A short account of the extraordinary life and travels of H. L. L.----: native of St. Domingo, now a prisoner of war at Ashbourn, in Derbyshire, shewing the remarkable steps of Divine providence towards him, and the means of his conversion to God

In Short

This memoir is a firsthand account of a life defined by extraordinary volatility. Born in St. Domingo and thrust into the chaos of the French Revolution and West Indian colonial wars, the author navigates a series of shipwrecks, military conflicts, and personal losses. Written while he is held captive in Ashbourn, Derbyshire, the narrative documents his spiritual transformation. It serves as a testament to the author’s belief in Divine Providence, framing his physical imprisonment as the ultimate catalyst for his conversion to a life of Christian faith.

The Story

The narrative begins in the "proud and haughty" island of St. Domingo, where the author enjoys a comfortable early childhood on his parents' plantations. His life takes a sudden, somber turn when his father, sensing impending tragedy, sends him and his brothers to France for their education. The parting is permanent and devastating; soon after their arrival, news of their father’s death reaches them. The grief-stricken boy falls into a profound, prolonged melancholia, a state of psychological distress that haunts him throughout his later years.

As the boys attempt to settle into life in France, they find themselves caught in the lethal tumult of the French Revolution. Forced to flee the systemic violence and the shadow of the guillotine, they seek refuge in Bordeaux and eventually return to the West Indies. What follows is a relentless cycle of instability. The author becomes a mariner, a life that subjects him to the "roaring Ocean" and constant peril. He survives shipwrecks, extreme famine—where he narrowly avoids the "horrible and shocking" prospect of cannibalism—and the violence of maritime warfare. Despite occasional financial success, misfortune inevitably strikes; he is captured, imprisoned, and stripped of his earnings repeatedly, often losing everything he has built.

His return to the Caribbean does not bring peace. He is drawn into the brutal conflicts of the era, serving as a soldier during slave rebellions and colonial skirmishes. He faces the horrors of war firsthand, narrowly escaping death multiple times when his comrades are slaughtered or his horses are killed beneath him. Through all this, his internal state remains volatile. He struggles with deep despair, at one point attempting suicide in a moment of utter hopelessness, only to be saved by the intervention of others.

The final phase of his journey finds him once again at sea, attempting to reach Africa. This voyage ends in catastrophe when his ship is wrecked against rocks. Abandoned by a callous captain, he survives only by chance, eventually ending up a prisoner of war in Ashbourn, England. It is in this forced stillness, far from the battlefields and the "immense Ocean" that had defined his youth, that his perspective shifts. He begins to attend local chapels, seeking comfort for his "distressed mind." The memoir concludes not with a return to his homeland, but with a total surrender to his religious faith. He reflects on his past as a "lost" soul who has finally been "found" by his Savior, renouncing the worldly ambitions that fueled his earlier, desperate travels.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins The author describes his forced departure from his beloved father, who sends his children to France with a premonition that he will never see them again. The subsequent journey across the ocean is marked by violent tempests that set the tone for the author's lifelong struggle against the elements.

The shadow of revolution While in France, the author and his brothers are trapped in a city gripped by the terror of the Revolution. They survive by retreating into a quiet, secluded life under the protection of a religious woman who first introduces them to the concepts of Christianity.

The mariner’s cycle The author repeatedly enters and leaves the sea, trading his initial hopes of wealth for a series of harrowing escapes. Each time he attempts to settle on land, fate or circumstance forces him back into the dangers of the merchant and military maritime life.

The breaking point After losing his fortune and suffering the death of a younger brother, the author reaches an emotional nadir. He attempts to take his own life in a fit of despair, but his survival leads him to reevaluate the meaning of his many narrow escapes.

The final surrender In the quiet confinement of an English prison, the author finds the stability he could never achieve through his own agency. He stops fighting his circumstances, instead dedicating his remaining days to religious devotion and the writing of his account.

The People

The author, H. L. L., serves as the central figure whose evolution from a restless, self-reliant traveler to a man of faith drives the narrative. He is a character defined by his attachment to his father and his inability to escape the trauma of his youth. His "father-in-law," a figure who appears later in the story, represents a rare source of stability and kindness, though his presence only highlights the author's ultimate isolation from his family. Various ship captains and bankers drift in and out of the story, representing the cold, transactional nature of the world the author inhabits. While some are generous, others, such as the captain who abandons the shipwrecked crew to save time, represent the indifference of human systems. Ultimately, the most significant "person" in the narrative is the figure of Jesus Christ, whom the author comes to view as the only constant protector in a life otherwise devoid of security.

In Its Own Voice

"Naked came I out of my Mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."

The author opens his account by grounding his tumultuous experiences in this scriptural resignation, acknowledging the fragility of worldly possessions.

"I was so surprised at this, that I thought, (and even was sure,) that it was GOD's mercy to spare me; for in the posture that I was as before mentioned, I could not have escaped being killed upon the spot."

Following a near-miss with a loaded, discharging firearm during a naval engagement, the author describes the moment he begins to perceive a divine hand guiding his survival.

What It's Really About

At its heart, this book is an inquiry into the nature of suffering and the elusive concept of home. The author grapples with the question of why he—a "worthless creature"—was repeatedly spared from death while others were consumed by the ocean or the guillotine. It argues that physical freedom is often a source of agitation and misery, whereas the "prison" of circumstances can become a sanctuary if it leads to spiritual awareness. It is a critique of the vanity of human ambition; the author’s repeated attempts to amass wealth or navigate his own path only lead to ruin. The narrative serves as a bridge between the physical chaos of the Napoleonic era and the internal search for a permanent, unshakeable identity.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in the lived reality of the late eighteenth-century Atlantic world will find this book essential. It provides a rare, personal perspective on the ripple effects of the Haitian Revolution and the brutal realities of the era's maritime and colonial conflicts. The writing is raw and unvarnished; it does not shy away from the author’s moments of weakness, including his suicide attempt and his often-frantic, contradictory nature.

It is important to approach the text with an understanding that it is a product of its time. The author’s language reflects the intense, sometimes repetitive piety of the period's evangelical traditions, which may feel dense to modern readers. The narrative structure, dictated by the author's shifting fortunes, can feel disjointed as he moves from one disaster to the next. However, for those who value authenticity over polished prose, there is a profound sincerity in his voice. It is the story of a man who has "run the christian race" not because he sought to, but because he was exhausted by the alternative. What stays with the reader is the image of a man, once a globe-trotting survivor, finally finding a place to rest—not in a home of his own making, but in the quiet, reflective space of his own conviction.