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kept the infide of the ihip cool, fweet, dry, and 
“ healthy: The number of flaves I buried was only 
“ fix, and not one white man of our crew (which 
was thirty-four), during a voyage of 15 months j 
“ an inftance very uncommon. The 340 negroes 
“ were very fenfible of the benefits of a conftant 
“ ventilation, and were always difpleafed when it 
“ was omitted. Even the exercife had advantages 
“ not to be defpifed among people fo much confined. 
“ I muft not, however, forget, that ventilation alone 
“ is infufficient to keep diforders out of fhips; for 
“ often infections are brought aboard by the Haves, 
“ or others ; and frequently difeafes are produced 
** by feeding on bad or decayed food, but oftener 
“ ftill by infobriety ; for I have ever remarked, that 
‘‘ the immoderate ufe of fpirituous liquors in warm 
“ climates is more pernicious and fatal even than 
the malignancy of the air itfelf. In cold Coun- 
“ tries too, where I have had experience, thole fail- 
“ ors, or others, who accuftomed themfelves to hard 
“ drinking, efpecially of drams, had the fcurvy in 
“ a terrible degree ; whereas thofe, who were tem- 
‘‘ perate or fober, either efcaped it intirely, or had 
“ it but moderately. The effeCts of drunkennefs 
“ wxre ftill more difcernable among the Indians ad- 
joining our fettlements in Hudfon’s-Bay, who are 
“ a feeble, diminutive, chilly, indolent let of people. 
On the contrary, thofe, who come from the inland 
‘‘ parts (who are unufed io drink brandy), are brave, 
“ adlive, robuft, and induftrious. The fame dif- 
“ ference is obfervable in the Africans, and perhaps 
“ among the inhabitants of moft other nations, 
‘‘ did we attend to it. It was to the unufual fo- 
VoL. 49. X X briety 
