Scarce narrative of a commercial voyage, taking sealskins and furs from the American Northwest coast to China. The voyage included some time in Australia, and Péron's description of Van Diemen's Land, his journey up the east coast of Australia, and his visit to Sydney mark this as one of surprisingly few first-hand descriptions of eighteenth-century Australia. Of particular note is the extensive material on Thomas Muir, the "Scottish martyr" (one of the men deported from England following free speech trials), who sailed alongside Péron on the Otter after a dramatic escape from Port Jackson. Péron describes their time together on the Northwest coast, particularly in Juan de Fuca Strait, and various experiences with the native inhabitants.

Scarce narrative of a commercial voyage, taking sealskins and furs from the American Northwest coast to China. The voyage included some time in Australia, and Péron's description of Van Diemen's Land, his journey up the east coast of Australia, and his visit to Sydney mark this as one of surprisingly few first-hand descriptions of eighteenth-century Australia. Of particular note is the extensive material on Thomas Muir, the "Scottish martyr" (one of the men deported from England following free speech trials), who sailed alongside Péron on the Otter after a dramatic escape from Port Jackson. Péron describes their time together on the Northwest coast, particularly in Juan de Fuca Strait, and various experiences with the native inhabitants.

Eighteen Botany Bay men as well as Muir had joined the Otter when she left New South Wales and most of them left the ship in California. The ship also called at Nootka Sound, and was the first American vessel to enter San Francisco Bay. En route to China Péron spent a month at Kauai: Forbes points out his remarks on the islands as well as an eight-page section in which Péron compares his observations on the islands with those of Kotzebue in 1815.

The six large plates and maps were all prepared by the pioneer lithographer Engelmann: three of the the maps detail areas of the Northwest coast of America while the fourth shows the 'île d'Amsterdam (modern Amsterdam Island or New Amsterdam), far south in the Indian Ocean, and the plates depict the marine fauna of the island and the hunting of elephant sea lions there. The island, named by Van Diemen, was first visited by Vlamingh on his way to the west coast of Australia in 1696. Péron was marooned there for several years during which he harvested sealskins; he was rescued in 1795 by a ship bound for Port Jackson.