Mrs. Captain Reid sails from Ireland

Despite pestilence and certain hardship, Mrs. Reid makes the big decision to sail with her beloved husband

Marquis Cornwallis 1795

July 15—Having got on board the compliment of men ordered by government, the captain received orders from Gen. Johnson to proceed to Cork, under convoy of a cutter, and there receive instructions from Admiral Kingsmill, who commanded on that station: the Friendship with the convoy sailed next day, and arrived at Cork on the 18th.

The ship anchored about ten in the forenoon, after which my husband waited upon the admiral, and finding there was no likelihood of being soon dispatched, I accompanied him to Cork in the ship’s boat. The day being fine, had an interesting view of the country on the banks of this fine river, with many gentlemen’s seats on either side, particularly on the right bank, near Cork, called Glanmire.

While we remained at Cork we spent our time very agreeably and had little excursions about the country, and received many hospitable attentions from the neighbouring gentry, particularly from the Jennings, Grahams, and Sainthills families.

About ten days after our arrival a fever broke out amongst the prisoners on board, supposed to have been brought from Geneva Barracks, which appeared so alarming from the occurrence of several deaths, that government ordered the prisoners to be removed into another vessel; also the ship to be whitewashed and fumigated, and new clothing furnished.

It was understood by my esteemed parents and friends that I should return to London after the sailing of the ship; and as the time drew near, many a heartrending emotion struggled in my breast, as I was preparing to separate, perhaps for ever from my husband. Even now I cannot bear to think of the meditated parting.

However, for the mutual happiness of both, it was agreed between us that I should proceed, and share with him the dangers of the voyage, committing ourselves to that Providence whose eye is over us all, and to be found by all those who seek him in sincerity, whether on the ocean or on the land, in a cottage or a palace.

This was indeed a trying voyage, as my husband was the first who engaged to take prisoners without a guard of soldiers appointed by government; he chose as substitutes for the usual military escort, Indian seamen, called Lascars, who did not know the English language, and manned his ship with British seamen. 

His reason for manning and guarding the ship in this manner was : in 1795 he had been chief officer of a ship called the Marquis Cornwallis, destined on a similar voyage; the soldiers sent on board as a guard had been draughted from different regiments, for desertion and other deliquencies; thus a description of men, the most unfitted to be trusted with arms, were to act as centinels over others scarcely as bad as themselves. 

These guards were implicated in a mutiny which appeared on board that ship, in which some lives were lost before order was restored. Capt. R. thought that it would be possible to take the prisoners to the place of their destination without having an occasion intervene for inflicting them punishment, or any severity beyond that of attending to their safe custody; which if accomplished, my narrative of the result would shew. 

Our mutual determination not to separate was communicated to my parents, and to my much esteemed brother-in-law, Mr. T. R., who took a father’s interest in all that concerned us. 

August 20—The admiral gave notice to prepare for sea; in consequence all was bustle, especially with me, preparing to live on a new element. It may be supposed that I was ignorant of many articles of equipment necessary for the voyage, but the deficiency was kindly made up by one who had had experience.

24^th—The signal for sailing was made from his Majesty’s ship Dryad, and repeated by the Révolutionnaire frigate, who was to convoy us; and the ship Minerva, Capt. Saltkeld, who also had prisoners on board for New South Wales.

[August 24, 1800, continued]—We left Cork harbour with a large fleet who were bound to America and the West Indies. 

Our party at the cabin table, besides the captain and myself, consisted of Mr. Muirhead, chief-mate, a very good and worthy man; Mr. Macdonald, second mate; Mr. Linton, third mate; Mr. Bryce, surgeon, and a gentleman named Maundrel, going out to join the New South Wales corps. On the third day after leaving Ireland, the different convoys separated.

Sept. 5 and 6—We had calms; and as I understood, we could not have calms without sharks, so it happened; for during the night a small one, about 4½ feet long, had been caught by a hook over the stern, intended for a dolphin. It was shewn in the morning, and as I had never seen one before, was curious in examining such a voracious animal; the stomach had been taken out before I saw it, and when opened it contained only some fish bones; my expectation had pictured at least to see some human bones: it had three rows of teeth.  At dinner a part of the shark formed one of the dishes at table, of which all but myself partook; they said it was very good.  I did not appear to doubt it; it was cut into thin slices and fried, and appeared like slices of crimpt cod. During the calm two small green hawk’s-bill turtles were caught asleep upon the surface, they weighed about five or six pounds each.

We were now off the entrance of the straits of Gibraltar, but a considerable way to the westward. These calms were becoming very tedious; but a breeze springing up, soon carried us to the island of Madeira, which place we made on the 11^th of September, but were not allowed to have communication with the shore, much to our mortification. 

The ship’s crew had hitherto been healthy, but some of the prisoners had been sickly. Every indulgence consistent with propriety had been shewn them, all of whom, by messes, were alternately admitted upon deck in the day-time. The captain, the only person on board who had made the voyage before, knew well how to prevent any abuses; he caused the rations allowed by government to be stowed up in different parts of the prison, and the provisions to be weighed by their own messes in turn. The surgeon was instructed to distribute tea, sugar, and other little comforts, sent for such as were sick. 

There had been a considerable quantity of wine sent on board at Cork for the private use of about 12 or 14 of the prisoners who had seen better days, and who indeed were enjoying the comforts of affluence when their untameable discontent plunged them into the vortex of rebellion. The wine was served as they required it, by returning the empty bottles, which was a proper caution, as a bad use might have been made of them; the wine was a great comfort, and no doubt saved some lives amongst them. We now entered what is called the Trade Winds; a wind which blows throughout the year, with little variation, from the N.E. quarter.

14^th—The commodore made the signal that he would part company that evening, but would lie too until four o’clock for our letters; in consequence of which all were busy preparing to write to their friends, and amongst the number I was not backward in writing to my much loved and venerable parents. Sent the letters on board and parted with the frigate. 

We kept company with the Minerva until next day, when as she sailed much faster than the Friendship, Captain Saltkeld thought it eligible to make the best of his way, and left us to pursue the voyage alone.

Sept. 18 and 19 [1799]—Passed between the Cape De Verd Islands and the Guinea Coast; two of which were seen from the ship on our right hand, one called Sal, and the other Bonavesta. These islands are often visited by ships of different nations on the outward voyage to India.

On the 20^th, in the morning, two strange sails were seen to windward; and as they drew close together for communication, their appearance was not at all liked by our officers; however it was judged advisable not to alter our progress or point of sailing, and all were ordered to their stations in case of being attacked; the part assigned to poor me was to accompany the surgeon below. I am afraid I should have been but a poor help indeed; but our apprehensions soon subsided, as they both set their sails and stood from us. It was supposed they were Ginea ships, from the direction in which they came.

One morning we were agreeably surprised with a voluntary sacrifice to our table, namely, number of flying fish who had lighted on board during the night. Fear, no doubt, was the cause of these volatile amphibia leaving their fitter element, the deep; the ship penetrating a shoal of them in the dark, caused them to separate in different directions, darting into the atmosphere to escape a supposed danger, by which means some of them dropped on board us. When fried, they proved a delicious morsel: they resemble the mullet; their fins, or wings as they are called, extend from behind the gills as far as the tail; those that I saw measured from eight to ten inches. They cannot leave the element in a calm; at such times I have often observed them struggling to fly from the dolphin and other fish, without avail, and were devoured; on the contrary, in a breeze, I have seen thousands dart from the water in company, and fly a great distance.

There was another specimen of marine life, found on board in the night, which our officers called squid. These likewise are a prey to the dolphin, bonneto, and albicore. The squid is of a glutinous substance, like a jelly, about four inches long; and when put into a tumbler of water, emitted a dark fluid like ink, which tinged the water so much that the animal was hid from sight. I am told that this property, given by nature, is the only defence it can make against its enemy; that is, by darkening the water around itself in a limited space, then trying to escape in an opposite direction.

We were favoured with the finest weather for seven or eight days after we parted with the frigate, sailing at the rate of from eighty to a hundred and fifty miles in the twenty-four hours. When in latitude about three or four north, the winds became variable and light, with frequent calms; the heat also became oppressive. Great care was observed in ventilating and fumigating the prison; the windsails, with the scuttles, were open night and day. Notwithstanding this attention, three of the prisoners died of fever, and several of the ship’s crew were also attacked. The progress of sickness became very alarming; for, as soon as the first subjects of it became convalescent, others were seized with it. This alternate afflication ran through the major part of the ship’s company; however there had been a plentiful supply of all things needful sent on board by government, and the same was administered most seasonably to the sick, which kept the fever under. The prisoners were also permitted to bathe in the morning-watches, which had a salutary effect after a sultry night.

On the 28^th of September, after the officers had retired from breakfast, a sudden noise and bustle upon deck surprised me; when the steward coming down, I inquired of him what was the matter? He told me that a tornado was coming on, and that he was sent down by the captain to shut the ports and scuttles in the cabins. I proceeded to the quarter-gallery to see what he meant by a tornado, but had no sooner cast a look towards the east, than I became much alarmed; an immense black cloud was repidly overcasting the heavens, darting out vivid lightening, while the thunder, at first distant, seemed by its louder detonations fast approaching.

The noise with the people securing the sails, and otherwise preparing to meet the storm, was awful in the extreme. The ship lay quite becalmed, yet at a short distance the tempest made the water fly before it in a white foam.

I shall never forget my feelings and apprehensions at this moment; but fortunately my husband came down and told me not to be alarmed, for the squall had given timely warning, and enabled them to get all sung aloft, and that it would be over in half an hour.

He had scarcely done speaking when its fury burst upon us, laying the ship nearly upon its broadside with its force; the mingled tempest of lightning, thunder, wind, and rain made the scene altogether dreadful. I thought it the longest half hour I had ever remembered; but it was upwards of an hour before they again set their sails, and all on board most happy as the lightning had not been attracted to the ship’s masts.

A Lady's Journal on a Convict Ship

And, what's more, she was the captain's wife.

Her name was Eleanor Reid.  And, it seems, it was a last-minute decision for her to sail to the penal colony of New South Wales, and onward to the Spice Islands and India.

I found her journal by accident, printed originally in an old magazine, and reproduced on the internet.  The first leg of the voyage -- to New South Wales -- has also been reproduced in a book that is co-edited by Anne-Maree Whitaker, a New Zealand-born Australian historian who specializes in the story of the Irish convicts.

Just for fun, I will gradually transcribe the entire journal, as the whole of the voyage is of interest for me.  And here goes the first installment ....

CURSORY REMARKS ON BOARD THE FRIENDSHIP

From The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China, and Australia, July 1819.

In March 1799, Captain Hugh Reid of the convict transport Friendship sailed from London for Cork, to load with Irish convicts, many of them rebels from the United Irishmen who had accepted the amnesty and given their parole, in return for exile in New South Wales.

Captain Reid’s wife, Eleanor, came to Waterford to visit him, but ended up staying on board the Friendship for the entire voyage.  Her journal begins with a description of a visit to a burial ground where a spirited rebel action had taken place.

End of June 1799—Our mutual joy was great at meeting, my sickness and fatigues were all soon forgot, when I joined the Friendship, which was lying at the passage of Waterford.

While we remained at this port, alternately residing at Waterford, making excursions to the neighbouring country, or giving days to pleasure in the ship’s boats; with a party of ladies and gentlemen, we visited New Ross, where Gen. Johnson had such a desperate encounter with those bands of deluded men, who had raised the standard of rebellion; seven or eight months after the battle, the large graves, where the men and horses had been buried promiscuously, were still fresh. 

We were informed by an eye-witness, that when the king’s troops had given way, and were driven back over the bridge, the general’s personal courage regained the day. He exhorted the soldiers at the bridge to rally and retrieve their honour, and revenge the death of Lord Mountjoy, who fell with many others at the Three-bullet Gate. Seeing them backward, he spurred his charger, saying, “Friends follow me, and enemies return,” he then galloped into the heart of the town, where his horse was shot and fell under him. Before he had disentangled his leg from the struggling animal, a rebel ran upon him with a pike to dispatch him; when the general rising on his elbow, darted such a look at the fellow as made him hesitate. At that moment some of the king’s cavalry came galloping up the street, on which the rebel fled into a house and escaped with many others by a back way.

When the king’s troops regained the town they were still fired at from the windows. One of the rebels, observing “he had plenty of powder, but no ball or buttons left”—“Never mind,” said another “fire away my jewel! The noise will frighten the horses, and I’ll engage they will dismount the trooper.” 

It was some of the defeated insurgents, taken with arms in their hands, which my husband was destined to convey to New South Wales, who by the lenienty of government were allowed to embark without trial. Many men of considerable fortune had been swayed by disaffection to revolt, and were now embarked on board the Friendship, viz, Mr. Brannen, who at one time was sheriff of the county of Wexford; Mr. Lysaght, who joined the ship in his own carriage; Mr. MacCullam, eminent for his medical skill; Mr. Sutton, and several others of equal repute.

There was another ship lying here, commanded by Capt. Dennett, called the Ann, whose destination was also for New South Wales, with people of the same description. The members of this sanguinary association were termed at this time Croppies, owning not only to their own hair being reduced to the fashion of the round-heads in Cromwell’s day, but to their horses, dogs, and cattle having their ears and tails cropped, as a mark to indicate that their masters were friends to the faction.  (to be continued)

Convicts on the Friendship: LIST

The Great Kiwi Classic?

Well, according to Booksellers New Zealand ...

Great Kiwi Classic Nomination: Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the End of the World, by Joan Druett

Posted on January 27, 2014

Available in bookstores now.

Read the true story of a group of whalers shipwrecked on the remote Auckland Island in 1894 and marvel at their dramatic escape.

This book tells a phenomenal tale of survival on the barren island with year round freezing rain and howling winds, how the whalers worked together to build shelter, catch food, and eventually escape by building a boat to sail across the dangerous southern ocean to New Zealand. Little did they know that across the other side of the island, another group of 19 whalers were also shipwrecked and instead of working together, succumbed to chaos and only three survived.

This is still one of my favourite books of all time, the comparison between the two groups of whalers and how the right attitude and working together can make the difference between life and death – it’s still the theme that I remember, years after reading the book the first time.

Written by award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett from survivors’ journals and historical records, this is a captivating read and also makes a great present to the adventurers in your family.  Highly recommended.

Recommended and reviewed by Amie Lightbourne.

Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the End of the World
by Joan Druett
Published by Allen & Unwin (2007)
ISBN 9781741753684

What's trending in mysteries?

An interesting challenge.

Library Journal announces that they will be previewing 2014 spring, summer, and fall mysteries/thrillers in the April 15, 2014 issue. The focus, they say, will be on notable series debuts, standalones, and first novels being published between April and November 2014. The article will also explore the current state of the genre. 

Among the topics they are interested in exploring:

International crime fiction:  Are there are new authors and countries generating buzz or has the trend peaked? Is there an uptick in British mysteries thanks to the popularity of such television series as Sherlock and Broadchurch?

Women sleuths:  Are series still strong for female protagonists?

Animal mysteries:  The amount of dog or cat partners, even beyond what would be considered cozies, seems to be growing. Why?

Historical mysteries:  What periods are popular now? Is the upcoming centennial of the start of World War I driving trends?

Business and technothrillers:  Are they making a comeback?

And, they ask,

What’s new in the cozy world?

What’s happening with digital mysteries?

Are any new crime fiction imprints launching in 2014?

Fascinating questions, that promise to lead to a very interesting article. 

I'd rather like your ideas, myself.  But if you belong to a publishing house (or even if you are an Indie mystery writer), you might want to send your answers to Library Journal

If so ...

Please email the following information: author, title, ISBN, page count, price, marketing plans, formats available (print, audio, ebook), and a brief description—catalog copy will suffice—to Kristi Chadwick at kristi.chadwick@gmail.com. Be sure to cc Wilda Willams at wwilliams@mediasourceinc.com. (Make sure you paste these into the address bar, as these don't link to your mail program.)

The deadline is February 8, 2014.

Publicizing your Kindle novel

Reaching your audience

Websites, blogs, and social media

Use your blog

If you haven't started up your blog already, this is the time to do it.

www.blogger.com is free and easy. Set it up with a jazzy title (it took me several goes before I was happy with "World of the Written Word" ... and I still wonder about it).

Write something at least once a week. Use journo-style headlining; make it snappy and interesting. Human interest tidbits work well, though bulletins from publishing news and gossip help to build up an audience, too. Illustrations are a must: you can get away with a few posts without pictures, but to have them all like that turns your blog into a bulletin board ... boring.

Inter alia .... DON'T tell the world that you are off on that month-long vacation. It's an open invitation to burglars. Instead, prepare ahead by creating a stockpile of draft posts; then, when you call into internet cafes, it is a simple task to bring up two or three of these and publish them, giving the universe the strong impression that you are still at home at your desk.

Once you have your audience, talk about your book. But don't talk about your book to the exclusion of everything else. Remember that it is a blog, not a stream of press releases. If you have a lot of things to say, divide them into a number of draft posts, and publish them at intervals.


Post updates on your website.

You don't have a website?  If you have published at all in the United States, becoming a member of the Authors Guild opens a gateway to an excellent site builder. The basic fee is $3 a month.  You could also try www.simplesite.com -- which is as simple to use as promised, but has a scale of fees.  A google search will find other avenues.

Business cards

These can be printed off very cheaply, from sites that offer self-design tools. I used VistaPrint, but it's a good idea to shop around.

Try to remember to carry them around with you.  Have your blog and website addresses posted.  Give them out as often as possible.  One author I know had the nifty idea of making bookmark-shaped business cards.  Not so useful when your book is on Kindle and not in print, but still worth a thought.

Social media

Get into the habit of linking your most lively blog posts to twitter and Facebook.  This will help when it comes to promoting blogs about your book.

Link up with other authors and book-discussion sites.  With luck, they will link your blog to theirs, broadening your exposure.

Give away books?

This, with Kindle, does not mean giving away actual print copies, of course -- the Kindle equivalent is making your book free.

Whether you think this is a good idea or not depends on you. Famous instances of writers who provided free content online include Julie Powell, who blogged about her daily trek through Julia Child recipes, leading to Julie and Julia, the first blog to be made into a major movie.

Another is Irish writer David Gaughran, who accumulated rejections for his first novel until he ran out of stamina and patience, and made the decision to self-publish.  He gave away more than 30,000 books, but still managed to make quite a lot of money. 

More importantly, he established a reputation.  That, I think, is the major reason for making your first Kindle book (or two) free: you build up an audience that is willing to pay for books three, four, and more.  If you have published enough in the traditional way to have a reputation already, then it shouldn't be necessary.

The alternative is to sign up for Kindle Select.  This gives all kinds of opportunities for offering free copies of your eBook to reviewers ... and friends.  People who just might put a review on Amazon commenting on your book, and maybe even saying nice things about it.  The more reviews, the more attention-worthy is your book, so it is well worthwhile.

Cindy Vallar reviews the Promise of Gold trilogy

From Pirates and Privateers

Captain Jahaziel “Jake” Dexter believes a pirate’s old sea journal contains the map to the lost treasure of Panama. Back in 1670 the Spaniards feared that Henry Morgan intended to steal their gold, so they loaded it onto a ship with a group of nuns. The ship and all aboard were never heard from again. Nearly two centuries later, Jake and his crew arrive at Judas Island in hopes of retrieving that gold.

While his men dig on the spooky island, Jake remains aboard his brig, waiting for his mate to return. Charlie has rowed over to a ship to broker a deal for whale oil, which they will sell in Valparaiso, Chile for a tidy profit. What Charlie returns with, however, is a passenger – and a female one to boot.

Harriet Gray’s presence is inconvenient and unwanted, but the eighteen-year-old actress has only one goal in mind. She must get to Valparaiso before the deadline passes. She can’t understand why the “gallant and kindly gentleman of the sea” insists that she return to the whaleship. But that vessel has since disappeared, and Harriet feels she’s been duped for the second time in her life. Her bridegroom abandoned her soon after the wedding, leaving her destitute and alone. Now Jake threatens to dump her on the first ship they pass, so she must find a way to change his mind.

Before long, Harriet discovers she’s among freebooters who run the Gosling like a pirate ship – each has a vote and majority rules. When the Goslings fail to find the gold, Harriet sees her chance. She purchases a share in the brig, much to Jake’s chagrin, and although the men are against a woman having a vote, they agree to her proposal to sail to Valparaiso where her brother, Royal, has rounded up a herd of alpaca that needs to be smuggled out of Chile and for which the British government will pay £100,000 once they are delivered to Australia. But the Chileans aren’t about to let foreigners abscond with their treasured alpacas, and Jake, the Goslings, Harriet, and Royal must use all of their wits and luck just to escape with their lives.

Then news arrives that gold has been struck in California, and Jake cooks up a tidy little plan that will net them a huge profit. If the tales of the strike are true. If they reach San Francisco. If the despicable Murieta brothers don’t harm Harriet and take over the ship.

Judas Island is the first book in the Promise of Gold trilogy, a spellbinding adventure series set in the 1840s. Combined with the two subsequent titles – Calafia’s Kingdom (book two) andDearest Enemy (book three) – these stories undulate like storm-swept seas as the Goslings and the Grays search for treasure. The author’s note is really a list of recommended historical resources, rather than an account of the history behind the novel, which I would have preferred. There’s also a glossary for those unfamiliar with nautical terms.

Since books two and three take place on land, they’re not reviewed here, but I heartily recommend reading all three titles in this series. I found it refreshing and a real joy to be able to read what happens from the moment Jake and Harriet meet until the mysteries that entwine their lives are solved. Complete with humor, romance, tragedy, and fantastical exploits, Joan Druett expertly recreates the dizzying days of the California gold rush, where fortunes could be made and lost in the span of a day. Her characters come from all walks of life and are so vividly portrayed that they walk off the pages into your room. Promise of Gold is an exhilarating voyage not soon to be forgotten.

African Queen back on the Nile

The "heroine" of C.S. Forester's novel has been brought back to life by a New Zealander

Sixty years after Humphrey Bogart steered her through crocodile infested waters, the African Queen is back plying the Nile.

Lovingly restored, the boat is operated by Cam McLeay, a New Zealand adventurer and Nile enthusiast, and took its first passengers for a ride in December.

"The African Queen belongs on the Nile. So it is so important to have the boat back home over 60 years after the film was made," McLeay told AFP.

In 1950 Bogart and Katherine Hepburn flew into Uganda together with a huge team from Hollywood to shoot the movie of the same name.

The film told the story of a prim missionary and a gruff adventurer, the captain of the African Queen -- two totally different characters -- who in true silver screen fashion end up falling in love despite the odds.

Hepburn wrote a frothy account of the making of the African Queen, which was shot between Uganda and neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, subtitled "How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Houston and almost lost my mind".

Based on a 1934 novel by C.S. Forester, the movie was set during World War I in German-occupied east Africa.

The adventurous and entrepreneurial sort, back in the 1990s McLeay set up a rafting company in Uganda's Jinja area, and then had an eco-lodge built on an island in the river. 

This new idea came from a hotel manager on Kenya's holiday island of Lamu, who, when told that McLeay was looking for a dhow for the tourist trade, asked him if he knew that the old African Queen was available.  The owner, septuagenarian Yank Evans, was in Nairobi.  When McLeay tracked him down, he explained how he had found the hull of the boat abandoned in northern Uganda's Murchison Falls national park 20 years earlier and had done it up.

One of the challenges was to rebuild the steam engine, which was more than 100 years old.

There is the hitch that there is a couple in Florida who are doing the same thing, albeit in a very different setting.   "There were actually two of these boats, one of them was in Congo and this is the Nile's African Queen," explained McLeay.

So why did he choose the Nile for his operation?

"I'm very attached to the Nile. I've travelled the full length of the river, from the Mediterranean to the source in Nyungwe," he said. "I've been up and down the river for 16 years."

I vaguely remember seeing the movie -- indeed, I believe I was an usherette at the cinema that brought it back as a revival.  But I certainly don't remember that the steamer was so small.  I've also noticed over the years that C.S. Forester's plot has been adapted for many hundreds of modern romances.

Airport eagle plummets

The greater Wellington area had an earthquake yesterday, just before 4 pm.

It was magnitude 6.2, I believe, classified as "strong" -- not "severe" but not "weak," either. There was the usual carnage in supermarket shelves, and my brother's paintings fell off his walls, but no injuries and certainly no deaths reported.

But it must have been exciting at Wellington Airport.  In its attempt to make the airport look like the entry to Middle-Earth, not just the coolest little capital in the world, the same people who wanted that "Wellywood" sign (remember the fracas?) have crammed the building with bits from Weta Workshop, including an eagle floating over the food hall.

Well, during the quake, it plummeted.  Hopefully no one was underneath, because it would really put you off your flat white.

If you hit the link, you also get the advertisement currently beside the photo, whatever the advert might be at that moment.  To my amusement, when I first looked at it, it was an advertisement for Air New Zealand.

CIVILIZATION & THE SEA

I have been delighted to note that Lincoln Paine's THE SEA & CIVILIZATION, a monumental history of the sea and its role in the development of the modern world is doing remarkably well.

Currently, it is up there at number one in the Amazon listing of books about transportation, and also the history of Oceania.

The UK rights have been sold to Atlantic Books, and it will be available in Britain early next month.

Maritime enthusiasts in the USA have ongoing opportunities to meet the author and hear him speak.

Lincoln Paine tells me, "Next week I'm off for another four talks at Annapolis, Old Dominion University, The Mariners' Museum, and Washington, with a radio interview thrown in so I don't get lazy. It's like this, week on and week off through the end of February, then sporadically from March to May."

To check his schedule, and read reviews of his book, visit his website,  www.LincolnPaine.com.

A cheetah hunting gazelles

Digital Book World is running a fascinating analysis of current Amazon practices, plus a discussion of what is likely to happen next.

The strategy, it seems is for Amazon to behave like that swift predator, the cheetah, when it is hunting down gazelles.  But, while the actual cheetah is really just hunting for dinner, the virtual Amazon cheetah is hunting total dominance in the market.

According to the analogy, rival publishers are regarded as gazelles. That is, fair game. If they are limping, so much the better.  If they are not limping, then crippling them is an option -- everyone will remember the standoff between Macmillan and the mega-online-bookstore when Amazon removed the buy buttons from all listed Macmillan books.  It ain't fair, but it just might work.

So what is the future for this wily predator? The article posits that more publishers will be targeted, aligned with aggressive new marketing techniques, such as linking goods to books, and with developing Kindle Direct Publishing further and in new directions.

Personally, I think that Amazon has rival eBook distributors in its sights, but that is just my opinion.  Read the article to make up your own mind.

Sir Joseph Banks did it twice!

Interfered with the outfitting of a ship, that is.

George Suttor, gardener

We all know the story of how Joseph Banks arrived home from the Endeavour voyage puffed up with his triumph, lauded as a lion in all the salons of London. 

Made confident by his success, he interfered with the outfitting of the ex-collier Resolution, which was to be Cook's command on the second discovery expedition.  A deck with laboratories, libraries, and accommodations for a ridiculous entourage was planned and built ... making the ship so crank that on her first trial it was obvious that she was unseaworthy. So the extra deck was dismantled, much to Banks's fury. He threw a tantrum, which he much regretted, because he was coolly dismissed from the expedition. Captain Cook sailed without him, and the voyage was no less famous because of the botanist's absence.

Well, you think that Joseph Banks would have learned from his mistake.  But no. When a young gardener by the name of George Suttor approached him, it happened all over again. 

Twenty-four-year-old George Suttor was a quixotic soul, the son of a market gardener who had ambitions of being an actor. After reading accounts of Banks’s voyage on the Endeavour, he changed his mind, being filled instead with romantic dreams of converting some distant wilderness into an Eden-like garden, and New South Wales seemed just the place. In February 1798 he managed to get an interview with Sir Joseph, who first of all felt doubts, but then was fired up, himself. So he arranged for George to take charge of a collection of plants that was bound to Port Jackson, caring for them en route in return for a free passage for himself and his new wife, and a grant of land. And, what's more, he gave him thirty guineas as a start-up fund.

Unfortunately, Banks also took a hand in the outfitting of the ship, HMS Porpoise. While Suttor collected a selection of culinary and medicinal plants, fruit trees, vines, fodder plants and trees for timber, along with other useful herbs, like hops for brewing, and looked after them at Kew Gardens, Banks designed a "plant cabbin" for this precious cargo.  As usual, Sir Joseph’s word held sway in the corridors of power, and so a "plant cabbin" was built on the quarterdeck of the unfortunate ship, according to his specifications, and exactly as he wanted.

It was the story of the Resolution all over again. The Porpoise set sail on 6 September 1799 amid considerable doubt about her seaworthiness. Her commander, Lieutenant William Scott, was extremely worried, because of the weight and placement of the plant cabin. After sustaining critical damage in the Bay of Biscay, he was forced to abandon the voyage, and return to Spithead. 

The following month a Spanish corvette was commissioned to take the crank ship’s place.  While she was also called Porpoise, for obvious reasons she did not have a Banks-designed "plant cabbin." She set sail for New South Wales in May 1800 arriving in November, and yes, George Suttor and his plants were on board.  Unfortunately, his collection did not travel well, but Banks commended him nonetheless, and Suttor received a five-guinea reward from the Treasury.

They said it

I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools.  Let's start with typewriters
-- Solomon Short

I occasionally surprise myself with how beautiful I was and how well I delivered a line, but generally I just feel sad at the sight of all that wonderful hair
--Roger Moore after watching his old 007 films

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest
--Mark Twain

When dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane
--Herman Hesse

The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealized past-Robertson Davies

A celebrity is a person who works hard to become well known, and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized
-- Fred Allen

A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the word you first thought of
--Burt Bacharach

tugboat TIAKI

Wellington's tugboata

CentrePort Wellington, New Zealand’s third largest port, future proofed its business with the commission of Tapuhi ("nurse") – its state-of-the-art tug boat to replace older and lower powered tugs.

The investment forms part of CentrePort’s plans to become one of New Zealand’s most advanced big-ship capable ports.

The new, powerful, fuel efficient tug, capable of pulling 68 tonnes, partners CentrePort’s modern tug Tiaki ("guard"), to ensure the region can continue to welcome record numbers of cargo and cruise vessels.

Tapuhi arrived in April, just in time to commemorate the wreck of the ferry Wahine (April 11, 1968) -- a disaster that might not have happened if such a powerful tugboat had been on hand at the time.

Tiaki, Tapuhi and Toia

Ships on banknotes

Passing on the article about researching the four-funnel ship on a Canadian banknote inspired a lot of interest and off-blog comment.  A hunt about the internet found many examples, both old and new...

 

I even found a banknote that is worth what it says it is worth -- it is engraved with precious metal.

 

 

I was also shown a nicely produced book, The Art of Money: the History and Design of Paper Currency from Around the World, by David Stanich (SF: Chroncile, 2000), which has a whole chapter on ships on paper currency.

With thanks to Brian Easton



Wellington on another list

But I am not sure that we want to be on this one ... the ten ugliest buildings in the world.

Yes, I have to agree that from the outside the international wing at Wellington Airport is pretty ugly.  But inside, it is rather fun.  And it has free wifi...

And the architects seem proud of it.  They describe it as ... wait for it ....

A calming haven inside that exudes warmth, with a passionate exterior design representing Wellington’s culture, environment and history.

And it has won a lot of awards.

New Wiki Coffin story

KING CADE

Wiki Coffin's facility for languages serves the 19th century Maori seaman well in Joan Druett"s "King Cade."  Read the story in the March 2014 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.

 

Online at all good digital bookstores and in bricks-and-mortar stores, too.

Barnes and Noble closes flagship store

I can't resist sharing the cover of this summer's Authors Guild Bulletin, particularly in view of the rather dire B&N news.

 

 

Barnes & Noble has closed its flagship store on 5th Ave in New York City. Signs in the window of the store directed shoppers to its larger Union Square location, which is located around the corner from the 5th Ave. location.

 

I feel a pang.  That store made a great display of Hen Frigates and She Captains when they came out.  The young manager (or maybe sub-manager) who stacked them for me to sign was very complimentary about Hen Frigates, saying it had been one of the most interesting books of the year. (The New York Public Libary gave it a Best Book Award, which helped.)  Then he gave me a bunch of "signed by the author" stickers, saying very kindly, "These are for your grandchildren."

 

I didn't have grandchildren at the time.

 

Seriously, it is always sad when a bricks-and-mortar closes its doors. That big boy Amazon in the top lefthand corner of the cartoon is getting more and more of the arena to itself.

 

The cartoonist, Elwood H. Smith, is an award-winning illustrator whose work appears regularly in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.



Whales and why they strand

Japanese "scientific whaling" is being conducted in New Zealand waters, or so the Dominion Post tells me, along with many other sources.  There are the usual protesters, who seem to have a remarkably efficient press department, so that we are informed from moment to moment.

Ironically (or so it seems to me) the page opposite this item in today's Dom has the headline "DOC [Department of Conservation] forced to euthanase pod after first big stranding of the year."

Thirty-nine whales -- pilot whales, at an educated guess -- have died following the usual suicidal rush into the shallow waters of Farewell Spit, in Golden Bay, in the north of the South Island of New Zealand. When the stranding was discovered, twelve were dead already, and after a good look at the conditions it was decided to euthanase the rest.

This is really depressing.  I feel for the DOC workers and the volunteers who help them, I really do. Refloating is a fine thing to try, but it is much more hazardous to human health than people realise -- whales harbor parasites in their skin that interact with human skin, causing horrible boils.  And of course there is the risk of being crushed.  And, after all that, there is too often the frustration of watching as the refloated whales promptly strand themselves again.  But euthanasing isn't easy, either.  Whales -- or so I was told by a scientist who hated the job -- are very, very hard to kill.  The method is violent, whether intended humanely or not.

Another coincidence is a story further on in the same paper, relating the Maori legend of why whales strand themselves so regularly on Farewell Spit.  And here is my retelling.

A long, long time ago, kuku (the mussel) and pipi had a big fight for supremacy of the sandy beach there, where the waters are shallow and warm and fertile.  It was such a noisy battle that it drew the attention of takaako (the shark) and te pu (a whale). They watched with great interest as pipi won, and as soon as pipi (which has a large and tasty tongue) had taken over the beach, they rushed in for a feast. The pipi quickly pulled their heads into the sand, and takaako and te pu finished up stranded with their mouths full of sand. And, as we all know, sharks can swim out of shallow water, but whales have been stranding themselves on Farewell Spit ever since.

And who gave Farewell Spit its name?  Captain Cook, of course.  It was his departure point when he left New Zealand in 1770, though he actually called it "Cape Farewell."  The first settlers called it "Cape Farewell Spit" and at some time it was shortened.

I've never come across "te pu" used for "whale" before, the usual words being "tohora", "paraoa," and "wera."  "Tepu" means "table," and one of the meanings of "te pu" is "wise person," which is yet anothe irony. And "takaako" is a new word, too.  The closest is "takakau," the mutton bird. Maybe the names the storyteller gave the shark and the whale are local to Farewell Spit.

Ships on old banknotes

Ships, not people?  The New Zealand fifty cent coin has an engraving of the Endeavour, but our notes, like those of other countries, are reserved for famous faces.

But a fascinating article on Nautipedia written by Ronald Greene proves that this was not always so.

"In the days before the Bank of Canada assumed control of all banknote issues in Canada," he begins, "the chartered banks issued their own notes. To the delight of the collector, there was a wide variety of designs in use, many of were extremely attractive. A good number of banknotes featured engravings, "vignettes" as they are called, of ships or of nautical themes. This article will discuss two related designs for banknotes of the Royal Bank of Canada, one issued, the other not. The two designs evoke some fascinating maritime history."

One note (or note proof, if there is such a term) is pictured above, and comes from Greene's collection.  But which ship is it?  Not the Titanic, he quickly established.

So, was the ship identified?  And why did the bank reject one of the two notes?

Read the story to see how dedicated researchers work.

With thanks to John M. MacFarlane

What happened to "Operation Dark Heart"

Quite some time ago, I blogged about this book and heavyhanded government efforts to stall its distribution.

Well, it is now worth rather a lot of money

From GalleyCat

eBay Sellers Buck Defense Department & Sell Uncensored Version of Operation Dark Heart

By Maryann Yin on September 14, 2010 10:03 AM

Currently 13 eBay sellers are selling Anthony Shaffer‘s memoir, Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft and Special Ops on the Frontlines of Afghanistan — and the Path to Victory. Two sellers have included the original, uncensored version–undermining the government’s attempts to buy up the entire first printing.

St. Martin’s Press had scheduled Shaffer’s memoir for an August 31st release with an initial print run of 10,000 copies. Last week, the Defense Department hoped to buy the first printing to prevent public access to what they deem classified government information.

As of this writing, the highest open bid for an uncensored copy of the book was $560. One auction for the book ended yesterday with a winning bid at $2,025. The government’s involvement has made the book an online bestseller with a boom in pre-sale orders. According to government sources, the Defense Department is negotiating with Shaffer’s publisher to release a revised version of the memoir.

The Strand Bookstore eBay listing offers this description: “This is the first edition of Operation Dark Heart. The Department of Defense asked the publisher to cancel this version, and a new edition is now scheduled for publication with redacted classified text. This copy has not been censored in any way. It is unread, in new condition, and extremely scarce.”

Historian and novelist Joan Druett dubbed the title the “Unavailable Bestseller” in a blog post. (Via Huffington Post)

Well, that was back in 2010, when we all learned a new word, "redacted," presumably sounding nicer to officialdom than plain old "censored."  So what is it worth now that 2014 has dawned?

Impossible to tell.  There are plenty of copies of the "redacted" version available for a few bucks, but the people who own any of the few review copies that got out before the government bought up the 10,000 first printing for something under $50,000 are keeping them safe in their bank vaults.

 

Ten top-selling kindle nonfiction books

The experiment continues ...

Frustrated by not being able to find any non-novels in the Kindle paid bestselling list, I persisted.  The robots at amazon.com sure don't make it easy, but yes, I found the list of top nonfiction Kindle books ... and here are the ten paid bestsellers for the first week of 2014.

ONE: Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell, with contributions by that writer of submarine novels, Patrick Robinson.  Story of a doomed reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan.  Little, Brown. #17 paid in Kindle store

TWO: Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World , by Mark Williams. The title says it all. Roedale. #21 paid in Kindle store.

THREE: 1913: the Eve of War, by Paul Ham.  One hundred years on, we are going to see a lot of books commemorating that most awful of wars.  Endeavour. # 27 Paid in Kindle Store.

FOUR: a Natural Woman: A Memoir, by Carole King. Autobiography. Grand Central # 37 paid in kindle store

FIVE: Killing Jesus: A History, by Bill O'Reilly. Novelisation. Henry Holt. # 50 paid in Kindle store.

 SIX: Twelve Years a Slave, by Solomon Northrup. Republication of a lost slave account. Harpers. # 83 paid in Kindle Store.

SEVEN: Super Shred: The Big Results Diet: 4 Weeks 20 Pounds Lose It Faster! by Ian K. Smith. St. Martin's. # 100 paid in Kindle Store.

EIGHT: Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers, By David Perlmutter. Hachette. # 104 paid in Kindle Store.


NINE: Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics, by Charles Krauthammer.  The observations of a conservative commentator. Crown. #105 in paid Kindle Store.

TEN: Younger Next Year for Women: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy—Until You're 80 and Beyond, by Chris Crowley. The title says it all, I guess ... the epitome of wishful thinking. Workman. # 117 in paid Kindle Store.





 So that is it -- once the free books and the romantic novels that had snuck into the list had been cut out. (The Amazon robot is sloppy, believe me.)  And not a single Indie book (also once the free books and romantic novels are disregarded).

But hark, an Indie lurks at number 22 in the nonfiction bestselling list -- which, once the free books and sneaky romances are eliminated, brings it rather higher up the list.

So, what is it???

Believe me, a most peculiar looking production called "Wife After God" by Jennifer Smith who calls herself  "Unveiled Wife," and is published by Unveiled Wife LLC.

Apparently, it is a devotional manual for "wives who desire to have a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with God and their husbands."

# 146 paid in Kindle Store
  




   

Top Ten Indies on Amazon ... My List

This is an experiment.

Both GalleyCat and Digital Book World publish lists of Indie bestsellers ...

Bestselling novels.

Is there really no nonfiction somewhere in there?

Well, I have decided to go through the topselling paid Kindle books, and find my own top ten.

Will they all be fiction?  Let's see.


# ONE The Atlantis Gene by A.J. Riddle Science fiction, Fantasy,  # 22 paid in Kindle Store

# TWO Bully (Fall Away series), Penelope Douglas.  Adult romance. # 37 paid in Kindle Store

# THREE Until You (Fall Away series), Penelope Dougas.  Adult romance. # 41 paid in Kindle Store

# FOUR Cherry Bomb, by J.A. Konrath. Police procedural. # 46 paid in Kindle Store

# FIVE  With You, by Nashoda Rose. Adult romance # 48 paid in Kindle Store. (This is a mysterious entry, but though I might be wrong in including it, I don't think so. Nashoda Rose is a smashwords author, and her publisher is given as Cindy Paterson, which is the name of another bestselling Indie author.  Have they formed a dynamic duo, or is Cindy writing under a pseudonym?  Undoubtedly someone will tell me.)

# SIX Fallen Crest Public, by Tijan. Adult romance. # 51 paid in Kindle store.

# SEVEN The Atlantis Plague, by A. J. Riddle. Science fiction. #

52 paid in Kindle Store

# EIGHT Finding My Forever, by Heidi McLaughlin. Classified as drama, but looks like romance. # 53 paid in Kindle store.

# NINE Trouble, by Samantha Towle.  Romance. # 55 paid in Kindle store.

# TEN Torn From You, by Nashoda Rose. Romance. # 56 in paid Kindle Store.

So (sigh) no nonfiction.  Or maybe they are too hard to find.