A Boy's Voyage Round the World

'A Boy's Voyage Round the World' is the fascinating memoir of an unnamed son of Samuel Smiles, who, at the age of sixteen, embarked on a two-year journey to Australia to recover from inflammation of the lungs. The voyage took him across the treacherous Channel, through the tropics, and past Cape Otway to the bustling city of Melbourne, where he lived and worked for eighteen months before returning home via Honolulu and San Francisco. With fresh, observant eyes, he kept a detailed log of his journey, which provided a rare and intimate glimpse into life at sea and in the colonies.