The most renowned naval officer of the mid-nineteenth century, Thomas Cochrane, tenth Earl of Dundonald (1775-1860), led an eventful life. Due to a financial scandal, he left the Royal Navy for a period and became a celebrated mercenary. Volume 2 of this two-volume work, published in 1859, concerns the period, from 1823, of Cochrane's command of the Brazilian navy. It addresses the recruitment of seamen and the strengthening of the fleet, his negotiations with the government for payment, and his eventual resignation after independence had been secured in 1825. Cochrane did not achieve the same level of battle engagement and naval success as he had done in Chile; rather, his time in Brazil was largely characterised by infighting, bitterness and administrative machinations. Cochrane was the quintessential naval hero of the age, and his memoir remains of interest to both scholars and readers of maritime adventure.
