Page Number | Note/Query | Explanation |
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297 - | Juana's first sight of London was by lamplight | The lights of London are described in England in 1815-
as seen by a young Boston Merchant by Joseph Ballard -
"At
night a good many of the streets and stores are lighted up with gas. The brilliancy of light thrown out this way is astonishing;
compared with it the oil lamps look like a "dim candle at noon." It is prepared in some building erected for its
purpose and conducted through the streets in pipes like an aqueduct, consequently all the propreitors have to do is to turn
a cock and apply a candle and the house or street is lighted."
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297 - | Last time in England in 1810 after the battle of Coa | he had been shot in the ankle - see notes from page 18 on the action from Coa - it was the only time he received a wound of any seriousness in battle.
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297 - | Grass widowhood | Mark Pottenger has pointed out that there are two meanings for this phrase, the 1 - not
actually widowed at all, a not very respectable woman who claims to be a widow, but who is actually not married in the first
place. The second - A married woman whose husband is absent
from her. This is clearly the meaning that fits Juana - but this second interpretation was not cited until 1858.
The first meaning is from the C16th century - while the second is developed mainly from Anglo-Indian times when women were made
'grass widows' when their husbands went away to serve in India.
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301 - | Whittlesey | also spelled Whittlesea.
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303 - | Plenipotentiary | a person fully empowered such as an ambassador, or envoy.
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304 - | Wellington's 5 best men | all of Wellington's top 5 commanders were ennobled after the Peninsular war, they were
Sir Stapleton Cotton, Lord Combermere
Sir Rowland Hill - Lord Hill
Sir Thomas Graham - Lord Lynedoch
Sir John Hope - Lord Niddrey
Sir William Carr Beresford - Lord Beresford of Albuera
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310 - | the War in America | also known as the War of 1812 - Much of it was conducted in the North between the US and
Canada, Harry Smith was sent to the South in 1814, around New Orleans.
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311 - | Admiral Cochrane commanding 170 penons along the coast of America | Penons in this case?
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313 - | crowd all sail | go as fast as you can and take risks with it
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316 - | Oh dios, la mano de mi Enrique | Oh God, the hand of my Harry
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316 - | Sweet Heart and a honey bird keeps no house | Two sources are given for sweetheart and honey bird in
G. L. Apperson, "The Wordsworth Dictionary of
Proverbs": John Ray, "English Proverbs", 1678, 57 and
Thomas Fuller, "Gnomologia", 1732, no.4297
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317 - | Gip with an ill-rubbing, quoth Badger, when his mare kicked | Used to address someone who is Pertish or
forward. Partridge cites it from Ray in 1678 and it was in commonuse by the 1800's.
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321 - | coup de main | Surprise attack
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322 - | Charles Cavendish Fulke Greville | published his memoirs, was clerk of council to George IV and William IV
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323 - | siempre tu fiel, fiel Enrique | always your faithful, faithful Harry
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326 - | no vale nada | it's worthless
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