While the author was hoisted on board the Queen of Portugal bound for
Lisbon in June 1754, he had a small desire to survive the milder
Portuguese winter.Fielding was dying from different kinds of disorders,
and the weight of his sickness sets up the adventurous humour and
tragedy of the journal. In this essay, Fielding examines his body's
decay and the corruption of English society, destroying with irony his
own high claims for former conduct as a London magistrate. He has
described the daily events of the difficult journey, the abuses faced by
the sailors, the dedication of his wife and daughter, the terror of
cyclones, the sunset and the moonrise at sea, and the description of his
food and drink.Tom Keymer gives an enlightening introduction to this
volume, which finally gets popular and is available in a scholarly
edition of the journal.