Napolean Bonaparte supposedly once said:  "Whereever you find a fathom
of water, there you will find the British."  When and to whom did he
say it?

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Clarification of Question by bonitastreet-ga on 24 Aug 2004 10:50 PDT

And could I get a source citation for that?

Dear bonitastreet-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. I found
this research project quite interesting and I hope you find my answer
interesting as well:

Through generations the quote often attributed to Napoleon has been
worded many ways:

?Wherever you find a fathom of water you will find the British?

?Wherever wood floats, you will find the British"

?Wherever wood floats, there you will find this flag of England?

?Wherever wood floats, the English are there?

?Wherever you find a tub of water, you find an English ship?

However, there is no factual evidence whatsoever that suggests any of
these were accurate quotes of Napoleon Bonaparte but rather colorful
and more modern variations of an actual quote reported by Captain
Frederick Lewis Maitland upon receiving the Napoleon?s surrender
aboard of the HMS Bellerophon. On the evening of July 15, 1815, while
having a gentleman?s dinner with his former adversary, Napoleon,
according to Captain Maitland, said :

?If it had not been for you English I would have been Emperor of the
East; but wherever there is water .... We are sure to find you in our
way?.
BRITIANNIA RULES THE WAVES
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/haywardlad/britway/britanniarulesthewaves.html

Even the actual wording of this quote has been subject to some minor
change depending on whose account one reads. According to ?The Billy
Ruffian : The Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon? by veteran
scribe of the seas, David Cordingly, the actual statement Napoleon
made was this:

?Napoleon told captain Maitland that, "If it had not been for you
English, I should have been Emperor of the East; but wherever there is
water to float a ship, we are sure to find you in our way."

?THE BILLY RUFFIAN : THE BELLEROPHON AND THE DOWNFALL OF NAPOLEON?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/1582341931/103-7767285-1684658?me=ATVPDKIKX0DER

BILLY RUFFIAN
http://www.entwistlefamily.org.uk/billy_ruffian.htm

At any rate, this is the original quote from which the others have
apparently originated. In answer to your question then, the statement
was made:

By: Napoleon 
To: Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland
When: On July 15, 1815
Where: Aboard the HMS Bellerophon

I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

DEFINED ABOVE


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

NAPOLEON

BELLEROPHON

MAITLAND

?WHEREVER THERE IS?

?WHEREVER YOU FIND?

Thanks, superb answer.  And quick, too.