Will Hawkins

It is not a shock to me to see that 19th Century Britain is no better than 19th. Century USA in its dealings with drugs. The two Opium Wars decimated the Chinese population and the profits to the John Company in the Opium Trade were overwhelming. The only question is whether the Chinese brought the destruction of the Opium Wars on themselves by refusing so firmly to accept nothing in payment for their luxury goods other than silver. It seems that the Chinese people created the market for Opium in much the same way as the American people have created a market for recreational drugs, and wherever there is a market, somebody will find a way to meet it.

Although I am not a published author, I can understand why any author would be encouraged by approving comments from his readers. In my opinion, Mark Arbour is one of the best, if not the top of the heap as far as authors on GA are concerned. True, every so often, but rarely, he makes a grammatical error, but the fact that those creep into his published work is more likely to be the fault of his editors rather than his. Every author makes grammatical errors from time to time, but it is a rare gem who can hold the attention of such a large body of critics as does Mark. One can only hope that his physical strength is up to supporting two story lines at the same time and wish him well with his writing.

I read that civility between foes is dead, but I would be forced to disagree somewhat. I enter as evidence the relationship between Germany and the Allies at the end of WWII. Yes, there were trials and assassinations of German officers, but there was no wholesale incarceration of soldiers or even officers, and certainly the recovery of Germany, which was sponsored by the US, is evidence of a relaxation of the tensions of war. In addition, I have learned lately that the same even tempered relaxation took place in Japan as well. Certainly the recovery of those former enemies financially is evidence of that. The wholesale rape and murder that the propagandists of Germany and Japan if the allies won the war, never took place. My father became a base commander in Japan immediately after the signing of the surrender and he told me his biggest problem was controlling the number of GI's who wished to marry Japanese women and that he had very little trouble with rape or fighting between Japanese men and GI's.

A comment made by one of your posters in reference to the youth of the British forces: the armed forces of many nations have discovered that young men, in the 17+ range, make excellent soldiers and have therefore lowered their recruiting age to that. Young men, while in some cases are a bit rash in their battle actions, have long ago proven themselves as excellent soldiers and physically able to better withstand the rigors of battle.

You have inspired me as well, Mark. I am now, after considerable study, considered the local expert on late 18th Century naval warfare, ships and government in Britain. I am very much a schoolteacher and love to learn and teach. You have inspired me. I am convinced you should write a non-fiction book on the 18th Century British Navy, its offices and men. Thank you for your inspiration.

This southern coast of Chilie trains me very much of the coastline of my own Pacific Northwest I wonder if the new iron tanks that have been installed in the holds of the ship, might have helped strengthen her to better withstand the pounding of the waves of the Horn? Certainly they may have decreased the quantity of leakage into the holds from twisting and racking of the vessel.

For a sailing ship to make it around Cape Horn without foundering would be a miracle of seamanship. It would mean huddling in he wind shadow of one of the larger islands until there came a period of near calm, then making a dash for the next island. n addition Argentina and Chile were constantly at odds about ownership of various islands in that area and even a ship flying a British flag would be subject to attack by one country or the other ...depending on whose waters they found themselves. Not an ideal situation for any ship.

Did I misread something? I thought Maidstone had shipped off to the East Indies on a John Company ship that had already departed? While, under usual circumstances, that would put him into the East Indies before Granger arrives, it would make the trip much more relaxed. Though the trip t the East Indies by way of the southern tip of South America is shorter than to go via the Cape of Good Hope, the prevailing Westerlies make rounding the southern tip of South America from east to west very difficult, so Granger is forced to sail nearly across the Atlantic toward Brazil before turning Easterly to get around Africa. It makes for a very long sea voyage. However, the West coast of South and Central America may be quite rich in Spanish Golden Galleons, and to get North of the Pacific Equatorial Doldrums, might make the westward journey, while longer in distance, at least under more favorable wind conditions. If memory serves me, both Africa and South America have northward flowing currents lying close to their coastlines and the Northern Hemisphere sub-tropical currents are Westerly, with the wind patterns paralleling the ocean currents.

Phimosis is a relatively rare condition and is so easily cured that it almost never even reaches the level of interest any more. The surgery required to cure it can vary from a minimum of a quick snip to an adult circumcision. The fact (in the story) that an adult male in his thirties(?) is so badly affected that he cannot even maintain an erection is a fault of poor communication on the part of the medical profession or his family. The circumcision should have been performed years before, at the first time he suffered pain upon erection. Would not a reasonable youth complain to his father or to an elder brother or even to a school mate if he were so cursed?

I feel that Miles Long has expressed the feeling of a great majority of your readers, Mark. You have the ability to put us right in the midst of the action, yet stick close to the history. An excellent job, congratulations.

A somewhat rare reaction to punishment from Mr. Lewellen, not unheard of however, it is listed as 'sexual masochism' and is recognized as a psychiatric disorder requiring extensive psychological support.

As a side note, having nothing to do with the story: in a burial at sea, it would be very rare that any portion of the body sinks to the bottom. Such a large source of meat is quite likely to be consumed long before it sinks that far, and even the little tidbits that the larger fish miss will be consumed by crabs and the small crustaceans. Burial at sea is truly food for the fishes.

"Snorker(s)" is indeed Royal Navy slang for little sausages, but according to the Oxford Dictionary has more to do with tinned (canned) meat and the sounds of pigs. They are an especial favorite of the Submarine Service. A US brand that is very close to the Royal Navy sausage is Armor Vienna sausages. They all have a shelf life that is measured in years and very similar ingredients. They are tasty and can be eaten either heated or right out of the can and with the exception of a rather high salt content, won't do too much damage to your tummy. Bon Appetite, Oink.

While it is true that a man who has lost both his testicles cannot father s child, it is possible for him to have sensations very similar to a normal ejaculation upon stimulation of his prostate, just as George has discovered with Carlos. The drop of ejaculate at the tip of the boy's erect penis is generated by the prostate and is a normal constituent of the male ejaculation, though it contains no sperm. Under modern treatment including testosterone injections, a man can enjoy all he sensations of a normal sex life (not including the ejaculation of sperm, however). If the testes are removed after the onset of puberty and testosterone supplement, all the normal external evidences of male maturity may be present, possibly to a somewhat reduced effect, but even the growth of body hair and musculature (including penile erection) can be evident, though in the case of Carlos, because he will not be receiving the regular injections of testosterone (consider the date of the story), these external evidences of maturity will probably not be present.

I note that the Spanish king Carlos had a child between the last chapter and this one. In the last chapter George's star was called the Order of Carlos II, in this chapter, as in other chapters it is called the Order of Carlos III. For the difference between Carlos II and Carlos III, you do' not even have to remove your shoes, Mark! https://q=order+of+carlos+iii&client=safari&channel=mac_bm&sxsrf=ACYBGNTSGR_jbqgWfZ039bFA7jlIZ1zBtw:1575536824071&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=-mh9yKn08zjcbM%3A%2CUeMHK8_mWC3AAM%2C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kRW8VD1NQwMQ17Coui9butjlPDXtA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiUseqFlJ7mAhXBl-AKHSajCWgQ9QEwAHoECAsQAw&biw=1199&bih=900#imgrc=-mh9yKn08zjcbM: If I am very lucky that link may be to an image go the Order of Carlos III.

Sailing as either an officer or a crewman in this era would be a great strain/pleasure for a gay man; surrounded by all those healthy, young and in the main, very willing men, would place a great temptation on a man who was interested in men, especially because of the secrecy demanded in any relationship aboard such a vessel, for the typical extended period she would be at sea, and the deadly consequences of a failure of that secrecy. Hanging from a yardarm is not conducive to good health. And, in the case of a lesser offense, even embracing the gunner's daughter, certainly is not something to be anticipated with pleasure. It is fascinating to me that in just a period of about two generations, the attitude of even the Evangelicals, to use the most extreme case, has changed to the point that a man who is openly married to another man can be considered as a legitimate candidate for the highest executive position in my country.

Fever aboard a sailing hip in this era is almost as bad as a fire, and is something no one wants to second guess. Good show Doctor!

I am of two minds, neither one of them complete, but that is a different story. I note that the comments posted to this story (book?) are several years in the past. By that time most authors are so sick and tired of their own writing that they do not want to even hear about grammatical suggestions, but a failure on my part to note them is a violation of my training as an ancient school teacher, so I do't know whether to call them to your attention or not. Please provide me some guidance in this problem. I will enjoy my reading whether I make suggestions or not, but I do not want the jewels of your authorship to go before the critical eye of the public with defects.

The peel of the bosun's whistle – The peal of the bosun's whistle. The word peal in this case is used for any loud sound though there are several meanings related to the sequential ringing of bells. The word 'peel' has to do with the skin covering a fruit or vegetable and is probably merely a homophone here. Just as a matter of interest the word 'Fitz' in a family name implies bastardy some where in the past, not in this generation or in a recent one, but perhaps several generations back. It is not a term of disparagement, but merely a notification that the bearer may not have all the rank and privilege the surname might imply.

Assuming that the gold coins are 20franc Napoleons, their current value is about $312 each. True, Granger did not attempt to keep all the coins, distributing some to his crew and a goodly amount being returned to the prisoner, but we may calculate the total value at about $312 times 1,000 or roughly $310,000 (at today's prices). Not a bad days work, George. I am sure your new wife will be able to increase that value substantially by decent investments, and you are NOT responsible for the gambling debts of your brother, Bertie. And I have no way of determining how much the Admiralty will be willing to pay for a nice French ship, nor how much her value as a prize will filter down through the fingers of Admirals and other interested parties.

if I remember my European History correctly, the surrender of Toulon did not last long and was overcome by an unknown Corsican officer of Artillery who eventually made quite an impression on continental politics.

I bow to your superior knowledge of the laws of war at sea

I have the feeling that George would far rather be in the care of his shipmates during his convalescence rather than that of his mother.

Now that I am an old (no, at 87 ancient would be a better word) schoolteacher, I love learning new things and I am indeed learning much from re-reading this series, Mark. The effort you have put into your research; writing about to an American, a foreign naval service and a now.long ago war shows the great amount of effort you have expended to get everything correct. I love it!

The portion of the prize money that goes to the Commander of the capturing vessel is quite large. So, George, with two prizes, is well on his way to a fortune, even before his promotion to Lieutenant comes about legally. A real hand-up to a young officer.