Miscellaneous NOTES
PART ONE – THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT
Daniel rooke – main character
o Likes astronomy
o Plays piano and has perfect pitch (did choir)
o Freakishly smart
o Went to portsmouth naval academy
o Benjamin rooke – his father a clerk (pg.6)
o Anti-social
o Finds it hard to relate to others
1755 rooke was 13 and met the astronomer royal – dr vickery
Enlisted in his majesty’s marine forces Portsmouth division
Rooke has two sister anne and bessy – he likes anne better and likes to teach her things
The ship he was assigned to was the resolution
Silk is introduced pg21 – he is a captain and a long description is given on pg22
Silk takes everyone to see prostitutes while they are stopped– pg26
Rooke took the oath when he entered the army but to him they were only words
But then he saw someone get hanged because they only talked of mutiny – pg.28
People wouldn’t associate with those who were ejected for dishonour – they lost their place
in the world – “walking dead man” p.29
Late 1781 they engaged the French who were aiding the rebels. He learned it was much
more hectic than he first thought
Rooke gets hit in the face (ear) with some rope that flicks up during an attack and fell over
“this is death” “this is what death sounds like” – p32
He didn’t find out til weeks later because he had no memory of it that he had lost
consciousness when hit with the spar and was lucky to be alive
He used to go to the ramparts as a child and went there after his injury
He looked for his collection of pebbles – p33
2 years later the war ended (the English lost)
King George the third was the current king and humiliated by the loss
He stayed in touch with silk and met him at the harbour
Something had shifted in their friendship since they saw a man get blown up on ‘that’ day –
private truby
Silk lived in Cheshire and was on half pay not really living – p.35
He thinks he never again will find a life – pg.36 – he is 23yrs old
P37 he is offered to be an astronomer on an expedition to new south wales and did not
hesitate to accept
A comet was set to return and that was his purpose (others seen 1532, 1661 predicted
1788) – only visible from the southern hemisphere – dr vickery gave him this task
Life gives and takes – p.39
, Miscellaneous NOTES
Silk is now captain-leitenant but rank was not his ambition instead he is recording
everything from NSW to be published
Silk’s writing skills – p39 – the same pleasure felt by rooke when he manipulated numbers
silk felt for words
Anne isn’t stupid but clever enough that she knows her limitations
She kept a globe from rooke since she was 14
She will look at the moon every night and think of him – anne says
He has PTSD from that day and experiences nausea and flash backs
41 he had comes close to death – half an inch more and he would have but he was ‘spared’
PART TWO – THE ASTRONOMER
“begin as you mean to go on” – pg45
47 – real world is to be measured vs embellished
“part of a man’s destiny” – p66
They arrive in NSW at the newly named Sydney cove
They have been there for two weeks
They have seen the natives only a few times and they natives have given them fish
Although one of the crew members shot their wooden shield and they were frightened
There are approx. 800 prisoners and 200 guards
Blue coats=navy (sailors)
Red coasts (Rooke) = guards/marine
Commodore is the leader and has life or death power in AUS given by his majesty
There are 3 captains- lennox is one
Rooke has spotted his hill
Silk has admitted that he looks to rooke as a friend and that he means a lot to him
The prisoners are cutting trees with axes and pics
p67
He’s been there for almost a year – winter time
How far he was from home – quote 68
He found his location for which he would set up his observatory
“present, but forgotten” – 69
He sees two black men fishing with spears but the ignore him
The governor didn’t want rooke to make his observatory – but gave in
Desperation gave his mind wings, his mouth words – 72
He knows that his position here is fragile
He builds the observatory first from a sketch with the help of a few men
He enjoyed his hard labour as it fascinated him – the force, angle etc.
It took months to finish
Governor always wanted his musket at the ready and said that he would be called away
from his observatory if needed
PART ONE – THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT
Daniel rooke – main character
o Likes astronomy
o Plays piano and has perfect pitch (did choir)
o Freakishly smart
o Went to portsmouth naval academy
o Benjamin rooke – his father a clerk (pg.6)
o Anti-social
o Finds it hard to relate to others
1755 rooke was 13 and met the astronomer royal – dr vickery
Enlisted in his majesty’s marine forces Portsmouth division
Rooke has two sister anne and bessy – he likes anne better and likes to teach her things
The ship he was assigned to was the resolution
Silk is introduced pg21 – he is a captain and a long description is given on pg22
Silk takes everyone to see prostitutes while they are stopped– pg26
Rooke took the oath when he entered the army but to him they were only words
But then he saw someone get hanged because they only talked of mutiny – pg.28
People wouldn’t associate with those who were ejected for dishonour – they lost their place
in the world – “walking dead man” p.29
Late 1781 they engaged the French who were aiding the rebels. He learned it was much
more hectic than he first thought
Rooke gets hit in the face (ear) with some rope that flicks up during an attack and fell over
“this is death” “this is what death sounds like” – p32
He didn’t find out til weeks later because he had no memory of it that he had lost
consciousness when hit with the spar and was lucky to be alive
He used to go to the ramparts as a child and went there after his injury
He looked for his collection of pebbles – p33
2 years later the war ended (the English lost)
King George the third was the current king and humiliated by the loss
He stayed in touch with silk and met him at the harbour
Something had shifted in their friendship since they saw a man get blown up on ‘that’ day –
private truby
Silk lived in Cheshire and was on half pay not really living – p.35
He thinks he never again will find a life – pg.36 – he is 23yrs old
P37 he is offered to be an astronomer on an expedition to new south wales and did not
hesitate to accept
A comet was set to return and that was his purpose (others seen 1532, 1661 predicted
1788) – only visible from the southern hemisphere – dr vickery gave him this task
Life gives and takes – p.39
, Miscellaneous NOTES
Silk is now captain-leitenant but rank was not his ambition instead he is recording
everything from NSW to be published
Silk’s writing skills – p39 – the same pleasure felt by rooke when he manipulated numbers
silk felt for words
Anne isn’t stupid but clever enough that she knows her limitations
She kept a globe from rooke since she was 14
She will look at the moon every night and think of him – anne says
He has PTSD from that day and experiences nausea and flash backs
41 he had comes close to death – half an inch more and he would have but he was ‘spared’
PART TWO – THE ASTRONOMER
“begin as you mean to go on” – pg45
47 – real world is to be measured vs embellished
“part of a man’s destiny” – p66
They arrive in NSW at the newly named Sydney cove
They have been there for two weeks
They have seen the natives only a few times and they natives have given them fish
Although one of the crew members shot their wooden shield and they were frightened
There are approx. 800 prisoners and 200 guards
Blue coats=navy (sailors)
Red coasts (Rooke) = guards/marine
Commodore is the leader and has life or death power in AUS given by his majesty
There are 3 captains- lennox is one
Rooke has spotted his hill
Silk has admitted that he looks to rooke as a friend and that he means a lot to him
The prisoners are cutting trees with axes and pics
p67
He’s been there for almost a year – winter time
How far he was from home – quote 68
He found his location for which he would set up his observatory
“present, but forgotten” – 69
He sees two black men fishing with spears but the ignore him
The governor didn’t want rooke to make his observatory – but gave in
Desperation gave his mind wings, his mouth words – 72
He knows that his position here is fragile
He builds the observatory first from a sketch with the help of a few men
He enjoyed his hard labour as it fascinated him – the force, angle etc.
It took months to finish
Governor always wanted his musket at the ready and said that he would be called away
from his observatory if needed
