"Son of a scientifically-minded Scottish aristocrat, Basil Hall joined the Royal Navy at the age of 13 in 1802. His first naval engagements in America and Spain during the Peninsular War are described, as are his travels in India and the Far East. His renowned interview with Napoleon, while still a prisoner on St. Helena, is featured. He was a confidante of Sir Walter Scott, Dickens and many other distinguished authors of his day. He was renowned for his curiosity and energy and became a popular writer himself based on his world-wide travels and adventures. As an amateur scientist, Hall made important contributions to nautical astronomy, geology and naval technology, being a Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and numbered Sir John Herschel, Mary Somerville, and Sir Humphrey Davy among his scientific friends."--Back cover.