EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 163 



On the 15th the other officer. Lieutenant Baron CHAP. 

 Owen, came down lick from the Cerberus, and at his ^ Y^^; , 

 requeft I ventured to fend him down to Paramaribo. I 

 now received another letter from Colonel Fourgeoud, 

 with a little money for the men to purchafe refrefliments, 

 where nothing was to be met with : but not a word in- 

 timating that we were to be relieved. 



On the 20th I received a report, that the Cerberus, 

 having only four private men left, had retired to the pod 

 at La Rochelle ; and, on the 21 it, I fent two of my men 

 to her affiftance, and ordered her back, to her former 

 ftation. 



I now was myfelf at laft attacked with a fever, and 

 upon the whole felt myfelf in a truly diftreffed condi- 

 tion ; deprived by ficknefs of my two only officers, and 

 my ferjeant. My men upon the three ftations (viz. the 

 two barges and Devil's Harwar together) melted down to 

 fifteen, from the number of forty-two, without a fur- 

 geon, or refrefliment, furrounded with a black foreft, 

 and expofed to the mercy of relentlefs enemies ; who 

 muft be formidable indeed, iliould they be informed by 

 any means of our defencelefs Htuation. The remaining 

 few were, with truth, declaring they were doomed to 

 deftru(5tion ; infomuch, that they could with difficulty 

 be prevented from mutiny, and from proceeding down 

 the river Cottica with the Charon againft my orders. 



For my own part, I was not altogether free from un- 

 ealinefs. In fa(5l, a few troops from all quarters ought 



Y 2 to 



