Peace of Amiens

The brief period of peace resulting from the Treaty of Amiens was referred to as the Peace of Amiens. It lasted from March 1802 through May 1803. The peace interrupted the military naval careers of Hornblower, Bush, and others, leaving them ashore on half-pay. The novel can be definitively grounded in historical terms by noting that the early chapters of the novel occur immediately before the end of peace in about April 1803.

HMS Hotspur

H.M.S. Hotspur is an English sloop-of-war with 20 nine-pounder long cannon and four carronades. The ship sails well, fights well, and is responsive—indeed Hotspur is beloved of her crew. The ship is of typical construction of the time, with gun decks, quarterdeck, stern captain's cabin, and so forth. She has of course three ship-rigged masts and is capable of sailing in fairly light airs. Her compliment is 150 seamen and seventeen...