270 CONTRAST BETWEEN THE EXPEDITIONS 



ervation of his health and the improvement of his 

 condition, when his conduct is directed by knowledge 

 and sound principles. 



If we wish for a still more admirable proof of the 

 same practical truth, we have only to compare the 

 condition of our seamen, in maritime expeditions 

 undertaken a century ago, with their lot in the 

 present day, the expedition against Carthagena, 

 or that of Anson, for instance, with those of Cook, 

 Parry, and Ross ; or the health enjoyed by the crew 

 of the Valorous, with that of the seamen in the 

 other vessels lying in the same harbour.* 



Anson set sail from England, on 13th September, 

 1740, in the Centurion, of 60 guns and 400 men, 

 accompanied by the Gloucester, of 50 guns and 300 

 men; the Pearl, of 40 guns and 250 men; the Wager, 

 of 28 guns and 160 men ; the Tryal sloop, of 8 guns 

 and 100 men, and two victuallers, one of 400, and 

 the other of 200 tons. They had a long run to Ma- 

 deira, and thence to the coast of Brazil, where they 

 arrived on the 18th December; but, by this time, 

 the crews were remarkably sickly, so that many 

 died, and great numbers were confined to their ham- 

 mocks. The commodore now ordered "six air- 

 scuttles to be cut in each ship, to admit more air 

 between the decks" and took other measures to cor- 

 rect the " noisome stench on board," and destroy 

 the vermin, which nuisances had become " very 

 loathsome ;" " and, besides being most intolerably of- 

 fensive, they were doubtless, in some sort, productive 

 of the sickness under which we had laboured." 

 Such is the mild language used by the chaplain, Mr. 

 Walter, in communicating these appalling truths ! 

 On anchoring at St. Catharine's, 80 patients were 

 sent on shore from the Centurion alone, of whom 

 28 soon died, and the number of sick increased to 96. 

 Although this was nothing compared to what took 



* Vide, p. 69. 



