on the Crew of His Majesty's Ship Triumph. 43 



board the Triumph, where the boxes containing it were prin- 

 cipally stowed in the bread-room. 



The mercury, it appears, was first confined, in bladders, 

 the bladders in small barrels, and the barrels in boxes. The 

 heat of the weather was at this time considerable, and the 

 bladders, having been wetted in the removal from the wreck, 

 soon rotted, and the mercury, to the amount of several tons, 

 was speedily diffused through the ship, mixing with the bread, 

 and more or less with the other provisions. The effect of this 

 accident was soon seen, by a great number of the ship's crew, 

 as well as several of the officers, being severely affected with 

 ptyalism, the surgeon and purser being amongst the first and 

 most severelly affected, by the mercury's flowing constantly into 

 their cabins from the bread-room ; their cabins being, as is 

 usual, on the orlop deck, separated from this store by partitions 

 of wood. In the space of three weeks from the mercury's 

 being received on board, two hundred men were afflicted with 

 ptyalism, ulcerations of the mouth, partial paralysis in many 

 instances, and bowel complaints. These men were removed 

 into transports, where those more slightly affected soon got 

 well; but fresh cases occurring daily, Rear- Admiral Pick- 

 more, then in command of the squadron, ordered an inspec- 

 tion to be made by the surgeons thereof, and, in consequence 

 of their report, sent the Triumph to Gibraltar to remove the 

 provisions, and purify the ship by ablution, the affected men 

 being sent to the Naval Hospital; which order was strictly 

 attended to ; the provisions, stores, and likewise the shingle 

 ballast, being removed on shore. 



Notwithstanding the removal of the provisions, &c, and 

 afterwards frequent ablution, on restowing the hold, every 

 man so employed, as well as those in the steward's room, 

 were attacked with ptyalism ; and during the ship's passage, 

 and on her return to Cadiz, the fresh attacks were daily and 

 numerous till the 13th of June, when the Triumph sailed for 

 England. 



After their departure from Cadiz they experienced fresh 

 breezes from the N.E. ; and the men being kept constantly 

 on deck, the ship aired night and day by windsails, the lower- 

 deck ports allowed to remain open at all times, when it could 

 be done witli safety, allowing no one to sleep on the orlop 

 deck, and none affected with ptyalism on the lower deck, a 

 very sensible decrease in the number daily attacked soon be- 

 came apparent; but, nevertheless, many of those already af- 

 fected became worse, and they were under the necessity of 

 removing twenty seamen and the same number of marines, 

 with two Serjeants and two corporals, to a sloop of war and 

 F 2 the 



