Mission

I already moved it for you to fiction. :)

I've been told that you can only see ghosts if you believe in them, Ed. David has a good point. Even when PotC drew upon history they didn't really try to be historically accurate. Look at the (implied) makeup of the Brethren Court (among dozens of other things you could point to). I remember reading an interview with the writers Elliot and Roussou where they flat out said they were drawing from every and any source that represented piracy to them - books, history, art, movies and possibly Terry and the.

Oh, I forgot about the tales of the Coconut tree.... "Besides the Liquor [not referring here to the meaning of liquor as we think of it today, but as a liquid] or Water in the Fruit, there is also a sort of Wine drawn from the Tree called Toddy, which looks like Whey. It is sweet and very pleasant, but it is to be drunk within 24 Hours after it is drawn, for afterwards it grows sowre. Those that have a great many Trees, draw a Spirit from the sowre Wine, called Arack. Arack is distill'd also from Rice, and other things in the East-Indies; but none is so much esteemed for making Punch as this sort, made of Toddy, or the Sap of the Coco-nut Tree for it makes most delicate Punch; but it must have a dash of Brandy to hearten it, because this Arack is not strong enough to make good Punch of it self. This sort of Liquor is chiefly used about Goa; and therefore it has the Name of Goa Arack. The way of drawing the Toddy from the Tree, is by cutting the top of a Branch that would bear Nuts; but before it has any Fruit; and from thence the Liquor which was to feed its Fruit, distils into the hole of a Callabash [a bowl made from the rind of a fruit] that is hung upon it." (Dampier, p. 202 or 203) “The Men have their Drinking Bouts of Palm Wine, which is the only Liquor [again, liquid] the Country [Angola] affords besides Water; they let it stand two Days after it is taken from the Tree, in which time it ferments and grows sower, and has some Spirit in it, which exhilarates them and makes them merry; they’ll set at these drinking Bouts twelve Hours together till they get drunk. I have tasted it, but found it disagreeable; but when it is first taken from the Tree it has a very pleasant Taste, and I have drank great Quantities of it without perceiving it had any other Effect than quenching my Thirst, though some Travellers affirm that it will make People drunk. This Wine, which the Natives call Malaso, is the Sap of the Palm Tree, and is taken from it thus: They make several small Holes in the upper Part of the Tree, a little below the Head where it branches out, and put in a Reed and fasten it to a Calabash, which is made almost like a Bottle, and it the Shell of a Fruit which receives the Liquor.” (The Voyages and Travels of Captain Nathaniel Uring, 1928 reprint, first published in 1726, p. 42)

Here's a period accurate recipe for your book: "The Moskito Indians will take a ripe Plantain and roast it; then take a pint and half of Water in a Calabash, and squeeze the Plantain in pieces with their Hand, mixing it with Water; then they drink it all off together: This they call Mishlaw, and it’s pleasant and sweet, and nourishing: somewhat like Lamb’s-wool (as ‘tis call’d) made with Apples and Ale: and have their whole subsistence. When they make Drink with them, they take 10 or 12 ripe Plantains and mash them well in a Trough: then they ferment and froth like Wort. In 4 Hours it is fit to drink, and then they bottle it, and drink it as they have occasion: but this will not keep above 24 or 30 Hours. Those therefore that use this Drink, brew it in this manner every Morning. When I went first to Jamaica I could relish no other drink they had there. It drinks brisk and cool, and is very pleasant. This Drink is windy, and so is the Fruit eaten raw; but boil’d or roasted it is not so. If this drink is kept above 30 Hours it grows sharp: but if then it be put out in the Sun, it will become very good Vinegar. This Fruits grows all over the West-Indies (in the proper Climates) at Guinea, and in the East-Indies." (William Dampier, Memoirs of a Buccaneer, Dampier’s New Voyage Round the World -1697-, Dover Publications, Inc., Mineola, NY, 1968, p. 216) There are a couple topics in The Way to a Pyrates Heart forum that may interest you as well. Among them (you can just click on them to jump into the topics): Flip! Historically Accurate Rum Punch

Gentleman's Magazine is available on-line. You'll find that quote in the collected 1736 weeklies at the top of the left column here. (Page 551 if the link doesn't work properly.) Of course, if you're being strict, 1736 is after the end of the golden age of piracy, so it wouldn't have been drunk under that name by pirates. The latest I've seen the end of the GAoP defined is 1732. Most scholars define it some time between 1725-1730. That quote suggests the drink was invented in 1736... On the other hand, the pirate version of punch was pretty much whatever fruit juices and alcohol you'd liberated dumped into a bowl, so even if it didn't have a proper name, Madiera wine and fruit juices would no doubt have wound up being drunk on some pirate ship at some time somewhere. (Along with just about any other combination of alcohols and fruits juices you can imagine.)

Filmed at the real Port Royal...? You realize it sunk in 1692 and attempts to rebuild it were ravaged by various fires and hurricanes until it was finally demolished yet again in the early 20th century by another earthquake? All that is there now is a little fishing village. And if any pirate's remains were still around they'd be a major tourist attraction these days given the renewed interest. (They definitely wouldn't be props in a movie. You'd have a better chance of them using Walt's cryogenically frozen head in a movie.) (Except, of course, that that is also a myth.)

Marijuana appears in some of herbals (books explaining herbs - I believe John Gerard talks about it) and in some of the dispensatories (privately printed books on drugs from the period - Nicholas Culpeper discusses it). However, neither the surgical books nor the sailor's accounts I've read mention it at all, so I have the impression it was either not widely used or so unremarkable to a period audience that it wasn't viewed as being of interest. (Although it's sort of hard to deduce much about something when the only evidence you have of its use is no evidence other than a mention in a books containing hundreds of plant-based medicinals.) If a drug were to be abused at this time, I would suspect it would be opium and the various opiate medicines that were derived from it. However, once again, I find nothing referring to such abuse. This isn't to say it didn't happen, just that there is no period evidence for it. As Brit.Privateer says, I think people today are far more fascinated with the idea of recreational drug use than they were then.

Not much is known about this. The view of recreational drug use was markedly different at this time. (By which I mean I've never seen anything ever mentioned about nonalcoholic drug abuse in all my period reading. Since medicine is my primary topic of research, I do specifically look for such things.) We have also talked about this before. See the original post Recreational Drugs... 1600's - 1700's for more information. Foxe and William Red Wake cite some interesting sources there.

Ooh, look at this page on an archeological excavation at Port Royal. There are some interesting construction notes in there for you, Mr. Bellamy. Red Sea Trade hit on a great idea; Port Royal is a fantastic time capsule of what a thriving English-Caribbean outpost would have looked like because it sank in an earthquake in 1692 and there's enough still there to get an idea of how things looked without any modernizing influences. Plus, as he says, you know pirates frequented the place.

Interesting that it basically looks like a lot of English towns. It appears to have mostly wood buildings in the back (on the alley) and a half-timbered and either a wood or brick house facing New Street. (That half-timbered look always strikes me as particularly European. Not that I know much about architecture, but I had never noticed such buildings until I was in England.)

Kristi "Mamasabi" Metcalf asked me to let everyone on the pub know that it is with heavy hearts that they must cancel the event this year. You can see the letter from the Friends of Fort Taylor below. (No one is more bummed than me.)

Here's some stuff on religion from the 1741 Quartermaster's account of the Rhode Island-based privateer Revenge. "Sunday [July] 16th. All hands att Rest. few Godly inclin'd, it being the Lords day." (Peter Vezian, “145. Journal of the Sloop Revenge. June 5-October 5, 1741.”, Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period, John Franklin Jameson, ed., 1923, p. 338) "Sunday [August] 6. ...Gott Clear of the Reefs and Hurricane which was terrible. Very few Godly Enough to Return God thanks for their deliverance." (Vezian, p. 347)

I haven't read Woodard's book, but Ed Fox liked it enough to recommend it. (I haven't read many modern books on pirates that came out after 2003 because that was when I realized I was better off reading original source material than rehashed and opinon-added versions of the source material. Although some modern books lend a sense of scope which contemporary writers were unlikely to have.) I think I've read most of the major source books from the time and if by 'Pirate Republic in Nassau' you mean the pirates who were there before Rogers showed up with a fistful of pardons and tried to civilize the place, I think you're sort of limited in the amount of source material that is available to explain what happened. Woodard's book may be your best overall view of it. I peeked at his Endnotes on the online version of Republic at Amazon and there are a lot of references to the official letters, reports and such, which is where I'd probably poke around if I were trying to find such info. The only other source I can think of are Captain Johnson's books. The official info and possibly contemporary newspaper accounts of ships who had been attacked by those pirates are probably your best bets if you want to research it more. (But searching those things has always proven a bit tricky.) Although, admittedly, it's not really my topic. Is Woodard's book not thorough enough or something?

I agree with William - read some of the period books written by sailors and you'll not only get a reasonable idea about how people spoke (to a point - the language is often a bit more formal in books), but you'll also pick up some interesting information about sailing, privateering and piracy. Here are a couple you don't hear about as much - Edward Cooke's A voyage to the South Sea and round the World, Alexander Hamilton's A New Account of the East Indies, Lionel Wafer's A new voyage and description of the isthmus of America and George Robert's (NOT Daniel Defoe's - it was misattributed in the 30s) The four year's voyages of Captain George Roberts. You can also find more authentic material by reading some of the notes and letters written by pirates which have been collected in E.T. Fox's Pirates in Their Own Words. (That one's not free, though.) Because these are actual letters between people during the time, the language is a little less formal than what would be found in books. (Kind of like reading Pepys, except he was a middle class gentleman, not a sailor.) There are also several interesting (and often amusing) threads here on the forum related to this. Pirate Words and Phrases: Meanings, Origins, Etc. - A stitched together collection of conversations on period words and such the pirate accent - which eventually turns towards words and phrases in use at the time as well swearing among pirates alike

I've been pretty remiss on updating this. There have been a dozen articles posted on my website about period surgery (and related topics) since the one on fractures. For those interested, here they are starting with the most recent one: Fontanels, Issues and Setons - about the use of fontanels during the golden age of piracy. Fontanels were ulcers intentionally created in the skin and then infected with an irritating agent to encourage the formation of pus. This was believed to be a method for concentrating bad humors to remove them from the body. This article looks in detail at the various types of fontanels - issues and setons, how they related to humor theory, the tools that were used to make them, how they were made and the illnesses they were used to treat. (March, 2015) Needles and Sutures - details the types of needles and sutures used, where they came from, cannulas (suturing tools specific this and previous eras) as well as information on how suturing and even gluing of wounds was performed. (February, 2015) Parasites and Their Treatment During the Golden Age of Piracy - on the sighting, diagnosis and treatment of parasites as understood by surgeons during the golden age of piracy, focusing particularly on their [the parasites] [and the surgeons] relationship with the sailor. This article hits all the high-points (with most graphic images): Bedbugs, Fleas & Lice, Biting Flies & Mosquitoes, Intestinal Worms, Skin Dwelling Parasites, Toothworms and Weevils & Other Beetles. (January, 2015) Treating Headaches During the Golden Age of Piracy - looking first at the causes ascribed to headaches by period authors and then at the methods used to cure them. (December 2015) Cupping Therapy Page - looking at the history of cupping, the tools used including cupping glass materials, sizes and scarificators. The various reasons for cupping and the procedures used are examined in detail. (November, 2014) Bibliography Page - For those of an academic bent, I added a bibliography page. (Yeah, I know, it's not exactly going to make for gripping reading.) I was sort of fascinated to discover that there are 221 books and articles referenced on this site (which does not include ANY of the references to other websites... that would easily add another 100+ references.) (November, 2014) Memento Mori - looking at the use of memento mori (Latin for "remember you will die") in art, jewelry, anatomy books and pirate flags during the golden age of piracy. (October, 2014) Cauterizing Procedure During the Golden Age of Piracy - the procedure for cauterization - the use of chemicals and hot irons to burn the skin for medicinal purposes. It is meant as a companion piece to the article on cauterizing tools written a year ago. (September, 2014) John Woodall's Medicine Chest Ingredients - A detailed look at the ingredients of Sea Surgeon John Woodall's Medicine Chest as featured in the 1639 edition of his book the surgions mate. Includes Woodall's comments of the medicines, an look at how they were used during the golden age of piracy and how they were prepared. (July-August, 2014) The Patrick Hand Original™ Planters Hat - A discussion about pirate hats, including some history of sailor's hats during this period. Focusing on surgeon re-enactor Mission's planter-style hat, how and why it was created by the Prince of Pirates, Patrick Hand and what Mission did with it after he obtained it. (June, 2014)

Hey, John Moyle's book for sea-surgeons "Chirurgus Marinus" is now available on line! I just stumbled across it. Most people who want to do pirate surgeon impressions look for John Woodall's book (which is also available on-line), which had been out of print for almost 50 years by the time the Golden Age of Pyracy began in the 1690s. Moyle's book is ten times easier to read than Woodall's, is much shorter and far more direct and to the point. I highly recommend to those interested in reading about period sea surgery. John Moyle's is the only sea surgeon's book published during period. It was (apparently) first published in 1686 as Abstractum Chirurgiae Marinae, then greatly revised and published as Chirurgus Marinus in 1693 and slightly revised and republished in 1702. (For some reason, the 1702 version is listed as the 4th edition. I have only found two other editions, so someone either made a mistake or one of the versions has not been found and digitized.)

The other ferry is the Jet Express. Their schedule is a bit wonky with approximately two ferries an hour during this time, depending on which of their locations you leave from. The ride is nicer, faster and puts you right in the middle of town. According to their website, it's $33 for a round trip ticket. It's a nice way to travel across and you can walk out and right across the street into the park where the event is happening. But it's definitely more expensive than Miller.

Ah, splendid. Drinking pictures are always useful. Interestingly, there was a similar Hogarth piece by the same title from around 1730:

The website is almost entirely populated now and has links to the forms for signing up. (If anyone sees any errors, feel free to pm me and I will fix them. )

I only picked about half of them to cite. There are many more. (This would actually make a good start for future Surgeon's Journal article.)

Well, I tried, but like Simbakka said...

Any objection to combing this and the other two topics? A suggested title that covers everything would be good, too. (Or you could combine them. It's easy to do.) I like combining all this stuff from the past because then everything is easier to access.

Given that one of the primary reasons for stopping was to refill the water casks, I often wonder about this notion that water was kept for months on end or that it required alcohol to be added to it to kill off bacteria/make it palatable/etc. They were quite particular about the water they drank, as well, suggesting that perhaps the water would stay pure longer. Dampier gives an account of collecting rain water to refill their supply, specifically differentiating it from the water used to cook with. There are also numerous examples from sailor's accounts of them drinking water. (Many of them discuss the lack of it; apparently it was so common a thing that it was only worth mentioning when they didn't have it. This is problem with trying to understand history using period writers - when something is common, it isn't mentioned because their readers would already know about this. They weren't concerned with what someone reading 300 years later would know. You also find reference in the sailor's journals and the medical books to "small beer", which is a type of beer that contained very little alcohol. (As opposed to the regular beer, called "strong beer.") And the beer may not have been all that much better than the water in any case. However, there was certainly a problem with keeping the water from going bad. (Note that Dampier's account, while commenting on the quality of the water, still makes reference to men having "their Allowance" of it.)

Ha ha ha! "The captain surpassed himself and gave drinks to all who came on board [at ‘Port du Cap Francois, Sand Domingo], and it seemed that he drank himself sober. His sailors followed his good example, all this entertainment being at the expense of the cargo. After tapping a cask they would fill it up again with sea-water and thus ruin the wine that was left in it. The unfortunate people who have ordered the wine have no redress for this pillage and destruction which they have very frequently to endure." (Jean-Baptiste Labat, The Memoirs of Pére Labat 1693-1705, translated and edited by John Eaden, Frank Cass & Co. Ltd, 1970, p. 146)

Actually, JCB Archives (which you linked to) does a pretty good job of telling you everything that can possibly be known about their images without trying to read things into them from my experience. From their Description: "A female pirate wielding a sword stands in front of a pirate flag depicting a skeleton, hour glass, and skulls and crossed bones. A man [representing the wind?] blows on her while under her feet are treasures, weighing scales, chains, wrecked ships, and a man [Mercury, god of commerce] and woman [Justice]. In the background, men hang from the gallows." Marcus Rediker, OTOH, is a self proclaimed "historical activist" (he says as much on his website), so I personally don't trust his opinion on such things. This is not to say he doesn't do good research, just that he tries to stretch and mold the facts to fit his desired conclusion. That aside, it's most interesting that the pirate is female, if they have interpreted it correctly. There are only two female pirates in Johnson's book. It could have deep meaning or it could just be a marketing gimmick. (Notice how some of the images from the various editions of this book show Mary and Ann topless? Tell me that isn't basically there to appeal to the prurient interests. I guess it sells beer, why not pirate books?)