150 ADELAIDE SENT FOH 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 J«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 Chiloe. 



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- 



