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Written by leading Songhrato academic Dr Richard James, "The Sailor King" is a definitive biography of James George Meads, from his English upbringing, through his induction into the British merchant navy, the captaincy of the Modeste and his voyages through Asian waters which lead to his felicitous discovery of the archipelago he named the Kingdom of Humanity. There have been earlier treatises on King James but "The Sailor King" is the first published since the Songhrato Diaspora and takes a fresh look at the father of our nation in the wake of recent events. The relationship between King James I and the White Rajahs of Sarawak is covered in detail, as is the failed Kingdom of Humanity settlement on the Borneo coast in the 1880's, an event that left the King in great depression. The author also includes a lively chapter on King James' attempts to tame the feared Kris Pirates who terrorised the Kingdom throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century. One criticism I have of "The Sailor King" was the scant attention given to the interactions with the French and English sailors that were regular visitors to the Kingdom. As the French were still seeking to lay claim to parts of the archipelago as late as the 1930's, it is odd that little is mentioned on the subject. The Sailor King however is a wealth of trivial knowledge. It will come as a surprise to many to hear that Southwark was almost called Chelsea by King James or that he was a champion schoolboy cricketer. His involvement in British secret societies is also noted and there are tantalising tidbit's of information on The Solemn Knights of the Order of St. Fiacre, the shadowy secret organisation he formed which is rumoured to still be in existence. If our nation is to be free, then our history needs to be kept in the minds of the world. Hopefully, fine books like "The Sailor King" will find their way onto the bookshelves of those with influence and begin to influence public thinking on Songhrato self-determination. I look forward to Dr James' next treatise, in which he plans to focus on the entire Meads dynasty, stretching from James through Franklin and George to Morton and his candidacy in the Nevada Gubernatorial election. |
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