William Brand

Nice...thank you for the link. "John Singleton Copley's Watson and the Shark was inspired by an event that took place in Havana, Cuba, in 1749. Fourteen-year-old Brook Watson, an orphan serving as a crew member on a trading ship, was attacked by a shark while swimming alone in the harbor. His shipmates, who had been waiting on board to escort their captain ashore, launched a valiant rescue effort. John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778. National Gallery of Art, Ferdinand Lammot Belin Fund 1963.6.1" So, a painting done nearly 30 years after the incident by an artist who wasn't there constitutes evidence that one of the rescuers - apparently a deck officer - wore shoes. Ergo, able seamen of the era ordinarily wore shoes? So, if a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge told me when I was in college that his rifle had jammed during the battle, and I pained a picture of him trying to clear his rifle - which I made an M-16 in the painting - that is evidence that the U.S. Army carried M-16s during the battle of the Bulge? Capt. William Why did you quote that particular passage from this thread? I was just talking about the history of the painting itself. However... This painting was painted in 1697 by Abraham Storck. Almost every visable sailor in the painting is wearing stockings and shoes.

Aye. I have a really nice hat... I do not own a frigate with a crew at my command.

Mate, a boat goes a long way. Look at the Captains of the Royaliste and the Wolf. They could wear pink taffata and I'd still sail with them half way round the globe. I boat just goes a long way. If you have a passable kit and a boat is a real possibility, then keep focusing on the boat.

Clothing is short term. Boat is long term. Now you have to ask yourself whether or not you have short or long term money, because a boat requires maintainence.

The thank you goes to pyrateleather for the link.

July 30, 1704 - The St. Louis Docks Between three and four bells of the Afteroon Watch "The Devil." William said, with a raised eyebrow. "We'll put him on the Heron." There were mixed comments on this subject, ranging from Pierre's youth to the danger in taking on buccaneers as crewmen. The discussion continued until Pierre looked utterly faint with excitement. The lad was so overtaken by the real possibility of being hired on as a crew member to a privateer, that his resolve to stand at attention threatened to give over to his shaking hands. This conversation was eventually overlapped a little by the news of the cannon sales, which Mister Youngblood had returned to with the arrival of Captain Lasseter. Petee explained about the acquisition of the two brass sixes, as much to Dorian's surprise as it had been to William's surprise before. Dorian seemed delighted, and took the news with a brimming smile. One could almost see the calculations in his mind as he went over the weight and firepower of the new sixes, as well as the sale of the iron guns which the brass ones would be replacing. William passed the heavy bag of coin to Mister Lasseter with a knowing smile. "Swivels and sixes." ~Larboard Watches on Duty~

^ I'm installing a flag pole behind the second story roof which will carry a pirate flag aloft. Most likely I will fly my moon and stars. < I am in the middle of a fine flu bug. It makes for very long days and nights. V I'll pass the question on.

Easily my favorite review of UNDER THE BLACK FLAG. Currently I am reading texts available to men and women of the period. This list includes contemorary books of the Golden Age of Pyracy and anything before. I've been purchasing facsimiles and downloading period documents. My reading list for the Summer includes: DON QUIXOTE - I am part way through this one. Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur, which I am forced to read in English until I can master enough French to read it again in the original. A NEW VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD by William Dampier. THE GUNPODER PLOT SERMON (1606) by Lancelot Andrewes And varied Persian poets such as Farid od Din Attar, Omar Khayyam, Jelaluddin Rumi, Saadi, Sanai, and Baba Taher.

As the sailors hurried to Watson's aid, the shark repeatedly attacked the struggling boy. During the first assault, the shark stripped the flesh from Watson's right leg below the calf. In the second attack, the shark bit off Watson's foot at the ankle. Copley minimized the gore associated with such an attack, but traces of blood are visible in the water and on the shark's mouth. The composition is cropped to suggest the right foot is missing. In April 1778, while Copley's painting was on exhibit in London's Royal Academy, a detailed description of these horrific events was published in a London newspaper. The text, believed to have been penned by Brook Watson himself, describes the scene in excruciating detail, ultimately reassuring readers that thanks to the surgeon's skill, "after suffering an amputation of the limb, a little below the knee, the youth received a perfect cure in about three months." Watson eventually became a successful merchant in London. It is likely he commissioned the painting from Copley, whom he probably knew through members of the artist's family. Copley and Watson probably met in London during the summer of 1774, when the artist was passing through London on his way to Italy. On August 17, he wrote, "To Morrow I... Dine with a Mr. Watson." Watson later abandoned his mercantile ventures, turning to the political arena. He briefly served as Lord Mayor of London in 1796-97. Watson's political opponents made frequent, occasionally derisive, reference to his early ordeal. One suggested that had the shark bitten off Watson's other end, a wooden head would have served him as well as the wooden leg. Oh! Had the monster, who for breakfast eat That luckless limb, his noblest noddle met, The best of workmen, nor the best of wood, Had scarce supply'd him with a head so good. The shark attack made an indelible impression on the British statesman, who often recounted tales of his youthful adventure in the Caribbean. When he became a baronet in 1803, Watson specifically requested that his coat of arms include literal references to the terrifying ordeal. With the Latin motto Scuto Divino, meaning "under God's protection," the design places Neptune, god of the sea, at the apex, brandishing a trident to repel an attacking shark, and in the upper left corner of the shield, prominently displayed, is his missing right leg! Watson owned the painting until his death in 1807. In his will, he bequeathed it to Christ's Hospital, then a boy's school in London, expressing hope that his personal triumph over adversity would serve as a "most usefull Lesson to Youth."

^ You're asking a packrat, though I am enlightened enough to say yes. < I have some great stuff. V What little interesting things do you have about the place?

^ Keep up my yard. < Stupid yard. V Do you have a garage?

Seconded.

Nice...thank you for the link. "John Singleton Copley's Watson and the Shark was inspired by an event that took place in Havana, Cuba, in 1749. Fourteen-year-old Brook Watson, an orphan serving as a crew member on a trading ship, was attacked by a shark while swimming alone in the harbor. His shipmates, who had been waiting on board to escort their captain ashore, launched a valiant rescue effort. John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778. National Gallery of Art, Ferdinand Lammot Belin Fund 1963.6.1"

^ Doesn't everyone? Oh...they don't? (hangs head in shame) < I procrastinate everything. V Do you like brussel sprouts?

(William raises a glass of the Kate's finest) To our own Mister Pew. May he find solace in greener pastures...and here's to the backside of Dragon Boy! Hip-hip...!

^ My cutlass and Jambiya. < Soon I will be in the Middle East and I will by myself that long awaited Jambiya. Oh yes. The cutlass will be mine in the fall. V I'll pass this question too.

^ There are several. My hand blown, blue glass beads from Hebron, Israel. My seabean from Jonas. My celtic cross from Duncan. < I like the little story items which make a kit unique. V And it is a good question. I'll have to pass it again.

Well then, many congratulations indeed. A round of drinks for Mister Pew.

^ I love shopping when I have money to do so. < I do my share of window shopping in this hobby. V What is your next big pirate purchase?

^ Friends. It's more of a beautiful circle rather than a collection. < I like people. V I'll pass the question.

^ It's a secret. < I have a number of favorite places that I like to visit. Some I cannot visit regularly because of their proximity to me, or lack there of. V I'll pass the question on...

"Le plaisir est tout l'à moi...boucanier fier." William said, amused. He raised his hat a little off of his head and replaced it again. "Et...que le bateau...est à vous, monsieur?" Pierre looked utterly delighted, but managed to keep a formality that most boys his age would have already lost. "Ils sont tout l'à moi pour la prise, capitaine." he said with such serious venom and brashness, that William almost choked when he laughed. "Hire this boy and keep him far from my cabin." Translation... "The pleasure is all mine... proud buccaneer." William said, amused. He raised his hat a little off of his head and replaced it again. "And... which ship... is yours, sah?" Pierre looked utterly delighted, but managed to keep a formality that most boys his age would have already lost. "They are all mine for the taking, Captain." he said with such serious venom and brashness, that William almost choked when he laughed. "Hire this boy and keep him far from my cabin."

^ My grandfather. < I just got my new passport. Excellent. I am free to get up and move about the Earth. V Any big travel plans?

"Weigh that..." Petee said all at once, tossing a heavy laden purse to Mister Pew without warning. Preston, possessed of enough reflexes to catch it on the fly, was still surprised by the weight of it. It made a satisfying jingling as he caught it. "What's this then?" "Coin ov'r cliche." he said straightening and puffing furiously to get his pipe going again. The word cliche came out with particular emphasis and slur, sounding more like clee-sssshay. Preston undid the leather drawstrings to the bag which revealed a large cache of mixed coin, all gold or silver. "Worth the'r weight in gold, lad. Aye." Petee said again, his smile as broad as Preston had ever seen it. A circle of blue-white smoke encircled his head. William walked up upon this scene and Mister Pew snapped off a smart salute, as did Mister Youngblood, though it cost him a little balance. The Master Gunner seemed to be keeping his sealegs ashore. "Captain!" he said, overly loud. "Mister Youngblood. How does your business go ashore?" "Bus'ness is good, Cap'n." he said, swiping the bag back again from Preston with surprising agility. Even William seemed surprised, and wondered if the man was more jovial than drunk as he dropped the heavy bag into the Captain's waiting hands. "All...sold...Mister Youngblood?" William asked, a touch surprised. "Aye, Cap'n...and with two brass sixes into th' bargain." he said with a smile so wide it threatened to shut his eyes. "Trade off a merchantmen." he added. "We made no mention of sixes..." William said, narrowing his eyes, but smiling. "She's too purty for iron, sah." he returned, and William wasn't certain if he meant the 'Dog or the Heron. Still, William forgave him any drink that preceded his shore leave.

"Rewarding me gunnery crews I see." Petee Youngblood said as he swaggered up to the docks and gestured to the barrels with a nod as he tried to light a pipe that was being stubborn. He wore his usual pale blue coat and black hat and looked as thin as he ever had among the many broad chested dockworkers about the beachhead. Preston made a dismissive sound at this and Petee smiled, all teeth. "Ya cried to have me gone...didn't ya?" Petee continued, batting his eyes at the Master-at-Arms. It was obvious by the way that he leaned, that the Master Gunner was already into his courses and well on his way to a good hangover by the morrow. William and the men of the small boat were just bumping up against the docks.