therefore daily made great havock among cups, faucers,
glaffes, bottles, diflies, plates, and every thing that was
moveable ; whilft the humorous circumftances fometimes
attending the general confufion, made us bear thefe irreparable
Ioffes with greater compofure than might
have been expefled. The decks, and the floors of every
cabin were however continually wet ; and the howl of the
{form in the rigging, the roar of the waves, added to the
violent agitation of the. veffel, which precluded almoft every
occupation, were new and awful fcenes, but at the fame
feverely felt, and highly difagreeable. The air, was like-
wife unpleafantly fharp and cold about this time, our
latitude being now about 4^ ° fouth, ; and frequent rains
contributed to make the fervice of the feamen hard and
comfortlefs. To fecure them in fome meafure againft the
inclemencies of the weather, the captain ordered a general
diftribution of clothes to be made, which had been ex-
prefsly provided at the expence of the Admiralty to ferve
this purpofe. Every perfon whofe duty expofed him to
the feverity of fouthern climates, from the lieutenant to
the failor, was provided with a jacket and a pair of trow-
fers of the thickeft woollen fluff called fearnought *, or ftrong
flannel, which kept out the wet for a long time, and had
this only fault, in common with every thing the navy pro-
* A diftribution of the fame nature was made to Captain Cook’s crew in
his firft voyage round the world. See Hawkefworth’s Compilation, vol. II. p. 40.
vides,
vides, viz. that they' weVe füpTîièà by contrat?!, and there-
fore generally too fliort for our people. If we confider
the diftreffes to 'Üÿ’hic’h K j de Tbhg'ai&vflle^ Chew were
reduced for want of cloathing, we cannot help refleâing
on the better fortune of Englifli feamen, who, under an
eqiiïtâblè government, tiiây exphft Vo be treated with peculiar
café ; and who, on perilous expéditions, are humanely
and attentively fupplied with heceflaries to face the dangers
o f thé lea, and fuppdrt their fpirits in âdvëriïty. A trying
moment frequently occurs, where the dëïpondeffcé caufed
by ill-tréatment and heavy fufferings, mull have the mod
fatal cönfequënces, fince its direct oppoîité, an undaunted
réfolution is then moft riéoéfaàry ; fuch a moment we experienced
in this night. A petty officer in the forepart
of the veffel, awaking fuddenly, heard a noife of water
ftreaihing through his birth, ahd breaking itfélf againft
his own artd his mefs-mates chefts ; he leapèd out of his bed,
and found himfelf to the middle of the leg in water. He
inffantly acquainted the officer of the quarter-deck with
this dreadful circumftance, and in a few moments almoft
every perfon in the fliip was in motion ; the pumps were
employed, and the officers encouraged the feamen with an
alarming gentlenefs, to perfevere in their work ; notwith-
ftanding which the water feémed to gain upon us ; every
foul was filled with terror, encreafed by the darknefs of
the night.
VoL. I. N Ponto