Very interesting. I was particularly intrigued by the reference to Frank's service aboard the Leopard. Would that be the same Leopard Patrick O'Brian appointed his Captain Jack Aubrey to? According to O'Brian (who was apparently a tireless and accurate researcher), the Leopard was infamous both as a really rotten, broken-down old scow, and as a ship which figured prominently in some War of 1812 atrocity against the Americans. Sadly, I cannot stump down the steps on my personal pegleg to find the reference--but when my parrot Poll gets over being stunned, I'll send her to have a look.