This was the first English translation of Jules Verne's 'THE SURVIVORS OF THE CHANCELLOR' which was published with the earlier novella, 'MARTIN PAZ'. The secondary title was : 'Diary of J R Kazallon, Passenger'. As such it gives a dramatic, realistic & fictionalised account of a disastrous fire on board the ship followed by a storm of great fury and the subsequent trials of the survivors at sea - from the point of view of one of the survivors. At the time of publication sea disasters like this were common particularly around most coastlines & islands, and sailing vessels were prone to both fires & adverse weather conditions with only rudimentary safety appliances & precautions in place. Jules Verne had already written & published his highly successful 'Around the World in 80 Days' and 'Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea'.