APR. 1769 SCURVY AND LEMON JUICE 7 , 



days, will have pressed the cabbage into a much smaller 

 compass. After this, fill up the cask with more cabbage, as 

 before directed, and head it up. 



KB. The cabbage should be gathered in dry weather, 

 some time after sunrise, so that the dew may not be upon it. 

 Halves of cabbages are better for keeping than single leaves. 



10th. Weather very hazy and thick: about nine it cleared 

 up a little, and showed us Osnaburg Island, discovered by 

 the Dolphin in her last voyage. About one o'clock land 

 was seen ahead in the direction of George's Land ; it was, 

 however, so faint that very few could see it. 



llth. Up at five this morning to examine a shark 

 caught yesterday evening: it proves to be a blue shark 

 (Squalus glaucus). To-day we caught two more, which were 

 the common gray shark (Squalus carcharias), on one of 

 which were some sucking-fish (Ucheneis remora). The sea- 

 men tell us that the blue shark is the worst of all to eat ; 

 indeed, its smell is abominably strong, so as we have two of 

 the better sort it was hove overboard. 



As I am now on the brink of going ashore after a long 

 passage, thank God, in as good health as man can be, I shall 

 fill a little paper in describing the means which I have taken 

 to prevent the scurvy in particular. 



The ship was supplied by the Admiralty with sour-crout, 

 of which I eat constantly, till our salted cabbage was opened, 

 which I preferred : as a pleasant substitute, wort was served 

 out almost constantly, and of this I drank a pint or more 

 every evening, but all this did not check the distemper so 

 entirely as to prevent my feeling some small effect of it. 

 About a fortnight ago my gums swelled, and some small 

 pimples rose on the inside of my mouth, which threatened 

 to become ulcers ; I then flew to the lemon juice, which had 

 been put up for me according to Dr. Hulme's method, 

 described in his book, and in his letter, which is inserted 

 here. 1 Every kind of liquor which I used was made sour 



1 To J. BANKS, Esq., Burlington Street. Sir The vessels containing the 

 orange and lemon juice, sent by Dr. Fothergill, were to be marked, that 

 you might know their contents ; but lest in the hurry of sending them that 



