In Britain in the eighteenth century, respectability is hard-won and easily lost. This is in large part because respectability is intimately linked to financial success. The era sees the emergence of a larger middle class, which includes merchants who deal in various goods. Among these is Richard Cadman Etches, whose stocks in trade are wine and spirits. Although Captain James Cook may have been murdered in 1779, five years later, his killers and members of other Pacific Northwest coast tribes remain willing to trade vast numbers of sea otter pelts for British goods. Seeing an opportunity, Etches sets out to establish a trading post in Nootka Sound. Then the capture of one of his ships turns the merchant into a spy, as Etches works for England during the Napoleonic Wars. But not even his staunch patriotism can save him from a bleak end in a debtors' prison.

Etches appears to have died a bachelor, but this book's author is his distant cousin. The author came across a history text that mentioned two brothers who shared his last name. Sometimes alone, sometimes with others' help, the author researched Richard Etches and compiled this narrative. From respectable merchant to dubious spy to miserable debtor, the author follows the trajectory of his relative's life, suggesting throughout that his motivation was a sense of adventure that was preferable to respectability because it rendered his life fascinating. The book also offers the rarely considered perspective of a spy who is not a member of his nation's armed forces. A condensed chronology of key events follows the main text, offering clarity. Maritime history enthusiasts might well find this book to their liking. It might also find a readership among those who wish to write biographies of their little-known but historically interesting ancestors.

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