Nelson & His World

'TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS' QUIZ 2008

Now having permission to cobble together a Nelson's World Christmas Quiz for 2008 (thanks Tycho), we've compiled 12 questions based on the '12 Days of Christmas.'

Continuing the Christmas theme, most of the questions are based around food, drink and festivity, and most of the answers can be found in the major Nelson books and published letters.

The answers will appear and the winner will be revealed on the day following 12th Night (6th January 2009.)

Simply type what you think is the correct answer to each question, and PM the lot to Mira at Nelson and his World. You can do that by going to 'Memberlist' at the top of the screen. You will, of course, need to be a member, or register to be one, to enter.

In the event of a tie - the tied entry arriving first in the PM postbag will be declared the winner.

And there's a super prize for the entrant who provides all (or the most) correct answers. Kindly donated by Compass Rose, the winner will receive a hot-off-the-press copy (published January 2009) of:



Here goes...

Twelve Days of Christmas Quiz

1. True love - Who or what was Nelson's 'Dear pledge of love.'

2. Turtle doves - Turtles served a particular purpose at Merton. What became of them?

3. French Hens - Lady Hamilton said that she was as happy in the company of **** and hens at Merton, as she had ever been at Naples. Who were the hens' companions?

4. Calling birds - Where in 1798, according to Cornelia Knight, did Nelson encounter a white bird?

5. Gold rings - In a ceremony recalled by the Dowager Lady Spencer in 1805, the rings supposedly exchanged by Nelson and Emma represented two clasped what?

6. Geese A-laying - Name the place where Nelson's body lay in state before his funeral at St. Paul's in 1806?

7. Swans A-swimming - Writing to Alexander Davison on his way to the Baltic in 1801, Nelson said that 'sink or swim' he was taking something with him. What was he refusing to leave behind?

8. Maids A-milking - Whose wife (Jane), became the dairy maid at Merton?

9. Ladies dancing - Which famous (and exhausting) Neapolitan dance did Emma perform on hearing the news of Nelson's victory at Copenhagen in April 1801?

10. Lords A-leaping. Complete the names of the following three Lords:

a. First Lord of the Admiralty 1794 - 1801.

b. Disapproving (disgusted even) guest at Merton?

c. Penned some very bad verses representing Nelson and the Hamiltons' holiday party at Staines in July 1801.

(there may be an Earl or two amongst this set.)

11. Pipers Piping - Nelson's wine cellar was impressive, but how many pints would it take to make up a pipe of rum?

12. Drummers Drummming - Name the tune beaten out on the drum that a ship's crew would hear at dinner time?

Oh - and Good Luck!

Mira:

many, many thanks for this - and for supplying the super prize!

Mira - I am sitting surrounded by reference books, cross-eyed from Googling, ignoring cats and husband miaowing/bellowing respectively for breakfast, desperately trying to solve your quiz.

I think I have all the answers except one.

Nelson/Merton/turtles????? Any chance of a clue?

No problem - I hope those who have sent in answers so far won't mind my giving away a little clue or two:

A Carshalton Cocktail just wouldn't do for Merton Turtles.
Neither was their destination to be Wandle or Nile.
Purchased by the pint, they ended up very hot water...
with perhaps a bottle of Sir William's 'good port' for company.

or:

As Ducks were to Marx
Turtles were to Merton

If anyone is contemplating having a go, entries close at midnight on the 5th Jan.

Plenty of time for breakfast... and if in doubt... just go for it and have a guess!

Best of luck to all.

Thanks for the clue, Mira. My answers should be with you by now.

Naturally, I resign all claim to be considered for a prize, having solicited help! But it was great fun.

Incidentally, I was thrown by the turtle question because of something interesting re: Nelson and turtles that I came across during my searches, which I will post when the competition closes.

Maybe I can sign up you (or another member) to do the quiz for next Christmas. Those who volunteer willingly are sure to be asked again........

The prize (supplied by me) will be a copy of the Folio edition of 'Nelson and Emma', their letters edited by Roger Hudson.

Oh dear, that clue seems to pour cold water on my vision of turtles propelling a model of the Vanguard around the moat.

Or perhaps it was around the heated swimming pool - is that where the cocktails come into it?

Which reminds me of a recent holiday when a guide was showing us some Cocktail Ants. Neither of us could get our heads around the idea until it gradually dawned on us that the name did actually refer to their tails - a case of Culture Clash! Is that what the Carshalton Cocktail is about as well, or did they take cocktails on fishing trips? I think I am rambling now, but at least can't be giving anything away.

Twelve Days of Christmas Quiz

This has been so much fun, so a very special thank you is in order to everyone who took part. Here are the answers, and the winner's details follow up at the rear.

Thanks for looking in , and a Happy New Year to one and all.

1. True love - Who or what was Nelson's 'Dear pledge of love.'

Horatia. 'I never had a dear pledge of love till you gave me one, and you, thank my God, never gave one to any body else ...' They say that love is blind, but I have my doubts about this one remaining a secret!

2. Turtle doves - Turtles served a particular purpose at Merton. What became of them?

They were especially imported for Lady Hamilton to adorn the table at Merton. As soup. (I've added an authentic, and slightly grim, turtle soup recipe on a separate thread!)

3. French Hens - Lady Hamilton said that she was as happy in the company of **** and hens at Merton, as she had ever been at Naples. Who were the hen's companions?

'Pigs and hens'... a variation on Nelson's 'country of fiddlers and poets, whores and scoundrels?'

4. Calling birds - Where in 1798, according to Cornelia Knight, did Nelson encounter a white bird?

Cornelia Knight recorded in her diary that a white bird flew into Nelson's cabin on board the Vanguard prior to the Battle of the Nile. The bird departed when the ship reached Naples.

5. Gold rings - In a ceremony recalled by the Dowager Lady Spencer in 1805, the rings supposedly exchanged by Nelson and Emma represented two clasped what?

Hands. Picture and story here: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/nelson ... ID=JEW0168

6. Geese A-laying - Name the place where Nelson's body lay in state before his funeral at St. Paul's in 1806?

Super detail in the entries here. Certainly more than I had on the crib sheet. The Painted Hall, Greenwich (followed by an overnight stay in the Captain's Room at the Admiralty.) Another correct entry pointed out that the Painted Hall was designed by a Wren (lots of birds in this quiz.)

7. Swans A-swimming - Writing to Alexander Davison on his way to the Baltic in 1801, Nelson said that 'sink or swim' he was taking something with him. What was he refusing to leave behind?

On Valentines/St. Vincent Day 1801, Nelson was thinking of his silver plate and writing about it to Alexander Davison: ‘… I shall take my plate with me; sink or swim, it goes with me…’

8. Maids A-milking - Whose wife (Jane), became the dairy maid at Merton?

Jane was married to Tom Allen, Nelson's 'wally de sham.'

9. Ladies dancing - Which famous (and energetic) Neapolitan dance did Emma perform on hearing the news of Nelson's victory at Copenhagen in April 1801?

She danced the Tarantella, recalled in the brilliant Memoirs of Sir Nathaniel Wraxhall: 'Sir William began it with her, and maintained the conflict, for such it might well be esteemed, during some minutes..'

10. Lords A-leaping. Complete the names of the following three Lords:

a. First Lord of the Admiralty 1794 - 1801.

Lord (Earl) George Spencer, who according to his Lady (or his Lady's friend), experienced a very un-festive dinner with Lord and Lady Nelson in the run up to Christmas 1800. I know, it was November, but this is a Christmas quiz. Perhaps the walnuts were intended to decorate the Christmas Tree.

b. Disapproving (disgusted even) guest at Merton?

Sir Gilbert Elliott (Lord/Earl Minto.) Gosh, I do find this man rather condescending - and very contrary! Considering they had only just moved in, that nothing belonging to Sir William was supposed to be in the house, that most of the furniture was left behind by the former owner, and the list of Nelson's possessions compiled by James Dods in 1801 consisted of the contents of an average bedsit. Ironing board, bread bin, sweeping brush, mis-matched furniture, a lot of prints and pictures (some broke), a large piece of the wreck of a ship, a coffin, a spinning wheel (broke), and boxes containing 'portable soup (?) and walnuts (again!) The wine list included 41 hampers of assorted alcoholic beverages, numerous casks of various sizes. And a 'pipe' of Madeira.

c. Penned some very bad verses representing Nelson and the Hamiltons' holiday party at Staines in July 1801.

Lord William Gordon, whose poetic talents equalled, at least, those of Cornelia Knight. He was a very good gardener though. And Cornelia - as fine a poet as she was a loyal friend.

11. Pipers Piping - Nelson's wine cellar was impressive, but how many pints would it take to make up a pipe of rum?

Well, this one has been a learning experience! Many different answers, and apparently there are a hundred and one ways to calculate how many pints make a pipe of rum. The most popular, and fully justified answer, was 840 (Imperial) so we'll go with that. Fully justified also, was 896-920. My own calculation came to 1008 - a little too generous. Hic!

12. Drummers Drummming - Name the tune beaten out on the drum that a ship's crew would hear at dinner time?

The Roast beef of Old England. Also played to summon guests to dinner on the Titanic.

The winner, with 10 out of 10 correct answers, and reaching the mailbag with the speed of a flying musket ball, is Fiddler.

Many congratulations Gretchen! Morrison's 'The Collection of Autograph Letters and Historical Documents - The Hamilton & Nelson Papers - Volumes 1 and 2' will be winging their way to you in New York soon. I will PM you for details of your preferred delivery.

Tycho - I'm dying to discover more about Nelson and the turtles - please enlighten soon.

Tony - By Carshalton Cocktail, I was referring to the fishing fly detailed in Tycho's thread "Nelson's Blood...Carshalton Cocktails" a few days ago. Picturing SW or HN landing a turtle from the Nile. Sorry if it didn't make sense.

Many congratulations to Gretchen - and what a super prize you've won. Enjoy!

While I was hunting for an answer to the turtle question I came across a blog about a family trip to Nevis - and there was Nelson's coat of arms with a large turtle shell on each side. Scroll down a bit to see the picture here:

http://ninophile.com/2007/10/01/our-nev ... antations/

I wondered if a couple of turtles had been similarly used at Merton - perhaps put alongside Nelson's funeral hatchment in Merton Church. Much Googling revealed nothing along these lines - so soup was the only other guess, helped by your clue, Mira.

Thank you very much for setting such an interesting (and time-consuming!) quiz, Mira. And thanks again to Gretchen for her mention of Dudley Pope's 'The Great Gamble'. It's not only a very readable history of the battle of Copenhagen, it also supplied me with the answer to question 7.

My congratulations too, Gretchen, and thanks, Mira, for a great quiz.

Here is another turtle story - perhaps it belongs in the other Horation Nelsons thread!



Mira, the Carshalton Cocktail fishing fly made perfect sense - it was me not making sense - I was musing whther the insect mimicked by the fly also had a cocked tail!

I don't believe this. Thank you! I thought the pipes and pints had done for me sure... Great questions, and what a great prize! Thank you.

I was just sitting here reading a period "receipt" for salt pork, starting with the 250 lb. hog - "corn fed, not fatted on still-slops" - maybe this belongs in the yummy recipe thread - but I won't be able to concentrate on it now!

Gretchen

Where did people look for the definition of 'pipe'? I used my trusty Shorter Oxford (not so trusty, maybe, when you think of the inaccuracy over 'to masthead'). Howsomediver, as we say down yer in Somerset, this is what the SOED has to say about 'pipe':

A large cask with its contents (wine, beer, cider, beef, fish etc.) equivalent to half a tun [sic], or 2 hogsheads or 4 barrels, i.e. usually containing 105 imperial gallons.' So that would make 105x8 = 840 pints. However, it continues, 'Sometimes identified with 'Butt'.

There are no fewer than 14 separate entries for butt, including this one:
'a cask for wine, ale etc. holding from 108 to 140 gallons. Later, a measure of capacity = 2 hogsheads i.e. usually in ale measure 108 gallons, in wine measure 126 gallons.'

Nothing about rum. No wonder we're confused.

Mira,

I'm afraid I wasn't able to finish your quiz in time and was unable to answer questions 4, 7 and 8, and was way out on question 11- well into my cups there. I put it down to a dearth of the right books - well that's my story anyway!

Congratulations Gretchen on being the winner!

Of course, the fact that my homework wasn't handed in on time might also have to do with the fact we are now owned by a new mother cat and her three kittens from the local cat home! Sadly our old cat died on 15th December, so our Christmas wasn't too festive. The mother cat we, or rather I, have named Emma (!) and will keep, the kittens will be with us for about four weeks when they will be ready to be returned to the nearby cat home, for spaying, id marking, etc., and from where they will be re-homed. I am sure they will have no problems in finding new servants for them! We also incidentally now help out at the cat home on a regular basis, changing water and food bowls, emptying sand boxes, etc., but also finding time to socialise with the cats!

Ooh – Is there going to be an appeal against the adjudicator’s decision? I feel a dispute coming on!

The problem with the answer of 105 imperial gallons and 840 (imperial) pints is that the British Imperial System was not introduced until the Weights & Measures Act of 1824 – well after Nelson’s time, so a very dubious answer indeed

Before then, different gallons (and different pints) were used for different liquids.

For example: Cask: Wooden container for wine, beer, etc. with various volumes including: the butt (108 gallons); the puncheon for brandy (120 gallons); the puncheon for rum (100 gallons); the pipe (115 gallons); the hogshead for rum (56 gallons); the hogshead for sherry (54 gallons); the doppleohm (65 gallons); and the barrique (50 gallons). (See: http://www.alcoholinfo.co.uk/cc03.htm )

I think Mira’s own answer of 1008 pints (126 gallons) refers only to wine.

There are sizes for the Pipe from 92 gallons to 126 gallons listed here: http://www.sizes.com/units/pipe.htm

For a somewhat bewildering chart of the effect of the imperial system on the wine (not rum) measures of the gallon, rundlet, barrel, tierce, hogshead, firkin, puncheon, tertian, pipe, butt and tun, see here: http://www.sizes.com/units/imperial_capacity.htm

Bearing in mind the comments on information gathered via Google in another thread, I should of course add that all web pages quoted here contain nothing but the absolute gospel truth

BTW my reference to a dispute is of course in jest – I know it’s sometimes hard to tell…

Heavens, no dispute! And certainly no appeal, having disqualified myself for seeking help! No - just sympathising with Mira at having to adjudicate such a thorny problem that seemed not to have a clear-cut answer. Also, my query was one purely of disinterested curiosity about where people look first for information.

When it comes to definitions, I tend to put my faith, too readily I think, in the Shorter Oxford, and its big sibling, the 26 volume OED.

It's not that I distrust the internet as a source of information, I just sometimes forget it's there, being of the generation that grew up turning over pages when hunting for information. Clearly, in the light of your comprehensive and unchallengeable revelations above, Tony, this will have to change!