^292 STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE 



still, was taken from him, which evidently caused his dc 

 cease. I am convinced, if our brave seamen were to profit 

 by the knowlege of its deleterious qualities, that we should 

 not experience half the number of deaths we at present do: 

 I principally allude to the seamen in the merchants' service, 

 who, as is well known, when on shore, are under little or no 

 controul from the masters of ships. On a Sunday, their general 

 point of rendezvous is at the grog shops, where, besides get- 

 ting beastly intoxicated with this new rum, they supply them- 

 selves with a small keg to serve them during the week, in ad- 

 dition to the allowance they receive from their ships, which 

 is always of a good quality, as the masters generally have an 

 opportunity of laying in a sufficiency for the voyage, free of 

 duty, before they leave England. 



I have frequently heard unthinking people exclaim, ** ah ! 

 the climate of the West Indies is the grave of our seamen:" 

 I entertain a more charitable opinion of it. During the seven 

 years of my being a resident of Demerary, I never knew of 

 any contagious fevers prevailing among the inhabitants there ; 

 I do not even remember more than one instance of yellow 

 fever, when the coffin was ordered for the patient, but he 

 recovered. The small pox, I should hope, will be com- 

 pletely eradicated, by the active exertions of Messrs. Dunkin 

 and Lloyd, who introduced and promoted the vaccine inocu- 

 lation to the utmost of their power, by appointing regular days 



