XLIX explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Heroism and National Spirit

  The chapter exalts the national spirit as a force preserving the greatness of heroes like Nelson, and highlights the heroism of the navy and its adversaries.

• Nostalgia and Loss

  A nostalgic tone pervades the reflection on the past navy, the changes in ships and sea, and the loss of the era of Lord Nelson.

Characters to notice

• Lord Nelson

  Celebrated for his passion of honour and fame that inspired the navy; his genius and greatness are exalted as part of the enduring national spirit.

• Captain Blackwood

  Mentioned for his knightly spirit in congratulating his Admiral on the determined front of the combined fleets in 1805.

Key passages

• “This the navy of the Twenty Years’ War knew well how to do, and never better than when Lord Nelson had breathed into its soul his own passion of honour and fame.”

  The navy of the Twenty Years' War excelled at this, especially after Lord Nelson inspired it with his own passion for honor and fame.

  Introduces Nelson's influence on the navy's spirit.

• “By the merit of our daring and our faithfulness, and the genius of a great leader, we have in the course of the war augmented our advantage and kept it to the last.”

  Through our courage, loyalty, and the genius of a great leader, we increased our advantage throughout the war and maintained it until the end.

  Summarizes the key factors behind British naval success.

• “Those who from the heat of that battle sank together to their repose in the cool depths of the ocean would not understand the watchwords of our day, would gaze with amazed eyes at the engines of our strife.”

  The sailors who died together in that battle would not comprehend the slogans of our time, and would be astonished by the machinery of our conflicts.

  Reflects on the vast changes between Nelson's era and the present.