Mr. Royle signs on as second mate to the merchant ship Grosvenor only to find that it is an overladed, barely seaworthy tub, and that the provisions are inedible. Oh, yes; the captain and first mate are raging tyrants. (In comparison, Captain Bligh was a Boy Scout.) Further, a drunken crew has been recruited and, as the ship embarks downriver, they revolt over the conditions and are replaced before putting to sea (by another unsuspecting crew). Enroute there is considerably unrest among the crew; they rescue a beautiful maiden and her elderly father from a wrecked ship (a precursor); and finally the inevitable mutiny. Mr. Royce to the rescue! The mutineers, having no one who can navigate, appoint him as temporary captain, and he eventually contrives to save the maiden in spite of a hurricane that wrecks the Grosvenor. So far, all of the usual suspects and seafaring cliches. In spite of this, Mr. Russell melds everything to achieve an interesting and provocative tale that is somewhat less technical in reference to the details of setting sail than some of his other books are. This work is supposed to have been influential in the reform of maritime law (as regards merchant seamen) in Britain.

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