#tom saunders

[foundphotos]

originally uploaded to Flickr by Tom Saunders

original source

[marryat92]

We weighed with the young flood; the weather was fine, but, as usual at that time of the year, thick fogs prevailed. We had, however, a leading wind, and had well rounded the North Foreland, and entered the Queen's Channel, when it came on very thick.

"Tom, have you the bearings?" said Bramble; "if not, take them at once, for the fog will soon be over the land."

— Frederick Marryat, Poor Jack

The North Foreland Lighthouse, Kent, 1780 watercolour by Michael Angelo Rooker.

[fictionparadox]

[marryat92]

I ran aft, and gathered some flags, which I brought and laid over the sky-light, so as to intercept their view of Bramble; but whilst I was so doing another pistol-shot was fired—it passed me, but hit Bramble, taking off one of his fingers.

“That's no miss, but we've got through the worst of it, Tom — I don't think they can see me now—don't put that English ensign on—but hoist it Union downwards. I shall round to now; there's the men-of-war in the Medway. Why don't the fools look out, and they will see that they can't escape.”

“They've only the stern windows to look out of: the quarter galleries are boarded up.”

“Then, Tom, just look if they have not beat them out, for you know they may climb on deck by them.”

It was fortunate that Bramble mentioned this: I went aft with the handspike in my hand, and when I was about to look over, I met face to face a Frenchman, who had climbed out of the starboard quarter-gallery, and was just gaining the deck.

— Frederick Marryat, Poor Jack. Original illustration after Clarkson Stanfield (1840).

[marryat92]

An original illustration for Captain Marryat's Poor Jack (1840) by Clarkson Stanfield. The ship that Philip Bramble and his apprentice Tom Saunders are piloting up the channel is captured by a French privateer, and they mull their options as they contemplate their new destination in a French prison.

“We shall see, Tom—where there's a will there's a way: however, it's no use talking about it just now.” Here Bramble filled his pipe, took out his flint and steel, and lighted it.

After smoking for ten minutes, during which I stood by him, he said, “I wonder where they will take us to, St. Malo's or Morlaix, for the course they are steering will fetch, I should think, thereabouts. One thing is certain—they've got a good prize, and they mean to keep it if they can; and, my eyes! if they won't make a fuss about it! A ship with twelve guns taken by a lugger with only six! They'll make the ship mount eighteen or twenty guns, and have a hundred and fifty men on board, and they'll swear they fought us for three hours.”

— Frederick Marryat, Poor Jack

[marryat92]

A few minutes afterwards I was summoned down to the captain. I found him sitting at his table with wine before him. My certificates, which the clerk had before made out, were signed, but my name was not inserted.

“I must have your name, pilot, to fill in here.”

“Thomas Saunders, Sir James,” replied I.

“Well, my lad, you're young for a pilot; but you appear to know your business well, and you have brought this ship up in good style. Here are your certificates,” said he, as he filled in my name.

I had my spy-glass in my hand, and, to take up the certificates and fold them to fit them into my tin case, I laid my glass down on the table close to him. Sir James looked at it as if surprised, took it up in his hand, turned it round, and appeared quite taken aback. He then looked at the brass rim where the name had been erased, and perceived where it had been filed away.

“Mr. Saunders,” said he, at last, “if not taking a liberty, may I ask where you procured this spy-glass?”

— Frederick Marryat, Poor Jack. Engraving by Henry Vizetelly after Clarkson Stanfield's illustration.

[marryat92]

As soon as they had veered out sufficient cable, Bramble accepted the invitation of the captain to go down in the cabin, when I went and joined the men, who were getting their supper forwards. I was soon on good terms with them; and after supper, as it was cold, they went down to the fore peak, got out some beer and grog, and we sat round in a circle, with the bottles and mugs and a farthing candle in the centre. Being right in the eyes of her, as it is termed, we could plainly hear the water slapping against the bends outside of her, as it was divided by the keelson, and borne away by the strong flood tide. It was a melancholy sound; I had never heard it before; and during a pause, as I listened to it, one of the men observed, "Queer sound, boy, ain't it? You'd think that the water was lapping in right among us. But noises aboard ship don't sound as they do on shore; I don't know why."

— Frederick Marryat, Poor Jack

[marryat92]

Peacoats and P-Jackets

"Are you the lad for whom the pilot sent the boat?" inquired a man whom I afterwards found to be the second mate.

"Yes," replied I.

"Well, there he is abaft, in a P-jacket," said he, walking to the gangway, and directing the men to drop the boat astern.

I looked aft, and perceived my future master talking with the captain of the vessel. Philip Bramble was a spare man, about five feet seven inches high: he had on his head a low-crowned tarpaulin hat; a short P-jacket (so called from the abbreviation of pilot's jacket) reached down to just above his knees.

Frederick Marryat certainly uses an interesting word (and spelling) for what I'd call a peacoat. There's even an illustration of the garment in question, drawn by Marryat's friend Clarkson Stanfield for Poor Jack.

The P-jacket covers Bramble's thighs, as noted in the text, and how the buttons are arranged can't be seen. According to the wikipedia article for pea coats, a pea coat that extends to the thighs is actually a "bridge jacket" and is reserved exclusively for "officers and chief petty officers."

Philip Bramble is a maritime pilot, guiding large ships into harbors and up rivers, so it makes sense that he would have a pilot's jacket. Even his young apprentice Tom "Jack" Saunders owns a P-jacket.

I fixed my glass upon the vessel; and, after a time, not having forgotten the lessons so repeatedly given me by Spicer, I said, "She has no colours up; but she's an Embden vessel, by her build."

"Oh!" said he, "hand me the glass. The boy's right, — and a good glass, too. Come, I see you do know something; and good knowledge, too, for a pilot. It often saves us a deal of trouble when we know a vessel by her build; them foreigners sail too close to take pilots. Can you stand cold? Have you got a P-jacket?"

"Yes; father bought me one."

"Well, you'll want it this winter; for the wild geese tell us that it will be a sharp one. Steady, starboard!"

Some of the original watercolor illustrations for Poor Jack are in the National Maritime Museum's collection, and Marryat was known to be very fond of them. According to his daughter Florence, they decorated the room where he composed his last books. The accuracy of the nautical clothing can be assumed to be correct— Clarkson Stanfield was also a sailor, working on a merchant vessel before he was impressed into the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars.