insinuated a wish to have advice on that subject, but no such thing could be thought of; for, were we to put back to Jamaica, it would look timid, or, in plain terms, be called cowardly. To put in at St. Domingo or Cuba, (which latter was on our larboard side as we passed the other,) we could not expect to recover from the unfortunate state we were in, for no accommodation or comfort would be afforded us, and we could get nobody to come near us, and much less get any one to supply the place of any of those we had lost. The last islands we passed are commonly called the Turtle islands, and are thinly inhabited by turtle fishers only, so that there was no alternative, but to proceed, and trust to Providence.

To supply the place of the medical gentlemen, now, became one of the most serious considerations: it is observed, that bleeding has, before this, been tried with apparent success, and lieutenant Douglass of the 85th, who understood nothing more of the profession than how to use the lancet, found himself under the necessity of undertaking the treatment of the sick. The place allotted for them was now full, and others thought it dangerous to go near them; but it did not appear, in the least, that those who were inseparably connected with the sick were more subject to the disease than those who took every precaution possible to keep away from them. Notwithstanding the fate of the surgeon and his mate, there are a great many more instances in favour of this argument than against it, which for the sake of brevity we pass over.

VOL. XLIV.

Tuesday, 26th, latitude 28° 13'. Died four men. Thirteen men having the most unfavourable symptoms of the fever were bled this and the preceding day.

Wednesday, latitude 39° 9'. Died five men. It evidently appeared that the men were, till now, prejudiced against bleeding; but seeing that all who had been bled, except two, (who had concealed their illness until the disease was too far confirmed to give way to the remedy,) commenced their recovery from the first moment of the operation, they resigned themselves with a degree of confidence to it. Lieutenant Douglass observed some shyness in the sailors and marines; when any of them was taken ill, one of the 85th, or sergeant of marines, would come to report it, and ask if Mr. Douglass could be expected to take the trouble of bleeding him. But he took the earliest opportunity of removing their foolish ideas, and gave particular orders to the petty and noncommissioned officers, that the moment a man was seized with any of the leading symptoms of fever, he should be informed of it, and, that at any hour, whether in bed, at dinner or at breakfast, no consideration would induce him to delay his affording any assistance to a sick person, and that it was absolutely necessary to inform him on the first appearance of the disease. This had the desired effect, for no shyness appeared afterwards, and there was hardly a night, until the fever began to disappear, but Mr. Douglass was called up three or four times; and to the inexpres sible happiness of every one his attention was well rewarded with 3 G

the

the recovery of all (the two before mentioned, and one other; excepted), who came under his bands. It appeared evident, that if the patient had not been bled on, or very near, the first appearance of the leading symptoms of the fever, there could be but very little hopes of his recovery, and such was the ill consequence of trusting to the mode of curing by calomel, that out of seventy-nine whose fate had been entrusted to it, four only recovered. No fewer than sixtyfive had been bled by Mr. Douglass, and so powerful was the good effects of it, that the greatest part of them would be found, the next or second day after they had undergone the operation, attending the work of the ship. They hardly felt any inconvenience from the incision after the second day at furthest. The faculty recommend large incisions on the few occasions they agree to bleeding on, but Mr. Douglass, from want of practice in that way, has been more timid, and was always careful to cut only sufficiently large to bleed freely, and if the first did not give relief, to repeat it by drawing the same quantity in some instances, three times were found necessary. The quantity drawn at a time from a strong able man was half a pint.

Thursday, died six men. Since we had lost the use of the master, how to supply his place in navigating the ship was a matter of very serious consideration. All were equally exposed to the fatal foe, and Mr. Hutton, seeing all his - companions, with whom he had been a long time, and in many a perilous situation, taken away in so short a time, appeared to have an

idea that he must very soon follow: and he often said he had no wish to live after them. Lieutenant Douglass, for some days before this, applied the most of the time he could spare from the sick to the study of the practical parts of navigation, in which he soon made a tolerable good progress; and keeping Mr. Hutton's mind a good deal engaged in explaining the most difficult parts, was of itself very useful: this way we passed the time until affairs began to take a turn. There were two other gentlemen, passengers on board (lieutenant Franchisin, of the 60th, and ensign Richard Longfield, of the 85th regiment); and thus, forming a small society of four, endea voured at all times, when it was possible, to drive away all melancholy thoughts, and speak of the happy days we were yet to see in old England.

Friday, 29th, latitude 31° 30'. Died the surgeon, the boatswain, and three men. Mr. Taylor now began to get better.

Saturday, died the surgeon's mate, Mr. Varley, one of the three women on board, and three men.

Sunday, latitude 33° 6. Did four men. The sick by this time were getting few by deaths, and some were still in a desperate state.

Monday, 1st of November, died three men. Hard gale all day and night with rain and lightning, going our course at the rate of nine to ten knots an hour. The rage of the disease now began to abate. The hard gale, which continued for nine days, though against us, except the first day, must have greatly eradicated the disease, for

How every day lessened the complaints.

Tuesday, died two men. Latitude 37° 55'. Wind squally and changed against us.

Wednesday, died one man. Mr. Taylor was now able to come out of his cabin supported by two men; his recovery was slow; but he at tended his duty from this time.

Thursday, strong gales continued with rain. Died Mr. Steven, master's mate, a fine lad of about thirteen years old, son to the deceased captain; he was taken ill on the last Sunday, but concealed it until the next day, when he was bled twice: he was thought to be better that night, but the next morning he was so ill that bleeding a third time was thought necessary, but to no effect.

Friday, strong gales and rain. No death this day, for the first since the 16th of October; and only three men died after this, who had lingered a long time under something of the bad effects of the fever. We had a continuance of the same unpleasant stormy weather until Thursday, November 11. Latitude 42° 16'.

Friday 12, moderate and fair. Made soundings in ninety-five fa

thom water.

Saturday, at nine, saw the land. South coast of Nova Scotia. Sounded in fifty fathoms. The men of the 85th were now suffering severely from the cold; they had no kind of bedding, but slept in a bare hammock, nothing of the kind being allowed them on embarking from Jamaica, notwithstanding that application had been made, and the captain having represented the likely ill consequence of men changing at that

time of the year from the West Indies to the neighbourhood of Newfoundland; but they were most hu manely treated by general Bowyer, upon our arrival in Halifax, where they were immediately supplied with a sufficient quantity of bedclothing, and money to buy them other warm articles. We hardly lost sight, of land after this, and got into Halifax harbour on Wednesday the 17th, when we met with so generous a reception as to make us forget our late distresses. We were put under quarantine to the 30th of this month, but were supplied with every article that would make us comfortable, from the shore; and the admiral, sir A. Mitchell, who, was there, as well as the general, regretted the necessity of keeping us so long confined from any other society.

The necessary officers were now appointed to the ship by the admiral; a surgeon was the most necessary one in our present situation; though there were very few seized with any thing like the yellow fever, we had several sick, and we got a gentleman on Friday, that is, the second day after we came into the harbour, well deserving the charge.

After we got out of quarantine the sick were put into the navy hospital, which is an uncommon comfortable one, and where they all recovered before we sailed. We got several articles put in, particularly spars for Portsmouth dockyard, and left Halifax under the command of captain Joseph Spear, on Sunday the 16th of January. Nothing particular occurred on this passage. We arrived at Spithead on Sunday the 13th of February, where we performed a quarantine of four days.

3 G 2

The

The Pratique master, according to his orders, got all the wearable articles belonging to the deceased officers, and took them to some distance from the anchoring places, where they were sunk *.

Letter from Edmund Burke to Col. Vallaney (never published).

I

WAS obliged to make amends for the loss of your conversation by your book, for which I give you my best thanks: it is indeed a work of uncommon sagacity and crudition, and as entertaining as it is instructive. I often thought I was reading Warburton.

Your industry in collecting such a body of matter does you great credit: by the relations you have discover d, and the new coinbinations you have made; and what you have brought from the remotest quarters to bear naturally on the subject, a true distinctive character of genius appears in the work. This is as much as I am qualified to say. Whether your system is fully established is beyond my decision. I know that for the first time you have interwoven and connected, in a manner not easy to be hereafter separated, the Irish Antiquities," with those of polite and learned nations, which are not a whit less uncertain than those of

their new ally. By showing their conformity and connection, you, perhaps, give some better authority to both, than either were before possessed of. Your system of solving many difficulties by the dis- . position of colonies, to apply the events and personages of the ancient country to their new settlement, is very ingenious; and, when supported by strong analogies of fact, very probable. However, we must not forget that in this system we set out by admitting one of the fundamental parts of the story to be enfeebled by the fabulous and the forged, so far as it is said in the local particulars. We are in this system obliged to establish the credit of our witness by falsifying the circumstances of his testimony; and to prove that the things are true in some respect, though the relaters mean to deceive in others! This may leave some doubt even in a mind like mine, which, in all matters of interesting research, does certainly not like to be disappointed. But whether we readers can even assure ourselves perfectly that we shall ever arrive at the end of our journey, we have all the reason to be pleased with the guide and the companion. Will you have the goodness to pardon me for reminding you of what I once before took the liberty to mention; my earnest wish that some of the

ancient

ancient Irish historical monuments should be published as they stand, with a translation in Latin or English. Until something of this kind be done, criticism can have no secure anchorage. How shall we be enabled to judge of histories or historical discussion on English affairs, when references are had to Bede, to the Saxon Chronicle, to Ingulphus, and the rest, whilst those authors lurked in libraries, or, what is worse, lay in the hands of individuals? If nothing else could be done, I should wish to see complete, that remaining morsel of the Brehon laws in sir John Sebright's M.S.

You have published enough as a specimen, to excite curiosity, and the world has given credit to your labours, and are petitioners for the whole to the bounty which has given us a part.

There is no doubt of a subscription sufficient to defray the expense. I assure you, when I

borrowed those books upwards of twenty years ago, I had first leave to transmit them to Ireland. I did it with a hope and view that something of the kind which I recommended should be done, if any person of ability should be found to do it. That ability has been found. But if any accident should happen to you and to Mr. O'Connor, what security have we that any other like you should start up?

You will have the condescension to give me the pardon I once more request for the liberty I take in proposing trouble to you, which nothing but the high honour and esteem I have for you could induce me to, as well as the desire I have, that I and the rest of the world should be under fresh obligations to your ability and public spirit, which has done so much for making the new and old Ireland better known to its inhabitants.

I am, dear sir, &c.