I just finished "Desolation Island" by Patrick O'Brian and I had some questions that I was hoping someone might be able to answer for me.
In the beginning it seems the main character (Captain Jack Aubrey) has some sailors from previous adventures serving him personally such as his coxswain, steward, and some old sailor who tends to his daughters. Was this a usual practice for naval officers to retain certain sailors during shore duty (can't think of a better word) for personal household service?
One ship takes on fresh water in Brazil. How did they secure fresh water and did they keep it fresh on the ship? Was this just spring water, boiled water, etc. and did they understand the purification process at this time?
One plot device throughout the book is the transport of prisoners to a prison colony. How were people selected to be transported to such a colony?
Last one. William Bligh is mentioned in the book and I was wondering whatever happened to his career post-Bounty mutiny. It says he ran one of the prison colonies but was that a slight against him? It seems he was a very good seaman but was his career tarnished by then?
[EDIT] 5) This is the for real last question. There's talk of different consulates around the world (I think the book takes place roughly right before War of 1812) and I was wondering how were these managed? Why would the US have a consulate at the Cape of Good Hope? It's mentioned it's because of the trade ships with the east but I guess I'm at a loss of what a consulate's purpose was at this time since my only frame of reference is a modern diplomatic mission which focuses on visas, passports, cultural missions, etc.
Hi there! Taking these one at a time:
Yes, captains could generally take servants (their steward, coxswain, cabin boys) with them when they went from ship to ship. Some captains stretched that idea to extremes, but they were generally supposed to be limited to a few personal retainers/people who had been with them for a long time. Crews were entered for service for the length of a voyage. Not to spoiler this for you, but the fictional Aubrey keeps his crew together because many of his ships tended to, well, end their commissions at the end of a book (before he finds a semi-permanent ship home).
Out of a stream, river, creek, spring ... you name it. Any settled area would have access to fresh water, and unsettled ones would be even better. Captains tended to have identified favorable watering places. As far as keeping it fresh ... there wasn't a good method for doing this, so they would re-water whenever possible.
I am not familiar with the intricacies of who was punished in Britain, who would be transported, etc. I do know that it was a judicial decision, but I'm not comfortable speculating beyond that.
Bligh was a gifted sailor, but apparently a historically terrible administrator. He was acquitted honorably at a court-martial after the Bounty disaster, then had sailors under his command mutiny again (as part of the larger mutinies at Spithead). He was one of Nelson's captains at the battle of Copenhagen. Later, when he was governor of New South Wales, he was imprisoned again by rebellious settlers. He was finally cashiered, although he remained in the naval hierarchy and died as a vice-admiral of the blue squadron.
Consulates would be set up in places where the US had trade interests, not least to help negotiate deals on supplies needed by US ships abroad. They would/could help sailors with details related to passports or identification papers, but in many cases they acted as a government authority on the spot for captains. William Hamilton, for example -- husband of Emma Hamilton, who was the lover of Admiral Horatio Nelson -- was British consul at Naples when Nelson met the couple, and William Hamilton and Nelson worked together closely in the conquest of Malta.
Hope this helps. You can also check out my profile page if you're interested in more naval questions!
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/profiles/jschooltiger