SETTLEMNETS ON THE DEMERARY, &C. 291 



must be viewed as a wretched piece of parsimony to have sent 

 the troops out as they did, destitute of every comfort and 

 convenience, and I might almost say of the common neces- 

 saries of hfe. Their rations consisted of meal bread and hard 

 biscuit made of the same material, a large quantity of which 

 was imported from Holland. Salt beef and pork badly cured, 

 from the same place, with peas, oatmeal, and calavancies, 

 without the change of fresh meat, these articles absolutely 

 and solely constituted the provisions served out to the Batavian 

 troops in these colonies. 



The pay of the troops was so small, as scarcely to allow 

 them to purchase pipes and tobacco. A Dutch soldier would 

 sooner be deprived of his dinner than his pipe. Without half 

 the indulgences British troops have, were these poor miserable 

 wretches left to their fate, not an allowance of spirits to render 

 their water palatable, except new rum, which is not impro- 

 perly termed " kill devil." An instance of this I had from 

 undoubted authority. 



A seaman, belonging to one of his Majesty's ships, stationed 

 in the West Indies, died suddenly, turned quite black in se- 

 veral parts of his body, and was evidently in a putrescent 

 state ; the surgeon requested leave of the captain to open 

 and examine him, which was accordingly done, when a guart 

 of new runif nearly as clear as when it first issued from the 



p p 2 



