Dear Bernard You have been asked in the past about the war of 1812 I was always curious why you are really reluctant to even comment on that war as say compared to O’brien whose later works pretty much had Aubrey and Maturin against the Americans rather than the French. Even in Sharpe’s Siege Sharpe does not seem to mind that British troops deserted to the Americans (as opposed to say the French) and does not kill any of Killick’s men and they are all jolly good pals. I was curious if that was a personal preference on your part or whether at some point you might be tempted to write if not about Sharpe but say Fredricksons (if anyone could carry a spin off its him in jmo) time in Canada? Geraint