CHAP. XXX.
The Ships weigh Anchor, and put to Sea—Review of the Troops—Account of the Voyage—The Arrival in the Texel—Description of the Pampus near Amsterdam—Final Debarkation in the Town of Bois-le-Duc—The Death of Colonel Fourgeoud—End of the Expedition—Short History of the late Scotch Brigade—Conclusion.
Every thing being at last perfectly adjusted for our departure, both vessels, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel des Borgnes, weighed anchor on the morning of the 1st of April, 1777, when, with a fresh breeze at E. we put to sea, and kept course N. and N. W.—Motionless and speechless, I hung over the ship’s stern till the land quite disappeared. After some days, however, by considerable exertions, I got the better of my melancholy, though not of my affection, and my mind became once more composed and calm. What chiefly contributed to the restoring of my peace, was the comfortable reflection, that if I had in some measure injured myself, I had at least done good to a few others, by relieving three[1] innocent and deserving young people from a state of bondage. Yet, for this action, I was assuredly most amply [[382]]rewarded by the preservation of my life, principally owing to their unremitting care and attention, while such numbers fell all around me, and more were ruined in their constitution, the victims of the climate and the service, some having lost the use of their limbs, and some of their memory; nay, one or two were entirely deprived of their mental faculties, and continued in a state of incurable insanity for ever.
In short, out of the number of near twelve hundred able-bodied men, not one hundred returned to their friends and their country: and perhaps not twenty amongst these were to be found in perfect health. Among the dead were (including the surgeons) between twenty and thirty officers; three of which number were colonels, and one a major. So very destructive was the service to Europeans in such a climate; and such ever must be the result of the most successful operations in the unwholesome atmosphere of woods and marshes.
One or two remarks I must make before I conclude this subject, which are:—First, that among the officers and private men who had formerly been in the West Indies, none died, while among the whole number of above one thousand privates, I can only recollect one single marine who escaped from sickness; and next, that of the few belonging to the corps that were now on their voyage for the Texel (those gentlemen alone excepted, who at this time belonged to the staff) I myself was the only officer who had sailed out with the regiment in 1772. This last was a [[383]]pleasing reflection indeed, and which could not but render me sincerely thankful to Providence.
About the 14th of April, having passed the Tropicks, and changed course to N. N. E. and N. E. we were becalmed for some days. I ought not to omit that when in about 15 degrees N. latitude, we sailed through what is vulgarly called the Grass Sea, from its being covered over with a floating kind of green and yellow weed, called gulph weeds; some of which, when dried in the sun, and spread between two sheets of paper, are very curious, resembling trees, flowers, shrubs, &c. and in which are harboured small crustaceous fish, scollops, muscles, and shells of many thousand different species. Among the last is often found that wonderful sea reptile, called the hippocampus, or sea-horse, which I could compare to nothing better than the chevalier of a chess-board; though it is generally larger, and sometimes eight or nine inches in length. The body is composed of cartilaginous rings: the head, snout, and mane are incrusted all over; and the tail, which is curvated upwards in the figure of an S, terminates in a point.
On the 19th, the calm still continuing, we were daily entertained by swarms of flying fish, and several doradoes and grampusses swimming and tumbling before and after the ships, as if delighting to keep us company. The grampus is a fish of the cetaceous kind, something resembling the dolphin, but much larger, and approaching the whale in size, some being near twenty feet in length, and prodigiously fat. This fish has forty strong teeth; is of [[384]]a dark brown colour, and spouts water with considerable force. We also saw at some distance from the vessels several times above the water a large north-caper. This fish, which very much resembles the Greenland whale, is more dangerous, on account of its being more active, which proceeds from the body being smaller and flatter than that of the former. The jaw is shorter, with very small barbs: the skin is whiter, and the produce of its blubber amounts seldom to more than thirty tons.
About the 22d, the weather began to change considerably, and the whole ship’s company were attacked with a severe cold and cough, and many also with the ague.
On the 30th, the crew was so weak as to be hardly able to do their duty; two of them indeed, and one marine, were already dead and overboard. Colonel de Borgnes was also at this time so much indisposed, that the command devolved upon me for a few days during his illness, when observing the other ship ahead, and almost out of sight, I availed myself of my commodoreship, by hoisting a flag at the main-top, and firing a gun to windward to bring her to, which she punctually obeyed.
