PBA Galleries

171pp. + [4] ad pp. (12mo) 16.9x10.5 cm (6¾x4¼”), original blindstamped brown cloth.

A scarce account of a teenager's adventures at sea, including Pacific whaling experiences and visits to Hawaii and Siberia.  

During a three-month stay in Honolulu, Hall witnessed a volcanic eruption and planned his escape from the cruel captain of the whale ship Condor.  After some whaling adventures in the Pacific, Hall deserted ship along the coast of Siberia, near the bank of the Oudskoi River.  He was eventually rescued as a result of his father's efforts back home in New Bedford.  One of the reasons Hall published this work was to call the public's attention to the severe punishments suffered by seamen, especially in the whaling fleet, and to encourage the reform of discipline at sea.  Includes a chapter entitled "Peep at the Whale Fisheries."