The Mauritius Command (1977)

The Mauritius Command is the fourth naval historical novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1977.

Aubrey is married and the father of twin girls, owner of a cottage with a fine observatory he built. He is more than ready to be back at sea. He and Stephen Maturin join a convoy charged with taking two strategic islands in the Indian Ocean from the French. The mission provides scope for each man to advance in his specialty.

A review written at first publication found the novel to be written in "language deep with detail and the poetry of fact", appreciating the period detail. A later review, written at the reissue, finds the author a graceful writer but sees a difficulty with the novel's structure, building to climaxes that do not occur. Others writing at that time saw the novel more as part of the longer series, with humour, erudition and "impeccable period detail".

Plot summary

Four years after the events of HMS Surprise, Jack Aubrey and Sophia Williams are married and the parents of twin girls. They live at Ashgrove Cottage on his half-pay, which is not enough to support fellow navy men in the household. Sophia's mother has lost her money, including Sophia's portion, and now lives with them, along with Sophia's niece Cecelia.

When Stephen Maturin comes to call, Jack admits to him that as much as he loves his family he is eager to return to sea again. Stephen mentions that he has recommended Jack to lead a new secret commission being planned by the Admiralty. Moments later, a courier delivers Aubrey's orders from the port Admiral. Jack is given command of the 38-gun frigate HMS Boadicea and requested to depart immediately for Plymouth, where he picks up Mr R T Farquhar, a diplomat, and receives further orders to sail to the British station at Cape Town, where the ships of a convoy destined for the Indian Ocean will meet. Not long after embarking, they meet the French ship Hébé escorting a captured merchant ship. The Boadicea captures both ships, and Jack sends the prizes to Gibraltar. The timely capture gives Boadicea the opportunity to send letters home, and the ship gains a French cook and the Hébé's English prisoners, all able seamen. The long journey south through the Atlantic gives Jack time to bring the crew of the Boadicea up to his standards of efficiency in gunnery and gives Maturin and Farquhar time to develop their political strategies.

At Cape Town, Aubrey meets Admiral Bertie, who confirms Aubrey's elevation to Commodore and authorises him to hoist his broad pendant ('broad pennant' in some editions) as commander of a small fleet with formal orders to disrupt French interests in the Indian Ocean and ultimately to capture the French-held islands of Mauritius and La Réunion. British stations in the region are short of ships and men, leaving the expedition poorly matched against the local French forces. Jack's subordinate captains include Lord Clonfert of the Otter, an insecure Englishman with an Irish title; Captain Corbett of the Néréide, whose reputation for excessive flogging has left his ship severely undermanned; and Captain Pym of the Sirius. Jack learns that his loyal coxswain Bonden and steward Killick sailed from the West Indies under Corbett, so he trades men with Néréide to bring them aboard Boadicea. Bertie advises Aubrey that none of his captains are on good terms with each other.

For the first 2,000 miles of the voyage to the islands, Jack switches his pendant to the elderly 64-gun ship of the line HMS Raisonnable. The Caroline is taken and renamed HMS Bourbonnaise, and Corbett sails her with despatches to Cape Town and England. The rest of the convoy returns to Cape Town. Jack shifts back to Boadicea and sails again upon hearing that more merchant ships have been taken by the French. The convoy is caught in a major tropical cyclone, whence it sails back to Cape Town for repairs, receiving the first mail in many months; Sophia's letters are water-damaged, and Jack tries to make sense of them.

Aubrey organizes an attack on La Réunion with help from the active and decisive Lieutenant Colonel Harry Keating and his army regulars stationed on Rodrigues. La Réunion capitulates almost without loss after simultaneous landings by army troops and sepoys from the British East India Company on both sides of the island. The occupation is made easier by Stephen's propaganda and political meetings, which help to convince many of the disaffected locals to accept British rule and Farquhar as interim governor.

Mauritius proves more challenging. Stephen is seriously injured in an accident boarding Néréide, now under Lord Clonfert, which is part of the force sent to capture the strategic Île de la Passe off the island's southeast coast. While recuperating, Stephen and the ship's doctor, McAdam, attempt to diagnose Clonfert, whose self-consciousness and perceived rivalry with Commodore Aubrey has greatly affected his behavior. The capture of the fortress on Île de la Passe is successful, and Stephen is put down on Mauritius to continue his work. A small group of transports under the command of Captain Pym puts soldiers on Mauritius to garrison the fortress. The French fleet then appears with three frigates, Bellone, Minerve, and Victor, and two captured Indiamen, Ceylon and Windham. They boldly attack the fort and then sail into the channel leading to Port Southeast; the British ships are caught unprepared but decide to attack. The battle rages for days with heavy casualties, and in the end two British ships, Sirius and Magicienne, run aground in the shallow channel and cannot be heaved off, so are burnt to prevent their capture; Iphigenia and the fort at Île de la Passe are abandoned to be retaken by the French. Néréide is also captured and Clonfert is gravely wounded in the neck and head by a splinter. A messenger vessel, with Maturin aboard, reaches La Réunion to inform Aubrey of the losses and the failed attack on Port Southeast.