Voyage to the Western Coast of Africa. 217 



tion on the spot, to those who may have occasion to serve upon 

 that station, and may not be uninteresting generally, on account 

 of the colony at Fernando Po and other parts of the Western 

 Coast of Africa. I remain, &c. 



To Professsor Jameson, ) 

 College, Edmbargh. ) 



On the 2d September 1799, His Majesty's frigate 



was ordered to proceed to the coast of Africa from England, 

 with a store-ship and convoy bound to Cape Coast Castle. We 

 had previously been supplied with provisions for six months, 

 and I now received instructions to take on board as much more 

 as we could conveniently stow. The store-ship not having yet 

 arrived at Spithead, I took this opportunity of obtaining va- 

 rious other supplies, which I conceived might be useful to the 

 health and comforts of my crew in the unhealthy chmate to 

 which we were ordered. Besides two months more of the ordi- 

 nary provisions, I also procured from the agent-victualler 24 lb. 

 of bark, and a due proportion of sugar and lime-juice. About 

 the end of September, and some little time before we sailed, I 

 happened to observe a number of maggots crawling out of the 

 chinks of the wood in my cabin. I at first attributed their ap- 

 pearance to dead rats, which were very numerous in the ship, and 

 which means had been employed shortly before to destroy ; but 

 I now found that they proceeded from the two months addi- 

 tional supply of bread which had been last sent on board. I 

 immediately applied for a survey : it was found to be totally un- 

 serviceable, and I returned the whole to the agent- victualler. 

 He at first refused to receive it, but on requesting Admiral 

 Milbank, who then commanded at Portsmouth, to report his 

 conduct to the Admiralty, in two days after the unwholesome 

 bread was removed, and a supply sent back of a better descrip- 

 tion. As there was no accommodation in the store-rooms, we 

 were obliged to put this additional quantity of bread between 

 decks, a circumstance which was so far fortunate, that our largest 

 supply was thus saved from the vermin brought with the bread 

 which we sent back. 



JULY — SliVTEMBEU 1830. P 



