Madness, Betrayal and the Lash - Stephen R. Bown

From 1791 to 1795, George Vancouver sailed the Pacific as captain of a major expedition of discovery and imperial ambition, valiantly charting the extensive coastline from California to Alaska. His voyage was one of history’s greatest feats of daring, discovery, cartography, and diplomacy. The young captain, however, harbored an illness that would slowly drive him mad, and his triumphs were overshadowed by bitter smear campaigns initiated by enemies he made on board. His adversaries secretly sent word back home of his actions, and he was judged and condemned by London’s aristocratic elite. Vancouver died disgraced and in poverty. Madness, Betrayal and the Lash is a long overdue re-evaluation of one of the greatest explorers of the Age of Discovery. It's a gripping tale of adventure at sea, the struggle of empires, and one man’s battle against illness, the isolation of command, and a polarizing class system.