N AR R A T I V E O F AN
\P. Rad been reported, that his inebriety had proceeded from
;his refentment at feeing both me and Joanna ill treated,
and my property, tranfported-. away , againft his inclination,„
I was now extremely chagrined at rnypaftcon-
d,u$>, .and was .gently reproved by .the caufe o f it, to
whom 1 promised Jo be J^wler’s friend fo r ever after^—
and I kept my word. My fever was now much abated»
but I was infofted with another diforder peculiar to; this
clupate, and whichs I ang:afraid71 ihah but'indifferently
■defcribe : it is«called in Surinam the ringworm,' and
eoniifts p f; long fcarlet irregular, fpots, particularly-gn the
under parts of. the body, which .increafe in magnitude
from day. to, day, unlefs prevented by timely appjicar
tion. Thofe .fpots „are furrounded with a kind -of hard
cahous border,, and are as troublefome by their .itching
as the. prickly heat, or the fling p f „the-mufquitges and
fo vej*y infp&ious is this complaint, that-if any'rperfon
feats himfelf by chance on a chair immediately-,-after another
w^o has the diforder, he, is almoft pertain, to.be
infected with it; it is, I believe, very difficult' tor get rid
o f ; but the.beft cure is to rub the fpots with-a compofl-
tion of refined falt-petre, benzoin, flower, p f brimftone,
and white mercury, mixed .with 'freih, butter, or hog’s-?
lard, The numerous inconveniencies to which the inhar
hitants of this climate are exppfed/are almoft-inconceivable.
On the 26th I had a relapfe, and was twice bled in one
day. I was alfo this morning vifited by poor Mr. Henar
man,
E X P E D I T IO N* T O S U R I N AM , 197
than, a young volunteer I have not before mentioned, ch a p .
who looked like a gboft, and was left lick at Paramaribo , IX; J
to manage for himfelf.
' Oh the adlÖf Odtöber I was a tittle better, and was exalted
from living like afkiage, to the temporary command
óf a ïew-troops left at Paramaribo, Captain Brant being
'ordered tö joih 'Fóufgeoud in Rio ComeWina; when the
eolours, regiment’s cafh, &c. were tranfmitted to my own
lodging, and a fentinel placed before iny door.
The firfl: exOrcife 'T made of my power Was to difcharge
the four wine, which had been bought for the fick offi-
“cers' as weR as the men, whom I fupplied, from the money'now
in my pofïèfli'on, with gbdd wholefomc claret
“but 1 was forry not to be able alfo to exchange the fait
"beef, pork, and peafe, that weïèTeft‘at. the 'hofpïtal^ for
frefb provifions. This f lO p ^ s however particularly
forbidden by ‘the commander; while the butter, cheefb,
and tobacco were taken away, for which they got one
tjuart of oil amougft ten, and their bread reduced to two
pounds each man for a Whole week. As to the officers,,
they were left to ihift for themfelves, or fubmit to the
fame allowance, hotWitbftahdi'ng" they kept on paying
their quota to a régimental mefs, which now no lohgeh'
exifted,.
On the 3d, I took the air for the firfl: time On horfe-
hack, in company with Mr, Henaman, though we could,
liot ride above three Englifh miles diftance out of town,
on a fpecies of gravel that leads tö thé Wanica Path, ,
■Which I have already mentioned as communicating.with
Vol. I. c c 3 the