A Sea of Words

by Dean King

  fustic A yellow dye extracted from the wood of Chlorophora tinctoria, a tree native to America and the WEST INDIES.

  futtock plate An iron plate in the ship’s TOP for securing the TOPMAST RIGGING.

  futtock shrouds or puttocks After about 1820, these ran from the futtock plates on the TOP to a band around the lower mast. In Aubrey’s day, however, they were made fast to the futtock stave and the lower SHROUDS at the level of the lower YARD. This was inherently less sturdy than the later arrangement, since the LEE shrouds slackened off as the vessel rolled, and additional stiffening in the form of CAT-HARPINGS was needed.

  futtock stave A SPAR, iron rod, or stiff length of rope, placed where the futtock shrouds were made fast to the lower SHROUDS.

  G

  gabble Voluble, noisy, confused, unintelligible talk.

  gaby A simpleton; a foolish fellow.

  Gadarene Swine A reference to the story in Matthew 8:28 of the swine that rushed down a steep cliff into the sea and drowned.

  gaff A wooden SPAR used to extend the heads of FORE-AND-AFT sails that are not set on STAYS.

  gaff-topsail A triangular or quadrilateral sail, the head of which is extended on a small GAFF that HOISTS on the TOPMAST.

  gale A wind of an intensity between that of a strong breeze and a storm. In the 19th century, it was more precisely defined as blowing at a speed of between 28 and 55 nautical miles per hour. In a gale, the waves are high with crests that break into SPINDRIFT, while in a strong gale the crests topple and roll and dense streaks of foam blow in the wind.

  Gall, Franz Joseph (1758-1828) Viennese physician who, with Johann Caspar Spurzheim (1776-1832), introduced the theory that the functions of the brain can be localized in the cerebral cortex, in four volumes published in 1810-1819. Although they made some important additions to cerebral anatomy, they were best known for introducing the pseudoscience of PHRENOLOGY.

  galleon Originally a ship of war shorter in length but higher than the GALLEY and with a lower FORECASTLE than was previously common in large ships, making it more maneuverable. It became a principal trading ship for the Spaniards and a much valued PRIZE of English PRIVATEERS.

  gallery A balcony built outside the body of a ship, at the STERN (stern-gallery) or at the QUARTERS (quarter-gallery), often ornately carved and highly decorated and protected from the weather by large glass windows.

  gallery-ladder A rope ladder hung over each GALLERY and the STERN for boarding from a boat, primarily in foul weather.

  galley A low sea-going vessel propelled by oars, once common in the Mediterranean and still used as a warship in the Baltic in the 1790s. A large open rowboat used on the Thames by custom-house officers and by PRESS-GANGS, as well as by the Captains of MEN-OF-WAR. Also, the kitchen on a ship.

  gallinaceous Of or belonging to the order Gallinae, which includes domestic poultry and other birds such as pheasants and grouse. Resembling a cock, “cocky.”

  gallinule A wading bird of the RAIL family, typified by the moorhen.

  galliot Originally, a small GALLEY or boat propelled by up to 20 rowers and with a single MAST and sail, often used to chase and board enemy vessels in the Mediterranean. Also, a one-or two-masted Dutch cargo boat or fishing vessel with a BLUFF and rounded BOW. See illustration, page 61.

  gallipot A small earthen glazed pot often used by apothecaries for ointments and medicines.

  gallows The wooden frame, consisting of cross-pieces on the small BITTs at the MAIN and FORE HATCHWAYS in flush-decked vessels, for stowing spare SPARS. The ship’s boats were also stowed here.

  gallows-bitt A wooden frame used by fishing boats under sail to rest their MASTS on when they stopped to work their nets.

  Gambier, Admiral Lord James (1756-1833) As captain of H.M.S. Defiance, Gambier was the first to penetrate the French battle line at the GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE. Later served as one of the Lords Commissioners of the ADMIRALTY (1795-1801, 1804-1806, 1807-1808), as governor and COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF of NEWFOUNDLAND, and as commander of the CHANNEL FLEET. Well known for his evangelical activities in the Navy, in 1824, Gambier was one of the first major donors to establish Kenyon College in an Ohio village named after him.

  game of fives A game that emerged in England in the 16th century in which a ball is hit by the hand against the front wall of a three-sided court.

  gammon or gammoning To LASH the BOWSPRIT with ropes to the STEM or CUTWATER of a ship in order to secure the bowsprit in place, and the lashing itself. The ham of a swine. Also, talk, chatter, nonsense for deceiving simpletons only, humbug.

  gang-board A plank—usually with cleats or steps nailed on it—for walking on, especially into or out of a boat. Also, the boards ending the HAMMOCK-NETTINGS at either side of the entrance from the ACCOMMODATION-LADDER to the deck.

  ganglion A node in which many nerves are joined. Maturin wishes (in vain) to experiment with the giant ganglion of a squid, a laboratory preparation still used to study the physiology of nerves.

  gangrene A visible mortification of part of the body due to infection or loss of blood supply.

  gangway On deep-waisted ships, a narrow platform from the QUARTERDECK to the FORECASTLE for convenience in getting from one to the other. A gang plank connecting ship to shore or to another ship. A narrow passage left in a laden hold. “To bring to the gangway” means to punish a seaman by binding him to a GRATING for flogging.

  gannet A large fish-eating seabird that breeds in colonies in northern coastal regions. The solan goose.

  gantline or girtline A rope passing through a single BLOCK on the head of the lower MASTS used to HOIST up the RIGGING. The gantline is the first rope employed to rig a ship.

  gaol British spelling of “jail.”

  gaol-fever A virulent form of typhus occurring in crowded jails and often in ships and other confined places.

  garboard strake or garboard The first range of planks running along and outside a ship’s bottom next to the KEEL. Also, the seam nearest the keel, the hardest to CAULK.

  garcon manque Tomboy (French).

  garland A multipurpose word on shipboard. A collar of rope around a MAST that supports the standing RIGGING and prevents it from rubbing the mast. A carved wooden wreath surrounding a FORECASTLE or QUARTERDECK gun port. Also, a net hung above each MESS for the stowing of provisions safe from vermin. See also SHOT-GARLAND.

  garnishee A third party from whom money or property belonging to a debtor or defendant has been seized as a result of a suit brought by the creditor or plaintiff.

  garstrake See GARBOARD STRAKE.

  Garter The badge of the highest order of English knighthood; membership of this order; and the order itself. The founding of the Order of the Garter around 1340 is attributed to Edward III. It has been traditionally asserted that the garter was that of the Countess of Salisbury, which fell off while she was dancing with the King. He picked it up and tied it on his own leg, saying to those present, Honi soit qui mal y pense (“Shamed be he who thinks evil of it”). The garter, that is, the order’s badge, is a dark-blue velvet ribbon, edged and buckled with gold and embroidered in gold with the above words. It is worn below the left knee. Garters also form part of the ornament of the collar worn by the knights of the order.

  gaskets Short lengths of plaited cord or SENNET used to secure a furled sail to its YARD.

  gasteropod or gastropod Mollusks of the class Gastropoda, including snails and slugs, characterized by the ventral position of the muscular locomotive organ.

  gastrocnemius Calf muscle.

  gaucherie Want of tact or grace, awkwardness.

  Gazette The London Gazette, the official government journal, published twice a week since 1665, listing government appointments, promotions, and other official public notices. It was particularly important to Naval officers, since all promotions, honors, and the mention of individuals in dispatches and reports of actions were announced, or “gazetted,” in it.

  gecko A house lizard living in warm regions, most notable for
its peculiar cry and climbing ability.

  Généreux A French 74, one of two that escaped capture or destruction at the Battle of the NILE in 1798. NELSON’S squadron took her in 1800. At the time Second Lieutenant of the FOUDROYANT, the fictional Aubrey takes her into Port Mahon, MINORCA, just as the historical Thomas COCHRANE did. Cochrane was forced to go aloft himself in a gale to keep the damaged ship afloat, and was recommended by Lord Keith (see ELPHINSTONE) for promotion.

  genet A civet-cat native to southern Europe, western Asia, and Africa. The common species (Genetta vulgaris) is found in the south of France.

  geneva Dutch gin, a spirit distilled from grain and flavored with the juice of juniper berries. Made in Holland, it is also called Hollands, formerly Hollands geneva. It is often written with a capital G by confusion with Geneva, Switzerland. “Geneva” is actually the English form of the Dutch word jenever, which means “juniper.”

  gentian Any plant belonging to the genus Gentiana, especially G. lutea, the source of a tonic often used to stimulate digestion and the circulation.

  George III (1738-1820) George William Frederick, grandson of George II, whom he succeeded in 1760 as King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover (King of Hanover from 1815). He ruled from 1760 until 1810, when his eldest son, George, Prince of Wales, was appointed regent for the remainder of his reign. He suffered periods of mental derangement at various times, but they did not become totally debilitating until after the death of his favorite daughter, Princess Amelia, in 1810.

  German flute A transverse flute, blown through an orifice on the side near the upper end, which in the 18th century replaced the flute that was blown through a mouthpiece at the end.

  ghee Butter made from buffalo’s or cow’s milk boiled to resemble oil in consistency.

  gibbet Originally, gallows. Later, an upright post with a projecting arm where the bodies of criminals were hung after execution.

  gib cat A name used in Northern England for a male cat. In later dialectal use, a cat that has been castrated.

  gibbous Convex, protuberant. Said of the moon or a planet when the illuminated portion exceeds a semicircle but is less than a circle.

  GIBRALTAR

  A strategic rocky promontory situated at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea and ideal for controlling the Strait of Gibraltar, the passage between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. Captured by Dutch and British forces in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession and transferred to Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, Gibraltar was continually under siege by the French and Spanish from 1779 to 1783. Gibraltar, which is three miles long and less than one wide, is connected to Spain by a sandy isthmus of about a mile. From the east, Gibraltar appears as a series of formidable cliffs. The limestone and shale ridge known as the Rock rises abruptly to 1,380 feet at Rock Gun, its northernmost summit, but is slightly higher at its southern end. The Rock shelves down to the sea at Europa Point, which faces Morocco, 20 miles to the south. Wild olive and pine trees grow on the Upper Rock, where the Barbary ape, the only wild monkey in Europe, lives. Gibraltar’s Southport Gate, part of the town’s old fortifications, was built in 1552, in the time of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and was known as the Africa Gate.

  A sloop on duty near the Rock of Gibraltar, pictured on the next page. On the evening of November 6, 1799, His Majesty’s Sloop Speedy (O’Brian’s model for the Sophie), commanded by Captain Jahleel Brenton, and her convoy, a transport ship carrying wine for the fleet and a merchant BRIG bound for Trieste, were attacked in Gibraltar Bay by a French privateer XEBEC of eight guns and 12 Spanish GUNBOATS, two of which were SCHOONERS, carrying two 24-pounders and 50 men each, while the others each carried a single 24-pounder and 40 men. The Speedy successfully fought off the attackers, and the transport worked around Europa Point through heavy fire, while the brig took advantage of a strong westerly wind after dark, carrying on to Trieste. The Spanish gunboats, which lost 11 men, fled to Fort Barbary, then to Malaga, leaving the trade unmolested in the Strait of Gibraltar for two months.

  Captain Brenton, from an American Loyalist family that returned to England during the American Revolution, wrote this official letter to Admiral Duckworth concerning the event:

  Speedy, Gibraltar, Nov. 21st, 1799

  Sir,

  I have the honour to inform you, that on the 6th instant coming into Gibraltar with two Vessels under Convoy, a Ship and a Brig, we were attacked by twelve of the Spanish Gun-boats from Algesiras; having a commanding breeze, we were soon enabled to rescue the Ship; the Gun-boats then united their efforts upon the Brig, but bearing up through their Line with a well-directed fire, we, in a short time, obliged them to relinquish that design also, and take shelter under the guns of Fort Barbary. The situation of the Speedy prevented my pursuing the advantage we had gained, having most of our running rigging cut away, our main-top-sail-yards shot through, and our fore-rigging much cut, besides the water being up to the lower-deck from shot received below the water-line. Not being able to carry sail upon the larboard tack, I was under the necessity of running for Tetuan Bay to stop the leaks, and arrived here the day following.

  I cannot say too much in praise of Lieutenant Parker, Mr. Marshall, the Master, and the remainder of the Officers and men under my Command. From their spirited exertions, and strict attention to their duty, we were enabled to save our Convoy and His Majesty’s Sloop.

  I beg leave to enclose a return of our killed and wounded, and at the same time to add, that much praise is due to Mr. George Robinson, Master of the Transport Unity, for the manner he worked his Ship during a vary galling fire. I have the honour to be, Sir,

  Your very obedient Servant,

  Jah. Brenton.

  Killed—Patrick Blake, and William Pring, Seamen. Wounded—Thomas Rilay, Seaman.

  From The Naval Chronicle, vol. 5. (Reproduced courtesy of the Mariners’ Museum)

  gig A light, narrow, CLINKER-built ship’s boat, adapted either for rowing or sailing and generally used by the COMMANDER. See illustration, page 73.

  gigot A leg of lamb, veal, or another meat, especially when cooked.

  gimbal An instrument usually consisting of a pair of rings moving on pivots that allows a ship’s compass, chronometer, or other gauge to remain level while the ship PITCHes and rolls.

  gingall A heavy musket fired from a rest or a light gun mounted on a swivel, sometimes on a carriage. Used primarily in China and India.

  gingerbread work The carved and gilded decorations on the hulls of large ships.

  glabrous Smooth; hairless, bald.

  glacis A sloping bank, specifically one that extends in front of ramparts, allowing it to be swept by the defenders’ fire.

  gladwin Variation of “gladdon,” a popular name for the iris.

  glass Shipboard name for BAROMETER, sand-glass, and telescope. In the last case, short for long-glass or spy-glass.

  glaucous Of a pale green color passing into bluish white or grayish blue. In botany, covered with bloom.

  glebe The soil of the earth, the source of vegetable products. A cultivated land. A piece of land assigned to a clergyman as part of his BENEFICE.

  gleet White putrid discharge from the penis that is characteristic of gonorrhea.

  glim A light of any kind. A candle, a lantern.

  glissando A slurring or sliding effect produced by a musical instrument; portamento.

  Glorious First of June On June 1, 1794, in the first great fleet battle of the French Revolutionary War (1793-1801), a British force of 25 ships of the line commanded by Admiral Lord HOWE defeated a French force of 26 ships commanded by Villaret de Joyeuse in the North Atlantic about 400 miles from the coast of USHANT off Brittany. Howe’s fleet captured six ships and destroyed one. Although it was a much-celebrated moral victory for the British, the French achieved their main goal, which was to protect a convoy of grain ships arriving from America.

  glottis The opening at the upper part of the trachea between the vocal
chords, which by dilatation and contraction contributes to voice modulation.

  glover One who makes or sells gloves.

  Gluck, Christoph Willibald (1714-1787) Born in Bavaria, an opera composer who worked in various cities, including Prague, Vienna, Milan, London, Naples, and Paris. His dispute with Niccola Piccinni (1728-1800) divided Paris into Gluckists, who supported the French style of opera, and Piccinnists, who supported the Italian style. Gluck won over Parisians with his 1799 opera Iphigénie en Tauride.

  glyconic A lyrical epithet of three trochees and a dactyl; also a poem or stanza composed or consisting of such verses. This type of verse is most generally associated with Catullus and Horace.

  Gmelin, Johann Georg (1709-1755) A German botanist and professor who explored Siberia.

  Gmelin, Leopold (1788-1853) A nephew of Johann Gmelin, Leopold was a professor of medicine and chemistry and the discoverer of potassium ferricyanide, also known as Gmelin’s salt. His Handbuch der inorganischen Chemie (1817-19) is still in use.

  Gneisenau, August Wilhelm Anton (1760-1831) A Prussian field marshal, who was BLUCHER’S chief of staff during the WATERLOO campaign. After Blücher was dismounted and briefly lost in the fray during the Battle of LIGNY, Gneisenau led a retreat 16 miles north to Wavre, parallel to WELLINGTON’S line, not away from it, allowing the Prussians to play a crucial role at Waterloo two days later. Wellington called Gneisenau’s decision “the decisive moment of the century.”

  gnosce teipsum Know thyself (Latin, from the Greek gnothi seauton).

  Gnostic A member of certain heretical sects among the early Christians who believed that knowledge of spiritual truth was essential to salvation.

  gob Among its many meanings, mouth.

  gobbet A portion, piece, or fragment of something divided; a piece of raw flesh.

  Godfrey’s Cordial Named after Thomas Godfrey of Hunsdon, Hertfordshire, this early 18th-century household panacea included sassafras and opium.

  Godoy, Manuel de, “Prince of the Peace” (1767-1851) After the Peace of AMIENS, Godoy succumbed to French bribes and blackmail and allied Spain with France against the Third Coalition (see page 25), hence Maturin’s line, “remember Godoy has betrayed the kingdom to France,” in trying to persuade BUSTAMENTE to surrender the Spanish treasure SQUADRON in 1804.