CLIMATE. 25 



afflicted a seventh time since their settlement — a 

 period of above two centuries — with yellow fever. 



I happened to be employed on board H.M.'s hulk 

 Thames, as acting assistant-surgeon, at the breaking 

 out of the yellow fever at Boaz Island, early in 

 September, 1856. I had charge of all the fever 

 patients at that time on board the Thames ; but not- 

 withstanding the notoriously iinhealthy character of 

 that hulk, I was more fortunate with my patients in 

 1856 than the medical officers were even in that 

 queen of hulks, the Tenedos, in 1853 ; less than half 

 the number of deaths (in the same ratio) occurring 

 in the Thames hulk. I must not omit to give due 

 praise to the officers, and especially to the prisoners 

 who acted as nurses after their own recoveiy from 

 the yellow fever. Yet in spite of every exertion 

 the fever raged fearfully, and after five weeks' hard 

 work became so virulent, that the medical board 

 deemed it prudent to have the Thames cleared out 

 —which being accomplished, the sick prisoners were 

 conveyed to Boaz Island, and placed under the 

 medical charge of Doctors Beck and Warner.* 

 At the same time I was placed in medical charge 

 of the two prison-ships Dromedary and Medway — 

 both containing nearly 1,000 prisoners. I merely 



* Since dead. 



