i77°- miftake in the General's meflage, for that he would certainly
December. . . 1 c— ._' never demand a Danilh teamen from me, who had com-
1 “eHay zs’ mitted no other crime than preferring the fervice of the
Eoghfh to that of the Dutch. I added, however, to convince
him of my fincere defire to avoid difputes, that if the
man was a Dane he fhould be delivered up as a courtefy,
though he could not be demanded as a right; but that if I
found he was an Englifli fubjedt, I would keep him at all
events. Upon thefe terms we parted, and foon after I received
a letter from Mr. Hicks, containing indubitable proof
that the feaman in queftion was a fubjedt of his Britannic Ma-
jefty. This letter I immediately carried to the Shebander,
with a requeft that it might be fhewn to the Governor, and
that his Excellency might at the fame time be told, I would
not upon any terms part with the man. This had the defired
effedt, and I heard no more of the affair.
In the evening, I went on board, accompanied by Mr.
Banks, and the reft of the gentlemen who had conftantly
refided on fhore, and who, though better, were not yet
perfectly recovered.
w«dnef. 26. At fix in the morning of the 26th, we weighed and fet
fail, with alight breeze at S.W. The Elgin Indiaman fa-
luted us with three cheers and thirteen guns, and the garri-
fon with fourteen, both which, with the help of our fwivels,
we returned, and foon after the fea breeze fet .in at N. by W.
which obliged us to anchor juft without the fliips in the
Road.
At this time, the number of fick on board amounted to
forty, and the reft of the fhip’s company were in a very feeble
condition. Every individual had been fick except the fail-
maker, an old man between feventy and eighty years of
age,
age, and it is very remarkable that this old man, during 1770.
our ftay at this place, was conftantly drunk every day: we > ece,1Le-<
had buried feven, the Surgeon, three feamen, Mr. Green’s Wed“ef-264
fervant, Tupia, and Tayeto his boy. All but Tupia fell a
facrifice to the unwholefome, ftagnant, putrid air of the
country, and he who from his birth had been ufed to fubfift
chiefly upon vegetable food, particularly ripe fruit, foon
contracted all thé diforders that are incident to a fea life,
and would probably have funk under them before we could
have completed our voyage, if we had not been obliged to.
go to Batavia to refit.
C H A P .