by Jane Austen
37. Promotion from midshipman to lieutenant, the next rank in the navy. For more, see this page and this page, notes 78 and 80.
38. minute: precise, detailed.
39. amiable: kind, benevolent, good-natured.
40. Gibraltar, at the mouth of the Mediterranean, was one of Britain’s most important overseas bases, and thus a natural place for ships to stop. Jane Austen’s naval brother Francis is known to have stopped there in 1805 to resupply his ship. It also contained a number of people living and working at the base, including many employed at the dockyard, which repaired ships. The commissioner, who was appointed directly by the Navy Board, was the highest authority at the dockyard. William and other officers probably attended a social function at the commissioner’s residence; his wife, almost certainly “Mrs. Brown,” and some other women of relatively high rank would have also attended.
This passage represents one of the only known amendments Jane Austen made to the novel. In a letter she confides, “I learn from Sir J. Carr that there is no Government House at Gibraltar.—I must alter it to the Commissioner’s” (Jan. 24, 1813). A “government house” is the residence of the governor of a colony, and she may have assumed Gibraltar was a colony (it did not acquire that status until later in the century). The authority she mentions is Sir John Carr, author of Descriptive Travels in the Southern and Eastern Portions of Spain (1811), which contains a lengthy description of Gibraltar. While it does not discuss its precise political status, the book does mention both the residence of the governor (who would have a different authority than a colonial governor) and the “official house of the commissioner.” It also states in passing, “The society is here altogether gloomy, for want of more females.” Austen may have chosen to place the event at the commissioner’s house because it was described as “official,” or because he has a direct connection with the navy while the governor is a civil authority.
41. trim: style, fashion, adornment. Since he pointed to Fanny’s head he could mean a new hairstyle or a new type of headdress or ornamentation on the head; both frequently changed during this period. The women at Gibraltar could learn about new styles from women on board ships stopping there, or from published journals that included information on the latest fashions. For examples of pictures showing such fashions, including headdresses, from one of the leading journals of the time, see this page and this page.
42. terrific: dreadful, terrifying.
43. Moral taste is the ability to appreciate good moral qualities, especially in others. It is not the same as having those qualities oneself, but it would make one more open to the salutary influence of others.
44. sensibility: aroused feelings; strong capacity for feeling.
45. amusing: interesting.
46. details: detailed accounts.
47. He may have gone to the West Indies, another prime area of naval activity due to its importance to British commerce, while assigned to a different ship before the Antwerp. Or he may have gone with the Antwerp. Ships were often assigned to different stations; they could also be commanded to engage in a short, single mission to another part of the world.
48. This would be when the ship docked in overseas ports. Whether members of the crew went onshore, and for how long, was at the discretion of the captain.
49. Among the many hazards were naval engagements or battles, storms at sea, and fights on land (see note 54). Even more deaths—80 percent of the total during this period—were from disease or accidents on board (which were frequent due to the need to perform many difficult and dangerous tasks amid heavy pieces of equipment on a crowded ship).
50. Women frequently did needlework during conversations, which could include sewing new buttons onto shirts (“second hand” means not original to the garment). But most would not interrupt a speaker with a search for supplies, especially in the midst of such dramatic stories.
51. proofs of mind: testaments of character.
52. This episode gives an important glimpse into Henry’s character. His moral taste allows him to appreciate another person’s qualities, and his honesty and intelligence allow him to perceive his own deficiency in this regard, but his lack of self-discipline or willingness to sacrifice his pleasures keeps him from turning that perception into self-reform. His reaction also shows his inclination to imagine himself in different roles, which already allowed him to be an excellent actor.
53. Hunters were very expensive, and there was always the danger that one could be injured, perhaps fatally, during a hunt.
54. “Scrambling parties” probably means excursions onshore, which often involved scrambling up land formations or over rough terrain; this interpretation is strengthened by the immediate reference to rides on horses or mules. The navy often sent men onto foreign shores, whether to gather intelligence about the terrain or the enemy, to place cannons onshore so they could engage in more effective bombardment, or to attack enemy forces or fortifications—all naturally dangerous.
55. The falls could be part of the landing parties, or on ship. Sailors regularly had to scale the ship’s rigging, whether to adjust the sails or to perform other tasks, and the rigging’s height, the precariousness of the places for standing or walking, the frequent tossing of the ship in the waves, and windy or rainy weather created continual danger of serious falls.
56. high-fed: well-fed.
57. The hunt was literally a chase over a long distance, at the end of which, when the fox was cornered, dogs would be set on it to finish it. The task of the hunters on horseback was simply to follow along (dogs were also the ones who found the fox, forced it to flee, and finally trapped it).
VOLUME II, CHAPTER VII
1. inmates: mates or associates of someone who reside in the latter’s home.
2. visiting: socializing or maintaining friendly intercourse with.
3. Meaning he considers it would be little or petty to be quick to perceive a possible advantageous marriage.
4. distinguishing: paying particular notice to.
5. The Grants would naturally wish to invite Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram, both as a courtesy after his return and in order to reestablish more intimate relations with the leading figure in the neighborhood.
6. good breeding: good manners, courtesy.
7. evil: misfortune, mischief.
8. The servants pass behind the guests to serve the food and drink, and a wider table in a small room could force them to step closer to the guests and thereby possibly bother them. Mrs. Norris is stretching for grounds to further condemn Mrs. Grant’s rejection of her table in preference for a grander one.
9. Since dishes were all laid out on the table at once, and there could be many at a large dinner party, some might become cold before they were eaten.
10. making up: collecting sufficient numbers for.
11. A round game of cards is one where any number can play, and each player acts alone. There are ten people here, and only four will play whist.
12. Speculation was a popular game for multiple people. A character in Jane Austen’s unfinished novel The Watsons, probably written around 1804, declares, “Speculation is the only round game at Croydon now.” Austen herself seems to have been fond of the game: in a letter she states, “Our evening was equally agreeable in its way; I introduced speculation, and it was so much approved that we hardly knew how to leave off” (Oct. 25, 1808). A short time later, after hearing that those she had introduced to speculation had rejected it in favor of another game, she writes, “it mortifies me deeply, because Speculation was under my patronage,” adding, “When one comes to reason upon it, it [the other game] cannot stand its’ ground against Speculation” (Jan. 10, 1809). For the rules for speculation, see note 16.
13. He would be expected to partner with his own wife if she played, and since one’s success at whist depended on the quality of one’s partner, she would represent a substantial handicap for Sir Thomas.
14. business: occupation, duties.
15. “Perso
ns” has no apostrophe in the original, but some editions have added one. Austen often omits an apostrophe in places where it would be used now.
16. Fanny can understand quickly because speculation is a fairly simple game. Each player is dealt three cards, and then a final card is turned over to determine which suit is trumps; the players also contribute to a common pool a specified number of counters or chips (often called fish because they were usually made in that shape). The players never look at their own cards—this is why Henry can manage the hands of Fanny and Lady Bertram as well as his own. Play consists in having each player in turn reveal one card from his or her hand. Whoever at the end possesses the highest card in the trump suit wins, and gains the entire pool. Moreover, after any player turns over a trump card, the other players may bid to purchase that card with their counters.
17. inspirit: animate.
18. comfortable: pleasant, enjoyable.
19. Since competitive bidding for cards is at the heart of speculation, a table where it is played would be lively and talkative.
20. This demonstrates Lady Bertram’s unthinking politeness: she automatically answers that she is enjoying the game, while also revealing that she is completely puzzled by it.
21. The chase or run after the fox could extend for many miles.
22. Yew trees are one of the few coniferous trees native to Britain. As evergreens they would be noticeable and easily distinguishable from other trees during the winter.
23. This credo permeates Henry’s confident attitude toward life, and is undoubtedly one factor encouraging him in his extended flirtations with women he has no interest in marrying. It will ultimately lead him into trouble.
24. downy field: elevated or hilly area that is treeless. Such areas were called “downs.”
25. Villages were primarily inhabited by laborers, craftsmen, and shopkeepers. Aside from the clergyman, usually at most one genteel, or near-genteel (which is what is meant by “half a gentleman”), family would live there. Few genteel people would be in the vicinity at all, and they would most likely have homes outside the village.
26. Henry also declared, on this page, that he never asks for directions, and without any apparent shame, even though he admitted that his not asking had led to his getting lost; Jane Austen probably noticed this characteristic among some men of her acquaintance. Here, however, he finds a way to procure information without stooping to inquire directly.
27. knave: jack.
28. She, and perhaps others, are negotiating over the price of his knave. The bargaining was tricky because nobody could know if the knave would turn out to be the highest trump, thereby securing its possessor the common pool, or if a queen, king, or ace of trumps would turn up later, rendering the knave worthless.
29. As discussed earlier in connection with Sotherton (this page, note 9), an attractive approach to a house was an essential part of contemporary landscaping, and a farmyard could ruin it (for a contemporary picture of a farmyard, displaying some unsightly qualities, see this page). Many clergy engaged in farming to help support themselves; Edmund will probably not abandon those activities, only move the farmyard to a less visible area.
30. A blacksmith was a basic feature of any village, due to the need for shoeing horses and other work involving iron. But the griminess of the work means that it would present a very unsightly appearance. In this case it cannot be moved, but adjacent plantings can block it from view.
31. front: face.
32. Improvers sometimes altered the house so that its entrance was on a different side, especially those focused on improving the view of the surroundings. Humphry Repton recommended repositioning a house’s entrance in some of his proposals for specific places.
33. aspect: position facing its surroundings.
34. They would belong to the living if they are part of his glebe land.
35. He must purchase any of these meadows outside his glebe land in order to fulfill Henry’s dictum of their all being “laid together,” i.e., joined, and to make them all part of one grand landscaping plan.
36. Water was important to landscaping improvements; see this page, note 35. Since it could be channeled and altered in various ways, Henry is torn between different ideas. He shows throughout this conversation the same zeal for improvement he displayed in connection with Sotherton.
37. He is expressing his hope that Mary, the most important of the “all who care about me,” will accept him in these modest circumstances.
38. Mary’s resentment of Edmund’s hope now spurs her to compensate by securing victory in the card negotiation, at any price.
39. spirit: courage. The courage comes from paying a high price even though she cannot know if the knave will turn out to be the highest trump.
40. Thus the knave did win her the game—there were probably not many cards left to be drawn when she secured it—but she paid more counters for it than she gained when she won the pool. This is symbolic for Mary, whose bold and determined spirit sometimes leads her to judge and act imprudently.
41. Many parsonage houses were modest dwellings.
42. scrambling: irregular, rambling.
43. Such houses were the product of owners who wished to expand their dwelling but did not have sufficient funds to tear down and build anew, and hence were forced to join extensions to the existing core.
44. Mary has turned over a queen of trumps, a strong potential winner, and other players are bidding on it. Henry, acting on behalf of Lady Bertram, may have first been spurred to top another’s offer, before realizing it was too high. The pool probably consists of twenty-six counters, or fish, since, according to the contemporary Hoyle’s guide to games, “the dealer pools six fish, and every other player four,” and there are six players here. If Henry considers a dozen too high it must be early in the game, when there is still a good chance a king or an ace of trumps will appear.
45. place: a grand country house or mansion.
46. “Modern manners” could include various aspects of contemporary ways of living that are reflected in the style of architecture. For example, privacy had become more valued in recent times, and this led to changes in house design, most notably the development of corridors during the eighteenth century so that people could reach their own rooms without passing through others’ rooms. It is not clear if Henry envisages such a dramatic change as that, but he does recommend making the house as suitable as possible for contemporary ideals of living.
47. connections: family ties and background.
48. set down as: considered to be.
49. “Squire” was a traditional term for a member of the gentry, especially a locally prominent landowner. In some eighteenth- and nineteenth-century novels a man in that position is called by others “Squire —.” In many villages the local squire would live in the most impressive dwelling in the area. But in the absence of a squire, the parson was usually the next most prominent and wealthy figure in local rural society, and his dwelling could stand supreme.
50. situation: place to live.
51. This indicates that Fanny won the queen that Henry earlier declined on behalf of Lady Bertram, and paid what Henry regards as too high a price, perhaps because she is not as fierce a bargainer.
52. Presumably more cards have been turned up since the earlier bargaining for the queen, and with no king or ace of trumps appearing, the queen is now looking like a highly probable winner.
53. genius: mental powers or aptitude.
54. She means his flirtation with Maria and Julia, especially the former. Mary brings this up from a wish to get back at her brother, who has angered her by his extended discussion with Edmund regarding the parsonage at Thornton Lacey. Not only did Henry thereby force Mary to confront more fully the reality of Edmund’s impending ordination, but, by speaking so positively of the possibilities offered by the parsonage Edmund will soon inhabit, Henry has provided implicit endorsement and encouragement for Edmund’s decision to become a clergyman instead o
f seeking one of the more fashionable and remunerative careers Mary has suggested.
55. Henry noticed Fanny’s disapproving glare, though he may also anticipate her disapproval from knowledge of her character. It is not clear whether Henry has any sense of the intrinsic faults of his behavior, nor whether his statement about now judging things differently refers to understanding the wrongness of his act, or to appreciating that Fanny is a more worthy object of attention than Maria and Julia.
56. odd trick: the thirteenth and last trick in whist when the two teams are tied at six tricks apiece; hence the deciding trick.
57. This would be Mrs. Norris’s own description, for naturally she wishes to boast of her skill in overcoming the strong hands of her adversaries. She also includes Sir Thomas in her boast, due to politeness and to her consistent inclination to flatter him.
58. Brighton and Portsmouth are both on the southern coast, and are around fifty miles apart by road, which would take almost seven hours by normal carriage speeds on main roads.
59. Since postage rates were high during this period, sending a parcel could cost a fair amount, though less than the cost of traveling fifty miles and back.
60. Beachey Head is a promontory a little east of Brighton; see map. There is no town there, but sailors would notice and remember it as a prominent feature along the English Channel.
61. affability: courtesy or kindness, especially of a superior to an inferior.
62. The First Lord of the Admiralty was a member of the cabinet and the highest figure in the navy. His private secretary is his assistant, rather than a mere clerical worker, and would thus exercise great authority; he would also have high social origins. William would like to have a connection with him for assistance in gaining a promotion. For a picture of the Admiralty boardroom of the time, see this page.
63. Henry assumes that Edmund could reside at Mansfield Park, since the other parish is close enough that he could ride over there for the day, whether on Sunday or on days when a special occasion, such as a wedding or funeral, would require his attendance.
