days, will have pressed the cabbage into a much smaller compass. After this, fill up the cask with more cabbage, as before directed, and head it up.
N.B.—The cabbage should be gathered in dry weather, some time after sunrise, so that the dew may not be upon it. Halves of cabbages are better for keeping than single leaves.
10th. Weather very hazy and thick: about nine it cleared up a little, and showed us Osnaburg Island, discovered by the Dolphin in her last voyage. About one o'clock land was seen ahead in the direction of George's Land; it was, however, so faint that very few could see it.
11th. Up at five this morning to examine a shark caught yesterday evening: it proves to be a blue shark (Squalus glaucus). To-day we caught two more, which were the common gray shark (Squalus carcharias), on one of which were some sucking-fish (Echeneis remora). The seamen tell us that the blue shark is the worst of all to eat; indeed, its smell is abominably strong, so as we have two of the better sort it was hove overboard.
As I am now on the brink of going ashore after a long passage, thank God, in as good health as man can be, I shall fill a little paper in describing the means which I have taken to prevent the scurvy in particular.
The ship was supplied by the Admiralty with sour-crout, of which I eat constantly, till our salted cabbage was opened, which I preferred: as a pleasant substitute, wort was served out almost constantly, and of this I drank a pint or more every evening, but all this did not check the distemper so entirely as to prevent my feeling some small effect of it. About a fortnight ago my gums swelled, and some small pimples rose on the inside of my mouth, which threatened to become ulcers; I then flew to the lemon juice, which had been put up for me according to Dr. Hulme's method, described in his book, and in his letter, which is inserted here.[1] Every kind of liquor which I used was made sour
- ↑ To J. Banks, Esq., Burlington Street.—Sir—The vessels containing the orange and lemon juice, sent by Dr. Fothergill, were to be marked, that you might know their contents; but lest in the hurry of sending them that
