This rather wonderful description of the figures of the First Set, or French Quadrille, appeared in the November 29, 1856, issue of Spirit of the Times; A Chronicle of the Turf, Agriculture, Field Sports, Literature and the Stage, a New York journal published from 1831 to 1861. According to ProQuest's bibliographic description, Spirit of the Times was said to "have been the first all-around sporting journal in the U.S.", specializing in racing but also including "field sports, hunting and fishing, agriculture, literature, fashion, and the theater...news, court proceedings, poetry, and advertisements." And, apparently, a description of dancing a quadrille in terms even a sailor could understand.
"The Quadrille Nautically Described" seems not to have been original to Spirit of the Times:
We have some idea that this capital jeu d esprit is not new. But as our dancing season is just commencing, it may amuse some of our readers to see it reproduced. It makes the noble art of dancing a quadrille clear to the simplest (nautical) capacity:
Some of the details of the quadrille description seem to hark back to an earlier era. But I've had no luck tracing any earlier publication.
After that brief introduction, the anonymous author then duly worked his way through the six figures of the First Set: Pantalon, Ete, Poule, Trenise, Pastorale, and Finale. He uses an entirely new set of terms for the figures, and it took me a couple of readings to realize how clever a "translation" this actually was. I'm accustomed to French and English terms for the quadrille figures, but I've never before read them in Nautical!
Let me translate it into English, figure by figure.
Le Pantalon. -- Haul up the starboard tack and let the other craft pass; then bear up and get your head on the other tack -- regain your berth on the port tack -- back and fill with your partner and boxhaul her -- wear round twice against the sun in company with the opposite craft, then your own -- afterward boxhaul with her again and bring her up.
Amazingly, this torrent of nautical terms is a very close translation of the individual sub-figures:
"Haul up the starboard tack and let the other craft pass; then bear up and get your head on the other tack -- regain your berth on the port tack..." is right and left across and back.
"...back and fill with your partner and boxhaul her" would be balance and turn your partner.
"...wear round twice against the sun in company with the opposite craft, then your own" is a remarkably clever way of describing a ladies chain from the point of view of the gentleman, who in turning each lady in turn does in fact trace two counter-clockwise circles.
"...afterward boxhaul with her again and bring her up" is a little less clear to me. The figure should be some version of half-promenade and right and left home, but elsewhere in the figures "boxhaul" means turn your partner and "bring her up" appears to be a promenade. A mistake, or perhaps some local variant of the first figure?
L'Ete. -- Shoot ahead about two fathoms till you nearly come stem on with the other craft under weigh; then make stern board to your berth and side out for a bend, first to starboard then to port -- make sail and pass the opposite craft; then get your head roun on the other tack -- another side to starboard and port; then make sail to regain your berth -- wear round, back and fill and boxhaul your partner.
"Shoot ahead about two fathoms till you nearly come stem on with the other craft under weigh; then make stern board to your berth" is to go forward and back.
"...and side out for a bend, first to starboard then to port" is a very literal chassez-dechassez, to dance sideways to the right and then back to the left.
"...make sail and pass the opposite craft; then get your head round on the other tack -- another side to starboard and port" is crossing over followed by another dance to the right and to the left.
"...then make sail to regain your berth -- wear round, back and fill and boxhaul your partner" would be crossing back, expanded to balancing as you cross, followed by the final "boxhaul", turning your partner.
La Poule. -- Heave ahead and pass your adversary yard-arm to yard-arm -- regain your berth on the other tack in the same order -- take your station in a line with your partner -- back and fill -- fall on your heel and bring up with your partner -- she then manoeuvers ahead and heaves all aback, fills and shoots ahead again and pays off alongside -- you then make sail in company, till nearly stern on with the other line -- make a stern board and cast her off to shift for herself -- regain your berth by the best means possible, and let go your anchor.
This just gets better and better.
"Heave ahead and pass your adversary yard-arm to yard-arm -- regain your berth on the other tack in the same order" translates to cross over by right hands and back with the left.
"...take your station in a line with your partner -- back and fill -- fall on your heel and bring up with your partner" is the set four in line, followed by the half-promenade ("bring up").
"...she then manoeuvers ahead and heaves all aback, fills and shoots ahead again and pays off alongside" covers the actions of the gentleman's partner (and her opposite), going forward and back then performing a dos-à-dos.
"...you then make sail in company, till nearly stern on with the other line -- make a stern board and cast her off to shift for herself -- regain your berth by the best means possible, and let go your anchor" is where both partners "make sail" forward and back together, then perform a right and left home, where the gentleman's partner is snidely referred to as his "anchor".
La Trenise. -- Wear round as before against the sun twice, boxhaul the lady, and range up alongside her, and make sail in company -- when half way across to the other shore drop astern with the tide -- shoot ahead again and cast off the tow -- now back and fill as before, and boxhaul her and yourself into your berth and bring up.
"Wear round as before against the sun twice, boxhaul the lady" is the opening of a "long Trenise" figure, with a ladies chain followed by a balance and turn partners.
"...and range up alongside her, and make sail in company -- when half way across to the other shore drop astern with the tide -- shoot ahead again and cast off the tow" sounds like going forward together, the lady crossing over on the second advance ("cast off the tow").
"...now back and fill as before, and boxhaul her and yourself into your berth and bring up" is a bit more confusing. "Back and fill" was used for balancing in La Poule, which I suppose could stretch to cover the gentleman moving to the center, balancing, and returning to place. The ladies' part is simply not described. "Boxhauling" and "bring up" has the same problem as in the first figure -- it seems like that would be a turn and a promenade where it should be a balance and turn. Perhaps the author was so busy being clever that he lost track of his terminology?
La Pastorale. -- Shoot ahead alongside your partner, then make a stern board -- again make all sail over to the other coast -- let go the hawser, and pay off into your own berth and take a turn -- the three crafts opposite range up abreast toward you twice, and back astern again -- now manoeuver any rig you like, only under easy sail, as it is always "light winds" (Zephyrs) in this passage -- as soon as you see the helm down, haul round in company with them on port tack -- then make all sail with your partner late into your own berth and bring up.
"Shoot ahead alongside your partner, then make a stern board -- again make all sail over to the other coast -- let go the hawser, and pay off into your own berth and take a turn" is the first couple going forward and back, then forward again to release the lady on the other side of the set while the gentleman goes back alone.
"...the three crafts opposite range up abreast toward you twice, and back astern again" is the opposite trio going forward and back twice.
"...now manoeuver any rig you like, only under easy sail, as it is always "light winds" (Zephyrs) in this passage" is one of the cleverer passages. "Any rig you like" means the gentleman has a solo during which he can improvise. The joke is doubled with the reference to Zephyrs, which are both light winds and the name of a particular step. All of this is rather old-fashioned for the mid-century, when this figure would have degenerated to simply going forward and back twice, walking. Given that this may not have been the original printing of "Nautically Described", I wonder how far back this might date.
"...as soon as you see the helm down, haul round in company with them on port tack" would be to circle halfway round to the left.
"...then make all sail with your partner late into your own berth and bring up" ought to be a right and left home, but "bring up" seems to be used for promenading. Again, possibly a local variation, or simple terminology-confusion.
La Finale. -- Wear round to starboard, passing under your partner's bows -- sight the catheads of craft on your starboard how -- then make sail into your own berth, your partner passing athwart your bows -- now proceed according to the second order of sailing -- to complete the evolutions shoot ahead and back astern twice, in company with the whole squadron, in the circular order of sailing.
"Wear round to starboard, passing under your partner's bows -- sight the catheads of craft on your starboard how -- then make sail into your own berth, your partner passing athwart your bows" is an amusing way of describing a chassé–croisé. The partners cross each other to corners, balance, cross back, and balance again. Typically the lady moves in front of the gentleman both times, but if I correctly interpret "under your partner's bows", this version has the gentleman passing in front on the first cross and the lady on the second.
"...now proceed according to the second order of sailing" means to repeat the second figure, L'Ete, described above. A standard format for a Finale figure was "something + L'Ete + something".
"...to complete the evolutions shoot ahead and back astern twice, in company with the whole squadron, in the circular order of sailing" is one of the "grand round" variations that could end a quadrille, all eight dancers in a circle moving forward to the center and back, twice.
I can already call quadrilles in French and English. Maybe someday I'll try it in Nautical.
This post is for Dmitry, who probably speaks Nautical too.
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