The first edition of this book is dated 1829. The edition used is dated 1895. The publisher was Richard Edward King, 88 Curtain Road, London E.C. The number of pages is 311.

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General information

Captain Frederick Marryat was born July 10 1792, and died August 8 1848. He retired from the British navy in 1828 in order to devote himself to writing. In the following 20 years he wrote 26 books, many of which are among the very best of English literature, and some of which are still in print.

Marryat had an extraordinary gift for the invention of episodes in his stories. He says somewhere that when he sat down for the day’s work, he never knew what he was going to write. He certainly was a literary genius.

“Frank Mildmay” was published in 1829, the first book to flow from Marryat’s pen. It had been written while at sea, during a long search, which Marryat considered ridiculous, for a non- existent island that someone had reported seeing in mid-Atlantic. While writing this book Marryat decided that he would be better employed out of the Navy, writing books. The full title of this book was “The Naval Officer; or, Scenes and Adventures in the life of Frank Mildmay”. A similar title might have been applied to at least four others of his books. For people wishing to know how ships were handled in battles and other engagements, from books by an experienced early nineteenth century naval officer, they could not do better than to read them.

This e-text was transcribed in 1998 by Nick Hodson, and was re- formatted in 2003, and again in 2005.

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Contents

Chapter I.
My father was a gentleman, and a man of considerable property.

Chapter II.
There are certain events in our lives poetically and beautifully described by Moore as “green spots in memory’s waste.

Chapter III.
Considering my youth and inexperience, and the trifling neglect of which I was accused, there are few, even of the most rigid disciplinarians, who will not admit that I was both unjustly and unkindly treated by the first lieutenant, who certainly, with all my respect for him, had lent himself to my enemies.

Chapter IV.
Reaching the well-known mansion of my father, I knocked softly at the front door, was admitted, and without saying a word to the servant, rushed to the head of the dining-room table, and threw my arms round my mother’s neck, who only screamed, “Good heavens, my child!” and fell into hysterics.

Chapter V.
I had never been able to regain the confidence and esteem of the first lieutenant since the unfortunate affair of the mast-head.

Chapter VI.
Naturally anxious to behold a country from which we had hitherto been excluded for so many years, we all applied for leave to go on shore, and obtained it.

Chapter VII.
From the deservedly high character borne by the captain of the frigate which I was ordered to join, he was employed by Lord Collingwood on the most confidential services; and we were sent to assist the Spaniards in their defence of the important fortress of Rosas, in Catalonia.

Chapter VIII.
While I was on board of this ship, two poor men were executed for mutiny.

Chapter IX.
Hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. If so, it has a much better pavement than it deserves; for the “trail of the serpent is over us all.

Chapter X.
“My father,” said Eugenia, “was at the head of this company of strolling players; my mother was a young lady of respectable family, at a boarding-school.

Chapter XI.
The reader may think I was over fastidious when I inform him that I cannot describe the disgust I felt at the licentious impurity of manners which I found in the midshipmen’s berth; for although my connection with Eugenia was not sanctioned by religion or morality, it was in other respects pure, disinterested, and, if I may use the expression, patriarchal, since it was unsullied by inconstancy, gross language, or drunkenness.

Chapter XII.
I remained no longer at home than sufficed to restore my strength, after the serious attack of fever and ague which I had brought with me from Walcheren.

Chapter XIII.
There is a peculiar kind of beauty among these islands, which we might really believe to be the abode of fairies.

Chapter XIV.
Halifax is a charming, hospitable place: its name is associated with so many pleasing recollections, that it never fails to extort another glass from the bottle which, having been gagged, was going to pass the night in the cellaret.

Chapter XV.
Soon after my arrival at Plymouth, notice was given by a general order, issued from the flag-ship, that a passing day for the examination of midshipmen, as touching their qualifications for the rank of lieutenant, would be held on board the Salvador del Mundo, in Hamoaze.

Chapter XVI.
My father, as soon as he had obtained my promotion, asked for my being employed; and having had a promise from the Admiralty, that promise, unlike thousands of its predecessors and successors, was too rapidly fulfilled.

Chapter XVII.
When Captain G— made his appearance, he seemed to be in the most amiable humour possible.

Chapter XVIII.
As the brig moved out of the harbour of Nassau, I moved out of bed; and as she set her royals and made sail, I put on my hat and walked out.

Chapter XIX.
A frigate called at the island for turtle; and, having represented my case to the captain, he offered to take me on board, telling me at the same time that he was going much further to the southward, to relieve another cruiser, who would then return to England, and the captain of her would, no doubt, give me a passage home.

Chapter XX.
The privateer was called the True-blooded Yankee. She was first bound to the island of Tristan d’Acunha, where she expected to meet her consort, belonging to the same owners, and who had preceded her, when their directions were to cruise between the Cape and Madagascar, for certain homeward bound extra Indiamen, one or two of which she hoped would reward all the trouble and expense of the outfit.

Chapter XXI.
The frigate came to the wind close under our lee, and a boat from her was alongside in a very few minutes.

Chapter XXII.
Soon after the frigate which had taken me off from New Providence had parted company with the American prize that I was sent on board of, the crew of the former, it appeared had been boasting among the American prisoners of the prize-money they should receive.

Chapter XXIII.
It is now time to make my reader acquainted with my new ship and new captain.

Chapter XXIV.
We sailed the next day, and, after one month more of unsuccessful cruising, arrived safe at Halifax, where I was informed that an old friend of my father’s, Sir Hurricane Humbug, of whom some mention has already been made in this work, had just arrived.

Chapter XXV.
We were ordered to look-out for the American squadron that had done so much mischief to our trade; and directed our course, for this purpose, to the coast of Africa.

Chapter XXVI.
I paid little attention to the performance, for the moment I came to the house, my eyes were riveted on an object from which I found it impossible to remove them.

Chapter XXVII.
I was so stunned with this contretemps, that I fell senseless to the ground; and it was long before the kind attentions and assiduity of Eugenia could restore me.

Chapter XXVIII.
We quitted Paris two days after; and a journey of three days, through an uninteresting country, brought us to the little town of Granville, on the sea-coast, in the Channel.

Chapter XXIX.
I arrived at the town where poor Eugenia had breathed her last, and near to which was the cemetery in which her remains were deposited.

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