Voyage of the Hougoumont and Life at Fremantle

This memoir ranges far beyond anything else written about these events. Fennell is a keen observer and forceful commentator on virtually every aspect of life as a prisoner and the system under which he is confined. And he goes well beyond that. His interests seem to be limitless and lead him to observations and commentary on just about every facet of the world in which he finds himself. His descriptions and opinions encompass: climate, terrain, flora, fauna, geological history, prevailing winds, the solar system, indigenous people, social mores, government and commercial structures, religion, politics, and, inevitably, the inhumane treatment of prisoners in England's penal system. His essay could be likened to Alexis de Tocqueville's 1830s report on the United States. Martin Kevin Cusack (from the Introduction)