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camps, fleets, and mercantile fliips, where fewer 

 accommodations, and lefs attention to cleanlinefs, 

 may be naturally expefted, Exclufive of this, 

 copper veflels at fca are peculiarly liable to contract 

 verdigris, from the marine acid with which the air 

 is impregnated, to fay nothing of the additional 

 caufes derived from the nature of the provifions, 

 fuch as fat pork, and other faked meats, which are 



daily boiled in them. " I have myfelf known 



(fays Mr. Travis) even a fmall (hip*s boiler, through 

 negled of cleaning, become one-eighth of an inch 

 thick of verdigris, which would fometimes feparatc 

 in large flakes, and mix with the food; when it was 

 no uncommon thing to have the whole crew fcized 

 with violent vomiting, &c. But the dofe not being 

 repeated long enough, they in general efcaped the 

 dreadful eflTedls which attend the ufe of coppers in 

 large men of war, where the fridion is fo great, 

 cfpecially in a rolling fea) that their coppers, 

 though built as ftrong as pofllble, arc obliged to be 

 new fet almoft after every cruife." 



To this metallick poifon, chiefly, he endeavours 

 to trace that dreadful fcourge the Sea Scurvy. For, 

 adds he, " the number of Ihips we fend from Scar- 

 borough is about 200 fail, and the feamen about 

 3000. On board of thefe, iron pots are in general 

 ufe, and we have no inftance of any one having the 



fymptoms 



