The Muse asks: If you could invent a holiday, what and when would it be? What special traditions would take place on that day?I believe that all seamen in His Majesty's Navy should celebrate the birthday of Lord Nelson, the greatest admiral England has known, each 29th of September. His death of course is commemorated on Trafalgar Day, but that is ( Read more... )

The Muse asks: What would constitute a "perfect" evening for you?I suppose that, to begin with, I would like to spend the afternoon with my family and say a proper farewell to Sophie and the children before sailing upon the evening tide. Bonden might row me out to the ship, and for once Killick might smile a little at how well my sea chest has been ( Read more... )

I received the following rather cryptic letter from a certain Blowfish (perhaps stephen_maturin might enlighten me ( Read more... )

The Muse asks: Who is your personal role model?In matters of warfare, one could hardly ask for a better role model than Lord Nelson. He was perhaps not the greatest of seamen, but in courage and passion, he had no equals. The men followed him without hesitation. I have heard that he had a rather unconventional arrangement with his mistress and her ( Read more... )

I offered an invitation to maximus_tm to come to sea with me. stephen_maturin agreed with me that a change of environment might do much to improve his mood, which has been so very low, and I have often found that when a man is at sea, he forgets all his troubles on land.

I suppose one might say that there have been some completely unexpected consequences of this

The Muse asks: What is good and what is evil?Tyranny is evil. Men like Napoleon are not to be countenanced. As for what is good, that is a rather more complicated question. There are men who will insist that peace is better than war, yet sometimes war is the only way to have peace. Loyalty, and skill at one's profession, and respect for one's ( Read more... )

The Muse asks: What would your life be, if it were a movie? Comedy, horror, drama, sci-fi? And who would play you?I do not believe that I could call my life a comedy, although I believe I can be very witty. Nor has it ever been a horror, not even in debtor's prison though to be sure that was an unpleasant experience, and I can't think of anything ( Read more... )

The Muse asks: Which is preferable, democracy or monarchy?Men must be governed, and even in the natural world one can observe the hierarchies of greater and lesser animals. Democracy, it seems to me, must inevitably lead to violence -- one has only to recall the bloody war in America and to see what has been unleashed in France to understand that ( Read more... )

The Muse asks: If you could live anywhere, where would you and why?For many years I longed to live in a cottage with a garden overlooking the water, but I have found the dream and the reality of that life are far removed. Indeed, when I am on land I am happiest in my little observatory, looking sometimes at the stars, sometimes at the ships docking ( Read more... )