The Ranger2 and her prizes arrived at Brest at a propitious3 time, both for the fortunes of Jones and for those of his adopted country as well. The secret treaty of alliance between the confederated colonies and France had been signed on February 6th. The plenipotentiaries from the United States had been publicly received at Versailles on March 23d. On the same day the French ambassador left England, and the English ambassador, Lord Stormont, left France. The fleet of D'Estaing put to sea from Toulon a fortnight later. In two weeks the English fleet followed to American waters. The attempt was made on the part of the French to execute the brilliant strategic plan which Jones had devised, although, of course, the delay had rendered the effort fruitless.
The successful cruise of the Ranger, the rich captures she had made, the daring enterprises she had undertaken, the boldness and audacity4 of her commander in venturing with a little vessel5 of such trifling6 force into the very midst of the three kingdoms, and the brilliancy of his capture of a war vessel of nominally7 superior, and at least really equal, force, in a fair and open yardarm to yardarm fight, a thing to which the French navy was not accustomed, awakened8 the greatest admiration9, and Paul Jones found himself in that most congenial of positions to him--and to almost any other man--of being the observed of all. On this expedition, his first real opportunity, he had demonstrated that he possessed10 an ability to plan, and a courage to carry out his conceptions, which put him in the front rank of the sea officers of his day. With one single vessel, laboring11 under every disadvantage conceivable, he had done what no European power or combination of powers had been able to accomplish in centuries, with all their resources at command. He had terrorized the whole English seaboard, and filled the United Kingdom with uneasiness and unrest.
The gallant13 men who had gone before him and accomplished14 so much with the Reprisal15, the Revenge, and the others, had a worthy16 successor and superior in this little Scots-American, who, as a citizen of the world, in love with humanity, drew his sword for the cause of freedom. The French admired him, the English hated him. The American prisoners immediately felt the effect of his captures by the general amelioration of their unhappy condition, and Franklin at last realized that he had a man at hand upon whom he could depend to further his bold designs. When the news reached America, it was received with great joy, and the Naval17 Committee and the Congress generally knew they had made no mistake in sending Jones to Europe. The young navy looked to him with hope. His exploits were detailed18 and amplified19 in the cafés and on the boulevards of Paris, and were related with approbation20 even within the sacred confines of the court. He was the hero of the hour.
But there is a homely21 maxim22 exemplified by frequent experience that "Fine words butter no parsnips." It was true in this instance undoubtedly23, and Jones learned that there was no necessary connection between glory and bread and butter. He was unable to procure24 actually necessary supplies for his crew. All the vessels25 of the Continental26 navy went to sea undermanned, ill-provided, and inadequately28 provisioned, and the ship's purser, as a rule, had no money. The seamen29 had not received their wages--no money at all, in fact, except that which Jones himself had advanced out of his own pocket. With the sanction of the Marine30 Committee he had made himself responsible for the regular payment of the wages of the men. His pocket was now empty, the last guineas having been given to the Irish fishermen aforementioned. His own resources were always drawn31 upon freely for the good of the service and his men; now they were entirely32 exhausted33. His provisions had been consumed, he did not know where to get any more. In addition to his own people he had several prizes and over two hundred prisoners who had to be cared for, and who were a healthy and hungry lot.
When he arrived in France he had been authorized34 to draw upon the commissioners35 to the extent of twelve thousand livres, with the caution not to avail himself of the permission unless it were imperatively36 necessary. With great prudence37, and by the exercise of rigid38 economy, he had avoided any inroad on the depleted39 and overtaxed fund of the commissioners. Something, however, had to be done in this instance, and without securing another authority, for which, indeed, time was wanting, so pressing were his needs, he made drafts upon the commissioners in the sum of twenty-four thousand livres, about five thousand dollars.
Meanwhile he subsisted40 his crew and prisoners through the generosity41 of the French naval authorities at Brest, which he secured by the pledge of his own private personal credit. The draft was dishonored. Certainly the commissioners were embarrassed almost beyond endurance by the demands upon them from every side, but this was a matter to which they should have given attention if it were humanly possible, for they were the only resource that Jones had. His condition was simply desperate. He knew not what to do nor where to turn. The following extract of a letter to the commissioners on the 27th of May exhibits his painful position:
"Could I suppose that my letters of the 9th and 16th current (the first advising you of my arrival and giving reference to the events of my expedition; the last advising you of my draft in favour of Monsieur Bersolle, for twenty-four thousand livres, and assigning reasons for the demand) had not made due appearance, I would hereafter, as I do now, inclose copies. Three posts have already arrived here from Paris since Comte d'Orvilliers showed me the answer which he received from the minister, to the letter which inclosed mine to you. Yet you remain silent. M. Bersolle has this moment informed me of the fate of my bills; the more extraordinary as I have not yet made use of your letter of credit of the 10th of January last, whereby I then seemed entitled to call for half the amount of my last draft, and I did not expect to be thought extravagant42 when, on the 16th current, I doubled that demand. Could this indignity43 be kept secret I should disregard it; and, though it is already public in Brest and in the fleet, as it affects only my private credit I will not complain. I can not, however, be silent when I find the public credit involved in the same disgrace. I conceive this might have been prevented. To make me completely wretched, Monsieur Bersolle has now told me that he now stops his hand, not only of the necessary articles to refit the ship, but also of the daily provisions. I know not where to find to-morrow's dinner for the great number of mouths that depend on me for food. Are then the Continental ships of war to depend on the sale of their prizes for a daily dinner for their men? 'Publish it not in Gath.'
"My officers, as well as men, want clothes, and the prizes are precluded44 from being sold before farther orders arrive from the minister. I will ask you, gentlemen, if I have deserved all this. Whoever calls himself an American ought to be protected here. I am unwilling45 to think that you have intentionally47 involved me in this dilemma48, at a time when I ought to expect some enjoyment49.
"Therefore I have, as formerly50, the honour to be, with due esteem51 and respect, gentlemen, yours, etc."
How he managed under such circumstances he relates in a journal which he prepared in later years for submission52 to the King of France.
"Yet during that time, by his [Jones'] personal credit with Comte D'Orvilliers, the Duc de Chartres, and the Intendant of Brest, he fed his people and prisoners, cured his wounded, and refitted both the Ranger and the Drake for sea."
He could, of course, have relieved himself of some of his burden by turning over his prisoners to France, but, as that country was still nominally neutral, the people he had captured would have been set free at the demand of England. As long as he held possession of them it was possible that the circumstance would force an exchange for Americans--a thing the commissioners had been bent53 upon since their arrival in Europe. The English Government had long since sanctioned and carried out the exchange of soldiers, but for arbitrary and inadequate27 reasons seamen stood upon a different footing apparently54. When Franklin previously55 wrote Lord Stormont, the British ambassador, offering to exchange one hundred men captured by the Reprisal for an equal number of American seamen held in English prisons, no answer was made to his letter; a second letter brought forth56 the following curt57 reply:
"The king's ambassador receives no applications from rebels, unless they come to implore58 his Majesty59's mercy."
To this insulting and inexplicable60 message the following apt and dignified61 reply was made:
"In answer to a letter which concerns some of the material interests of humanity, and of the two nations, Great Britain and the United States of America, now at war, we received the inclosed indecent paper, as coming from your lordship, which we return for your lordship's more mature consideration."
Of course, the ostensible62 reason for refusing this exchange was that the captured seamen were traitors63, and as such had no belligerent64 rights, yet how they differed from soldiers it is impossible to see. Indeed, the English authorities went so far as to call them pirates, and they could not have treated them worse--short of hanging them--if they had actually merited the opprobrious65 title. The real reason, however, lay in the hope that the Americans, having no place in France in which to confine their prisoners, would be compelled to set them free. This hope was frequently justified66, and it was not until March, 1779, that the persistent67 determination of Franklin brought about a complete general recognition of the principle of exchange for which he had so valiantly69 contended, although he had been partially70 successful on particular occasions before that time. Jones knew the situation perfectly71, and so with his usual grim determination he held on to his precious prisoners.
The prize agents were dilatory72 and incompetent73. The seamen, lacking food, clothes, salary, and prize money, were naturally mutinous74 and discontented. But Jones repressed the crews, hurried up the sales, and managed at last to weather all his troubles.
The malcontent75 Simpson was a constant incentive76 to discord77 and mutiny, and he was finally removed to a French guardship, called the Admiral, where he was well treated and allowed the freedom of the deck. While there, he behaved in such a contumacious78 manner that D'Orvilliers, the French commander, sent him to the prison of the port. All his expenses during this interval79 were paid by Jones himself; indeed, when he did not pay personally, nobody did. There was nothing sordid80 or avaricious81 in Jones' character. He was greedy for glory and fame and reputation, but he cared nothing whatever for money. To dismiss a tiresome82 subject, Jones, with extraordinary complaisance83, finally accepted Simpson's apologies and released him on his parole not to serve in the navy until he had been regularly tried by a court-martial. He even went further than this. He offered to relinquish84 the command of the Ranger to him in order that he might take her back to the United States and there take his trial.
While these efforts were pending85, the commissioners, misunderstanding their tentative character, restored Simpson to the command of the Ranger, unconditionally86, much to Jones' disgust. He was quite willing to relinquish the command of his little ship, because the King of France had requested the commissioners to allow France to avail herself of the services of Jones in a naval expedition which was projected. But that such contumacy and lack of subordination as had been exhibited by Simpson should go unpunished, and that he should receive the absolute command of the ship as a reward for his action, and should be allowed to return home without even an investigation87, was not only harmful to the service, but an apparent reflection upon himself--though, of course, nothing was further from the commissioners' thoughts, as they specifically declared. In the end Jones acquiesced88 in the situation, and the matter was dropped. Simpson was never employed in the service after he returned home.
The famous action between the Arethusa and the Belle89 Poule, on June 17th, having made it clear to every observer that war between France and England was inevitable90, though the formal declaration was not issued until the following September, the first enterprise which it was desired Jones should undertake under the auspices91 of France was proposed to him by Franklin as follows:
"The Jersey92 privateers," he says, "do us a great deal of mischief93 by intercepting95 our supplies. It has been mentioned to me that your small vessel, commanded by so brave an officer, might render great service by following them where greater ships dare not venture their bottoms; or, being accompanied and supported by some frigates96 from Brest, at a proper distance, might draw them out and then take them. I wish you to consider of this, as it comes from high authority."
It was not a particularly brilliant prospect98; all the hard work and dangerous labor12 was to be performed by Jones, and the glory was to be reaped by the French frigates; but, with a noble disinterestedness100 in his desire to serve his country, he at once expressed his perfect willingness to co-operate. Before anything came of it, however, Franklin offered him the command of the Indien, in the following letter:
(Private.)
"Dear Sir: I have the pleasure of informing you that it is proposed to give you the command of the great ship we have built at Amsterdam. By what you wrote to us formerly, I have ventured to say in your behalf, that this proposition would be agreeable to you. You will immediately let me know your resolution; which, that you may be more clear in taking, I must inform you of some circumstances. She is at present the property of the king; but, as there is no war yet declared, you will have the commission and flag of the States, and act under their orders and laws. The Prince de Nassau will make the cruise with you. She is to be brought here under cover as a French merchantman, to be equipped and manned in France. We hope to exchange your prisoners for as many American sailors; but, if that fails, you have your present crew to be made up here with other nations and French. The other commissioners are not acquainted with this proposition as yet, and you see by the nature of it that it is necessary to be kept a secret till we have got the vessel here, for fear of difficulties in Holland, and interception101; you will therefore direct your answer to me alone. It being desired that the affair rest between you and me, perhaps it may be best for you to take a trip up here to concert matters, if in general you approve the idea.
"I was much pleased with reading your journal, which we received yesterday."
This is the first mention of the Prince of Nassau-Siegen, who will appear prominently hereafter, and be described in his proper place. Jones was naturally delighted with the flattering prospects102, and at once wrote to the prince, acquainting him of the pleasure he anticipated in having him associated with him. A few days later Franklin wrote Jones again as follows:
"Passy, June 10, 1778.
"Dear Sir: I received yours of 1st instant, with the papers inclosed, which I have shown to the other commissioners, but have not yet had their opinion of them; only I know that they had before (in consideration of the disposition103 and uneasiness of your people) expressed an inclination104 to order your ship directly back to America. You will judge from what follows whether it will not be advisable for you to propose their sending her back with her people, and under some other command. In consequence of the high opinion the Minister of the Marine has of your conduct and bravery, it is now settled (observe, that it is to be a secret between us, I being expressly enjoined105 not to communicate it to any other person), that you are to have the frigate97 from Holland, which actually belongs to Government, and will be furnished with as many good French seamen as you shall require. But you are to act under Congress commission. As you may be likely to have a number of Americans, and your own are homesick, it is proposed to give you as many as you can engage out of two hundred prisoners, which the ministry106 of Britain have at length agreed to give us in exchange for those you have in your hands. They propose to make the exchange at Calais, where they are to bring the Americans. Nothing is wanting to this but a list of yours, containing their names and rank; immediately on the receipt of which an equal number are to be prepared, and sent in a ship to that port, where yours are to meet them.
"If by this means you can get a good new crew, I think it would be best that you are quite free of the old, for a mixture might introduce the infection of that sickness you complain of. But this may be left to your own discretion107. Perhaps we shall join you with the Providence108, Captain Whipple, a new Continental ship of thirty guns, which, in coming out of the river of Providence, gave the two frigates that were posted to intercept94 her each of them so heavy a dose of her 18- and 12-pounders that they had not the courage or were not able to pursue her. It seems to be desired that you will step up to Versailles (where one will meet you), in order to such a settlement of matters and plans with those who have the direction as can not well be done by letter. I wish it may be convenient to you to do it immediately.
"The project of giving you the command of this ship pleases me the more as it is a probable opening to the higher preferment you so justly merit."
In obedience109 to this request Jones went privately110 to Versailles, where he spent some time in consultation111 with the commissioners and the French ministry discussing the exchange of prisoners, and proposed several plans of attack by which his services could be utilized112. These plans well indicate the fertility of imagination, the resourceful genius, and the daring hardihood of the man. One of them was for making another descent upon Whitehaven, another was to attack the Bank of Ayr and destroy or ransom113 that town; another was to burn the shipping114 on the Clyde. Expeditions on the coast of Ireland were suggested. London might be distressed115, he thought, by cutting off the supplies of coal from Newcastle; but the most feasible projects were the capture or destruction of the West Indian or Baltic fleets of merchantmen or the Hudson Bay ships.
The Minister of Marine, M. de Sartine, lent an attentive116 ear to all of the plans which were proposed, and Jones returned to Brest with high hopes that he should be soon employed in an expedition to carry out one or the other of these plans with adequate means to do it well. It is quite likely that the minister was as earnest and honest in his intentions as the king in his desire to make use of Jones, but the formal declaration of war rendered it possible to prosecute117 the enterprises which had been suggested by Jones, if it were thought expedient118 to attempt them, under the French flag and with French officers. As France had only intended to use him under the cover of the American flag to harass119 England before war was declared, and as that could now be done openly under her own flag, they did not see the same necessity for his services as before.
The matter of finding employment for him was further complicated by the fact that since a state of actual war existed the ministry was besieged120 with applications from numbers of French officers for command, and the ships which had been proposed for Jones were naturally appropriated to the French themselves. Even if a command could have been found for the American, there would have been a natural disinclination, so great as to be nearly prohibitive of success, on the part of the French officers to serving under a foreigner. Time brought him nothing but disappointment, and the high hopes he had cherished gradually waned122.
Always a persistent and voluminous letter writer, in his desperation he overwhelmed everybody with correspondence. Inaction was killing123 to him. Not to be employed was like death itself to a man of his intensely energetic temperament124. His pride would not permit him to return to the United States and seek a command when he had specifically announced, in a letter to Congress by the returning Ranger, that the King of France asked that he might make use of his services, and therefore no command in America need be reserved for him; and yet he now found himself a hanger125 on the outskirts126 of a court and a ministry which had no further use for him.
The delicate situation of the commissioners, who had been themselves scarcely more than on sufferance, did not permit them, in the interests of expediency127 and diplomacy128, to insist as strongly as they would have liked to do, that the king and the ministry should keep their engagement with Jones, which was, of course, an engagement with them and with the United States. Diplomacy and persuasion129 were the only weapons at their command. They certainly made good use of them. Franklin, pending something else, procured130 the minister's order that Jones should be received on the great French fleet of D'Orvilliers, which was about to put to sea to engage the English fleet under Keppel. He was very desirous of availing himself of this invitation, which he himself sought, for it would give him an opportunity he could not otherwise hope to enjoy, of perfecting himself in naval tactics and the fine art of maneuvering131 and governing a great fleet. He never allowed anything to interfere132--so far as he was able to prevent it--with his advancement133 in professional study. The permission, however, to D'Orvilliers' great regret, arrived too late, for the fleet sailed without him. The French admiral seems to have appreciated the American captain, and to have highly esteemed134 him. It is stated that the delay in transmitting the permission was intentional46, and was due to the jealousy135 of the French naval service.
Jones was exasperated136 by all these happenings almost to the breaking point. In one letter he says: "I think of going to L'Orient, being heartily137 sick of Brest." I should think he would be! As days passed without bringing him any nearer to the fruition of his hope, he became more modest in his demands and propositions. One significant phrase culled138 from one of his letters well indicates the bold, dashing character of the man: "I do not wish to have command of any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm's way."[7] In the sentence which follows this statement, we get another touch of that entire consciousness of his own ability and high quality which, though warranted, it were better, perhaps, for his reputation if it were not so evident in his writing: "I know, I believe, that this is no other person's intention. Therefore, buy a frigate that sails fast and is sufficiently139 large to carry twenty-six or twenty-eight guns on one deck."
His state of mind may well be understood from this citation140: "I have, to show my gratitude141 to France, lost so much time, and with it such opportunities as I can not regain142. I have almost killed myself with grief."
Chafing143, fretting144, writing letters, the time dragged on. At last he addressed to the Minister of Marine, M. de Sartine, this emphatic145 protest and statement which he calls, and justly, an explicit146 letter. It is certainly sufficiently definite and clear, and shows that rank and position did not deter68 him from a free and somewhat sarcastic147 expression of his grievances148 and wrongs:
"Brest, September 13, 1778.
"Honoured Sir: When his excellency Doctor Franklin informed me that you had condescended149 to think me worthy of your notice, I took such pleasure in reflecting on the happy alliance between France and America that I was really flattered, and entertained the most grateful sense of the honour which you proposed for me, as well as the favour which the king proposed for America, by putting so fine a ship as the Indien under my command, and under its flag, with unlimited150 orders.
"In obedience to your desire, I came to Versailles, and was taught to believe that my intended ship was in deep water, and ready for sea; but when the Prince [de Nassau] returned I received from him a different account; I was told that the Indien could not be got afloat within a shorter period than three months at the approaching equinox.
"To employ this interval usefully, I first offered to go from Brest with Count D'Orvilliers as a volunteer, which you thought fit to reject. I had then the satisfaction to find that you approved in general of a variety of hints for private enterprises which I had drawn up for your consideration, and I was flattered with assurances from Messieurs de Chaumont and Baudouin that three of the finest frigates in France, with two tenders and a number of troops, would be immediately put under my command; and that I should have unlimited orders, and be at free liberty to pursue such of my own projects as I thought proper. But this plan fell to nothing in the moment when I was taught to think that nothing was wanting but the king's signature.
"Another much inferior armament from L'Orient was proposed to be put under my command, which was by no means equal to the services that were expected from it; for speed and force, though both requisite151, were both wanting. Happily for me, this also failed, and I was thereby152 saved from a dreadful prospect of ruin and dishonour153.
"I had so entire a reliance that you would desire nothing of me inconsistent with my honour and rank, that the moment you required me to come down here, in order to proceed round to St. Malo, though I had received no written orders, and neither knew your intention respecting my destination or command, I obeyed with such haste, that although my curiosity led me to look at the armament at L'Orient, yet I was but three days from Passy till I reached Brest. Here, too, I drew a blank; but when I saw the Lively it was no disappointment, as that ship, both in sailing and equipment, is far inferior to the Ranger.
"My only disappointment here was my being precluded from embarking155 in pursuit of marine knowledge with Count D'Orvilliers, who did not sail till seven days after my return. He is my friend, and expressed his wishes for my company; I accompanied him out of the road when the fleet sailed, and he always lamented156 that neither himself nor any person in authority in Brest had received from you any order that mentioned my name. I am astonished therefore to be informed that you attribute my not being in the fleet to my stay at L'Orient.
"I am not a mere157 adventurer of fortune. Stimulated158 by principles of reason and philanthropy, I laid aside my enjoyments159 in private life, and embarked160 under the flag of America when it was first displayed. In that line my desire of fame is infinite, and I must not now so far forget my own honour, and what I owe to my friends and America, as to remain inactive.
"My rank knows no superior in the American marine. I have long since been appointed to command an expedition with five of its ships, and I can receive orders from no junior or inferior officer whatever.
"I have been here in the most tormenting161 suspense162 for more than a month since my return; and, agreeable to your desire, as mentioned to me by Monsieur Chaumont, a lieutenant163 has been appointed, and is with me, who speaks the French as well as the English. Circular letters have been written, and sent the 8th of last month from the English admiralty, because they expected me to pay another visit with four ships. Therefore I trust that, if the Indien is not to be got out, you will not, at the approaching season, substitute a force that is not at least equal both in strength and sailing to any of the enemy's cruising ships.
"I do not wish to interfere with the harmony of the French marine; but, if I am still thought worthy of your attention, I shall hope for a separate command, with liberal orders. If, on the contrary, you should now have no further occasion for my services, the only favour I can ask is that you will bestow164 on me the Alert, with a few seamen, and permit me to return, and carry with me your good opinion in that small vessel, before the winter, to America."
His intense, burning desire for action, however, did not permit him to degrade, as he thought, his Government and station by accepting the command of a privateer which was tendered to him. In the command of a speedy, smart privateer there is no limit to the plundering165 he might have done and the treasure he might have gained, if that had been what he wished. Many naval officers before and since his time have done this and thought it not derogatory to their dignity. It is therefore to Jones' credit that he was very jealous in this and many other instances on the point of honor of serving in no ship, under no flag, and with no commission save that of the United States. We shall see this spirit again and again. The citizen of the world was beginning to feel that the world as his country was hardly adequate to his needs; in theory it was a very pretty proposition, but in practice it was necessary to form and maintain a more definite and particular relationship. As a final effort to better his condition and secure that opportunity for which he thirsted, he prepared the following letter to the king:
"Brest, October 19, 1778.
"Sire: After my return to Brest in the American ship of war the Ranger, from the Irish Channel, his excellency Doctor Franklin informed me by letter, dated June the 1st, that M. de Sartine, having a high opinion of my conduct and bravery, had determined167, with your Majesty's consent and approbation, to give me the command of the ship of war the Indien, which was built at Amsterdam for America, but afterward168, for political reasons, made the property of France.
"I was to act with unlimited orders under the commission and flag of America; and the Prince de Nassau proposed to accompany me on the ocean.
"I was deeply penetrated169 with the sense of the honour done me by this generous proposition, as well as of the favour your Majesty intended thereby to confer on America. And I accepted the offer with the greater pleasure as the Congress had sent me to Europe in the Ranger to command the Indien before the ownership of that vessel was changed.
"The minister desired to see me at Versailles to settle future plans of operation, and I attended him for that purpose. I was told that the Indien was at the Texel completely armed and fitted for sea; but the Prince de Nassau was sent express to Holland, and returned with a very different account. The ship was at Amsterdam, and could not be got afloat or armed before the September equinox. The American plenipotentiaries proposed that I should return to America; and, as I have repeatedly been appointed to the chief command of an American squadron to execute secret enterprises, it was not doubted but that Congress would again show me a preference. M. de Sartine, however, thought proper to prevent my departure, by writing to the plenipotentiaries (without my knowledge), requesting that I might be permitted to remain in Europe, and that the Ranger might be sent back to America under another commander, he having special services which he wished me to execute. This request they readily granted, and I was flattered by the prospect of being enabled to testify, by my services, my gratitude to your Majesty, as the first prince who has so generously acknowledged our independence.
"There was an interval of more than three months before the Indien could be gotten afloat. To employ that period usefully, when your Majesty's fleet was ordered to sail from Brest, I proposed to the minister to embark154 in it as a volunteer, in pursuit of marine knowledge. He objected to this, at the same time approved of a variety of hints for private enterprises, which I had drawn up for his consideration. Two gentlemen were appointed to settle with me the plans that were to be adopted, who gave me the assurance that three of the best frigates in France, with two tenders, and a number of troops, should be immediately put under my command, to pursue such of my own projects as I thought proper; but this fell to nothing, when I believed that your Majesty's signature only was wanting.
"Another armament, composed of cutters and small vessels, at L'Orient, was proposed to be put under my command, to alarm the coasts of England and check the Jersey privateers; but happily for me this also failed, and I was saved from ruin and dishonour, as I now find that all the vessels sailed slow, and their united force is very insignificant170. The minister then thought fit that I should return to Brest to command the Lively, and join some frigates on an expedition from St. Malo to the North Sea. I returned in haste for that purpose, and found that the Lively had been bestowed171 at Brest before the minister had mentioned that ship to me at Versailles. This was, however, another fortunate disappointment, as the Lively proves, both in sailing and equipment, much inferior to the Ranger; but, more especially, if it be true, as I have since understood, that the minister intended to give the chief command of an expedition to a lieutenant, which would have occasioned a very disagreeable misunderstanding; for, as an officer of the first rank in the American marine, who has ever been honoured with the favour and friendship of Congress, I can receive orders from no inferior officer whatever. My plan was the destruction of the English Baltic fleet, of great consequence to the enemy's marine, and then only protected by a single frigate. I would have held myself responsible for its success had I commanded the expedition.
"M. de Sartine afterward sent orders to Count D'Orvilliers to receive me on board the fleet agreeably to my former proposal; but the order did not arrive until after the departure of the fleet the last time from Brest, nor was I made acquainted with the circumstance before the fleet returned here.
"Thus have I been chained down to shameful172 inactivity for nearly five months. I have lost the best season of the year, and such opportunities of serving my country and acquiring honour as I can not again expect this war; and, to my infinite mortification173, having no command, I am considered everywhere an officer cast off and in disgrace for secret reasons.
"I have written respectful letters to the minister, none of which he has condescended to answer; I have written to the Prince de Nassau with as little effect; and I do not understand that any apology has been made to the great and venerable Dr. Franklin, whom the minister has made the instrument of bringing me into such unmerited trouble.
"Having written to Congress to reserve no command for me in America, my sensibility is the more affected174 by this unworthy situation in the sight of your Majesty's fleet. I, however, make no remark on the treatment I have received.
"Although I wish not to become my own panegyrist, I must beg your Majesty's permission to observe that I am not an adventurer in search of fortune, of which, thank God, I have a sufficiency.
"When the American banner was first displayed I drew my sword in support of the violated dignity and rights of human nature; and both honour and duty prompt me steadfastly175 to continue the righteous pursuit, and to sacrifice to it not only my own private enjoyments, but even life, if necessary. I must acknowledge that the generous praise which I have received from Congress and others exceeds the merit of my past services, therefore I the more ardently176 wish for future opportunities of testifying my gratitude by my activity.
"As your Majesty, by espousing177 the cause of America, hath become the protector of the rights of human nature, I am persuaded that you will not disregard my situation, nor suffer me to remain any longer in this unsupportable disgrace.
"I am, with perfect gratitude and profound respect, Sire, your Majesty's very obliged, very obedient, and very humble178 servant,
"J. Paul Jones."
This letter, at once dignified, forceful, respectful, and modest, was inclosed to Dr. Franklin with the request that it should be delivered to the king. The deference179 paid to Franklin's opinion, the eager desire to please him, the respect in which he held him, is not the least pleasing feature of Jones' character, by the way. The letter in question was withheld180 by Franklin with Jones' knowledge and acquiescence181, and the king, it is probable, never saw it. There was, in fact, no necessity for its delivery, for the appeals, prayers, and importunities had at last evoked182 a response. The minister, worn out by the persistence183 of Jones, determined, since none of the French naval vessels were available, to buy him a ship and assemble a squadron and send him forth.
The inquiry184 naturally arises why the French Government should care to go to the trouble and expense of doing this. Before the war was declared their action was understandable, but afterward the then operating cause disappeared. Yet there was another reason aside from the fact that M. de Sartine was willing to keep his promise if he could, and that was this:
It was not the custom to harry185, plunder166, and ravage186 the seacoasts in the wars between France and England. Military or naval forces were the sole objects of attack, and by a specific though unwritten law of custom, the efforts of the rival combatants were confined to ships of war, fortifications, and armies, and, of course, to merchant vessels belonging to the enemy. The peaceful seashore towns were generally let alone unless the inhabitants in exposed localities provoked retaliation187 by aggression--a thing they usually took good care not to do. To introduce the practice would be unfortunate and nothing would be gained, by France especially. The King of France, however, was more than willing to have the coasts of his neighbor ravaged188, if no retaliation on his own unprotected shores were provoked thereby. No convention of any sort, expressed or understood, existed between Great Britain and the United States which would prevent such action on the part of the Americans. Great Britain was making a bloody189 ravaging190 warfare191 on the coasts of North America, and, never dreaming of reprisal, paid no attention whatever to this law of war, save when it suited her to do so, on our seaboard. Franklin and the commissioners wisely realized that the only way to stop this merciless and brutal192 burning and plundering was to let the enemy experience the thing himself. They were therefore in entire accord with the desire of the French king. To produce the result he would furnish the squadron, they the flag. It was a charming arrangement from the king's point of view. Consequently the reason for the encouragement given Jones is apparent, and the determination of the minister is therefore explained and understood.
Jones received word early in November through the commissioners, with a solemn assurance from De Sartine, that a suitable ship would be purchased for him at the expense of France and a squadron assembled under his supreme193 command. Let those who would reproach Jones for his part in this plan remember that (as in his previous cruise) he only carried out the orders of Franklin. There was no sentimental194 nonsense about the old Quaker. He knew what was the best remedy for the deplorable conditions in America, and he grimly prepared to apply it. He had no illusions in the premises195 at all; it was a pure matter of business, and with sound policy he so treated it. Jones' appeals, be it understood, were only for a ship or ships and an opportunity to get into action with the enemy. His orders were outside of his control. All he had to do as a naval officer was to carry them out to the best of his ability when he received them. Therefore a censure196 of Jones is a censure of Franklin.
It was first designed to employ Jones and his proposed squadron for a descent upon Liverpool, for which purpose five hundred men from Fitzmaurice's Irish regiment197 were to be taken on the ships. Pending the assembling of the squadron, and while Jones was busily engaged in seeking for a proper vessel for himself in various French ports, Lafayette arrived from America, and sought the command of the land forces of the proposed expedition. His desire was a notable tribute to the sailor, by the way. The change was most agreeable to Jones, to whom, of course, the reputation and abilities of Lafayette were well known, and who would naturally prefer association with such a distinguished198 man in the undertaking199, but, as usual, there were delays on the part of the minister.
Jones traveled about from port to port, looking at different ships which it was proposed to purchase for him. The minister offered him the Duc de Broglie, a large new ship lying at Nantes, capable of mounting sixty-four guns. He inspected her, and would have taken her gladly, but he felt utterly200 unable properly to man such a large ship, and he was reluctantly compelled to dismiss her from consideration. There was also at Nantes a smaller ship, the Ariel, of twenty guns, which had been captured from the English, which he was willing to accept if nothing better turned up. Another vessel that he looked at was a great old-fashioned merchant ship, lying dismantled201 at L'Orient, which had been some fourteen years in the India trade, and was very much out of repair. She was called the Duc de Duras. Jones thought she might do in default of anything else, and he so informed the minister.
However, in spite of the promises that had been made and reiterated202 to him, and the determination which had been arrived at, nothing was done. His visits of inspection203 were fruitless, his propositions were disregarded as before. Furthermore, the plan to send Lafayette with him fell through because France was at that time projecting a grand descent in force upon England, and Lafayette was designated to command a regiment in the proposed undertaking. Like other similar projects, the plan was never put in operation. Though France did enter the Channel with sixty-six French and Spanish ships of the line, she did not accomplish as much with this great armada as Paul Jones did with the little squadron he finally was enabled to assemble.
Meanwhile he was at his wits' end. The year had nearly passed and nothing had been done. He had been put off with promises until he was desperate. Chance, it is stated, threw in his way one day, as he sat idle at Nantes, gloomily ruminating204 on the prospect, or lack of it, and almost making up his mind to go back to the United States in the first vessel that offered and seek such opportunity for service as might arise there, a copy of Franklin's famous book of maxims205, called Poor Richard's Almanac. As the harassed206 little captain sat listlessly turning its pages, his eyes fell upon this significant aphorism207:
"If a man wishes to have any business faithfully and expeditiously208 performed, let him go on it himself; otherwise he may send."
The truth of the saying inspired him to one final effort before he abandoned European waters. He went to Versailles in November, 1778, for one last visit, and there settled the matter. His determination and persistence at last, as it had many times before, brought him success. De Sartine directed the purchase of the Duras, which Jones, from his love for Franklin and the circumstance just related, with the consent of the minister, renamed the Bon Homme Richard, that being the French equivalent for Poor Richard, or Good Man Richard, which was the caption209 of the almanac.
De Sartine appointed as the agent and commissary of the king for the purchase and refitting of the Duras and the other vessels of the squadron, and for the disposal of any prizes which might be taken, in short, as his representative with entire liberty of action, Monsieur le Ray de Chaumont. This gentleman, belonging, of course, to the nobility of the country, was a man of considerable influence at the court, where he had held the responsible dual121 position of Grand Master of the Forests and Waters of the King. Since the arrival of the American commissioners he had shown his devotion to the cause of liberty and to them personally by many and conspicuous210 acts of kindness.
It was his private residence at Passy that Franklin made his headquarters during his long tenure211 of office. De Chaumont had offered him the use of this house, and with generous and splendid hospitality had refused to accept of any remuneration by way of rental212. Realizing the pressing necessity of the struggling colonists213 for every dollar they could scrape together, he positively214 declined to impair215 their limited resources by any charge whatsoever216. Franklin endeavored to change his decision, and when John Adams replaced Deane he made the same effort, but the generous Frenchman refused to recede217 from his determination. He also placed his private purse at the disposal of Franklin, and in every way showed himself a worthy and disinterested99 friend of America.
He was one of those romantic Frenchmen who espoused218 the cause of the rights of man under the influence of the new philosophy of Rousseau and Voltaire; somewhat, it would seem, from motives219 similar to those proclaimed by Jones himself. He had nothing to gain by his action and much to lose should the effort of the colonists result in failure. He was a man of affairs and possessed an ample fortune. To anticipate events, it may be stated that he spent it all in the cause to which he had devoted220 himself, and eventually became bankrupt. He was not a military man; still less was he aware of the exigencies221 and demands of the naval service. For the present, however, he did his work efficiently222 and well.
The Duras was purchased immediately, as were two other merchant vessels, the Pallas and the Vengeance223, all at the cost of the royal treasury224. To these were added the Cerf, a king's cutter, a well-appointed and efficient vessel, and the United States ship Alliance, a new and very handsome frigate built at Salisbury, Massachusetts, in 1778, which had arrived in Europe with Lafayette as a passenger. Jones had specifically asked that the American frigate should be assigned to his squadron--a most unfortunate request, as it afterward turned out.
The Duras was an East Indiaman of obsolete225 type; a large, old-fashioned ship with a very high poop and topgallant forecastle. She had made, during many years of service, a number of round voyages to the East Indies. While stoutly226 built for a merchant ship, as compared to a man-of-war of her size she was of light and unsubstantial frame. In the absence of particular information I suppose her to have been of something under eight hundred tons burden. Neglect had allowed her to fall into such a bad condition that her efficiency as a proposed war vessel was further impaired228 by her inability to stand the necessary repairs.
Jones, however, surveyed her and determined to make her do. Indeed, there was no choice; it was that or nothing. He hoped to effect something with her which would warrant him in demanding a better ship; so, with a sigh of regret for the Indien, he set to work upon her, doing his best to make her efficient. By his orders she was pierced for twenty-eight guns on her main deck and six on the poop and forecastle. In order to further increase her force, Jones, after much deliberation, resorted to the hazardous229 experiment of cutting six ports in the gun room, on the deck below the gun deck, close to the water line; so close, in fact, that, with anything like a sea on, to open the ports would be to invite destruction by foundering230.[8] Only under exceptionally favorable circumstances, therefore, could these guns be used. At best the gun-room battery could only be fought in the calmest weather and smoothest water. In this dangerous place he mounted six old and condemned231 18-pounders, which were all that he could obtain from the French arsenals232. On the main deck fourteen 12-pounders and fourteen 9-pounders were mounted.[9] Two 9-pounders were placed aft on the quarter-deck, two in each gangway, and two on the forecastle. All the guns were old and worn out; many of them had been condemned by the French Government as unfit for use. The six guns on the lower deck were mounted three on a side, but a sufficient number of ports had been cut to admit of shifting the guns and working the whole battery on either side. New guns had been ordered cast for the Richard at the French gun foundries; but the usual delays compelled Jones to take what he could, and finally sail with these old makeshifts. The guns intended for the Bon Homme Richard arrived after she had gone.
The Alliance was a frigate-built ship of thirty-two guns, 9- and 6-pounders, manned by two hundred and fifty men, and commanded by Pierre Landais. Landais was an ex-officer of the French navy, who had been dismissed for insubordination and incapacity. Ignorant of these facts, knowing only that he had been a navy officer, and wishing to please their royal ally, and perhaps pay a delicate compliment also to Lafayette, who was a passenger upon the ship on her first cruise, the marine commissioners had appointed him to the command of this fine and handsome little frigate. The Alliance was one of the fastest ships of her day; indeed, she may be regarded as the precursor233 of that long line of splendid frigates and sloops234 of war which have been the pride of American shipbuilders and the admiration of foreign navies. Properly re-armed and refitted, under the command of stout227 old John Barry she did splendid service on several occasions later in the war. Her swiftness and mobility235, it was believed, would add greatly to the usefulness of Jones' squadron.
The Pallas was a fairly efficient merchant ship, frigate built, carrying thirty 6-pounders, commanded by Captain de Cottineau de Kloguene. The Vengeance was a twelve-gun brig of little force, and the Cerf a sixteen-gun cutter, under the command of Captains Ricot and de Varage respectively.
After many difficulties and disheartening delays, chiefly overcome by Jones' invincible236 determination and persistence, the squadron was at last made ready for use. The first duty assigned to the daring commodore was a cruise for the driving of the enemy's ships out of the Bay of Biscay, and convoying merchant ships bound from port to port along the coast. It was not a particularly congenial duty, but he entered upon it zealously238 and without complaint.
The squadron sailed on the 19th of June, 1779. During the night of the 20th the Alliance ran foul239 of the Richard, and as a result of the collision the mizzenmast of the Alliance was carried away, while the Richard lost her head, cutwater, jib boom, etc. The blame for the accident mainly rested on Landais, who, it was afterward developed, had behaved disgracefully on this occasion, showing such a lack of presence of mind and seamanly241 aptitude242, coupled with such timidity and shrinking from duty, that, when the accident occurred, he not only gave no orders, but basely ran below to load his pistols, leaving the ship to be extricated243 from her critical situation by the junior officers. Perhaps he was afraid that the infuriated Jones would attack him for the mishandling of his ship. Jones, who had been below when the accident occurred, immediately assumed charge of the Richard, and by prompt action averted244 a more serious disaster. To do Landais justice, however, the officer of the watch on the Richard also must have been culpable245, for he was subsequently court-martialed and broken for his lack of conduct on this occasion.
Refusing to return to port, and patching up the two ships as well as possible from their present resources, Jones performed the duties assigned to him, driving the enemy's ships out of those waters and safely delivering his convoy237. On the return voyage, Captain de Varage, of the Cerf, had a spirited encounter with a heavily armed privateer of greater force than his own, which lasted for an hour and ten minutes and resulted in the privateer striking her flag. Before he could take possession, however, other ships of the enemy appeared, and he was forced to abandon his prize. The Richard chased several sail, two of which were thought to be frigates, and the officers and men manifested every disposition to get into action; but the ships sighted were all able to run away from the cumbrous and slow-sailing American ship.
On the last day of June the squadron put into L'Orient again to repair damages. During the cruise it is interesting to note that Jones dispatched thirty pounds, in the shape of a draft, through a friend in Dublin, to Scotland for the use of his family. He frequently made them remittances246 from his scanty247 supplies of money, and, in fact, he never forgot them, however busy with great undertakings248 he may have been.
Instructions were received at L'Orient from Franklin intended to govern the future movements of the squadron. They had, of course, been prepared after consultation with De Sartine. Jones was directed to cruise off the west coast of Ireland to intercept the West Indian ships and then to proceed to the northward249, passing the Orkneys, and range down the coast of Scotland and endeavor to capture the Baltic fleet--which, by the way, had been one of his original projects. After carrying out these orders he was instructed to proceed to the Texel about August 15th, where he would find further directions awaiting him. Prizes were to be sent to Dunkirk or Ostend in France, or Bergen in Norway, consigned250 to such agents as De Chaumont should designate.
Jones was very much disappointed, naturally, with the Richard, and in acknowledging the receipt of these instructions he made a last effort to get the Indien. It was intimated that such might be the result of his cruise when he arrived at the Texel, if it were successful, but that no change could be made in his orders at present. Franklin refused to attempt to have them modified by consulting with the ministry, and, in a way gentle but sufficiently decided251, he directed Jones to finish repairing the ships with all speed and proceed to carry out the orders he had received. The commodore, swallowing his disappointment and dissatisfaction with a rather ill grace, it must be confessed, hastened to get his ships in shape for the proposed expedition.
During the cruise in the Bay of Biscay a mutinous spirit had broken out among the English seamen, with whom in part Jones had been forced to man his ship in default of other men, which had become sufficiently developed to result in an organized conspiracy252 to take the Richard. The plot was discovered and the ringleaders were put in irons. When the Richard arrived at L'Orient, these men, two quartermasters, were court-martialed; but, instead of being sentenced to death, as they deserved, they were severely253 flogged with the cat-o'-nine-tails. Jones, who, if he erred254, leaned to the side of mercy, seems to have been greatly relieved at this termination of the affair. At this time the lieutenant of the Richard, who had been in charge of the watch during the collision, was also court-martialed and dismissed the service.
These several unfortunate happenings had given De Sartine a very low idea of the efficiency and value of the Bon Homme Richard and the squadron, which galled255 Jones extremely. Indeed, I imagine De Sartine looked upon Jones in the light of a nuisance more than anything else. The repairs progressed very slowly, and it was not until August that the ships were ready to proceed. Meanwhile an event of the greatest importance had occurred in the arrival of a cartel at Nantes with one hundred and nineteen exchanged American prisoners. Many of them entered on the Richard, and Jones was thus enabled to weed out a large proportion of the mutinous and disorderly element in his crew. The fine qualities of some of these new recruits enabled him to replace many of his petty officers--invaluable adjuncts to an efficient crew--with experienced seamen who could be depended upon, not merely as sailors, but as men who, fresh from the horrors and brutalities of English prisons, were more than ready to fight against the red flag wherever it was planted. They leavened256 the whole mass.
The re-enforcement was of the greatest value; but Jones' good fortune did not end here, for before he sailed again he was joined by a young American naval officer of the highest capacity and courage, named Richard Dale, who had been captured in the Lexington and held a prisoner in England. He had effected a most daring and romantic escape from the Mill Prison by the assistance of an unknown woman, whose name and the circumstances of their acquaintance remained a mystery; Dale absolutely refused to divulge257 them to the day of his death.
Jones found in him a congenial spirit and an able subordinate. He promptly258 appointed him first lieutenant of the Richard, and between the two men there speedily developed a friendship as lasting259 as it was unaffected and disinterested. Next to Jones himself, in the early records, stands the name of this young man, then scarcely twenty-three years of age. Aside from the great commodore, it was he who contributed more to the subsequent success of the Richard than any other man. At the request of De Sartine, Jones also received on the Richard a battalion260 of royal marines, who were all French of course, and who had been augmented261 until they numbered one hundred and thirty-seven officers and men, under Lieutenant-Colonel de Chamillard de Warville. It was supposed by the minister that they could at least keep order on the ship! The time limited to the expiration262 of the cruise was extended to the end of the month of September.
The total complement263 of the Richard, therefore, according to Jones' statement, was about three hundred and eighty officers, men, and boys, including the one hundred and thirty-seven marines. A roll of officers and men is given by Sherburne in his Life of Jones.
On this list, which purports264 to contain the names of those who were on board on the date of the battle with the Serapis, are enumerated265 the names of but two hundred and twenty-seven officers and men. It omits the name of de Chamillard and another colonel of infantry266, de Weibert, who were actually on board, and gives no names of the French marines. Adding the two hundred and twenty-seven to the one hundred and thirty-seven, we get three hundred and sixty-four, which is as near as we can come to Jones' figures. There may have been others whose names were added later on, but at any rate it is safe to take Jones' statement as practically correct.
Assuming that the known factors fairly represented the whole crew, we find that among the officers twenty-four were Americans, two were Frenchmen, and six British, including Jones and two surgeon's mates. Among the seamen fifty-five were American born, sixteen Irish, sixty-one British, twenty-eight Portuguese267, twenty who are not described, of whom seven were probably Portuguese, and fifteen of other nationalities, including, according to Cooper, some Malays--possibly Filipinos learning thus early to fight for freedom under, not against, the Stars and Stripes! Thus, scarcely more than one fifth of the complement were native Americans. The marines, of course, were efficiently organized and commanded, and were of the usual character of the men in the French service. The rest of the crew, with the exception of the Americans, who were filling the posts of petty officers, were a hard-bitten, reckless crowd of adventurers, mercenaries, bravos, and what not, whom only a man like Jones could control and successfully direct. Under his iron hand they developed into as ready a crew as ever fought a ship, and in our estimation of his subsequent success the fact must not be lost sight of that he made out of such a motley assemblage so efficient an organization. The officers were fairly capable, though none of them reached the standard of Dale, and at least one of them left the cruise with a serious cloud upon his reputation.
Perhaps two thirds of the crew of the Alliance were English seamen who had been recruited from the men of the line of battle ship Somerset, which had been wrecked268 in America, and a large number of her crew captured. They enlisted269 on the Alliance in the hope of capturing her and making their escape, thus avoiding a sojourn270 in American prisons. On the way to France, owing to the presence of these men on the ship, a conspiracy had developed, the successful termination of which was only prevented by the resolution and courage of Lafayette and the passengers with the regular officers of the ship. There were but a small number of Americans on the Alliance, owing to the fact that she was commanded by a Frenchman, under whom Americans generally refused to sail. The officers, with few exceptions, were poor in quality. Her crew had been somewhat improved before the squadron sailed, by the enlistment271 of some of the prisoners from the cartel, but it was still far from being an efficient body of men, and under such a captain as Landais there was no hope of it ever becoming so.
The officers and crew of the Pallas, Vengeance, and Cerf were French in toto, the officers all holding French commissions. The squadron was entirely at the charges of the French Government, although each of the officers sailed with a supplementary272 American commission issued by Franklin and his confrères, and all the vessels were under the American flag.
De Chaumont had been indefatigable273 in fitting out the ships as best he could, and personally he had done everything in his power to further the success of the enterprise. If his labors274 had ceased there, the results would have been better; but, probably under the direction of the minister, and influenced by the natural reluctance275 of the French officers and men to serve under the command of an officer of another country, de Chaumont prepared a concordat276, which he suppressed until just before the time of sailing, when it was exhibited to Jones and the other captains and their signatures demanded. By the terms of this singular document the officers and men and the several vessels of the squadron, instead of being under the absolute charge of Jones himself, as is the case with every properly organized expedition, were formed into a species of alliance offensive and defensive277; and while, of course, the headship was necessarily under Jones while he lived, he was so hampered278 and restricted by the various articles of the agreement as to feel himself scarcely more than first among his equals. He was left with full responsibility for success, but so shorn of power and ability to compel obedience to his orders as to render it necessary for him to resort to persuasion to effect his end. Any ordinary commander would have withdrawn279 at the last moment, but Jones was determined upon effecting something; so, with great reluctance and unavailing protests, he signed the concordat, and the ill-assorted squadron proceeded on its way.[10]
Surely never before was such an expedition for warlike purposes put forth upon the narrow seas! It is difficult to see what result any sane280 man could have legitimately281 expected from it. That it accomplished anything was due to Jones himself--commodore by virtue282 of a paper agreement, just as binding283 and effective as any of the several signers wished it to be! The world had long known him as a man remarkable284 for audacity in conception, boldness in planning, hardihood in carrying out, and downright courage in the supreme moment. As a seaman240 and a fighter he had few equals and no masters. But the cruise developed that he possessed other qualities of leadership which are sometimes lost sight of in this brilliant galaxy285, qualities which his previous experience had not led us to expect him to exhibit. He was shown to be considerate, tactful, forbearing, persuasive286, holding himself under strong restraint. Naturally of a passionate287, impetuous, uncontrollable nature, that he exhibited these qualities speaks well for the man. He had learned to control his feelings in the bitter school of procrastination288, evasion289, and disappointment of the past year.
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1 standing | |
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3 propitious | |
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4 audacity | |
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44 precluded | |
v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 );排除;妨碍;使…行不通 | |
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45 unwilling | |
adj.不情愿的 | |
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46 intentional | |
adj.故意的,有意(识)的 | |
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47 intentionally | |
ad.故意地,有意地 | |
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48 dilemma | |
n.困境,进退两难的局面 | |
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49 enjoyment | |
n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
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50 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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51 esteem | |
n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
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52 submission | |
n.服从,投降;温顺,谦虚;提出 | |
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53 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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54 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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55 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
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56 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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57 curt | |
adj.简短的,草率的 | |
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58 implore | |
vt.乞求,恳求,哀求 | |
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59 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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60 inexplicable | |
adj.无法解释的,难理解的 | |
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61 dignified | |
a.可敬的,高贵的 | |
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62 ostensible | |
adj.(指理由)表面的,假装的 | |
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63 traitors | |
卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 ); 叛徒; 背叛者; 背信弃义的人 | |
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64 belligerent | |
adj.好战的,挑起战争的;n.交战国,交战者 | |
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65 opprobrious | |
adj.可耻的,辱骂的 | |
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66 justified | |
a.正当的,有理的 | |
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67 persistent | |
adj.坚持不懈的,执意的;持续的 | |
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68 deter | |
vt.阻止,使不敢,吓住 | |
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69 valiantly | |
adv.勇敢地,英勇地;雄赳赳 | |
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70 partially | |
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲 | |
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71 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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72 dilatory | |
adj.迟缓的,不慌不忙的 | |
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73 incompetent | |
adj.无能力的,不能胜任的 | |
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74 mutinous | |
adj.叛变的,反抗的;adv.反抗地,叛变地;n.反抗,叛变 | |
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75 malcontent | |
n.不满者,不平者;adj.抱不平的,不满的 | |
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76 incentive | |
n.刺激;动力;鼓励;诱因;动机 | |
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77 discord | |
n.不和,意见不合,争论,(音乐)不和谐 | |
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78 contumacious | |
adj.拒不服从的,违抗的 | |
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79 interval | |
n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
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80 sordid | |
adj.肮脏的,不干净的,卑鄙的,暗淡的 | |
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81 avaricious | |
adj.贪婪的,贪心的 | |
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82 tiresome | |
adj.令人疲劳的,令人厌倦的 | |
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83 complaisance | |
n.彬彬有礼,殷勤,柔顺 | |
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84 relinquish | |
v.放弃,撤回,让与,放手 | |
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85 pending | |
prep.直到,等待…期间;adj.待定的;迫近的 | |
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86 unconditionally | |
adv.无条件地 | |
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87 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
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88 acquiesced | |
v.默认,默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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89 belle | |
n.靓女 | |
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90 inevitable | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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91 auspices | |
n.资助,赞助 | |
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92 jersey | |
n.运动衫 | |
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93 mischief | |
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹 | |
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94 intercept | |
vt.拦截,截住,截击 | |
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95 intercepting | |
截取(技术),截接 | |
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96 frigates | |
n.快速军舰( frigate的名词复数 ) | |
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97 frigate | |
n.护航舰,大型驱逐舰 | |
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98 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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99 disinterested | |
adj.不关心的,不感兴趣的 | |
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100 disinterestedness | |
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101 interception | |
n.拦截;截击;截取;截住,截断;窃听 | |
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102 prospects | |
n.希望,前途(恒为复数) | |
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103 disposition | |
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
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104 inclination | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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105 enjoined | |
v.命令( enjoin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106 ministry | |
n.(政府的)部;牧师 | |
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107 discretion | |
n.谨慎;随意处理 | |
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108 providence | |
n.深谋远虑,天道,天意;远见;节约;上帝 | |
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109 obedience | |
n.服从,顺从 | |
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110 privately | |
adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地 | |
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111 consultation | |
n.咨询;商量;商议;会议 | |
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112 utilized | |
v.利用,使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113 ransom | |
n.赎金,赎身;v.赎回,解救 | |
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114 shipping | |
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船) | |
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115 distressed | |
痛苦的 | |
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116 attentive | |
adj.注意的,专心的;关心(别人)的,殷勤的 | |
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117 prosecute | |
vt.告发;进行;vi.告发,起诉,作检察官 | |
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118 expedient | |
adj.有用的,有利的;n.紧急的办法,权宜之计 | |
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119 harass | |
vt.使烦恼,折磨,骚扰 | |
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120 besieged | |
包围,围困,围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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121 dual | |
adj.双的;二重的,二元的 | |
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122 waned | |
v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 );(月)亏;变小;变暗淡 | |
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123 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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124 temperament | |
n.气质,性格,性情 | |
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125 hanger | |
n.吊架,吊轴承;挂钩 | |
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126 outskirts | |
n.郊外,郊区 | |
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127 expediency | |
n.适宜;方便;合算;利己 | |
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128 diplomacy | |
n.外交;外交手腕,交际手腕 | |
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129 persuasion | |
n.劝说;说服;持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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130 procured | |
v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 );拉皮条 | |
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131 maneuvering | |
v.移动,用策略( maneuver的现在分词 );操纵 | |
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132 interfere | |
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰 | |
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133 advancement | |
n.前进,促进,提升 | |
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134 esteemed | |
adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 );敬重;认为;以为 | |
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135 jealousy | |
n.妒忌,嫉妒,猜忌 | |
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136 exasperated | |
adj.恼怒的 | |
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137 heartily | |
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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138 culled | |
v.挑选,剔除( cull的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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139 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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140 citation | |
n.引用,引证,引用文;传票 | |
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141 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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142 regain | |
vt.重新获得,收复,恢复 | |
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143 chafing | |
n.皮肤发炎v.擦热(尤指皮肤)( chafe的现在分词 );擦痛;发怒;惹怒 | |
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144 fretting | |
n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的 | |
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145 emphatic | |
adj.强调的,着重的;无可置疑的,明显的 | |
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146 explicit | |
adj.详述的,明确的;坦率的;显然的 | |
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147 sarcastic | |
adj.讥讽的,讽刺的,嘲弄的 | |
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148 grievances | |
n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 );苦衷;不满;牢骚 | |
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149 condescended | |
屈尊,俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 ); 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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150 unlimited | |
adj.无限的,不受控制的,无条件的 | |
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151 requisite | |
adj.需要的,必不可少的;n.必需品 | |
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152 thereby | |
adv.因此,从而 | |
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153 dishonour | |
n./vt.拒付(支票、汇票、票据等);vt.凌辱,使丢脸;n.不名誉,耻辱,不光彩 | |
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154 embark | |
vi.乘船,着手,从事,上飞机 | |
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155 embarking | |
乘船( embark的现在分词 ); 装载; 从事 | |
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156 lamented | |
adj.被哀悼的,令人遗憾的v.(为…)哀悼,痛哭,悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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157 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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158 stimulated | |
a.刺激的 | |
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159 enjoyments | |
愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 ); 令人愉快的事物; 享有; 享受 | |
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160 embarked | |
乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 ); 装载; 从事 | |
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161 tormenting | |
使痛苦的,使苦恼的 | |
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162 suspense | |
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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163 lieutenant | |
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员 | |
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164 bestow | |
v.把…赠与,把…授予;花费 | |
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165 plundering | |
掠夺,抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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166 plunder | |
vt.劫掠财物,掠夺;n.劫掠物,赃物;劫掠 | |
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167 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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168 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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169 penetrated | |
adj. 击穿的,鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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170 insignificant | |
adj.无关紧要的,可忽略的,无意义的 | |
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171 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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172 shameful | |
adj.可耻的,不道德的 | |
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173 mortification | |
n.耻辱,屈辱 | |
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174 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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175 steadfastly | |
adv.踏实地,不变地;岿然;坚定不渝 | |
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176 ardently | |
adv.热心地,热烈地 | |
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177 espousing | |
v.(决定)支持,拥护(目标、主张等)( espouse的现在分词 ) | |
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178 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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179 deference | |
n.尊重,顺从;敬意 | |
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180 withheld | |
withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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181 acquiescence | |
n.默许;顺从 | |
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182 evoked | |
[医]诱发的 | |
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183 persistence | |
n.坚持,持续,存留 | |
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184 inquiry | |
n.打听,询问,调查,查问 | |
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185 harry | |
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼 | |
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186 ravage | |
vt.使...荒废,破坏...;n.破坏,掠夺,荒废 | |
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187 retaliation | |
n.报复,反击 | |
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188 ravaged | |
毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 ); 蹂躏; 劫掠; 抢劫 | |
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189 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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190 ravaging | |
毁坏( ravage的现在分词 ); 蹂躏; 劫掠; 抢劫 | |
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191 warfare | |
n.战争(状态);斗争;冲突 | |
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192 brutal | |
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的 | |
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193 supreme | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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194 sentimental | |
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的 | |
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195 premises | |
n.建筑物,房屋 | |
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196 censure | |
v./n.责备;非难;责难 | |
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197 regiment | |
n.团,多数,管理;v.组织,编成团,统制 | |
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198 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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199 undertaking | |
n.保证,许诺,事业 | |
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200 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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201 dismantled | |
拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 ); 拆卸; 废除; 取消 | |
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202 reiterated | |
反复地说,重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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203 inspection | |
n.检查,审查,检阅 | |
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204 ruminating | |
v.沉思( ruminate的现在分词 );反复考虑;反刍;倒嚼 | |
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205 maxims | |
n.格言,座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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206 harassed | |
adj. 疲倦的,厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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207 aphorism | |
n.格言,警语 | |
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208 expeditiously | |
adv.迅速地,敏捷地 | |
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209 caption | |
n.说明,字幕,标题;v.加上标题,加上说明 | |
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210 conspicuous | |
adj.明眼的,惹人注目的;炫耀的,摆阔气的 | |
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211 tenure | |
n.终身职位;任期;(土地)保有权,保有期 | |
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212 rental | |
n.租赁,出租,出租业 | |
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213 colonists | |
n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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214 positively | |
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实 | |
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215 impair | |
v.损害,损伤;削弱,减少 | |
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216 whatsoever | |
adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么 | |
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217 recede | |
vi.退(去),渐渐远去;向后倾斜,缩进 | |
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218 espoused | |
v.(决定)支持,拥护(目标、主张等)( espouse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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219 motives | |
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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220 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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221 exigencies | |
n.急切需要 | |
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222 efficiently | |
adv.高效率地,有能力地 | |
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223 vengeance | |
n.报复,报仇,复仇 | |
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224 treasury | |
n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 | |
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225 obsolete | |
adj.已废弃的,过时的 | |
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226 stoutly | |
adv.牢固地,粗壮的 | |
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228 impaired | |
adj.受损的;出毛病的;有(身体或智力)缺陷的v.损害,削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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229 hazardous | |
adj.(有)危险的,冒险的;碰运气的 | |
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230 foundering | |
v.创始人( founder的现在分词 ) | |
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231 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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232 arsenals | |
n.兵工厂,军火库( arsenal的名词复数 );任何事物的集成 | |
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233 precursor | |
n.先驱者;前辈;前任;预兆;先兆 | |
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234 sloops | |
n.单桅纵帆船( sloop的名词复数 ) | |
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235 mobility | |
n.可动性,变动性,情感不定 | |
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236 invincible | |
adj.不可征服的,难以制服的 | |
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237 convoy | |
vt.护送,护卫,护航;n.护送;护送队 | |
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238 zealously | |
adv.热心地;热情地;积极地;狂热地 | |
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239 foul | |
adj.污秽的;邪恶的;v.弄脏;妨害;犯规;n.犯规 | |
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240 seaman | |
n.海员,水手,水兵 | |
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241 seamanly | |
水手一样地 | |
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242 aptitude | |
n.(学习方面的)才能,资质,天资 | |
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243 extricated | |
v.使摆脱困难,脱身( extricate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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244 averted | |
防止,避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 ); 转移 | |
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245 culpable | |
adj.有罪的,该受谴责的 | |
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246 remittances | |
n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 );汇款,汇款额 | |
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247 scanty | |
adj.缺乏的,仅有的,节省的,狭小的,不够的 | |
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248 undertakings | |
企业( undertaking的名词复数 ); 保证; 殡仪业; 任务 | |
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249 northward | |
adv.向北;n.北方的地区 | |
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250 consigned | |
v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的过去式和过去分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃 | |
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251 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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252 conspiracy | |
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋 | |
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253 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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254 erred | |
犯错误,做错事( err的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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255 galled | |
v.使…擦痛( gall的过去式和过去分词 );擦伤;烦扰;侮辱 | |
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256 leavened | |
adj.加酵母的v.使(面团)发酵( leaven的过去式和过去分词 );在…中掺入改变的因素 | |
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257 divulge | |
v.泄漏(秘密等);宣布,公布 | |
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258 promptly | |
adv.及时地,敏捷地 | |
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259 lasting | |
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持 | |
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260 battalion | |
n.营;部队;大队(的人) | |
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261 Augmented | |
adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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262 expiration | |
n.终结,期满,呼气,呼出物 | |
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263 complement | |
n.补足物,船上的定员;补语;vt.补充,补足 | |
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264 purports | |
v.声称是…,(装得)像是…的样子( purport的第三人称单数 ) | |
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265 enumerated | |
v.列举,枚举,数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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266 infantry | |
n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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267 Portuguese | |
n.葡萄牙人;葡萄牙语 | |
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268 wrecked | |
adj.失事的,遇难的 | |
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269 enlisted | |
adj.应募入伍的v.(使)入伍, (使)参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 );获得(帮助或支持) | |
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270 sojourn | |
v./n.旅居,寄居;逗留 | |
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271 enlistment | |
n.应征入伍,获得,取得 | |
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272 supplementary | |
adj.补充的,附加的 | |
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273 indefatigable | |
adj.不知疲倦的,不屈不挠的 | |
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274 labors | |
v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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275 reluctance | |
n.厌恶,讨厌,勉强,不情愿 | |
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276 concordat | |
n.协定;宗派间的协约 | |
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277 defensive | |
adj.防御的;防卫的;防守的 | |
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278 hampered | |
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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279 withdrawn | |
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出 | |
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280 sane | |
adj.心智健全的,神志清醒的,明智的,稳健的 | |
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281 legitimately | |
ad.合法地;正当地,合理地 | |
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282 virtue | |
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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283 binding | |
有约束力的,有效的,应遵守的 | |
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284 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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285 galaxy | |
n.星系;银河系;一群(杰出或著名的人物) | |
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286 persuasive | |
adj.有说服力的,能说得使人相信的 | |
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287 passionate | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的 | |
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288 procrastination | |
n.拖延,耽搁 | |
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289 evasion | |
n.逃避,偷漏(税) | |
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