428 THE ANTARCTIC MANUAL. 
(Copy of Reply.) 
U.S. Schooner Flying- Fish, 
Lat. 66° S., long. 142° E., Feb. 5th, 1840. 
“Sir,—Agreeably to your order of this date, we, the undersigned 
officers, have to express our most thorough conviction that the condition 
of this vessel’s crew, and the vessel, loudly demand an immediate return 
to milder latitudes. 
“The causes of this opinion are these: that the crew of this vessel, 
consisting of fifteen persons (four officers and eleven men), even if well, 
are entirely inadequate to her safe management; but five are now con- 
fined to sick beds (one a servant), one of them is in a very critical state 
of health, and three others dragging out upon duty, complaining, and 
under medical treatment. Out of four nominally performing duty, one 
of them, the cook, is totally unfit to a turn at the helm, and another 
canrot be trusted without the closest watching ; indeed, so deficient in 
force are we, that in the gale of yesterday and the day before, and ona 
previous occasion, when it became extremely necessary to reef the fore- 
sail, the men were so deficient in physical strength as to make it 
impossible to accomplish it. 
“The crew’s apartment is in the most deplorable state, leaking like 
a sieve, all their beds being wet, their clothes on them being s0, even to 
their under-flannels, for one week, and without a dry change on hand, 
and no prospect of having one; so miserable is their situation, that at 
length you have been compelled to allot them the cabin, in common 
with us, for the purpose of cooking, eating and sleeping. 
“Furthermore, Sir, in the gale now abating, we find that nearly 
constant application to the pump is barely sufficient to keep the water 
from flooding the cabin floor, evidently having started a leak. Not- 
withstanding this, the condition of the crew is more imperative, much 
more so in this, our recommendation, for a return to the northward; in 
fact, we would cheerfully continue to the southward if we had a proper 
crew. 
“Lastly, understanding that the crew, through one of their body, 
have waited upon you, and by written application also stated their 
inability to live through these hardships much longer, and begging your 
return. 
We are, respectfully, your obedient servants, 
(Signed) George T. Sinciair, Acting Master. 
WiLiiam May, 
Grorce W. Harrison, Passed Midshipmen. 
“ Lieut-Com. R. F. Pinkney, Commanding 
U.S. Schooner Flying Fish.” 
