] [Jane Austen’s tales centre on a few families in quiet villages Yet she wrote in a time of war, revolution and social unrest, and had two brothers in the Royal Navy. This is the fifth in a series of articles looking at that time period, what her brothers were doing, and what she was experiencing and writing at the time. Comments and corrections are invited - keeping to the JA theme of this board]

] JA & the Wars, 1805-1806.

] At the end of 1804, the newly crowned Emperor Napoleon continued to contemplate the elimination of his most dogged annoyance, England. The possibility of invasion remained a persistent threat. In theory, Britain could call on 460,000 to defend island, but only the Regulars and full-time Militia could really be counted upon. While those bodies were benefiting from reforms and improvements, the Volunteers remained deficient in organisation and discipline, many still lacking arms. Amongst Jane Austen’s military siblings, Henry continued to act as an Army Agent; Charles was still aboard the Indian (stationed at Halifax), and Frank on the Leopard (at Dungeness).

] On December 16, 1804, (Jane Austen’s 29th birthday) Madam Anne Lefroy out riding, fell, and died a few hours later. Buried on the 21. Her immediate reaction not known, but she wrote a series of verses in her honour four years later.

] On January 21, 1805, after a very brief illness, her father died. She wrote of it to Frank,
] "I have melancholy news to relate, & sincerely feel for your feelings under the shock of it….Our dear Father has closed his virtuous and happy life, in a death almost free from suffering…. He was taken ill on Saturday morning, exactly in the same way as heretofore, an oppression in the head, with fever, violent tremultousness & a great Feebleness….his worth & constant preparation for another World, is the remembrance of his having suffered, comparatively speaking nothing…." On January 29, she wrote to Frank, saying their mother had found a "small astronomical instrument" (she believed a compass and sundial) which belonged to their father, asking if she should send it to him. (There was also a pair of scissors.)

] His death greatly reduced the Austens’ circumstances. Her sons contributed what they could; Cassandra had a small legacy, but Jane had nothing. Frank, scheduled to be posted to a new ship, from which he hoped to earn £500 per year, offered £100 annually for his mother’s upkeep. She accepted half that amount. (Henry chided him for being so secretive about this, saying he would add £50 a year, as did James; he calculated income from all sources would be £450.) [Such dependence upon the charity of her brothers shows just how important those matches depicted in Jane’s various novels truly were.] Early in February Frank had a month’s leave, which he used to take his fiancee, Mary Gibson to London… On March 25, Mrs. Austen and her daughters moved to number 25 Gay Street, Bath.

] At the end of March, Prime Minister Pitt who had been ill, rallied. In addition to the various domestic and military issues he had to face, he continued to work on the diplomatic front. His hope was the establishment of a Third Coalition, which would include Britain, Austria, Russia and Sweden (Spain was allied with France). The Continental powers would provide the bulk of the troops, while Britain would contribute supplies and money.

] In March, Frank was posted to the Canopus [which has a passing reference in "Mansfield Park" ]. The Canopus was formerly the French ship of the line Franklin (after Ben Franklin), 80 guns, which had been captured at the Battle of the Nile. Nelson commented he was pleased to give Frank that ship, "he cannot be better placed…. Captain Austen I knew of a little before; he is an excellent young man." Admiral Louis raised his flag aboard that ship.

] During April, Martha Lloyd (following her mother’s death) moved in with the Austens. The early summer of 1805 was cool, wet and windy. In June 1805, Jane and her mother travelled to Godmersham Farm, near Canterbury, the home of Fanny Bridges. Against this backdrop, Napoleon continued preparations for the invasion of England. Frank and the Leopard were posted to blockade Boulogne where a large number of invasion barges were located. Despite these threats the nation seemed largely apathetic.

] Napoleon, seeing the Royal Navy as the single greatest obstacle, and one he could not easily defeat in an open battle upon the seas, formulated a plan. He would dispatch Admiral Villeneuve, with a large part of his navy, on a dash across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. There, the valuable sugar islands (and possibly the "sugar fleet") could be threatened. This, he knew would draw a significant proportion of the Royal Navy away, where they would be unable to oppose the French attempt to cross the Channel. The French fleet would then race back, where they could help support the invasion. Villeneuve set off, followed by Nelson. The British public, knowing only that the West Indies were threatened, and Nelson was not near at hand (should the French try anything) were understandably nervous. Feverish activities could be observed in the French ports. The Volunteers were called up, and outbound convoys were delayed. Jane Austen may, or may not have known that amongst the ships hurrying westward was the Canopus . Meanwhile, England waited nervously for information.

] August 18, Nelson and Victory arrived at Portsmouth during a burst of summer heat. The West Indies had been saved. After he had reached the Caribbean, Villeneuve made a few minor raids and threatened the sugar trade. When he learned Nelson was also in the area, Villeneuve promptly headed back across the ocean. Upon reaching England, Nelson received a rapturous welcome, a victory that much more cherished after a string of failures and disappointments.

] In her letter to Cassandra (Godmersham Farm, August 30) Jane reveals how the war could impact even rather mundane social activities. "Next week seems likely to be an unpleasant one to this family on the matter of game. The evil intentions of the Guards are certain, and the gentlemen of the neighbourhood seem unwilling to come forward in any decided or early support of their rights. Edward Bridges has been trying to arouse their spirits, but without success." It is thought that the reference to the Guards, was that of the Coldstream and Scots Guards marching from Chatham to Deal. There had been activity reported on the Continent (Napoleon was actually shifting troops from the coast to the Danube). It is possible that the fear was the officers would indulge in a bit of shooting themselves, to the detriment of the local hunters.

] On the morning of September 6, a tremendous storm broke over southern England, followed by a period of heavy rain; the remainder of the month was sunny. In the third week of September, England learned that Austria and Prussia leaning towards war. Then on October 20, came news that Napoleon was on the Danube. At Ulm, the slow moving, and tradition bound Austrian army was no match for the rapid marching and tactically flexible French, ending in a resounding defeat. Vienna was occupied, while another Austrian army was beaten in Italy. Rumours of this defeat were confirmed on November 3. Two days later came news of the victory of Trafalgar (fought on October 2; Admiral Croft of "Persuasion" was made a veteran).

] Prior to that engagement, Nelson had formed a plan doing away with traditional "fighting instructions" of two long lines of ships meeting. Instead, he proposed to break the enemy’s line at right angles at two points. On morning of Oct. 19, topsail yards were sighted in Cadiz harbour and soon after the French fleet was leaving. At daybreak the Franco-Spanish fleet of 33 ships was engaged. Realising he could not outrun the British Villeneuve turned to fight. Nelson was mortally wounded at height of fighting. The battle ended with eighteen ships captured. The public response was very mixed, "The Combined Fleet is defeated but Nelson is no more." The nation went into shock. There were no illuminations, speeches or other signs of celebration. Public feelings were a mixture of "sensations of transport and anguish."

] Jane needed not have been anxious for her brother, as she would have found Canopus missing from the list of ships engaged. During September, Nelson had been concerned about the fleet’s supplies. On September 28, he dispatched the Canopus along with other ships for provisions and water. Nelson assured Admiral Louis it was unlikely he would miss any action. The ships spent three days provisioning at Gibraltar, then headed to Tetuan for water. A frigate arrived with orders to take five ships of the line and three frigates and escort a convoy bound for Malta, as far as Cartagena. On October 21, just after leaving the convoy, intelligence was received that the French fleet had left Cadiz. Louis’ squadron fought contrary winds in a race to join the expected battle. Frank wrote Miss Gibons at this time, "I do not profess to like fighting for it’s own sake, but if there has been an action with the combined fleets I shall ever consider the day on which I sailed from the squadron as the most inauspicious one of my life." However, on the 27th, he learned about the Battle of Trafalgar, "Alas! my dearest Mary, all my fears are but too fully justified… this splendid affair has cost us many lives…to lose all share in the glory of a day which surpasses all which ever went before, is what I cannot think of with any degree of patience; but, as I cannot write upon that subject without complaining, I will drop it for the present…."

] Not only did Frank miss the honour of having been in one of history’s greatest naval battles, he also lost out on Prize money. [At this point, my research has only turned up a single, unverifiable figure of £973 for Captains who participated in the battle.] On October 31 he was again of Cadiz, buoyant to have escaped his Mediterranean "prison." The evening before he had boarded the Euryalus and met the captured Admiral Villeneuve, who he found, "has not much the appearance of a gentleman." Canopus being one of the fittest ships was assigned to maintain watch over Cadiz (close blockades were kept on Brest, Cartegena and Toulon).

] As the year drew to a close, British hopes for victory were rising. Ulm and the death of Nelson had been low points, but other smaller victories, and what Trafalgar really meant, were beginning to sink in. However, on the last day of 1805, news came of the Battle of Austerlitz (December 2). There Napoleon had decisively beaten the combined armies of Austria and Russia. The former asked for truce, the latter retreated.

] The "year six" of "Persuasion" opened gloomily with the news of the defeats on the Continent and the funeral of Nelson (January 9). His body arrived at Portsmouth on December 5. That month Jane was visiting Steventon with her mother and Cassandra, returning to Bath at the end of month.

] On January 23, Prime Minister William Pitt died.. The Tory government could not survive his death. Gradually a coalition of Pitt’s old foes emerged under the leadership of Lord William Grenville. Its makeup was very diverse, including new and old Whigs and many other factions. It was dubbed "The Ministry of all Talents." However, it was clear that the real leader was Charles Fox. Fox had many qualities, he was intelligent and little escaped him, and overall he was good humoured and tolerant. However, he also had the ability to enrage both his friends and foes, and at times showed a lack of energy. In addition, his light touch appalled many at such a critical point in time. The new Ministry lacked any real focus. While most were resolved to see the war through to its conclusion, many did so with a pessimistic undertone. The biggest problem was they lacked the aptitude to govern or lead. Quite simply, the Whigs had been out of power far too long.

] The nation was shocked at this turn of event, but were resigned to the future. Hopes were raised that peace might still follow. Napoleon responded, but only as a sham to buy time while seeking other advantages. Despite these sentiments and drawbacks, the army was strengthened, short term enlistment was allowed and a bill providing for 4,000 Irish Militia to be transferred to the Regulars each year. Legislation was also passed for the creation of a true "militia" based upon County; with no substitutes were allowed or bounty given. The aim was to organise and train a potential 300,000 men.

] The early year was also marked by a number of successes. In January, six thousand men were sent on an expedition to capture Cape Town. In February, a naval action off San Domingo advanced the careers of Jane’s brother Frank, and her fictional Captain Wentworth (" Persuasion" ). Back in December 1805, Sir John Duckworth, commanding six ships of the line (including the Canopus ) and two frigates learned that two French squadrons had managed to break from Brest, and headed west. He set off in pursuit, catching his quarry off Santo Domingo, engaging them on February 6.

] The first three ships of the British line engaged the French, Alexandre , Imperial and Diomede . The Canopus , leading the lee squadron, fired a broadside into Alexandre , taking down her tottering masts. Captain Austen then steered for Imperial and Diomede . The first stood towards land, followed by the Canopus which continued firing until her foe ran aground with such force her masts toppled over the side. Five vessels were taken, only a single French frigate and some small boats made their escape. In his letter to Mary Gibson he described how the first broad side from the Canopus "‘brought down our opponent’s three masts down at once" and at the close of battle he "had the satisfaction of giving the three-decker a tickling which knocked all his sticks away."

] In early May, the squadron returned to Plymouth with three prizes. Frank was presented with a silver vase from Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund worth £100 as a memento. He also received a gold medal upon leaving the Canopus . This money, and the expectation of a quick reassignment probably helped Frank and Mary set July 24 as the date of the marriage. Likely feeling it would be best for everyone, he arranged for a move to Southampton (not far from Portsmouth), with Mary living with them. Later Frank used some of his prize money to join Henry in setting up "Austen, Maunde and Austen," Agents. Amongst their clients were the Derbyshire Militia, and of 4th Garrison Regiment.

] [Later, when Jane was writing "Persuasion" , Captain Wentworth was "made commander in consequence of the action off St. Domingo, and not immediately employed, had come into Somersetshire, in the summer of 1806," were he met and engaged Anne Elliot.] On July 2, 1806, the Austens left Bath with, as Jane later wrote, "happy feelings of escape."

] [To be continued.]