The editor recently went to a lecture in one of her local village halls and was mesmerised by the story of Admiral Collingwood, an unsung maritime hero who was Nelson's great friend and temperamental foil (Collingwood was the more restrained of the two). A new biographer is trying to drum up interest in this little known figure from the north east whose diplomatic skills were every bit as effective as his battle strategies. The story which engaged the editor most was how Collingwood dealt with a rebuff from a Moroccan emir who would not sell his horses to an 'infidel', which he claimed was forbidden by the Q'uran. But Collingwood knew his Q'uran, which he often read in his cabin, and he disputed the emir's interpretation. Not what you would expect of a sea captain!

While on his tours of duty he berated the government in London for sending diplomats abroad who had no knowledge of the Q'uran or the culture of the people with whom they would be dealing. A man of war ahead of his time.

Eye liked the anecdotes about Bounce, Collingwood's dog who accompanied him around the world and was often lulled to sleep while his master sang him Shakespearean sonnets. But Bounce is a mystery to historians as no-one knows what breed of dog he was. Collingwood never let on. The biographer favours a large dog, like a Labrador, or thinks Bounce might have been a Menorcan rabbit dog. The editor has her own theories (as usual). 'Alpha males sometimes have rather sophisticated little dogs,' she speculates 'look at Judge John Deed.'
eye@thefriend.org