Privateer's Voyage Round the World

by George Shelvocke

In 1719, Captain George Shelvocke, a poverty-stricken former Royal Navy officer, was appointed to command the Speedwell , a ship sent to prey on the Spanish in the Pacific. Off Chile, his ship was wrecked in the Juan Fernandez Islands. Undaunted, he built another vessel and eventually returned to England, via Macao, loaded with Spanish plunder. Back home he was arrested for piracy and defrauding his shareholders. His account is a fast-moving, incident-packed tale exposing the world of 18th-century privateers.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Judith Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is what it is (obviously!) - an early 18th century account by a sea-captain who was thinking about his audience, perhaps, when he wrote it. I guess I've been spoiled by Patrick O'Brian's brilliant series featuring RN Captain Aubrey and his surgeon Stephen Maturin, so I found it a little dull and inconsistent, plus I kept hearing myself exclaim "What a a blaggard!! I did like the description of the First Nations people he met on the coast of California ...

[Rupert Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating book.
This is the account written by Shelvocke on his return from a privateerig voyage around the world. The men who had put up the money to pay for the ship, provisions etc suspected that Shelvocke and his men had secreted a large part of the plunder before returning to England - meaning that the investors got a poor return on their investment while Shelvocke & crew got more than their fair share. At the same time, the Spanish ambassaador alleged that some of the plundering had taken place after the peace treaty had been agreed - which would have made Shelvocke & crew guilty of piracy. Shelvocke wrote this book to vindicate himself. It shows. There are long passages where he seeks to explain either that the loot gained from an attack was much less than it should have been, or that it was subsequently lost. He also goes on at great length about the peace treaty and comes up with quibbles to explain away his illegal activity.
That apart it is a fantastic first hand account of privateering and naval warfare in the 1720s. Huge amounts of detail about long distance voyages, food, drink, interaction with local tribes, fighting at sea, naval discipline and so forth. Great.
My only moan is that in my edition there is no glossary to explain some of the more obscure references to people and places and things. I think it would have benefite from that for those of us [ie most of us] who are not experts on 18th century ships and the situation in the Spanish colonies.
But i quibble. it is a great read.

[Kate]

In public domain. Mentioned by Gavin Francis in Empire Antarctica as the book read by Shelley which inspired The Mariner

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immensely interesting but poorly edited. I was very taken with the chapter on Baja California Sur and Shelvocke's description of and praise for the indigenous inhabitants who, less than fifty years later, no longer existed thanks to disease and Jesuit missionaries.