Alexander Hamilton (sailor)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexander Hamilton was an 18th century Scottish sea captain, privateer and merchant. Very little is known about his life - even the dates of his birth and death are unknown - and the only extant source of information on him is his own account of his travels, first published in 1727 under the title A New Account of the East Indies: Being the Observations and Remarks of Capt. Alexander Hamilton, from the Year 1688 to 1723.

Despite the title, his book actually covers a much wider geographic area - "most of the countries and islands of commerce and navigation, between the Cape of Good Hope and the island of Japan." It provides a valuable insight, illustrated with lively anecdotes, of life in these regions during a key period in their history.