Sir Edward Belcher (1799 1877) was a British naval officer who served as surveyor on several long voyages in the Atlantic and Pacific. Published in 1848, this two-volume account, interspersed with charts and illustrations, was the second of his journals to appear in print, and appealed to Victorian readers' enthusiasm for books on exploration, natural history, ethnology and adventure. Volume 1 combines reports on navigation and encounters with pirates with vivid descriptions of coral reefs, villages and temples. It describes the topography and inhabitants of exotic locations including Borneo,...

Sir Edward Belcher (1799 1877) was a British naval officer who served as surveyor on several long voyages in the Atlantic and Pacific. Published in 1848, this two-volume account, interspersed with charts and illustrations, was the second of his journals to appear in print, and appealed to Victorian readers' enthusiasm for books on exploration, natural history, ethnology and adventure. In Volume 2, Belcher recounts dramatic episodes on his return journey to England from Japan via Hong Kong and Mauritius. This volume incorporates an engaging, and sometimes alarming, commentary on flora and...