An actual 1837 Atlantic trip aboard a Sag Harbor whaler told in fictional form, illustrated with woodcuts. Well-disguised fictional account of sailors’ life, near-mutiny and desertion, etc. The hero is a novel reader (see p. 61-2, 92, 139), and the author an accomplished writer.
p. 45-46—amusing anecdote about Latin books.
p. 144-45, on attempts to get place on one of the Wilkes ExEx ships.
p. 212ff, amusing incident of encounter with lady missionary onboard ship when he is in irons, but reading a novel. She of course was there to give him something more uplifting to read, but he spurns it.