another frigate, the _Alliance_, of nearly equal size, a brig, and a cutter, all acting in the service of the American Congress. A French frigate, the _Pallas_, also formed one of the squadron. Some of his first essays were failures. Landing a boat’s crew on the coast of Kerry to take some sheep, the farmers and people defended their property bravely, and the aggressors were sent to Tralee gaol. So, when he conceived the bold idea of burning the shipping in Leith harbour, a gale blew his ship to sea. It is said that laying off Kirkaldy, Jones sent a summons to the townspeople to make up a ransom, or he would fire the town. A number of the inhabitants had collected on the beach, among whom was a venerable minister, who offered up a prayer to the Almighty, and exhorted the people to courage and trustfulness. Soon after the wind increased to the gale above-mentioned, and the privateer had to be let go before the wind. Not long previous to this, however, Jones had captured several prizes, all of which were sent to French ports. But off Scarborough Jones and his squadron fell in with a British convoy of merchantmen from the Baltic, under escort of H.M.S. _Serapis_ (forty-four guns), in the command of Captain Pearson, and the _Countess of Scarborough_ (twenty guns), Captain Piercy. The result was a brilliant engagement, in which the British captains behaved most gallantly, although the privateer force was in excess of their own. Captain Pearson, while a prisoner on the _Pallas_, communicated a full account to the Lords of the Admiralty, of which the following narrative contains some verbatim extracts:—