kass Posted February 28, 2006 Posted February 28, 2006 It begs the question: is 3 bottles a shilling expensive or cheap. If it's expensive, then the bottles are more of the man's personal cargo, like the sugar and rum, that he intends to sell later. Unlike Josh, I think the rum wasn't for personal use but was rather more a commodity -- like an investment, to be sold at port. Perhaps the bottles were too. Building an Empire... one prickety stitch at a time!
JoshuaRed Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 I thought that captains were known to keep a good stock of rum, or brandy, etc. on hand for entertaining?
kass Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 I don't know from captains, Josh! It's just that 30 gallons seems to me like a lot more than you keep around for guests. Building an Empire... one prickety stitch at a time!
The Doctor Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 30 gallons?! Kass, you been spying in on my rations?! Or has Janelle been passing on information to your mail list? Yo ho ho! Or does nobody actually say that?
JoshuaRed Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 In our world, that's alot, but they drank ALOT then...I think a 30 gallon barrel of rum shared amongst of group of thirsty capn' friends/hi-profile passengers, guests, etc... could dwindle to nothing over the course of a trip from England to say Barbados and back to England.
kass Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 I take your point, Josh. And it could be. It's just that that's roughly half a hogshead. And hogshead was a common measure of liquid. Not that someone couldn't carry a hogshead of something for his own use. It just seems like alot... And did this guy fall overboard at the beginning of his journey? Or could this have been a hogshead barrel that was half gone? Interesting... I don't know about spirits like I know about beer ( ) but if you tapped the barrel, how long would it keep? Building an Empire... one prickety stitch at a time!
The Doctor Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Josh, your exactly right. Given the freeness in which rum was dispensed - punch, grog, &tc - 30 gallons might last a Captain from Portsmouth to Antigua, barring any unncecessary diplomatic encounters. Yo ho ho! Or does nobody actually say that?
JoshuaRed Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Liquor will keep a looooong time....at least compared to beer. Bottoms up!
kass Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Yeah and this was the ship's master. Now excuse my ignorance of sea terms (I'm the port entertainment, remember?) but does "master" mean Quartermaster? So he would be responsible for rationing out the men's daily portions of rum? That I could understand. You see, I thought this was his personal possession... I also fully admit to not thinking about the length of time he would have been on board. Building an Empire... one prickety stitch at a time!
The Doctor Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Liquor will keep a looooong time....at least compared to beer. Bottoms up! It sure as 'ell kept Admiral Nelson! I'll drink t' his old bones any day! :) Kass, to answer your question; 30 gallons would certainly keep a temperate Captain for the 3 to 4 months journey from England to the West Indies. More hearty souls would no doubt requisition a bit in excess of that number. :) Yo ho ho! Or does nobody actually say that?
JoshuaRed Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Yeah. I don't really drink anymore, but back in college...I remember the occasional weekend where a standard bottle of rum didn't make it from Friday evening til Monday morning...
kass Posted March 1, 2006 Posted March 1, 2006 Thanks Jack! Building an Empire... one prickety stitch at a time!
Fox Posted March 1, 2006 Author Posted March 1, 2006 On a good night's drinking a bottle of rum is no challenge to me, not that I'd want to do it every night! But let's say a couple of pints. 30 gallons is 240 pints, so if I kept it all myself I could polish it off in, say, 120 days - 4 months. But that would require my being drunk every night. Proportionally less time if I was "entertaining". On the other hand, we must assume that a certain amount of booze was included in the ship's stores, and that rum was his personal stock. So, it might be for drinking and entertaining, but it could also be for trade. Kass a master is the guy who's in charge of the sailing and navigation of the ship. On small vessels the master and captain were usually one and the same man. A quarter-master was a lower ranking officer, and not always to be found on small vessels (Evan's ship, for example, did not have a QM) Foxe"With this Fore-Staff he fansies he does Wonders, when, God knows, it amounts to no more but only to solve that simple Question, Where are we? Which every chi'd in London can tell you." - Ned Ward The Wooden World Dissected, 1707ETFox.co.uk
Fox Posted March 1, 2006 Author Posted March 1, 2006 Yup, if he poured some into his ship-issue beer and added some of that huge amount of sugar he was carrying he'd have "flip", the seaman's favourite, and then it would last much longer. I'll have to check the source again, but I believe Evans died en route from Europe to America. Nobody brings trade rum into the Americas, it's an export. If my mind hasn't failed me then that would seriously reduce the chance of the rum being for trade rather than drinking. Foxe"With this Fore-Staff he fansies he does Wonders, when, God knows, it amounts to no more but only to solve that simple Question, Where are we? Which every chi'd in London can tell you." - Ned Ward The Wooden World Dissected, 1707ETFox.co.uk
JoshuaRed Posted March 2, 2006 Posted March 2, 2006 Was "Egg Flip" just what it sounds like? With raw eggs? Or is it like egg-drop soup, where the egg cooks in a hot mixture?
Fox Posted March 3, 2006 Author Posted March 3, 2006 Josh, I believe what you're referring to did have raw egg in it. There's a bit of a discussion about it over on the piratebrethren forum. Foxe"With this Fore-Staff he fansies he does Wonders, when, God knows, it amounts to no more but only to solve that simple Question, Where are we? Which every chi'd in London can tell you." - Ned Ward The Wooden World Dissected, 1707ETFox.co.uk
JoshuaRed Posted March 3, 2006 Posted March 3, 2006 I have to get over there and join up...I keep forgetting. So many forums....
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