Author: Drysdale, William
Biography:
DRYSDALE, William (fl 1787)
The title page identifies the author as a clergyman but he is not listed in CCEd; possibly he belonged to a non-conformist church. A William Drysdale (1745-1803) was active in Newcastle at this time, was employed as a schoolmaster, and published several religious works but there is no known connection to the author of The Albanaut. The poem is based on a journal kept by midshipman James Francis Grant on board HMS Saint Albans which was deployed at Gibraltar in 1781 and in the West Indies in 1782. The manuscript of the journal is in the BL. (CCEd 16 Aug. 2024; WorldCat) SR