books i've read this year...
1. Jane Austen: "Emma"
2. David Cordingly: "Life Among the Pirates - the Romance and the Reality"
3. John Hampden & Francis Drake: "Sir Francis Drake - Pirat im Dienst der Queen"
4. Dan Brown: "Angels and Demons"
5. Dan Brown: "The DaVinci Code"
6. Anthony Blackmore: "Rum, Sodomy & The Lash - A Devon Lad's Life in Nelson's Navy"
A very good book with lots of information, though it was easier to read at the beginning, before the author started mentioning lots of battles and lots of people and I became confused.
It's not really a book about a Devon lad's life in Nelson's Navy, it's more a book on Nelson, Cockburn (and why did I snicker when the name was first mentioned??) and the frigate Minerve than on Samuel Blackmore, the author's ancestor. But it's written very well and explains some nautical things (for example that the main mast is more than just the mainmast).
On the alternatives of shore leave:
It is well known, that immediately on the arrival of as ship of war in port, crowds of boats flock off with cargoes of prostitutes. [...] Hundreds come off to a large ship. The whole of the shocking, disgraceful transactions of the lower deck is impossible to describe - the dirt, filth, and stench; the blasphemy and swearing; the riots, quarrels and fighting which often take place, where hundreds of men and women are huddled together in one room as it were, in bed (each man being allowed only sixteen inches breadth for his hammock), they are squeezed between the next hammocks and must be witnesses of each other's actions; can only be imagined by those who have seen all this... giving way to every excess and debauchery that the grossest passions of human nature can lead them to.
I'd so love to read fic about that. :D
On letters having been written to the Admiralty after the mutinies of Nore and Spithead:
A Humble petition on a Count of Ill Usage in the first place we are imployd from morning to two or three of Clock the after noon in washing and Scrubing the Dicks and Every Day ower Chest and Bags is Ordered on Dick and not Down till night nor Our selves neither Even so particler as to wash the Dicks with fresh Water and if we gate wett at any time and hang or spread our Cloas to drip our captain thros them overboard by which we Big the favour of another Commander or an other Ship we still Remain your most Worthy Subjects. - Blanches Crew.
Did they really mean "dicks"? *laugs self dead* :D
Also, the Blanche was gay Captain Sawyer's ship.
In June 1796 Blanche's captain, Sawyer, had been caught ordering young sailors to his hammock - 'Capt. Sawyer, having a fondness for young men and boys...'as Nagle put it in his 'Journal'. This became generally known. He also had discipline fall to an all-time low by allowing insubordination by his coxswain Mullins (one of those whom he had taken to his cabin) who openly called him 'a man fucking bugger'and accused him of having 'frig'd' and been 'frig'd' by two midshipmen and by John Friday, a black seaman, as a result of which he eventually lost control of the ship.
Interesting. ;)
On Nelson and Captain Hardy on the Minerve, as Hardy lowered a jollyboat to save a drowning shipmate:
The jolly-boat's crew pulled 'might and main' to regain the Frigate, but apparently made little progress against the current of the Straights. At the crisis, Nelson, casting an anxious look at the hazardous situation of Hardy and his companions, exclaimed, "By G--, I'll not lose Hardy; back the mizzen topsail."
If that's not love, I don't know what is.
On pox:
All we know for certain of Samuel's part in all this is that, as well as losing his share of prize money for the prizes taken in his absence, he again lost his pay whilst absent from muster. But Samuel was either wise or was he lucky; unlike many others, he was never charged 15s [75p] for 'venerials' - the cost of medicines to treat 'the pox'. "Five minutes with Venus, and six months with Mercury," as the saying went.
Plot-monkey, anyone? :D Also, if Venus isn't there, I'm sure Mars will oblige... ;)
I love Navy books! :D
2. David Cordingly: "Life Among the Pirates - the Romance and the Reality"
3. John Hampden & Francis Drake: "Sir Francis Drake - Pirat im Dienst der Queen"
4. Dan Brown: "Angels and Demons"
5. Dan Brown: "The DaVinci Code"
6. Anthony Blackmore: "Rum, Sodomy & The Lash - A Devon Lad's Life in Nelson's Navy"
A very good book with lots of information, though it was easier to read at the beginning, before the author started mentioning lots of battles and lots of people and I became confused.
It's not really a book about a Devon lad's life in Nelson's Navy, it's more a book on Nelson, Cockburn (and why did I snicker when the name was first mentioned??) and the frigate Minerve than on Samuel Blackmore, the author's ancestor. But it's written very well and explains some nautical things (for example that the main mast is more than just the mainmast).
On the alternatives of shore leave:
It is well known, that immediately on the arrival of as ship of war in port, crowds of boats flock off with cargoes of prostitutes. [...] Hundreds come off to a large ship. The whole of the shocking, disgraceful transactions of the lower deck is impossible to describe - the dirt, filth, and stench; the blasphemy and swearing; the riots, quarrels and fighting which often take place, where hundreds of men and women are huddled together in one room as it were, in bed (each man being allowed only sixteen inches breadth for his hammock), they are squeezed between the next hammocks and must be witnesses of each other's actions; can only be imagined by those who have seen all this... giving way to every excess and debauchery that the grossest passions of human nature can lead them to.
I'd so love to read fic about that. :D
On letters having been written to the Admiralty after the mutinies of Nore and Spithead:
A Humble petition on a Count of Ill Usage in the first place we are imployd from morning to two or three of Clock the after noon in washing and Scrubing the Dicks and Every Day ower Chest and Bags is Ordered on Dick and not Down till night nor Our selves neither Even so particler as to wash the Dicks with fresh Water and if we gate wett at any time and hang or spread our Cloas to drip our captain thros them overboard by which we Big the favour of another Commander or an other Ship we still Remain your most Worthy Subjects. - Blanches Crew.
Did they really mean "dicks"? *laugs self dead* :D
Also, the Blanche was gay Captain Sawyer's ship.
In June 1796 Blanche's captain, Sawyer, had been caught ordering young sailors to his hammock - 'Capt. Sawyer, having a fondness for young men and boys...'as Nagle put it in his 'Journal'. This became generally known. He also had discipline fall to an all-time low by allowing insubordination by his coxswain Mullins (one of those whom he had taken to his cabin) who openly called him 'a man fucking bugger'and accused him of having 'frig'd' and been 'frig'd' by two midshipmen and by John Friday, a black seaman, as a result of which he eventually lost control of the ship.
Interesting. ;)
On Nelson and Captain Hardy on the Minerve, as Hardy lowered a jollyboat to save a drowning shipmate:
The jolly-boat's crew pulled 'might and main' to regain the Frigate, but apparently made little progress against the current of the Straights. At the crisis, Nelson, casting an anxious look at the hazardous situation of Hardy and his companions, exclaimed, "By G--, I'll not lose Hardy; back the mizzen topsail."
If that's not love, I don't know what is.
On pox:
All we know for certain of Samuel's part in all this is that, as well as losing his share of prize money for the prizes taken in his absence, he again lost his pay whilst absent from muster. But Samuel was either wise or was he lucky; unlike many others, he was never charged 15s [75p] for 'venerials' - the cost of medicines to treat 'the pox'. "Five minutes with Venus, and six months with Mercury," as the saying went.
Plot-monkey, anyone? :D Also, if Venus isn't there, I'm sure Mars will oblige... ;)
I love Navy books! :D