'Memorandoms is written by a convict who escaped from Botany Bay in 1791 as part of what is popularly known as the Mary Bryant group. Although another man may have contributed while they were confined in Newgate jail, and it probably drew on the lost journal of William Bryant, the book begins boldly with the statement: “I James Martin …” Largely written in Martin’s hand, it’s a contemporaneous, day-by-day description of the voyage from Port Jackson to Timor.' (Introduction)