La Bourgade, Nov. 17, 1796.
For some time past we have been anxiously looking for news from England.
Papers are at length arrived, and we read, that instead of drawing nigh
to a peace, we are only now entering upon a wide-spreading war.
By inspecting the map you will find that our situation upon this coast
is now rendered peculiarly interesting. The Spaniards are on our left,
to leeward; the Dutch and French to windward, on our right; close in our
rear are heavy and impenetrable forests, inhabited by wild and naked
tribes; and our whole front is bounded by the open sea. Our new foes,
the Dons, will have more cause of alarm from us, than we can possibly
have from them: being to leeward of us, we shall be able to run down, at
any time, and surprise them at Trinidad, or the Caraccas: whereas it
might require a voyage of many days for them to make their passage,
against the trade winds, far enough to annoy us with any effect:
further, the superiority of our fleet gives us so entirely the command
of the coast, that the Spanish vessels may be expected to afford a
plentiful harvest to our sloops and privateers.
An express, announcing the arrival of a reinforcement of medical
officers from Martinique, called me, somewhat suddenly, from my
hospitable quarters, at Mahaica. On hearing that these gentlemen were
come, the suggestion naturally occurred, that it was a detachment from
the hospital staff of the Charibbee islands, sent to relieve the
division of the St. Domingo staff, and to set us at liberty to proceed
to our original destination: but, so far from this being the case, the
reinforcement consists only of a garrison surgeon and a mate; and
instead of orders being sent us to set off for St. Domingo, I have
received copies of hospital papers, and instructions for my guidance, in
directing the duties of the medical department of these colonies.
I now feel it a severe mortification, that I should have so long
arranged for my letters to be sent to St. Domingo; but I hope to be more
fortunate in saying ... write to me _at Demarara_.
Of myself I need not speak, for my strength is so rapidly returning that
I scarcely belong either to the list of sick or convalescents. My
comrade, Mr. Blackader, is also growing strong, and forgetting his
invalid feelings; but Mr. Jordan, one of my assistants, has suffered a
late attack, from which, after much danger, he is only slowly
recovering. Having before mentioned to you the circumstance of the
relapses of fever corresponding remarkably with the periods of the moon,
I may now tell you, that the fact was particularly noticed in the case
of this gentleman. He suffered a relapse during his early convalescence,
and it was remarked that, on the same day, four of the patients in the
hospital had a renewed attack of the fever. This coincidence led us to
look at the almanack, when it was found to be the day previous to the
change of the moon.
Mr. Blackader with our recovering assistant and myself, all in different
stages of convalescence, having met together a few evenings ago, it
happened that the conversation turned from yellow fever, and other ills,
to the many comforts of dear England. If you could know how gratefully
our minds were absorbed on this inexhaustible subject, and the high
delight which we were led to contemplate, in returning to the tranquil
enjoyments of that happy and salubrious home, you might almost envy us a
long absence, and the danger of never seeing our native island again!
The reports from Martinique, Grenada, and St. Lucie, respecting the
ravages of disease, I am sorry to find, are not more favorable than our
own. The great scourge of the climate has made sad havoc in those
islands, and the medical officers have suffered in full proportion. Of
the physicians who were attached to the windward expedition, four have
already fallen victims to disease, viz. Doctors Riollay, Story, Clifton,
and Suttleworth. With sincere grief I likewise hear of the death of poor
Colonel Gammell, who so lately left us in robust health. In his loss the
service has to lament a most valuable officer. The removal of this
gentleman and his comrades of the 93d regiment from these colonies,
instead of being accompanied with all the comfort which attached to the
prospect of returning to England, seems to have been only the signal of
unhappy events. Whilst they remained together at Berbische, under
Colonel Gammell’s excellent rules of command, the whole of the officers
were singularly healthy, but the suspension of the regular system which
he had maintained, and a total relaxation from duty, together with the
hurry of embarkation, and, perhaps, the liberal glass at parting from
other comrades, while they have unfortunately removed the happy
exemption from disease, which those gentlemen had enjoyed, have also
proved the high utility of a rigid and correct discipline in these
destructive regions.
One of the officers of the 93d died at Demarara, whither he had arrived
from Berbische, preparatory to going on board the ship in which he was
to have proceeded to England: now, we hear of the death of Colonel
Gammell at Martinique: a third officer, of the same regiment, was
prevented from embarking with his comrades by an attack of fever, which
nearly deprived him of life, and which still detains him among us. The
Colonel left Demarara at the time I was lying dangerously ill, and was
one of the friends who, on turning from my bed-side, shook his head, and
despaired of ever seeing me again. Alas! I grieve to find him so correct
in the fact, although his apprehensions did not go to the event
precisely as it occurred; for, little did he expect that it would be my
lot to live, and thus soon deplore his death!
At the La Bourgade hospital, as well as at Mahaica, we feel the effect
of the present dry season, the numbers on our sick list being
considerably less than for several months past; yet the sad remains of
expiring disease have lately afforded us too frequent opportunities of
prosecuting the comparative examinations I before mentioned to you; and
we have availed ourselves of them to a considerable extent. Among the
advantages arising from the late dry weather in these colonies, no one
is more conspicuous than the improvement which it has effected in our
deep and muddy roads. Hitherto they have been intolerably bad; indeed,
on account of the great depth of wet and stiff clay, almost impassable.
At present they are dry, and, from being upon a perfect level, and the
clay being hardened and worn smooth, they are as fine roads, for
travelling, as the very best in England.
Since the weather has been settled, we find the thermometer rise
occasionally at noon as high as 86 or 87: usually it has been from 82 to
85. This climate is perhaps one of the most steady in the world, the
range of the thermometer, upon the cultivated part of the coast, being
only from 11 to 15 degrees. Most commonly the mercury is at 73 at six
o’clock in the morning; and at noon 84. The lowest I have seen it, at
any time, was 72; and the highest 87. From living in constant heat and
relaxation our bodies become highly sensible to cold, and I sometimes
feel my fingers chilly, as in an autumnal morning in England, although
the thermometer be as high as 74.
Since the arrival of the garrison surgeon and assistant, our department
has been further strengthened with the addition of a deputy-purveyor,
and some hospital-mates. These gentlemen are come in good time to enjoy
the evening shade of our toils. We have supported the severe labour and
fatigue of the sickly season without them, and they now find us well
seasoned in our duty, and with our hospitals far less crowded. When we
most wanted them, their services were most required in the islands, and
now we have less occasion for them, they can best be spared. However, I
am busily engaged in making up the returns, and all the necessary
accounts and hospital papers, from the time of our arrival in these
colonies, and shall hope soon to be relieved from one branch of my late
duty, by resigning to our newly arrived deputy-purveyor the business of
his department.
Rumour has lately threatened us with an attack from Surinam, but we feel
no alarm on this subject; having an adequate force to meet the enemy at
sea, and troops enough on shore, to resist any detachment which the
Dutch might be able to send from that colony.
On my way down the coast lately from Mahaica, I observed among the
slaves, what to me was a novelty; although I was told, by a gentleman of
the colony, that it was by no means uncommon. In one of the fields we
passed a gang of negroes employed at their labour, with a female driver
carrying the whip at their backs. On my remarking that it was not a
becoming duty for the _beau sexe_—that the nature of the lady might be
too tender to admit of her correcting the strong; and her arm too feeble
to enable her to chastise the idle; my companion replied, that I was
much mistaken, for, on the contrary, the “_women drivers_” were
sometimes peculiarly severe, and often corrected the stoutest slaves
with no feeble arm.
The following anecdote forces upon my mind a fact which is perhaps
universally observed, viz. that where the population is thin, the
society confined to a few, and the intercourse with other places bounded
by narrow limits, trifles gain importance, and occurrences which, in
themselves, are insignificant, become subjects of conversation, and of
interest.
From the great heat of climate, and the consequent rapidity with which
dead animal matter tends to resume its gaseous form, it is become a
custom here, for the butcher, when he is about to kill beef, to secure
the sale of the whole carcase, before he slaughters the animal: for
which purpose he sends round a ticket or notice informing the
inhabitants when the beef is to be killed, in order that each person may
write down what part, and what quantity he may wish to have. It is
likewise a practice among the Dutch people to give notice when any
person dies, inviting the neighbours to the funeral, by means of a paper
which is commonly superscribed, in conspicuous characters, “_doed
brief_.” A Dutch officer having died, the burial-ticket was despatched
in due form, when a lady who had lately arrived from Barbadoes, reading
the words “doed brief,” put down her name for “twelve pounds and a half
of the buttock.” The messenger proceeding throughout the town with the
notice, the mistake was quickly known in every house, and the gloomy
solemnity of the occasion was interrupted by the various witticisms,
upon the English lady bespeaking twelve pounds and a half of the
Dutchman’s buttock.