Anecdotes of a Life on the Ocean,

By the time Cowans' account of his life on the sea as a merchant sailor was published, the Golden Age of Sail was coming to a close. The launch of the first ocean-going warship which carried no sails, HMS Devastation, coincided with the publication of Anecdotes... and we are fortunate that we have in Cowans' account such a valuable resource for life under sail - the risks (including fire and the loss of a mast) and the pleasures of voyages to the 'Guano Islands', to Suez, to Quebec, to Calcutta and of course a visit to the Sultan of Muscat.