Posted by Arletta on July 04, 1997 at 14:19:09:
In reply to Re: Ships posted by Marianthe on July 03, 1997 at 17:17:46
]
] I'm sure Maggie Lane in Jane Austen's World cites Jane using the current naval list for names of ships as an example of her thoroughness and concern for accuracy.
I'm currently reading "Jane Austen--Her Life and Letters--A Family Record" by William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh. On page 280, there is a letter from JA to her brother Frank, in which she thanks him for consenting to her request to use the names of some of his ships in "Mansfield Park". In a letter of July 3, 1813, she writes "bye the bye, shall you object to my mentioning the Elephant in it, and two or three other old ships?" I haven't gotten to the chapter on Persuasion yet, but in skimming over it, I don't see any references to ship names. But I do recall reading in a previous book, probably Maggie Lane's, about JA's use of the shipping list.
I have a couple of excellent reference books on the Royal Navy, and will try to remember to dig them out and put the references here. They are written as support works for Patrick O'Brian's wonderful Aubrey and Maturin Royal Navy novels--if you are interested in reading some marvelous sea-faring stories set in JA's time, O'Brian is the absolute best.
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