Voyage to the Western Coast of Africa. J827 



duty above a day or two ; the people who were on shore get* 

 ting off the water, and cutting copse for brooms, were none 

 of them taken ill, though much exposed to the heat of the 

 sun. Indeed I always have observed that, in tropical climates, 

 there is far less risk in exposing the people to the heat of the 

 sun, than in sending them away early in the morning, before 

 the damps collected in the night are dissipated. Whenever 

 they had occasion to go ashore before their breakfast, they had 

 always wine and bark given to them. 



On the 23d, John English (S.) was attacked with fever. 

 He died on the 29th. As boatswain's yeoman, he was almost 

 constantly employed in the store-room, and as he exhibited 

 exactly the same symptoms as Connor, I do not think it impro- 

 bable, that this man had also caught the infection from the 

 store-room, or the old canvass above described. 



On the 23d we left Cape Coast, and next day anchored at 

 Accra, where we remained till the 30th, when we sailed for 

 Prince^'s Island to wood and water. During our stay at Accra, 

 we Avere supplied with fresh beef, and the people purchased a 

 considerable quantity of vegetables and fruit in exchange for 

 their bread. The sick list consisted of a few diarrhoeas, but 

 none very ill. Since we arrived at Cape Coast we have had no 

 rain ; there is generally a fine sea-breeze during the day, and 

 land-wind at night. Thermometer from 80* to 83°. Lat. 3° 40'. 

 From the 1st to the 4th February, we were running down to 

 Prince's Island ; on arrival there, we found that the French 

 squadron had been here a month, and only left it on the 30th 

 itltimo, and had plundered the island of all their stock, and 

 made them pay 500 ounces of gold to ransom the town. We 

 immediately set about filling our water and cutting wood, 

 which we completed on the 8th. This island is nearly in a state 

 of nature, and entirely covered with trees. We anchored in a 

 deep l)ay, almost surrounded with high hills, and only about 

 200 yards from the shore on each side. We watered abreast of 

 the ship, at a small rivulet which runs down from the hills. 

 The watering and wooding party were sent away always as soon 

 as they had got their breakfast (eight o'clock), and were brouglit 

 off to their dinner at twelve ; the wooding party took their 

 dinner with them, as they had farther to go ; but tlu'v Mcre al- 



