340 
CHERSON. 
chap. Howard objected, alleging that he acted only as 
VIIL , physician to the poor; but, hearing of her immi- 
nent danger, he afterwards yielded to the 
persuasion of Admiral Mordvinof, and went to 
see her. After having prescribed for this lady, 
hereturned; leaving directions with her family, to 
send for him again if she got better; but adding, 
that if, as he much feared, she should prove worse, 
it would be to no purpose. Sometime after his 
return to Cherson, a letter arrived, stating that the 
lady was better, and begging that he would coine 
without loss of time. When he examined the 
date, he perceived that the letter, by some 
unaccountable delay, had been eight days in 
getting to his hands. Upon this, he resolved to 
go with all possible expedition. The weather 
was extremely tempestuous, and very cold, it 
being late in the year; and the rain fell in torrents. 
In his impatience to set out, a conveyance not 
being immediately ready, he mounted an old 
dray-horse, used in Admiral Mordvinof & family 
to convey water, and thus proceeded to visit his 
patient. Upon his arrival, he found the lady 
dying: this, added to the fatigue of the journey, 
affected him so much, that it brought on a fever: 
his clothes, at the same time, had been wet 
through. But he attributed his fever entirely to 
another cause. Having administered something 
to his patient to excite perspiration, as soon 
