Yankee in Mexican California, A, 1834-1836
Richard Henry Dana Jr. left his studies at Harvard College in 1834 to become a common seaman on the hide-trading brigPilgrimin the hopes that a sea voyage would aid his failing eyesight. The diary he kept during this trip was the basis forTwo Years Before the Mast. He returned to Boston in 1836 and completed a law degree at Harvard in 1837, subsequently becoming a lawyer and expert on maritime law.