A novel of sea life during the war of 1812 when privateering was common and the "swift shuttles of an Empire's loom" had remarkable experiences around Cape Horn and in the Southern Pacific. The "Petrel" was one of the sailing craft of the day and the story relates the experiences of a lad who shipped upon her.

A novel of the War of 1812, dealing largely with the privateering common at that time. The tale reaches its climax in the famous sea fight between the Essex and the Phœbe. The hero is a young American sailor who goes to sea on the Petrel to win fame, fortune, and the hand of his sweetheart. — Book News, Volume XIX, page 674.

The loss of the "Essex" in Valparaiso, on March 28, 1814, is the crowning episode of Mr. T. J. Hains's sea-story, "The Cruise of the Petrel" (McClure, Phillips & Co.). The author has left the "love interest" where it belongs in a good sea-story — entirely out of it. A pair of villains of the good old sort, and a cheerful suggestion of piracy, make the book undeniably interesting. — The Dial, Volume XXXI, page 34.