How John Paul Jones got us dancing...

[Scottish_Republican]

How John Paul got us dancing


NICK Bibby’s article (The Making of America, November 14) about the Scots’ legacy in the US was good, but he could have enlarged on John Paul (aka Paul Jones), 1747-92. The family were Presbyterians from Fife and had settled in Leith before flitting to Kirkbean. The likelihood is that they had originally come from Strathnaver, as Paul/Polson is a Clan Mackay family name. The family were estate workers working for the lowland aristocracy.

John Paul left home just before his 14th birthday to serve as a cabin-boy on the brig the Friendship, out of Whitehaven, across Solway from his home. At 15 he joined the slaver, the King George and continued with the merchant fleet. He never served as a regular in the Royal Navy. He did not "...emigrate to the New World at 12."

He continued to sail in the West Indies until he returned to Kirkcudbright, where he became a ships’ master at 21.

He read James ‘Ossian’ McPherson’s work, which was popular at the time.

He killed a mutinous Jamaican leader who had attacked him. John Paul adopted the alias ‘Jones’ and travelled to the American Colonies, joining their embryo Navy.

On April 24, 1778, crowds of supporters of either party watched the action along the shores of Belfast Lough; John Paul (Jones) in the American Ranger against the far larger, HMS Drake.

The Belfast Volunteers, a mainly Presbyterian, republican organisation supported the American Ranger while the ‘absolutist’, sectarian and Royalist groups supported HMS Drake. When the ‘Drake’ surrendered she was a hulk with 42 dead. The Ranger had lost only two dead.

On May 8, John Paul arrived in Brest with his prize.

Contrary to what some claimed, it was not his philandering that gave rise to a contra-dance being named after him. The reason was his sailing skill, demonstrated in Belfast Lough, in front of his Scots-Irish fans.

George A Lamont, Carnoustie

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com...?id=1340502004