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This work presents entertaining insight into aspects of naval life normally hidden. It contains explanatory notes that put Lowry's world in context. Never intended for publication, these frank and revealing memoirs were written by an adventurous Irish surgeon, and describe his life afloat and ashore in Nelson's Mediterranean Fleet during the years 1797 to 1804. 'A country of fiddlers and poets, whores and scoundrels' - Nelson's famous description of Naples - was a world eagerly embraced by a James Lowry, who was driven to sea, apparently, by a sheer sense of adventure and a desire for exotic travel. Sent out to join Nelson's victorious fleet after the battle of the Nile, he was to experience plenty of naval action, and to see more foreign climes than perhaps he had anticipated. Taking part in the successful British campaign against the remnant of Napoleon's army in Egypt brought him into contact with an entirely different culture, but perhaps not as strange as the 'wooden world' of the Navy, which he chronicles with the detached and slightly bemused eye of an outsider. However, what really engaged his interest (and enthusiasm) was the relaxed sexual mores of Italian society.His memoirs were written at the request of his younger brother, so, untrammelled by any thought of publication, he was able to recount his adventures with relish - and in rather more medical detail than is proper. Many of the seemingly unlikely events can be confirmed from other sources - notably the corpse of the executed rebel Caracciolo surfacing alongside Nelson's flagship to terrify the Neapolitan King who was on board at the time. The original manuscript has been in the hands of Lowry's descendants for two centuries, but this entertaining and enlightening account is here published for the first time.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Anyone with any interest in the Napoleonic wars or the Royal Navy will enjoy this book. The author, who wrote this lively account for private reading by his younger brother, rather than history, displays a fine youthful British swagger when recounting his romantic escapades and high jinks, but it is tempered with a humanity towards his enemies , and an appreciation of the wonders of the world that he viewed that does credit to the attitude that our forces have always displayed, whether in war or at peace. Look especially for the accounts of his encounters with the muslim world , especially the 'Walking Devils' p 66 and wonder how little things have changed!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a gem. 'Candid memoirs' is a most adequate description of Lowry's report on his 'peregrinations' (as he would put it) in the Mediterranean area around 1800. Although there is very little to nothing about Nelson or Lady Hamilton (the 'in Nelson's fleet' subtitle is obviously designed to pump up sales), this is a really good read mostly because of Lowry's style. His observations are highly original, colored by impressive referencing to scripture (wherever he lands in the Med he knows exactly which disciple or saint was there too thousands of years ago) & utterly devoid of political correctness.
Although Lowry missed the big sea battles (St. Vincent, the Nile), arriving only in late 1798, he did witness the reconquest of Egypt and some of its land battles. A true voice from the past - and the best fill of a rainy sunday afternoon one can imagine.
Although Lowry missed the big sea battles (St. Vincent, the Nile), arriving only in late 1798, he did witness the reconquest of Egypt and some of its land battles. A true voice from the past - and the best fill of a rainy sunday afternoon one can imagine.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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2 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A Real Gem!
5 Dec 2007
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's not really about fiddlers and whores, despite the title. It is an extended letter from Dr. Lowry to his brother explaining to him what he did while he was away from home for 7 years. Lowry left his home in Ireland to go to medical school in Scotland. Upon graduation, just as physicians do today, he needed further training before being able to set up his own practice. Not being able to find a mentor to take him in, he joined the navy as an assistant surgeon...and the adventure begins! What follows is a fascinating description of life in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars from the perspective of a young officer, including commentary on the other cultures he encounters in the Mediterranean, navy life, health, war, medical training, and (ah, yes) his attempts to meet women. He also describes his adventures as a tourist and amature naturalist, including his tour of a Roman house of pleasure in the newly-excavated Herculaneum, and his attempt to keep an ostrich on board the ship. His writing style pulls you along through his adventures, and his observations are astute and witty. I absolutely loved this book, and I particularly recommend it for any Aubrey-Maturin fan suffering from Patrick O'Brian withdrawal syndrome.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A tourists Grand Round through the Med
26 April 2009
Format:Hardcover
This is a small book, only 192 pages, whose intended audience was the author's younger brother, with no thought of publication.
Lowry joined the Royal Navy's HMS Foydroyant at Plymouth in June 1798 as an assistant surgeon. He joined the Mediterranean Fleet in December 1798. He took part in the abortive attack on Cadiz in 1800 and the successful campaign in Egypt the following year, was briefly a prisoner of war at Toulon in June 1801 before returning home to Ireland in 1804 after six years overseas.
Dr Lowry's narrative fails in its lack of immediacy since it was written from recollection in 1807 after the loss of his notes in a shipwreck, but he describes his travels though Turkey and Italy, Naples and Sicily with a lively narrative and an eye to the sexual mores of the various cultures he meets. It is clear that he has an eye for the ladies and is not ashamed to describe his adventures in various brothels.
Despite the title, the work would best be seen as an account of a tourist's Grand Round through the Mediterranean. His accounts of naval life are sparse and, as a landsman, not well informed.
Lowry joined the Royal Navy's HMS Foydroyant at Plymouth in June 1798 as an assistant surgeon. He joined the Mediterranean Fleet in December 1798. He took part in the abortive attack on Cadiz in 1800 and the successful campaign in Egypt the following year, was briefly a prisoner of war at Toulon in June 1801 before returning home to Ireland in 1804 after six years overseas.
Dr Lowry's narrative fails in its lack of immediacy since it was written from recollection in 1807 after the loss of his notes in a shipwreck, but he describes his travels though Turkey and Italy, Naples and Sicily with a lively narrative and an eye to the sexual mores of the various cultures he meets. It is clear that he has an eye for the ladies and is not ashamed to describe his adventures in various brothels.
Despite the title, the work would best be seen as an account of a tourist's Grand Round through the Mediterranean. His accounts of naval life are sparse and, as a landsman, not well informed.
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