Kjellquist Blog

Mr Unger has created one most interesting and readable biographies of recent years. Though a very skilled writer, Mr. Unger had help from Monsieur de Beaumarchais. Even without his connection with the American revolution, the life of Beaumarchais would make for an extraordinary story.  It is a common cliché that a life is stranger than fiction but the life of Beaumarchais is truly one that could not be believed if it were not true.

Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was born in 1732 the son of a clock maker; a commoner in the aristocratic dominated France. Apprenticed to his father, after a brief period of raucous carousing, the young Beaumarchais quickly showed his mechanical genius by inventing a clockwork escapement mechanism. This escapement mechanism immediately allowed the first watch light enough to be worn on the wrist. It was this invention that first brought him to the attention of King Louis XV and the royal court.

Once in the royal circle, Beaumarchais wasted no time in establishing his genius to the delight of many of the royal court. As a skilled musician and poet he was a delight to royal princesses. However, as commoner who entered the royal circle through superior skills and talent he was envied by many aristocrats by birth and of much lesser talent. Beaumarchais did become a protégé of the great financier, Joseph Pâris-Duverney and through this relationship was able to amass significant wealth and purchase a key sinecure. But as Beaumarchais’ stature rose so did the power of his enemies and resentment of his commoner birth.

In 1764 Beaumarchais gave his court enemies the opening they needed when he spent a year in Madrid establishing a Spanish company for his financial mentor. Upon his return to France Beaumarchais’ life rapidly became very complicated. In his absence his home was in turmoil and he lost the interest and patronage of the royal princesses. In 1770 both Pâris-Duverney and Beaumarchais’ wife die. Pâris-Duverney’s relatives win a large financial suit against him. Also, events in America were heating up. It is now that Beaumarchais retaliates against the ruling class and authors his first literary triumph, Le Barbier de Seville — “The Barber of Seville”.   Throughout the 1770′s Beaumarchais’ fortunes take a number of turns. His court enemies retaliate. He is arrested, thrown in jail for being “too insolent”. While imprisoned Beaumarchais is unable to defend himself in an unjust law suit and is financially ruined. However, via the sharpness of his pen, he is able to exact revenge by exposing the corrupt judicial system. His cleverness and guile comes to the attention of King Louis XVI He successfully serves the new King and foreign minster, comte de Vergennes, as a spy to retrieve incriminating secret documents from a transsexual former French spy in London.

While in London, Beaumarchais forms a friendship with the American, Arthur Lee and is enlisted to help our fight with France’s long time enemy. With the help of Vergennes but as a private citizen, Beaumarchais established a Spanish company to secretly purchase arms and supplies from the French government and supply them to Washington’s troops. Payment for the arms was to come by the returning ships bringing tobacco and other goods back for sale. Beaumarchais was awarded contracts for the arms from Silas Deane, Connecticut merchant and member of Congress. While in sound in principle, in practice it was a financial disaster. In the end Beaumarchais shipped more than $200 million (today’s dollars) on credit including more then 80% of the Continental Army’s entire gunpowder supply! Beaumarchais was to never see of these proceeds as Congress repeatedly dodged the obligation erroneously reasoning the materials as a “gift” from France!

At the close of his arms venture, Beaumarchais again turned to literature and his assault on the aristocracy penning Le Mariage de Figaro –The Marriage of Figaro.  Once again Beaumarchais is imprisoned, this time by the King. However, the King’s move backfires and Beaumarchais’ popularity results in a populous uproar that forces the King to retract his orders. The King also makes financial amends. Beaumarchais’ literary triumphs have made him a popular hero which allows him to survive the multiple insanities that mark the French revolution of the 1790′s.

In summary, Mr. Unger has penned a book worthy of the extraordinary life of Monsieur de Beaumarchais. He has aptly honored a largely forgotten hero of our fight for independence and in the process rewards the reader. 

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John Laurence Busch has written the definitive history of the steamship Savannah and its Captain, Moses Rogers, in his latest book, Steam Coffin.

The steamship Savannah was the first steam powered vessel to cross the Atlantic ocean. However, this accomplishment is but only a small portion of a very compelling history of steam powered vessels, the people that developed and captained them and the intrigues that swirled around the events of this period of world history. For example, Busch explains in detail how the competition between steamship pioneers, European politics of England, Denmark and Russia, the Savannah, GA fire of January 1820 and the national economic depression in 1820 all conspire to drive the fate of the Savannah and its captain.

One of the most interesting aspects of Busch’s narrative is his description of the impact that steam powered vessels had on intercity travel in the early 19th century. Travelers today routinely take for granted the relatively precise scheduling of long distance travel (air travel excepted). However, in the 19th century travel by ocean vessel was at the mercy of winds and weather. Departures could be delayed by hours or days. Steam power offered, at the time, the astonishing ability to depart and often arrive on a precise schedule.

Another interesting detail is what to call these new vessels? In the 19th century, terms such as sloop, schooner, brig and ship had specific meanings and were well known to many. Initially, steamboat was used because of their small size and limitation to quiet inland waters. But as the vessels grew in size and became ocean going the term ship (3 mast, square-rigged) was appended to steam.

The book is excellently indexed. Besides the standard list of illustrations and maps, source notes and selected bibliography, Busch provides indexes of people, vessels and subjects.

In summary, Busch has written a very comprehensive, readable history of the Savannah, Captain Moses and their places in history.

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Dava Sobel has created a most unique biography in her latest book, A More Perfect Heaven, How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos. The core to her approach is a fictional interpretation of the true life visit of Rheticus to an aging Copernicus. The account is contained in a two act play contained in Part Two of the book.
However, the play, if read as a standalone work of historical fiction would be only mildly interesting and totally lacking in context for the average reader. Ms Sobel remedies this problem with her superb writing skills in the Part One of the book. Part One focuses on the early life of Copernicus up to his becoming a canon of the Catholic church in the Varmia diocese. In this first part of the book, Ms Sobel presents a fascinating look into the life and politics of Copernicus as a learned man of the 16th century. She concisely addresses the implications of the ongoing Protestant reformation and the political turmoil. For middle management of the church the threat of Martin Luther created a high state of paranoia. While Copernicus is known today for his unique astronomical contributions during his life he was valued more for his medical and bureaucratic skills. As Ms. Sobel points out, only a handful of peers were aware of Copernicus’ astronomical work. As a canon of the church during the Lutheran paranoia, Copernicus was correctly concerned about heretical nature of his sun-centric universe. With all this background Ms Sobel transitions to her play where she imagines the real life encounter with Rheticus.

Part Three of the book completes the story of Copernicus with the publication of his On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres and reaction to the book. For years Copernicus’ dearest friend (and clerical supporter), Bishop Giese had urged him to publish his notes. But it was only through the efforts of a youthful Lutheran mathematician, Rheticus, that On the Revolutions was actually published.  In the final chapters Ms Sobel clearly summarizes the On the Revolutions relationships with Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei. While obviously not definitive she clearly explains how Copernicus laid the key foundation to the sun-centric solar system model for others to follow.

In summary, Dava Sobel has given us a unique treatment to scientific history. Her use of the two-act play gives us a new take on the relationship between Rheticus and Copernicus.

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