Jack Aubrey: Captain in the Royal Navy and appointed Commodore during this story. Also captain of HMS Boadicea .
Stephen Maturin: ship's surgeon, friend to Jack, natural philosopher and intelligence officer.
Sophia Aubrey: Jack's wife, his true love and mother of his children; a beautiful and strong woman.
Charlotte and Fanny: Jack and Sophie's twin, infant daughters, perhaps six months old when he leaves.
Baby boy Aubrey: Son born to Sophia while this mission takes place; news is in the Naval Gazette.
Cecelia: Young daughter of Mrs William's middle daughter. Niece of Sophie and Jack, living with them at Ashgrove Cottage.
Mrs Williams: Jack Aubrey's mother in law, now bankrupt and living with her daughter Sophia.
Bessie: cook at Ashgrove Cottage until Mrs Williams abruptly dismisses her without a good word, for touching the mushrooms carefully collected as a gift to the Aubreys by Maturin, a man unknown to her.
Lady Clonfert: wife of Captain Lord Clonfert, seeking passage to join him at the Cape.
Robert Townsend Farquhar, Esquire: temporary governor of La Réunion, trained in the law, skilled in politics, no ear for music, good chess player. He is R T Farquhar when picked up at Plymouth, but oddly William Farquhar, Governor-designate in Admiral Bertie's orders to Aubrey.
Mr Lemuel Akers: First lieutenant in HMS Boadicea detached to sail HMS Hyaena to Gibraltar.
Mr Seymour: Second lieutenant in HMS Boadicea , acting first lieutenant after Akers parts company.
Mr Trollope: Third lieutenant in HMS Boadicea , acting second after Akers parts company.
Mr Johnson: master's mate in HMS Boadicea , Acting Lieutenant after Akers parts company, appointment confirmed at Cape Town.
Mr Richardson: Midshipman in Boadicea , nicknamed Spotted Dick, skilled in mathematics, partner to Aubrey in navigation. Later he takes the aviso Pearl to Rodriguez island.
Mr Buchan: Master in HMS Boadicea who is killed by cannon fire from French ship Astrée .
Mr John Fellowes: Bosun of the Boadicea .
Admiral Bertie: Admiral in Simon's Town, for Cape Town station of the Royal Navy, with an eye to financial gain and baronetcy.
Mr Peter: Secretary to Aubrey, from Simon's Town. He is connected to Admiral Bertie, serving as a spy for him aboard the squadron, as Maturin quickly realizes and, at the end, uses to his and Aubrey's advantage.
Captain Pym: captain of HMS Sirius .
Lord Clonfert: Commander of HMS Otter and then post captain in HMS Néréide .
Mr Tomkinson: Lieutenant on HMS Otter who is made Master and Commander of Otter upon promotion of Clonfert to Néréide .
Captain Corbett: Captain of HMS Néréide and then HMS Africaine .
Captain Eliot: Captain in HMS Boadicea while Aubrey sailed in HMS Raisonable .
William McAdam: Surgeon in HMS Néréide , specialist in diseases of the mind, knows Clonfert and knew his father as well.
Golovnin: Russian fleet lieutenant, captain of sloop Diana caught at Cape Town when Russia joined with France for a while (thus an enemy to England), slipped away without harm.
Barret Bonden: Jack Aubrey's Coxswain, who joined him at Cape Town.
Preserved Killick: Jack Aubrey's steward who joined him at Cape Town.
Mr Fortescue: Captain of the schooner Wasp , and a man fond of birds, spent a long time with the albatross, shared specimens with Maturin after carrying him ashore on La Réunion.
Lieutenant Colonel Harry Keating: British army commander of the 56th Regiment of Foot, leader of all army and sepoy units.
Colonel Fraser: British army officer leading a brigade in the attack on La Réunion, arrived on the Sirius .
Colonel McLeod: British army officer leading a brigade in the attack on La Réunion, arrived on the Boadicea .
Captain Lucius Curtis: Captain of HMS Magicienne who joined convoy after chasing Vénus , which took more merchant ships.
Captain Lambert: Captain of HMS Iphigenia .
Mr Tom Pullings: Lieutenant under Aubrey earlier, he enters the action as Captain of troop ship Groper , then of Emma . He is now the father of a son, John.
Colonel Saint-Susanne: French army commander on La Réunion, surrendered the island on terms.
Lord Narborough (Garron): Captain of HMS Staunch , arrives during La Reunion action, was remembered as third in the Surprise (in prior novelHMS Surprise ), but he was third in the Lively , the voyage afterward.
Mr Satterly: Master in HMS Néréide
Mr Webber: Second lieutenant in HMS Néréide .
Hamelin: French commodore, based in the Vénus .
Duvallier: French commander in Port South East.
General Abercrombie: Commander of the invasion army, takes command over Keating.
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