Another such now taken to be autobiography is 'Landsman Hay', 1954? It was originally published anonymously as a series 'Sam Spritsail' in Wm. Motherwell's 'The Paisley Magazine', 1828. My copy has MS attribution of all contributors, and notes this series to be by Robert Hay. I quoted a bit from it on a thread some months ago, but I've forgotten what the thread was called. Sea Shanties? It contained what was one thought to be the earliest mention of a sea shanty.