150 ADELAIDE SENT FOR MEAT. July 1828. 
ease, although every precaution had been used, and subsequent 
attention paid to their diet, are not easy to account for: fresh 
provisions, bread baked on board, pickles, cranberries, large 
quantities of wild celery, preserved meats and soups, had been 
abundantly supplied ; the decks were kept well-aired, dry, and 
warm, but all to no purpose; these precautions, perhaps, 
checked the disease for a time; but did not prevent it, as had 
been fully expected. 
The Adelaide sailed on the 16th of July, with every pros- 
pect of fine weather. The same evening, an American sealing 
schooner anchored near us, on her way to Staten Land. She 
had entered the Straits by Cutler and Smyth Channels, and 
in forty-eight hours arrived at Port Famine. After obtaining 
some trifling assistance from our forge, she sailed. 
On the 25th, three new cases of scurvy appeared, one being 
the assistant-surgeon, which increased our sick-list to fourteen. 
Feeling the necessity of doing something, I ordered the hands to 
be turned up, ‘ Prepare ship for sea !” No sooner had the words 
escaped the boatswain’s lips, than all was life, energy, and 
delight. The preliminary preparations were made, and every 
one looked forward with pleasure to the change, except myself. 
I had hoped to pass the twelve months at Port Famine, with 
the intention of completing a meteorological journal, for which 
this place afforded peculiar advantages. My plan was, on the 
Beagle’s return, to despatch her and the schooner along the 
West Coast, and join them in the Adventure at Childe. 
As our departure was now supposed to depend on the Beagle’s 
arrival, every eye was. on the stretch to watch for her, and 
every morning some one of our party ascended the heights, to 
look out. On the 27th she was seen, beating up from the south- 
ward ; but as the wind was contrary, she did not anchor in the 
bay until the evening. Her return was greeted with three most 
hearty cheers; but on passing under our stern, Lieutenant 
Skyring informed me that Captain Stokes was confined to his 
cabin by illness, and could not wait on me. I therefore went to 
the Beagle, and found Captain Stokes looking very ill, and in 
low spirits. He expressed himself much distressed by the hard- 
