AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

 CAPTAIN ZACHARY G. LAMSON 



CHAPTER I 



THE "Diary" of Captain Zachariah 

 Gage Lamson, which forms the mo- 

 tive of this volume, covers the most inter- 

 esting and romantic period of the commer- 

 cial history of the United States. It is 

 particularly interesting to the historical 

 student, as it gives a very lively picture of a 

 period which was then, and will probably 

 ever remain, unique in the history of the 

 world. To read his life understandingly one 

 should be thoroughly conversant with the 

 maritime law and history of that period; 

 and as marginal notes hardly give sufficient 

 space, the writer has prefaced the manu- 

 script with an account of the conditions un- 

 der which in peace or war commerce at that 

 time was carried on. 



In the renaissance of American com- 



