1854.] HEALTH OF CREWS. 147 



Mr. de Bray leaves with the goodwill and good wishes 

 of all, officers and men ; he has done his service much 

 credit, which I shall take an opportunity of stating, in 

 justice to him, in a separate letter. 



" The health of the crews during the winter has been 

 better than I could have anticipated ; the good effect of 

 the spring feeding manifest. The very superior quality 

 of our provisions, of every sort, with the many comforts 

 supplied us, assisted materially in keeping the men in 

 the same condition nearly as when we commenced the 

 winter. We continued to serve out weekly musk-ox 

 beef until Christmas Day to the whole crew, retaining 

 sufficient for the sick and those the Surgeon considered 

 it necessary to place on the diet list. These men, except 

 at the Surgeon's express wish, have not had a bit of salt 

 the whole winter; nevertheless, I am sorry to say, we 

 have had some losses. 



" Mr. Sainsbury, Mate of ' Investigator/ died on the 

 14th of November, of confirmed disease of the lungs ; he, 

 poor fellow, was brought over to me on a sledge. This 

 is the only ' Investigator' I have lost. 



" Samuel Hood, R.M. (' Intrepid'), died 2nd of Janu- 

 ary, 1854 ; James Wilkie, seaman (' Intrepid'), died 2nd 

 of February, 1854. These two men's deaths, no doubt, 

 have been hastened by the severity of the climate and the 

 trying nature of the labour in travelling they had to per- 

 form, acting on already diseased organs and shaken con- 

 stitutions. I have at present two very ill ; one, seaman 

 (' Investigator'), with scrofula, ill these last two years; the 

 other a Marine (of my own), improving. These are the 

 only two that will not be able to pull their pound down 



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