It has been the fate of very few British writers to have their effigies burned on the streets of New York; it may well be that Captain Frederick Marryat is the only one to whom this has happened. Marryat had arrived in New York early in May 1837 and stayed for two years in the hope of influencing matters related to international copyright. He went from the United States to Canada at a time when relations between the two countries were strained. The vessel Caroline was being fitted out by the Americans for the use of Canadian rebels and was lying under the guns of Fort Schlosser on the American side of the St. Lawrence River. A band of Canadian loyalists captured the vessel, removed the crew, and sent the ship to its destruction over Niagara Falls. Marryat, being honored at a St. George's Day banquet in Toronto, seized...