WHALING VOYAGE. 
231 
was surrounded early and late with candidates for advice 
and medicines, in return for which some presented me 
with a small quantity of fresh butter, others with a few 
eggs, while some of the richer sort brought fowls, or hats 
of curious workmanship. 
Here indeed I witnessed dreadful scenes of sickness 
and lingering deaths, and not a single medical man of 
any kind resided among them to relieve their pains, and 
therefore stern disease, of which there existed a great 
variety, took its painful course unchecked. The liver 
disease appeared to be the most common complaint 
among them, and which was of a most active and painful 
kind ; but opthalmia, consumption, and various active 
inflammatory affections were common. In my opinion 
they were all caused by the inhabitants of this place 
foolishly exposing themselves to what they termed the 
evening sea-breeze, which began to blow in from the 
sea a little before sunset, which was certainlv cool and 
refreshing enough after the intense heat and sultriness 
of mid-day, but I soon discovered danger lurking in the 
luxury and avoided it. Shocking cases every day met 
my view : in one house the mother of a fine family lay 
suffering from the effects of an inflammation of the 
lungs, and no hope remained of her ultimate recovery ; 
but the most distressing part of her unfortunate condi- 
tion was, that there was not a soul in the whole country 
around that knew how to soothe her declining hours by 
medical aid. There she lay ; her fond children tendered 
her the cup of nourishment, made with the greatest care, 
but the parched lip and furred tongue tasted not, while 
