We are now come to that period in which our fleet was reinforced with seven ships of the line, which arrived at Barbadoes from England on the 5th of January, 1781, under the command of Lord Hood. This addition, with two which had arrived in November, made the force upon this station again amount to twenty-one ships of the line. TABLE IV. |
SHIPS’ NAMES. N. B. Those marked *, arrived with Lord Hood. | FEBRUARY, 1781. | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fever. | Flux. | Scurvy. | |||||||
B | H | D | B | H | D | B | H | D | |
Sandwich | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
* Barfleur | 8 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
* Gibraltar | 25 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Triumph | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 8 | 0 |
Centaur | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 8 |
Torbay | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Monarch | 13 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Terrible | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Montagu | 40 | 0 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Alfred | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Russel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Alcide | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* Invincible | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Resolution | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Shrewsbury | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
Ajax | 8 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
* Princessa | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Intrepid | 18 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* Belliqueux | 11 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* Prince William | 21 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
* Panther | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Triton | 7 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
Hyena | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Cyclops | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Total | 197 | 2 | 19 | 158 | 7 | 21 | 93 | 19 | 10 |
SHIPS’ NAMES. N. B. Those marked *, arrived with Lord Hood. | MARCH. | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fever. | Flux. | Scurvy. | |||||||
B | H | D | B | H | D | B | H | D | |
Sandwich | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
* Barfleur | 28 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 27 | 2 |
* Gibraltar | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 0 |
Triumph | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 18 | 1 |
Centaur | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 8 |
Torbay | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Monarch | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Terrible | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Montagu | § | § | 5 | § | § | 3 | § | § | 1 |
Alfred | 25 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 16 | 2 |
Russel | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 5 |
Alcide | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
* Invincible | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
Resolution | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Shrewsbury | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ajax | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
* Princessa | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 102 | 2 |
Intrepid | 10 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* Belliqueux | 3 | 1 | 2 | 52 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
* Prince William | 23 | 12 | 0 | 47 | 62 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
* Panther | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Triton | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Hyena | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cyclops | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 174 | 24 | 16 | 238 | 67 | 18 | 202 | 265 | 27 |
SHIPS’ NAMES. N. B. Those marked *, arrived with Lord Hood. | APRIL. | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fever. | Flux. | Scurvy. | |||||||
B | H | D | B | H | D | B | H | D | |
Sandwich | 6 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
* Barfleur | 24 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0 |
* Gibraltar | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
Triumph | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
Centaur | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 1 |
Torbay | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 27 | 2 |
Monarch | 8 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Terrible | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Montagu | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § |
Alfred | 11 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 116 | 44 | 4 |
Russel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 0 | 3 |
Alcide | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 0 |
* Invincible | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Resolution | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
Shrewsbury | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
Ajax | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 5 | 10 |
* Princessa | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 1 |
Intrepid | 9 | § | § | 13 | § | § | 1 | § | § |
* Belliqueux | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
* Prince William | 19 | 2 | 0 | 147 | 40 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 0 |
* Panther | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
Triton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Hyena | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Cyclops | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 115 | 5 | 9 | 317 | 49 | 9 | 428 | 115 | 26 |
SHIPS’ NAMES. N. B. Those marked *, arrived with Lord Hood. | MAY. | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fever. | Flux. | Scurvy. | |||||||
B | H | D | B | H | D | B | H | D | |
Sandwich | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 0 |
* Barfleur | 12 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 10 | 0 |
* Gibraltar | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 22 | 4 |
Triumph | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 8 | 1 |
Centaur | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 4 | 0 |
Torbay | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 44 | 31 | 0 |
Monarch | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 11 | 0 |
Terrible | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 0 |
Montagu | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § |
Alfred | 15 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 130 | 25 | 2 |
Russel | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 132 | 102 | 4 |
Alcide | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 35 | 0 |
* Invincible | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 31 | 54 | 4 |
Resolution | 5 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 45 | 2 |
Shrewsbury | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 2 |
Ajax | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
* Princessa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 40 | 2 |
Intrepid | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § |
* Belliqueux | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
* Prince William | 5 | 5 | 2 | 53 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
* Panther | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Triton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Hyena | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cyclops | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 76 | 30 | 12 | 166 | 39 | 7 | 641 | 436 | 22 |
SHIPS’ NAMES. N. B. Those marked *, arrived with Lord Hood. | JUNE. | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fever. | Flux. | Scurvy. | |||||||
B | H | D | B | H | D | B | H | D | |
Sandwich | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
* Barfleur | 20 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 0 | 0 |
* Gibraltar | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 17 | 0 |
Triumph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
Centaur | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
Torbay | 16 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
Monarch | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 5 | 0 |
Terrible | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
Montagu | § | 0 | 0 | § | 0 | 2 | § | 0 | 0 |
Alfred | 14 | § | § | 10 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
Russel | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
Alcide | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 5 | 0 |
* Invincible | 8 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
Resolution | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 84 | 0 | 2 |
Shrewsbury | 3 | § | § | 4 | § | § | 20 | § | § |
Ajax | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
* Princessa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 40 | 0 | 70 | 154 | 0 |
Intrepid | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § |
* Belliqueux | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
* Prince William | 4 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
* Panther | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Triton | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Hyena | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Cyclops | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § | § |
Total | 101 | 12 | 6 | 149 | 57 | 5 | 480 | 198 | 4 |
N. B. Where the Spaces are marked thus, §, no Return was made.
The whole fleet was tolerably healthy during this month, the season being dry and cool; there was, however, a small increase of sickness at this time, and it was owing to a descent made on St. Vincent’s in December. The soldiers, (of whom there was still a regiment on board of the fleet) the marines, and some of the seamen, had been on shore for one night only; but many of them having lain on the ground, some having been intoxicated, or having eaten to excess of sugar-cane and fruit, caught fevers and fluxes, which increased the proportion of diseases and deaths the following months, as appears by the Table.
I have exhibited, in another Table, a view of the sickness and mortality of this fleet for the five succeeding months. (Table IV.) This account, as well as most of those that are to follow, is confined to three diseases, that may be called the sea epidemics. These are, fever, flux, and scurvy.
The whole fleet met at Barbadoes on the 13th of January, and no service was undertaken
Ten days after this a squadron of seventeen ships of the line was sent to cruise to windward of Martinico, with a view to intercept a French squadron which was then said to be on its passage from Europe. The cruise was there continued for six weeks; after which small divisions of the ships were sent to water and refit, by turns, at St. Lucia, and were relieved by the ships left for the protection of that island.
Soon after this, the whole squadron came to leeward of Martinico; and though the former intelligence had proved false, the greater part of our fleet still kept the sea, in order to block up the enemy in Fort-Royal Bay. This they continued to do till the 29th of April, when a French fleet of twenty-two ships of the line, from Europe,
It was in this season of cruising, and keeping the sea, that the fleet contracted such a degree of scurvy as had never before been known in the West Indies. This disease is not so apt to arise in a hot climate as in a cold one; and the prevalence of it on this occasion was owing to the men having been for a great length of time upon sea victualling; for one part of the fleet had not had a fresh meal from the time of leaving America, that is, for six months; and that part of it which came last from England had been in the same circumstances for seven months; nor had any of them been in a place capable of supplying vegetable refreshments from the time they left Barbadoes in the end of January. But though no fresh meat or vegetables could be procured at St. Lucia or St. Eustatius, yet the scurvy did
The squadron that came from England under Lord Hood, suffered, upon the whole, much less from acute diseases, during the first months of their service in this climate, than the ships that arrived with Lord Rodney, which was probably owing, in part at least, to the former having arrived at the driest and coolest season of the year. The Barfleur, however, had a large proportion of all the three prevailing diseases; and large ships are in general more subject to them than those of a smaller rate. But of all the ships in the fleet, the Alfred had the greatest proportion of the three sea epidemics. The
The most healthy of the new squadron, during this campaign, were the Belliqueux and Panther; the former was a new ship, and came from England with a very irregular and ill-disciplined crew. Soon after arriving in the climate, she was threatened with a dysentery, which, though it spread a good deal, did not prove severe nor mortal; but being left at St. Eustatius on this account, while the rest of the fleet was cruising, she soon became very healthy, and remained so. This is the second instance we have had occasion to remark of a new ship being healthy.
The Panther preserved her health by being on small separate cruises, and frequently in port, not being attached to the main squadron. The Sandwich was the only other ship not engaged in the long cruise.
Of the ships lately from England, that were employed in this cruise, the Gibraltar seems to have been the least sickly. This ship left England healthy; but having received a draft of dirty men when upon the eve of sailing, a fever of the infectious kind broke out on the passage, so that she arrived in the West Indies in a sickly state. This fever disappeared very soon after; and it is proved by this, as well as other facts, that a warm climate, so far from tending to generate, or even to foster the infection of fever, tends rather to extinguish it. The Gibraltar had been put under excellent discipline by her former commander, while in the Channel service; and this being afterwards kept up, the men were always clean and regular. This was the Spanish Admiral’s ship, taken by the fleet under the
The Invincible was also uncommonly healthy during this cruise, which may likewise be ascribed to good discipline, and to her having been more than three years in commission before sailing from England, whereby the men were brought into order, and accustomed to each other and to a sea life. This ship was almost singular in having no acute diseases for several months after arriving from Europe; but at length paid the tribute to the climate in May and June, as may be seen in the Table.
From the account of the three frigates at the bottom of the list in the Table, it appears how much more healthy they are than ships of the line. The total complements
There seem to be several causes for the superior degree of health usually enjoyed by this smaller class of ships. There is less chance of mixtures of men in frigates, as their complement is smaller, and it is more easy for the captain and officers to keep an eye over a few men than a great number; for, in a great ship, there are generally men, who, concealing themselves in the most retired parts, no one takes cognizance of them, and they destroy themselves, and infect others, by their laziness and filth. In the next place, there is a greater proportion of volunteers and real seamen in frigates, and more landmen and pressed men in ships of the line, the former being more in request, on account of the greater chance of prize money. Lastly, a small ship is more easily ventilated, and the mass of foul
Many other and more minute remarks might be made on different ships in this season of hard service; but to do this would be tedious, and the inspection of the Tables may suggest observations to the reader. There is a striking and instructive fact, however, with regard to two ships, which I cannot help relating. The Alcide and Invincible, both of seventy-four guns, in working to windward, after the action with the French fleet, on the 29th of April, anchored at Montserrat on the 11th of May, in order to water. They remained there only part of two days, and they procured no refreshment, except a few bushels of limes. The scurvy then prevailed to a great degree in both ships; but between this time and the 23d of May, when they came to an anchor at Barbadoes, sixty men, who had been confined with this disease, were discharged, as fit for duty, from the sick list of
The fleet was supplied with essence of malt during all this campaign; and though it was, no doubt, of service, it was far from having that powerful and manifest effect that the acid fruits had, and certainly did by no means prevent the scurvy in all cases. I have strong testimonies, however, of its beneficial effects from the surgeons of several of the ships, particularly of the Gibraltar, Centaur, Torbay, and Alcide, in all of which it was found either to cure the scurvy in its first beginning, to retard its progress, or to
I had conceived that melasses, being a vegetable sweet, must have been a very powerful antiscorbutic; but the greatest part of the last reinforcement of seven ships came from England furnished with this as an article of victualling, as a substitute for a certain proportion of oatmeal, which was withheld agreeably to a late very judicious order of the Admiralty. But though I am persuaded that this article of diet mitigated the disease, it was very far from preventing it; and the Princessa in particular, which suffered most from the scurvy, was well supplied with it.
There is reason to think that it is not in the vegetable sweet alone that the antiscorbutic principle resides, but in this in conjunction with the natural mucilage, such as exists in the malt. I suspect likewise that the change which the essence undergoes in its preparation tends also to rob it of some of its original virtue. But the melasses are
When the fleet arrived at Barbadoes on the 23d of May, it was found that the number of sick on board amounted to sixteen hundred, and that there was not accommodation for more than two hundred at the hospital. As
It was remarked, that the men recovered faster on board than on shore; and it would appear that land air, merely as such, has no share in the cure of the scurvy, and that the benefit arises from the concomitant diet, cleanliness, and recreation. The expedient of curing men on board of their ships was here suggested by necessity; but it succeeded so well, that it was adopted afterwards in preference to an hospital, which is indeed a
The fleet left Barbadoes on the 10th and 12th of July, and continued healthy till the greater part of it sailed for North America in the beginning of August.