116 ' SICKNESS. 



necessitated to drink the water — a cask of beer 

 being continuall}^ on draught on the quarter-deck. 

 No sleeping on deck was allowed, and no staying 

 ashore at night. Even with all these precautions, 

 our second and third mates were very ill — the latter 

 severely so — and also one of the crew, with a debilita- 

 ting fever peculiar to the climate. Several belonging 

 to the James Allen also had reason to remember Balli 

 for a long time after they left it — a distressing dys- 

 entery continuing to affect them for months. At 

 Anglers, in Java, in nearly the same latitude as Balli, 

 scarce an American whaler goes out, after a short 

 stay, without leaving one or more of her crew to 

 repose in death on its lovely shores : and we cannot but 

 feel thankful for the protecting care of Providence, 

 in guarding us from such a misfortune. This is the 

 only objection to these East Indian ports, as I know 

 of none where a crew of young men, if so disposed, 

 can pass a few days more rationally and pleasantly, 

 gleaning at the same time useful information. The 

 climate appears to agree with the natives, as I saw 

 numbers of the most attenuated human beings, who 

 had attained a great age, so reduced that the student 

 might, by procuring one of them, readily studj' anato- 

 my from a living subject. I was at a loss for a long 

 time to divine the occupation of these emaciated crea- 

 tures, but soon found that they were mendicants. They 

 never solicited alms, but seemed to make a good thing 

 of it — the countrymen and women bestowing pice 

 freely amongst them. Although so old and reduced, 

 their vanity still remained, as was shown by their 

 eagerness to purchase our gaudy calico. 



These people profess the religion of Mahomet, and 



