Actually The Pirates of Penzance is set on "a rocky sea-shore on the coast of Cornwall."

The town of Penzance is in Cornwall.

Herb Moskovtiz
Philadelphia.

 



-----Original Message-----
From: Robert E Stewart <[log in to unmask]>
To: TWAIN-L <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Mon, Feb 27, 2012 12:01 pm
Subject: Re: Pirates in the Indian Ocean?


I hesitated to weigh in on this discussion, given the Twain credentials of  
he paraticipants so far. But I will.

 once worked for a Governor, who commented that "if you want to repeal a  
aw, consider why that law was passed in the first place." I applied that  
pproach to the question of Twain's selection of location for, and use at  
ll of, "Pirates in the Indian Ocean" when Huckleberry Finn was dictating his  
ife story in the early 1880s.

istory records no piracy in the Indian Ocean during the 1860's-'80s.  
owever, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 reduced the volume of shipping  
assing through that ocean, and in the process brought the name into American 
newspapers with a fair regularity in the 1870s. Great Britain maintained 
ts  hegemony over the Indian Ocean, and it was considered safe passage, but 
onger  than the Suez. Maritime insurance did not consider a ship "lost" in 
he Indian  Ocean unless it was not heard from for nine months. On other 
ceans ships were  lost after six months. Piracy was occurring in the Hong Kong 
rea when Twain was  writing Huck, but it was not a big deal in newspapers. 
he Ilanun of Borneo, the  most feared pirates in  the waters around 
outheast Asia (well east of the Indian Ocean, which  is south and west of 
ndia) 
uring the mid 1800s, wore sarongs and  embroidered belts. Little is seen in 
merican newspapers of that  gang. 

he Pirates of Penzance opened in New York City in 1879, and was a  big hit 
or years after that, performed all over the nation. Wikipedia says over  a 
undred companies were soon performing it, unauthorized, in America. I 
on't  think Pirates of Penzance is set in any specific ocean, but it brought  
he word and concept of Piracy into a front row seat. 

n the November, 1870, Atlantic Monthly, Harriett Beecher Stowe provided a  
ong, colorful tale of Captain Kidd, who died in 1701. In 1880 an article 
bout  men seeking to locate Kidd's gold on the East Coast was widely 
eprinted.

inally, consider the mental image of "pirates in the Indian  Ocean" versus 
pirates on the Atlantic" Indian Ocean presents a much more  dramatic 
achet 

ob Stewart