200 ANNUAL REGISTER, 18i6. 



Extract of a Letter from Mr. 

 Mackerrow, Surgeoji of the Congo. 

 — " Of the eighteen who died in 

 the river, fourteen had been on 

 shore, marching for some time, 

 and were far advanced before 

 reaching the ship. 



" Professor Smith, who saw 

 many of them when taken ill, 

 gave to some a dose of calomel, 

 but to others nothing had been 

 administered. 



" The fever appeared in some 

 degree contagious, as all the at- 

 tendants upon the sick were at- 

 tacked, and before we left the 

 river it pervaded nearly the whole 

 crew, also some of the transports : 

 but as for myself, although con- 

 stantly among them, I did not 

 feel the slightest indisposition un- 

 til we left the coast, when I was 

 attacked ; however, I considered 

 mental anxiety and disturbed rest 

 as the sole causes. 



" Captain Tuckey had been 

 afflicted many years with chronic 

 hepatitis ; and on returning from 

 travelling, five weeks on shore, he 

 was so excessively reduced, that 

 all attempts to restore the energy 

 of his system proved ineffectual. 



" Mr. Tudoi' was in the last 

 stage of fever before I saw him, 

 as were Messrs. Cranch and Gal- 

 wey. 



" Professor Smith died in two 

 days after he came under my care, 

 during which time he refused 

 every thing, whether as nutri- 

 ment or medicine. 



" Lieut. Hawkey was taken ill 

 after leaving the river, and died 

 on the fourth dav ; his case was 

 rather singular ; symptoms were 

 irritability of stomach, with ex- 

 treme languor and debility, but 

 he had neither pain nor fever. 



" Mr. Eyre had a violent fevei"^ 



and on the third day breathed his 

 last : before death a yellow suffu- 

 sion had taken place, with vomit- 

 ing of matter like coffee ground." 

 By official documents received 

 from Ceylon, it appears that the 

 planters of that island, Dutch and 

 others, have adopted, at the sug- 

 gestion of the Chief Justice, Sir 

 Alex. Johnston, some judicious 

 regulations for the gradual abo- 

 lition of slavery. All children 

 born of slaves after the 12th of 

 August last are to be considered 

 free, but to remain in their mas- 

 ter's house, and serve him for 

 their board, lo<lging, and clothing, 

 the males till the age of 14, and 

 the females till that of 12, after 

 which they are to be wholly eman- 

 cipated. 



Dunng the greatest part of this 

 month, the magistracy and police 

 of the metropolis were pi incipally 

 occupied with examinations re- 

 specting the persons concerned 

 in the late riots, several of whom 

 were committed to custody. The 

 public interest was particularly 

 drawn to those persons who had 

 harangued the populace from the 

 waggon, of whom the elder Wat- 

 son was apprehended at Highgate 

 after attempting to stab with a 

 dirk the men who took him. His 

 son absconded ; and the papers 

 were long filled with reports from 

 every quarter of the island, and 

 even from the continent, of his 

 supposed discovery, and with ac- 

 counts of the examination of per- 

 sons brought up on a mistaken 

 supposition of their being the ob- 

 ject sought for. The uncommon 

 anxiety for his apprehension was 

 occasioned by the strong suspicion 

 of his being the assassin of Mr. 

 Piatt. No tidings weie obtained 

 of him to the close of the vear. 



BIRTHS. 



