96 A VOYAGE TO Book IÍ. 



the forefls of the mountains, and which are never 

 louder than when a man of war fires the morning and 

 evening gun, though they are fo much ufed to it. 



This continual inclemency, added to the fatigue of 

 the feamen in unloading the fhips, carrying the goods 

 on ihore in barges, and afterwards drawing them along 

 on fledges, caufes a very profufe tranfpiration, and 

 confequently renders them weak and faint; and 

 they, in order to recruit their fpirits, have recourfe to 

 brandy, of which there is, on tliefe occañons, an in- 

 credible confumption. The exceffive labour, immo- 

 derate drinking, and the inclemency and unhealthful- 

 nefsofthe climate, muil jointly deñroy the beft con- 

 ñitutions, and produce thofe deleterious difeafes fo 

 common in this country. They may well be termed 

 deleterious ; for the fymp<toms of all are fatal, the pa- 

 tients being too much attenuated to make any efFedtual 

 refiflance; and hence epidemics and mortal diilempers 

 are to very common. 



It is not the feamen alone who are fubjeéi to theie 

 difeafes ; others, ftrangers to the feas, and not con- 

 cerned in the fatigues, are attacked by them ; and, 

 confequently, is a fiifficient demonflratlon that the . 

 other two are only collateral, though they tend both to 

 fpread and inflame the diOcmper; it being evident, 

 that when the fluids are difpofed to receive the feeds 

 of the diftemper, its progrefs is more rapid, and its 

 attacks more violent. On fome occaflons, phyficians 

 have been fent for from Carthagena, as being fuppofed 

 to be better acquainted with the propereft methods of 

 curing the diitempers of this country, and confe- 

 quently more able to recover the feamen ; but ex:pe> 

 rience has fhewn, that this intention has been fo, 

 little anfvvered, that the galleons or other European, 

 lliips, which flay any time her^, feldom depart, 

 whhout burying half, or, at leafl, a third of their 

 men ; and hence this city has, v^ith too much rcalbn, 

 been termed the grave of the Spaniards j but it may, 



Vs'ith' 



