57 



tinned to excefs, they exhauft the excitability 

 — over-run ever delighting excitement, and 

 plunge the body into indirect debility, indu- 

 cing a ftate of body, precifely fimilar to that of 

 Creole inactivity— a ftate from which there is 

 no efcape, but through the medium of new or 

 ftill more powerful ftimuli." Yet, the re- 

 newed vigour — the reftored excitement, ac- 

 quired by a return to the fedative north, would 

 feem an everlaftirig obftacle to the theory as 

 ftated by its great projector — the languor of 

 climate, or indirect debility, being removed 

 by a directly debilitating power — the abftrac- 

 tion of heat. 



But I am ftraying from our path. Let 

 me, therefore, retrace my fteps, and tell you 

 the effect of climate upon a cold Hollander of 

 our crew. 



I have already made known to you that 

 neither my comrade Cleghom, nor myfelf, 

 yet feel any fenfe of tropical indolence, but 

 continue our habits of exercife in all our rude 

 European flrength. We have, for fome days 

 paft, been clofely watching one of our failors 

 —a Dutchman. He is recently from Hoi- 



