1988 novel by Patrick O'Brian
The Letter of Marque is the twelfth historical novel in the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1988. The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.
Aubrey faces life off the Navy List, as the captain of a letter of marque, finding heart to endure and train yet another ship's crew, but of volunteers, with no Marines aboard. Maturin travels to meet his wife.
This novel received strongly positive reviews, for the characterizations and the naval actions. "O'Brian is a brilliant stylist of sea-historicals" in this "authentic and engaging" novel. The two principal characters, "bluff, hearty Aubrey and reedy, intellectual Maturin", return for an exciting story with accurate historical depictions. "Jack's seamanship and heroism are complemented by Stephen's absent-minded brilliance . . . in this swift, witty tale of money and love." Richard Snow called it a "self-contained and satisfying story."
Plot summary.
Jack Aubrey, now a civilian, prepares the "Surprise" to sail as a letter of marque. The loss of his place on the Navy list is the hardest blow. He is stoic, but appears harsh to his new crew. His reputation brings him a full crew, and he takes the men on liking. He runs the "Surprise" on Royal Navy lines, including regular pay to the men, in addition to any prizes they might take. He is supported by his crew of old Surprises, privateers and smugglers, the latter groups recruited in Shelmerston, on the western coast of England. It is let out that a group of his friends purchased the ship at the auction, as Stephen Maturin, who is the sole owner, wants to play his same role of surgeon and natural philosopher on the ship. Aubrey takes the new crew on a short cruise in the Atlantic, which proves unexpectedly profitable.
The downfall of the traitors Wray and Ledward restores order in British intelligence circles, returning Sir Joseph Blaine to his position in the Admiralty. The traitors fled England, so they still have a friend in the government. Duhamel, the French agent who gave them away, never did reach Canada, as he died in a fall boarding "Eurydice". Blaine says it will be difficult to restore Aubrey to the Navy, even with solid evidence left behind by Wray showing how he profited in the stock market scheme and set Aubrey up. Maturin's servant Padeen becomes a secret laudanum addict after a painful burn, where he learned its benefit, followed by an infected painful tooth that Maturin could not treat. Padeen dilutes the ship's supply with brandy. Maturin is thus unknowingly weaned off his own addiction.
During the short cruise, the "Surprise" captures the "Merlin", the consort of the "Spartan". They learn that American/French privateer "Spartan" seeks its next quarry, the Spanish barque "Azul" with quicksilver aboard. "Surprise" sails to intercept them. "Azul" is struck on rocks, with "Spartan" adjacent following a fierce battle between the two; "Surprise" meets them and boards first "Azul" and then "Spartan". Aubrey then tricks the "Spartan's" five prizes out of Horta harbour, making him and his crew wealthy, improving his reputation, and earning him a gift of silver plate from the merchants who had been so harried by "Spartan". Blaine tells Maturin of the frigate "Diane", a French navy ship ready to voyage to South America. Aubrey plans the attack at night in ship's boats, cooperating with the Navy, specifically William Babbington of HMS "Tartarus", who has made post Captain, thus removing pressure on him to take credit for success. "Surprise" takes the "Diane" and all other vessels in the French port of Saint Martin the night before "Diane" plans to sail. Maturin imprisons the intelligence agent aboard, taking his papers, but the agent slips away dressed as a woman. In the short clash on the "Diane", Maturin kills her captain while Aubrey is wounded by a bullet near his spine. The second success makes Aubrey a popular hero. 
When offered the opportunity to request a free pardon, he angrily declines on the grounds that he is innocent. Aubrey's father, a fugitive since his part in the stock-jobbing affair, is found dead in a ditch. Aubrey organizes the funeral for him, which takes him to his boyhood home of Woolcombe, now his by inheritance. After the funeral, Edward Norton (a friend of Aubrey's grandfather) offers Aubrey a seat in Parliament, from the borough of Milport. This gain in position leads Lord Melville, First Lord of the Admiralty, to assure Aubrey of his restoration. Aubrey is a changed man.
Maturin travels to Sweden to speak to his wife Diana Villiers. Aubrey agrees to meet him there for the return voyage. In Stockholm, Maturin purchases a bottle of full-strength laudanum and some coca leaves from a well-stocked apothecary. He meets Diana near her home in Stockholm. He learns Wray lied about not finding Diana in London to deliver the letter; she saw Wray, and no letter was given her. Maturin explains why he was seen with Laura Fielding. Villiers assures him she has not been unfaithful with Jagiello, who is soon to be married. He gives her the Blue Peter, the diamond she gave up to save him, which pleases her greatly. He tells her of his sudden increase in wealth. Maturin takes two doses of laudanum and becomes disoriented. He is seriously injured in a fall, breaking his leg. Diana nurses him and they are reconciled. "Surprise" returns from a stop in Riga to buy poldavy. Martin tells Maturin that he caught Padeen diluting the laudanum supply with brandy, and that Padeen is addicted and in irons. They carry Maturin out to the ship in style, accompanied by Colonel Jagiello's escort, and Diana embarks with him for home.
Series chronology.
This novel references actual events with accurate historical detail, like all in this series. In respect to the internal chronology of the series, it is the sixth of eleven novels (beginning with "The Surgeon's Mate") that might take five or six years to happen but are all pegged to an extended 1812, or as Patrick O'Brian says it, 1812a and 1812b (introduction to "The Far Side of the World", the tenth novel in this series). The events of "The Yellow Admiral" again match up with the historical years of the Napoleonic wars in sequence, as the first six novels did.
Continuity.
The events of "The Letter of Marque" follow directly from the events of "The Reverse of the Medal", the prior novel in the series. In "The Reverse of the Medal", Aubrey is found guilty of manipulating the stock exchange. By custom, the finding of guilt puts him off the list of Royal Navy captains, in order by seniority. Further, Maturin's godfather died, leaving his fortune to Maturin, who finds the large amount of wealth to change his ways in small things, and in large. The first use of his new wealth is to bid for the ship "Surprise" as the ship is not wanted in Navy service, and like nearly all his efforts, it is meant to help his friend Aubrey survive the blow of the court verdict. Ledward and Wray were exposed as spies for France by Duhamel, who returns the valued diamond, the Blue Peter, to Maturin as was long ago promised. Duhamel is tired of his life in intelligence and wants to retire to Canada, away from this long war. All the Surprises were paid off when the ship was put up for auction, so Aubrey needs to start again with his crew.
Reviews.
Reviews of this novel in 1990 were enthusiastic and specific as to the most valued aspects of O'Brian's writing.
"Kirkus Reviews" finds the novel "authentic and engaging", and O'Brian "a brilliant stylist of sea-historicals". The personal worries of Aubrey (his family's finances are in shambles at the start) and Maturin (who wants to win back his estranged wife) "add fiber to the characterizations". This review notes Aubrey's triumph over the French in taking their frigate and all ships in one harbor, and his deceptions for the enemy. As to O'Brian's writing, they found "his every sentence sensuous and emerging from saltwater as naturally as the leap of a flying fish."
"Library Journal" finds this long-awaited sequel (in the US) to be an "exciting sea story with good character development." O'Brian "created two wonderfully contrasting characters in bluff, hearty Aubrey and reedy, intellectual Maturin."
"Publishers Weekly" finds this a "swift, witty tale of money and love." They proffer the notion that "If Jane Austen wrote Royal Navy yarns, they might read like this" novel. The writing evokes the period both as to manner of speech and the life aboard ship in the early 19th century.
Richard Snow cites a scene in this novel when the two seek and find the "true line" of a piece by Mozart as illustrating that the "only intellectual common ground the friendship enjoys is the mutual love of music" in an article about the re-issue of the series by W W Norton. Their understanding of each other is "warm and instinctual" and he goes on to say that, "On the foundations of this friendship, O'Brian reconstructs a civilization." He found this novel to be a "self-contained and satisfying story."
Allusions to science and history.
Whilst in Stockholm, Stephen Maturin visits an apothecary's shop to buy laudanum. He inquires about the coca or cuca leaf from Peru, which he learned about in a previous mission, detailed in "The Far Side of the World" and the apothecary replies, "It is said to dissolve the gross humours and do away with appetite." Maturin buys a pound and the coca leaf eventually comes to replace his opium habit in later novels. He carries the leaves in a pouch and lime in a small silver box. When he feels the need for it, he rolls the leaves into a ball and pops them into his cheek with lime.
The book also discusses the nascent science of ballooning, contrasting hot air and gaseous balloons and with many descriptions thereof. Stephen has an extended dream sequence, while recovering from his fall, involving a balloon and his wife.
Aubrey wanted to be in Riga to get poldavy, which was a coarse canvas favoured for making sails.
Allusion to real events.
Ships in private ownership were privateers, doing some of the tasks of a national navy vessel. For permission to take enemy ships with full authority, the government issues a letter of marque. That is a legal document from the British government which gives the private vessel the right to capture ships from enemy nations.
Publication history.
In August 1990, "The Letter of Marque" was the first of the series novels to be issued by W W Norton in hardback and in paperback in the US, two years after the first edition was published in the UK, and it was an instant success. This drew a new, large audience to the series, and new attention to the author, as well as positive reviews such as in "Library Journal", "Publishers Weekly", and one by Richard Snow in the "New York Times" shown above. Novels prior to this were published rapidly in the US for that new market. Following novels were released at the same time by the UK and US publishers. Collins (name of UK publisher in that year) asked Geoff Hunt in 1988 to do the cover art for the twelve books published by then, with "The Letter of Marque" being the first book to have Hunt's work on the first edition. He continued to paint the covers for future books; the covers were used on both USA and UK editions. Reissues of earlier novels used the Geoff Hunt covers.
References.
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