Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being The Journal Of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner

The full title of this work is; Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being The Journal Of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner. By Captain Woodes Rogers, With Notes And Illustrations By Robert C. Leslie. Published in London on 1894. (190 pages).

The Publisher has copy-edited this book to improve the formatting, style and accuracy of the text to make it readable. This did not involve changing the substance of the text.

Preface:

.....In offering to English sailors a new edition of the narrative portion of Captain Woodes Rogers' voyage round the world, I have only to say that it is to men of his stamp, in command of small handy seaworthy ships like the "Duke" that England now owes her great "sea power," rather than to the building of large unhandy expensive machines like our present first-class battleships; or even of mosquito-fleets of torpedo boats unable to keep the sea in an ordinary gale of wind. The construction of all such craft is really only a question of money, and may proceed much faster than we can ever hope to breed and train seamen or officers of the Rogers type able to take charge of them.
.....Steam has of course altered the conditions of life at sea since his time, but the sea has not changed, and the time required to fit a man for service afloat should not be less today than it was in the time of Queen Anne.
ROBERT C. LESLIE.
October, 1893

Contents:

Introduction and Dedication — Chapter I. From King Road, Bristol, to Cork, in Ireland — Chapter II. Amongst the Canary Islands — Chapter III. From Grande towards Juan Fernandez — Chapter IV. From Lobos toward Guiaquil in Peru — Chapter V. Among the Galapagos Islands and at Gorgona Road in Peru — Chapter VI. Sailing Toward The Islands of Guam and Bouton, Thence to Batavia, and Round The Cape of Good Hope, Home — Appendix Containing a Receipt for a Sea-Fight, some Directions for finding the Longitude, and A short Comparison between Sea Storms Ancient and Modern.

Introduction:

.....MOST people know their "Robinson Crusoe," and have heard of the author Defoe. But how many of us have heard even the name of Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner? or have read his quaint Journal of a cruising voyage round the world in the ships "Duke" and "Dutchess" of Bristol, "printed in 1712 for A. Bell and B. Lintot at the Crosse Keys and Bible between the two Temple Gates, Fleet Street?" Yet it was this Woodes Rogers who not only discovered the original Crusoe, Alexander Selkirk, but after making a "note of him when found " upon the island of Juan Fernandez at once proceeded to make very practical use of him by giving him command of the "Increase," one of many small prizes taken in the South Seas from the Spaniards by the "Duke" and "Dutchess."
.....That Rogers was more than a master mariner, of much resource and pluck, is shown in his Journal, and the wonderful way in which he handled the very mixed group of men which formed the small floating commonwealth under him. It was more than thirty years later that Lord Anson sailed a similar voyage round the world with the advantage of the experience of Rogers and others, while Anson's squadron was fitted, manned, and armed by Government: yet, considering the loss of life and material which marked that cruise, it seems to me that, judged by results, Rogers' voyage was a far more wonderful performance, and that it attracted some attention at the time is shown by a notice of it in Captain Berkley's "Naval History" (published, 1756), where, under the heading of "Conduct of the Bristol Privateers," he says, "We have read in very pompous language the names of those who, with great ships and great preparations, encompassed the Globe. But at this time came in two privateers, of Bristol, who with no more than the common strength of such vessels, undertook the voyage, and at the end of two years and three months returned," &c.
.....In his own Preface, Captain Rogers says, "I was not fond to appear in print; but my friends who had read my journal, prevailed with me at last to publish it," adding, "I know 'tis generally expected, that when far distant voyages are printed, they should contain new and wonderful discoveries, with surprising accounts of people and animals; but this voyage being only designed for cruising on the enemy, it is not reasonable to expect such accounts here as are to be met with in travels relating to history, geography, &c., while, as for stile, I have not had time, were it my talent, to polish it; nor do I think it necessary for a mariner's journal. 'Tis also," he says, "a particular misfortune, which attends voyages to the South Sea, that the buccaneers, to set off their own knight-errantry, and to make themselves pass for prodigies of courage and conduct, have given such romantick accounts of their adventures......