The Prudent, when she left us, was extremely healthy, and continued so till a flux broke out in July, which was communicated by some men from a cartel, who were ill of this disease. It spread among the ship’s company, and prevailed for three months. The only deaths during the seven months that this ship was separated from the fleet were, two from flux, and one from scurvy, and only twenty-five were sent to hospitals. This is a proof how much more healthy the windward station is than that of Jamaica. The scurvy arose at one time, in a cruise of five weeks, though there was no appearance of it at another time in a cruise of six weeks. The cause of this seems to be the difference of the weather at the two periods; for it was very wet in the former, and very dry in the latter. The time in which this ship was most exposed to sickness was while she was under repair at Antigua, a situation in which hardly any ship escapes a severe visitation of sickness; yet this ship was not at all affected by it, which seemed to be owing to the uncommon pains taken by the captain to prevent the men from labouring in the sun during the hot part of the day.
The Nonsuch was five months separated from the fleet, during which time ten men died. Nine of these died of fevers, and one of the dysentery. She sailed from Jamaica for Barbadoes about the same time that the fleet sailed for North America, and was nine weeks on the passage. A fever was the prevailing disease, and the men probably inhaled the seeds of it at Jamaica, in common with most of the other ships’ companies that were there. The scurvy, which had formerly prevailed so much, appeared at this time; but it was in a very moderate degree, considering the length of the passage. None died of it, and few were so ill as to require being sent to the hospital. Had this ship gone into a colder climate, like the others, it would probably have prevailed to a greater degree. The whole number sent to the hospitals for various complaints, during the five months, was only thirteen.
The Nymph frigate was the only other ship left in the West Indies which is included in the tables. There happened only two deaths in her from June to October, both months included. One of these was from scurvy, the other from asthma. She was in that time upon two cruises, each of which lasted eight weeks. During the first the weather was dry and fine, and during the other it was wet and sultry, with the same effect upon health as in the Prudent; for in the second cruise the scurvy prevailed to a considerable degree, but not at all during the first. This disease was prevented from becoming violent or fatal, on either occasion, by the great attention of Mr. Anderson, the surgeon. He found great benefit from the essence of malt, when given early in the complaint; and some limes having been taken in a prize, while this disease was at the worst, the scorbutic men were so much recovered by the use of them, that they were all able to return to duty before the ship arrived in port.
DECEMBER.
The whole squadron remained at anchor at Barbadoes, and nothing worth notice occurred till the arrival of a reinforcement of eight ships of the line, under Sir Richard Hughes, on the 8th of December. This squadron had been detached by Lord Howe, after the relief of Gibraltar, and the action with the combined fleets on the 20th of October. It consisted of one ship of 90 guns, one of 80, three of 74, and three of 64. They sailed from England on the 9th of September, and from that time till their arrival at Barbadoes they had not been in port, except for ten days that they were at Madeira, where they were supplied with fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables, by which means the scurvy, which had begun to prevail to a considerable degree, was almost entirely eradicated, and the health of the men was surprisingly restored, for so short a time.
When they joined us, however, there was a good deal of sickness on board of them all, except the Union and Ruby. The former had been more than three years in commission, and in that time had never been sickly, and had now all the advantages of a long-established and well-regulated ship’s company. All the rest had been newly commissioned and manned when they left England. The superior health of the Ruby was owing to her having been manned with the crews of other ships, some of which had just arrived from the West Indies; whereas the others had been manned chiefly by draughts of pressed men from guardships, or by raw volunteers, of whom a great many were raised in Ireland about this time. The Bellona and Berwick having been somewhat longer in commission than the rest, were less sickly.
The following tables will shew the comparative state of health of the squadron formerly on the station with that which had newly arrived from England.
Table, shewing the Prevalence of Sickness and Mortality in the old Squadron, in December.
Transcriber’s Keys:
A Proportion of those taken ill in the Course of the Month.
B Proportion of Deaths, in relation to the Numbers of the Sick.
| DISEASES. | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| ONE IN | ||
| Fevers | 32 | 80 |
| Fluxes | 94 | 99 |
| Scurvy | 62 | 0 |
| Ulcers | 64 | 0 |
| Other Complaints | 57 | 71 |
| General Proportion, | 11½ | 124 |