"These memoirs of a naval lieutenant who served during the Napoleonic wars were first published in 1843; and what makes them so unusual is the combination of a particularly eventful career with a powerful narrative style equal to the great events he witnessed." "The historical interest centres on his association with Nelson, especially the much-criticised years at the corrupt court of Naples where Parsons, an acute and independent observer, sheds light on many of the protagonists; writing at a time when Lady Hamilton's reputation was at its nadir, Parsons reveals how the Divine Emma captivated the officers (or at least the junior officers) of the whole fleet. Of the great events he writes with verve, and his description of the capture of the Genereux is as good as anything in sea fiction. There is also no shortage of humorous observations - Sir Sidney Smith lived on a diet of rats while aboard Parsons' ship." "For anyone whose interest in the period has been whetted by the fiction of Patrick O'Brian, this is the real-life equivalent."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved