The Yellow Admiral

Infobox Book |
name = The Yellow Admiral


image_caption = First edition cover
author = Patrick O'Brian
country = United Kingdom
language = English
cover_artist = Geoff Hunt
series = Aubrey-Maturin series
genre = Historical novel
publisher = Harper Collins (UK)
release_date = 1996
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio Book (Cassette, CD)
pages = 282 pp (first edition, hardback)
isbn = ISBN 0-393-04044-5, (first edition, hardback) & ISBN 0-393-31704-8 (paperback edition UK)
preceded_by = The Commodore
followed_by = The Hundred Days

Patrick O'Brian's novel "The Yellow Admiral" forms the eighteenth component of the Aubrey-Maturin series of historical fiction set in the era of the Napoleonic Wars.

Plot summary

The novel opens with Jack Aubrey home at Woolcombe in Dorset on parliamentary leave. Once again, Jack’s fortune has come under threat — this time due to a number of legal disputes concerning captured slaving-ships. It appears that Sophie will have to sell Ashgrove Cottage to keep the family solvent. Stephen Maturin has returned from Spain with his family, but impoverished, Spanish authorities having seized his gold after his activities in Peru. Effectively penniless, Stephen and his retinue stay at Jack's manor. Stephen and Jack spend time exploring Jack's estate, and Jack explains to Stephen the process of enclosing commons, something which Jack opposes. Many of Jack's wealthy neighbours plan to enclose the common land of Simmon's Lea, thus preventing the villagers from grazing their animals and increasing their dependency on paid employment. Jack becomes the villagers' champion, while Jack's neighbour, Captain Griffiths, fronts the wealthy land-owners. One day at a pub Barrett Bonden accepts a challenge to a boxing-match in the Dripping Pan with Griffith's gamekeeper, which he subsequently loses. A message arrives for Jack recalling him to the squadron blockading Brest. Diana, understanding that Admiral Stranraer wants Jack to miss the parliamentary vote on enclosing Simmon's Lea, contrives for Jack to leave immediately for London without receiving his orders so that duty will not compel him to miss the vote. Jack prevents the enclosure of Simmon's Lea and returns to Woolcombe. Receiving his orders, he returns to the fleet blockading Brest. Lord Stranraer, very displeased with Jack for missing so much time as well as for voting against the enclosure (advocated by his own nephew, Captain Griffths), punishes Jack by sending him to the inshore blockading-squadron. At the same time the Admiral consults Stephen for an ailment that Stephen treats. Before Stephen leaves the flagship he receives a covert mission involving landing on the French coast near Brest. On the dark of the moon, Jack has Stephen rowed ashore for his covert mission with a Catalan informer, Inigo Bernard. Apparently at the same time, two French ships slip through the blockading squadron in the sector that Jack's ship, "Bellona", should have patrolled. The Admiral rebukes Jack and has him return to the offshore squadron. During this time Jack receives a letter from Sophie, in which she, having seen a letter from Amanda Smith (Jack's lover in "The Surgeon's Mate"), accuses him of adultery and announces her intention of leaving him.

During manoeuvres in foggy weather the "Bellona" spots a French privateer chasing a merchantman and Jack decides to give chase (despite a lookout possibly making out a flagship-signal to "Tack all together"). The "Bellona" captures the privateer, "Les Deux Frères" (a rich prize which had captured two Guineamen), but not before a storm sets in, battering the "Bellona" to the point of needing repairs, and the ship heads for the docks in Cornwall. Jack returns to Woolcombe while waiting on repairs for the "Bellona", and unexpectedly find his family still there. He asks Sophie for forgiveness, but she rebuffs him. The "Ringle" leaves to report the situation to the Admiral and to retrieve Stephen from France.

With the "Bellona" repaired, Jack returns to the squadron, but finds that the "Ringle" suffered delays and has sailed for England. Stephen sets off for London, where he tells Sir Joseph Blaine about a plot by a Spanish double-agent to burgle Blaine’s house. He also brings information about a Chilean plan for independence. Blaine sets a trap and, with the assistance of the invaluable Mr Pratt, captures the Spanish spy red-handed. Stephen presents a proposal to an Admiralty committee for an expedition to help Chilean independence with Jack in command, partly as a means of keeping Jack from getting yellowed. The proposal receives approval.

Stephen stops at Woolcombe to see his family and learns about Sophie and Jack’s problems. He also finds that Clarissa and Diana have educated Sophie in the joys of sex as well as encouraging her to have her own affair. As Stephen departs to return to the fleet, Sophie writes a letter of reconciliation to Jack. Once Stephen returns to the fleet he once again treats Admiral Stranraer. The "Bellona" hears distant broadsides and rushes to find the inner squadron fighting two French ships. Upon seeing the "Bellona" and another British ship, the two seventy-fours turn and run for their harbour.

In the following months the "Bellona" endlessly sweeps the bay, blockading Brest. During this time Stephen tells Jack of his plan for Chile, which Jack agrees to. After a few more months, the flagship, the "Queen Charlotte", comes to visit the inner squadron. The Admiral comes to the "Bellona" to thank Stephen for his treatment and also invites Jack to dinner with all the captains on the flagship. At the dinner the Admiral informs the captains of progress in the war on land and predicts Napoleon's imminent surrender.

This soon comes to pass, and the "Bellona" returns to port and into ordinary storage. Jack and Stephen spend time catching up on world-events at Black's and then meet the three men from the Chilean independence-movement at "The Grapes" in the Liberties of the Savoy. With the Chileans approving of Jack, he goes through the steps of getting suspended from the Navy List so that he can initiate the covert mission to Chile. Stephen finances the fitting-out of the "Surprise", and Jack and Stephen set off with their families for Madeira, at which they will part company. The novel ends as they tour the island in company with the Chileans: a message arrives from Lord Keith, commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, telling Jack that Napoleon has escaped from Elba. He appoints Jack a commodore and tells him to take command of the Royal Navy ships in the harbour of Madeira to blockade the Straits of Gibraltar.

Characters

* Jack Aubrey - Post Captain
* Stephen Maturin - ship's surgeon, friend to Jack and an intelligence-officer
* Sophie Aubrey - Jack's wife
* Diana Maturin - Stephen's wife
* Brigid Maturin - Stephen's daughter
* Mrs Clarissa Oakes - Stephen and Diana's companion
* Preserved Killick - Jack's steward
* Barret Bonden - Jack's coxswain
* Padeen Colman - Stephen's servant
* William Reade - Master's mate, in command of "Bellona"'s tender, "Ringle"
* Sir Joseph Blaine - Head of Intelligence at the Admiralty
* Mr Callaghan - Midshipman on the "Bellona"
* Mr Whewell - First Lieutenant on the "Bellona"
* Charlotte, Fanny and George Aubrey - Jack and Sophie's children
* Philip Aubrey - Jack's half-brother
* Captain Griffiths - Jack's neighbour at Woolcombe
* Mr Cholmondeley - a wealthy friend of Diana
* Captain Heneage Dundas - Captain of the "Berenice"
* Lord Stranraer - Admiral of the Brest blockading squadron
* Evans - Griffith's gamekeeper
* Captain William Fanshawe - Post Captain of the "Ramillies"; commander of the inner squadron
* Mr Geoghegan - Midshipman and oboist; dies from a fall from the yards
* Mr Harding - First Lieutenant on the "Bellona"
* Mr Miller - Third Lieutenant on the "Bellona"
* Mr Walkinshaw - schoolmaster on the "Bellona"
* Yann - former French fisherman and pilot
* Inigo Bernard - wealthy Catalan merchant (from Barcelona); member of Spanish intelligence service
* Mr Pratt - a private investigator
* Mr Craddock - secretary to Admiral Stranraer
* Captain Calvert - Captain of the Fleet
* Garcia and two other Chileans - representatives of the Chilean independence movement

Ships mentioned

The British:

The Brest outer squadron:
* HMS "Queen Charlotte" - 104 gun three-decker flagship, vice-admiral of the white
* HMS "Zealous" - seventy-four
* HMS "Bellona" - seventy-four
* HMS "Monmouth" - seventy-four
* HMS "Naiad" - frigate
* HMS "Doris" - frigate
* HMS "Alexandria" - frigate

The Brest inner squadron:
* HMS "Ramillies"
* HMS "Aboukir"
* HMS "Phoebe" - frigate
* HMS "Nimble"

Re-inforced with:
* HMS "Grampus" - fifty-gun two-decker
* HMS "Scipion" - seventy-four
* HMS "Eurotas" - thirty-eight gun frigate
* HMS "Penelope" - frigate

Funchal harbour, Madeira:
* HMS "Pomone" - thirty-eight, Captain Wrangham; Jack raises his broad pennant on her
* HMS "Dover" - thirty-two; troop-ship
* HMS "Rainbow" and HMS "Ganymede" - two corvettes (joined by HMS "Briseis")

Others:
* HMS "Surpriz(s)e" (Hired Vessel)
* HMS "Dryad" - thirty-six gun frigate
* HMS "Achates" - sixteen-gun sloop
* "Ringle" - Baltimore clipper (privately owned by Maturin, used as "Bellona"'s tender by Aubrey)

The French:

* "Les Deux Frères" - heavily-armed privateer
* "Clorinde" - frigate
* two seventy-fours

Allusions to actual history

* Bernardo O'Higgins, Chilean rebel

Literary significance & criticism

Reviews

"Aubrey and Maturin are the most enjoyable literary companions since Holmes and Watson." —Detroit Free Press

"The experience of reading O'Brian is that of gracious acceptance at one of the banquets of life's feast. . . . It's hard not to find him irresistible." —Commonweal

"Taken as a whole, the Aubrey/Maturin novels are by a long shot the best things of their kind, so much better than the competition that comparisons long ago ceased to be relevant: they are uniquely excellent." —New York Times Book Review

"O'Brian is at the top of his elegant form here. He offers a wealth of sly humor . . . some sly set pieces . . . characters who are palpably real and, as always, lapidary prose. This is splendid storytelling from a true master." — "Publishers Weekly" starred review

"If there were 17 more novels, I'd start today." —Donald Graham, Wall Street Journal

Editions

* Audio Edition Recorded Books, LLC; Unabridged Audio edition narrated by Patrick Tull (ISBN 1419341170)

Sources, references, external links, quotations

Footnotes