The Life and dreadful sufferings of Captain James Wilson, in various parts of the globe, including a faithful narrative of every circumstance during the voyage to the South Sea islands in the missionary ship, Duff, for the propagation of the gospel : with an authentic and interesting account of the sufferings and calamities of the missionaries, from the year 1797 to the present period.
Description: "Although there are several accounts of James Wilson's life, sufferings and missionary voyage, this was the earliest biography of him to appear. Written anonymously, this lively telling follows Wilson's life from his birth in 1769 and early employment with the East India Company. The account relates the popular tale of his imprisonment by the French in India, his escape, and his subsequent recapture by soldiers of the maharajah of Mysore, then a bitter enemy of England. After his release, he quickly acquired considerable wealth and retired from trade in 1792, while still a young man. Wilson settled in Portsea, Hampshire, married, and in 1795 converted to an evangelical Christianity. He took notice of the London Missionary Society and offered his services to captain its ship, the Duff, on a voyage to deliver missionaries to South Pacific Islands. Four short chapters at the end of this volume deal with the progress of the various missions on Tahiti, Tongatabu, Port Jackson, and the Marquesas" (Hill).. . Sir Peter H. Buck (Te Rangi Hiroa) describes the expedition as the "last important British voyage to the Pacific during the eighteenth century," remarking on the "great changes in the native culture of the Polynesians" that the success of the mission wrought (Explorers of the Pacific, p. 47), results that did not attend earlier Spanish efforts, "because the Spanish authorities had failed to provide the missionaries with an armed guard to enable them to deliver their message of peace in safety."
Collection: DOCUMENTARY HERITAGEDescription: "Although there are several accounts of James Wilson's life, sufferings and missionary voyage, this was the earliest biography of him to appear. Written anonymously, this…