The author recollects his attempts to join foreign naval service and the practical and social steps that led to acceptance, including travel from home, petitioning officials, and hospitality at ministerial dinners. He describes postings aboard warships, the routine and hierarchy of rank and pay, voyages to distant stations, and vivid impressions of ports and landscapes encountered. Interwoven are portraits of fellow officers, the negotiations and formalities of commission, and reflective observations on life at sea, offering a blend of administrative detail and personal remembrance from service aboard several ships.