Chapter 1 Summary

The Yellow Admiral by Patrick O'Brien is a novel that is set in nineteenth century England and is about an impoverished member of the Parliament and his floundering in the navy. The novel takes place on both land and sea since England is in the middle of a war with Napoleon's France.

Sir Joseph Blaine enters his office at the Admiralty. Mr. Needham appears. He tells Blaine that Dr. Stephen Maturin is missing. Maturin is the adviser on Spanish affairs. Maturin and his wife had taken part in an expedition with the Duke of Habachtsthal. When Habachtsthal kills himself, Mrs. Maturin tries to transfer his money to England. The money is embargoes in Corunna, Spain where the authorities waited for someone to try to collect it. Blaine asks Needham to obtain more information about the situation.

Blaine thinks about Stephen Maturin as he walks home. He shares...