JONES, THOMAS AP CATESBY 1787-1858). An American naval officer, born in Virginia. He -entered the navy in 1805, and three years later was sent to the Gulf of Mexico, where he wa-s engaged until the outbreak of the War of 1312 in suppressing piracy, smuggling, and the slave trade. He saw no active service against the Brit ish until nearly the end of the war when he at tempted with his squadron of five gunboats manned by 132 men to bar the passage across Lake Borg,ne to the fleet under Vice - Admiral Cochrane, which was transporting General Pack •enham's army to New Orleans. He anchored his squadron in such a position that the deep-draught vessels of the British could not approach it, and so forced the latter to attack in their tenders. After an obstinate resistance, in which he inflicted severe loss upon his assailants. but during which he was himself badly wounded, his vessels were captured. In 1320 Jones was promoted to the rank of commander, and in 1829 to that of cap tain. At this time conditions in the Hawaiian Islands were attracting attention in the United Slates and in England. The missionaries. most
of wItom were Americans, had secured practical control of the Government; but opposed to them was an aggressive party composed of sailors and merchants which was headed by the British con sul, Richard Charlton, who wished to secure the cession of the islands to Great Britain. Com mander Jones in the sloop-of-war Peacock was sent out in 1826 to secure payment of debts claimed by American citizens. and to endeavor to restore peace between the warring factions.
He remained almost three months; collected the debts; denied publicly Charlton's assertion that the islands were a British dependency; and pre sided over a meeting at which the missionaries met the charges of their adversaries. In 1842, while commanding the Pacific squadron, lie heard that war had been declared against Mexico, and, believing from the actions of the British war-ship Dublin that that Government intended to annex California, he landed a force at Monterey and took possession in the name of the United States. For this indiscretion he was temporarily removed from his command.