OF THE MARSH POISON. 285 



In the Island of Antigua, the same results were confirmed 

 in a very striking manner. The autumn of 1816 became very 

 sickly, and yellow fever broke out in all its low marshy quar- 

 ters, while the milder remittent pervaded the island generally. 

 The British garrison of English Harbour soon felt the influ- 

 ence of that most unwholesome place. They were distributed 

 on a range of fortified hills that surround the dock-yard. The 

 principal of these, Monks Hill, at the bottom of the bay, rises 

 perpendicular above the marshes to the height of 600 feet. 

 The other garrisoned hill, which goes by the name of the 

 Ridge, is about 100 feet lower, but instead of rising perpendi- 

 cularly, it slopes backwards from the swamps of English Har- 

 bour. It was the duty of the white troops, in both these forts, 

 to take the guards and duties of the dock-yard amongst the 

 marshes below, and so pestiferous was their atmosphere, that 

 it often occurred to a well-seasoned soldier mounting the 

 night-guard in perfect health, to be seized with furious deli T 

 rium while standing sentry, and when carried back to his bar- 

 racks on Monks Hill, to expire in all the horrors of the black 

 vomit, within less than 30 hours from the first attack ; but du- 

 ring all this, not a single case of yellow fever, nor fever of any 

 kind, occurred to the inhabitants of Monks Hill ; that is to say, 

 the garrison staff, the superior officers, the women, the drum- 

 mers, &c, all in fact that were not obliged to sleep out of the 

 garrison, or take the duties below, remained in perfect health. 

 The result on the Ridge was not quite the same, but it was 

 equally curious and instructive. The artillery soldiers, (17 in 

 number) never took any of the night guards, but they occupied 

 a barrack about 300 feet above the marshes, not perpendicular 

 above them, like Monks Hill, but a little retired. Not a case 

 of yellow fever or black vomit occurred amongst them, but 

 every man, without a single exception, suffered an attack of 



the 



