my memory of the wee book details escapes me at the moment, but "life and times" is at the forefront for some ungodly reason. it's not forester, but that text makes an uncle of horatio's (mother's brother, of some higher social station than honrblower senior) responsible for getting him in. it's not real canon (and it's a little wonky because according to that text horatio's father has kicked the bucket before mr. has-checked-out-of-reality was posted to the justinian) but it's a wee something.