than Cape Barbas, in latitude 22 degrees north; but now they go to Cape Blanco, which lies about 30 leagues beyond it. Although the bulk of their cargoes confifts of large bream, yet they catch many other forts, viz. taffarte, before mentioned, a delicious fish, which tastes like a very large and fat mackarel, but when dried cannot be diftinguished from dried falmon. The cod caught here is better than that of Newfoundland: the anhoua is exceeding good: the corbino is a large fifh, weighing about 30 pounds. There are befides thefe a number of flat fish, with many other forts which I cannot defcribe. Although this fishery is capable of the greatest improvement, yet the English have no reafon to be apprehenfive of the Spaniards ever being able to bring it to any degree of perfection, fo as to rival them in the Spanish and Italian markets: the power of the clergy in Spain is a better fecurity to the English againft fuch an event, than if a fleet of 100 fail of the line were ftationed on the coaft of Barbary to obftruct the Spanish fishery. Fresh wort, or the infusion of malt, first proposed by Mr. David M'Bride, surgeon, and now recommended to trial by Dr. Rutty, as a powerful antiscorbutic in long voyages. communicated to the public, that feems to merit peculiar attention, being founded on a fet of experiments judicioufly made and ap plied, in a work intituled, Experimental Essays, by David M'Bride, furgeon. The humanity, the importance, and usefulness of the author's defign, are evidently fuch, that I thought I could not do a better fervice to my country, than by exhibiting to the obfervation both of the learned and unlearned the following fketch of it. It is a well-known fact, that the disease above-named has never yet been known to yield to any other kind of remedies, than to fuch as are composed of fresh vegetables; and provided they be fresh, and taken in large quantities in the way of diet, it is almost no matter what they are; the acid, the alcalefcent, the mild and the acrid, the fweet and the bitter, all and each of them cure the fcurvy, though their fenfible qualities be fo oppofite, and their manner of affecting the body in ordinary cafes be fo different. This plainly fhews then that their operation on the fcorbutic humour muft depend on fome property which all fresh vegetables poffefs in common. Now a property common to all fresh vegetables is, that when mixed with the flesh or juices of any animal, they prefently run into fermentation, and in the course of that fermentation, throw off a fubtile vapour, which hath a power to MONG many laudable A attempts that have lay late fweetners to putrid, animal fub years been made for preventing or checking the progrefs of that direful malady, the feurvy at fea, there is one which hath lately been ftances. This our author hath very fatiffactorily proved by a great number of experiments which give the the strongest reasons to believe that the cure of the fcurvy depends entirely on the fermentation of the fresh vegetables, which is carried on in the ftomach and bowels, thus producing a great quantity of the vapour above-mentioned, which mixes with the blood, and there reftores its confiftence, and brings back its fweetnefs; for in the fcurvy, the blood is entirely diffolved into a thin and putrid ichor. This being the cafe, we have only to find out fome vegetable fubftances which may be kept for a length of time, and yet fhall contain materials for raifing a fermentation in the bowels like unto that raised by fresh vegetables, and then, in all human probability, we fhall at all times be mafters of a remedy for the fcurvy. Such a fubftance our author prefumes to be malt.-Malt differs widely from the grain in its crude ftate; by the germination, drying, and flight torrefaction, its natural vifcidity is destroyed, it acquires an agreeable faccharine tafte, and the farinaceous part is fo far attenuated, as to be rendered foluble in water. Fresh wort, or an infufion of malt, is a liquor fimilar to the recent juices of the fresh vegetables, fermenting readily like them, and being precifely of the fame mild, faponaceous, and aperient nature. Now there is nothing more certain than that thefe juices cure the fcurvy what then should hinder wort from doing the fame thing? and as it may be taken in as large a quantity, with as much fafety, and as little difguft as any fresh juice whatsoever, there can be no poffible objection to its being tried. VOL. VII. Wherefore all perfons concerned in long voyages, and particularly the Eaft India company (for now in time of peace the king's fhips will feldom be vifited with the fcurvy) ought to pay attention to the propofal of our author; namely, to carry out malt on board the hips, which is to be previously well dried and packed in fmall cafks, and these are to be ftowed in the bread-room, or fome other dry part of the fhip, and kept until the fcurvy fhall begin to appear among the crew; then the malt is to be coarfely ground and brewed into wort occafionally, as it may happen to be wanted. The manner proposed for brewing the wort is, to pour three parts of boiling water to one of the ground malt, and having let the mixture ftand clofe covered up for three or four hours, then to ftrain it off: and the method in which it is to be given is to boil it up into a panada, with fea-biscuit, or fome of the dried fruits that are ufually carried to fea; then let the scorbutic patients make at least two meals a day of this palatable mess, and let them drink a quart or more, if it shall be found to agree, (always, however, beginning with a fmaller dofe, and gradually increafing it) of the fresh infufion every twenty-four hours. Its moft likely effect will be to open the belly, a most agreeable circumftance to the poor fcorbu tics, in whom obftinate coftiveness is a very common symptom; yet if it be taken too liberally, it may occafion fevere griping and immoderate purging: when this happens, the dofe must be leffened, and fome drops of the acid elixir of vitriol may be given with it, in K order order to check the too great tendency to fermentation, and make it fit eafier on the ftomach. It is, however, to be noted, that though our author infists chiefly on the wort, as thinking it comes the nearest to the fresh juices in every respect, yet where malt has not been carried out, and molaffes, brown fugar, or honey, happen to be at hand, he defires that either of them may be tried, being pre, viously diffolved in a due proportion of water (about four to one) and given to patients in the way of drink and panada, as hath been already propofed. That a scheme fo easily practicable, and with a probable profpect of fuccefs, may be put in execution, is earnestly recommended to those whom it may concern; and if the fuccefs fhould prove equal to the expectations reafonably formed of it, it would do honour to the British islands, and be a standing evidence, that whilft we are retiring from the tumults and ftratagems of war, we are not negligent in promoting the more glorious arts of peace and love. This is the aim of the present recommendation of the above-mentioned scheme from one who has the pleasure of an acquaintance with the author, and of being a witness to the truth of his experi Arts, &c. was making, he had oc cafion to mix with clay a large quantity of water in a cistern. After the water and clay had remained thus mixed for fome weeks, he tasted the water before it fhould be thrown out, and found it sweet and well flavoured. On this he stirred them, to find whether any putrid ftench might rife from the bottom, but was agreeably furprized to find that the whole was equally fweet. He now refolved to keep it longer, in order to determine what effects time might have on the mixture, and, if my memory ferves me right, repeated the taftings and stirrings for feveral months, with equal fuccefs, though fome part of the time was fummer, during which he expected that the water would have become highly putrid. He communicated this discovery to the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, who paid the regard to his communication which fo important a matter deserved, and referred it to the committee of chemistry, with orders to make what experiments fhould feem to them requifite to determine a point fo neceffary to the welfare of numbers, as many diseases are known to take their rife from putrid water; and the whole was approved by them. Thus, then, every cottager has it in his power conftantly to use fweet and wholesome water, by juft mixing with water a quantity of its tranfparency, fo far as that the common clay fufficient to take off hand held juft under the surface fhall not appear through it. If I may venture my opinion, I think the clay acts only as a fub ftance ftance of exceeding fmall particles, which being diffufed through the minute interstices between the particles of water, adhere, by their clamminess, to every animal or vegetable fubftance they meet with, and carry them to the bottom. There the animal and vegetable particles, the only putrefcent ones, are fo far separated from one another, by the intervening clay, that they no where come in contact in fufficient quantity to bring on a regular putrefaction, but rather diffolve into an uniform fubftance with the clay. I fhall not enter here into the great naval purposes to which this difcovery may be applied, leaving that to the author himself, or to fome better pen. Easy method of sweetening putrid Water, with a hint for remedying some inconveniences attending fire-ventilators. Have been captain of a Guineyman feveral voyages; on which occafions I always took a half barrel of unflacked lime with me, to be ready to ufe to fweeten the fhip's water. On the flaves being turned down in an evening, we always got our water up, in a cafk we have on purpose, abaft our barricade, first ftraining the water off out of the cafk, being the sediment of what was left that day to put into the boiler (which was of iron, as I never used a copper) for the next day's flaves provifion; then we filled our cafk out of the hold, the water often being thick, and stinking very much; to remedy which we always put three or four meat spoonfuls of the lime to a punchion of water, containing about ninety gallons. The following morning the water would be as clear as any spring water, and as fweet. Unflacked lime has likewise the quality of fweetening cafks, by juft putting fome of it in cold water into the cafk, ftopping it clofe, and then rolling it about till no more noife is heard. I fhall fay no more, but refer you to Alfton's Differtations on Quick Lime, and its great use in fea voyages. I had always good fuccefs in both white and black from mortality, a great deal of which I attributed to the lime in water; and after using it a little while, the flaves would not drink the water without lime was in it. Once a failor, now a farmer. P. S. In Dr. Mead's works, there is mentioned a ventilator by fire from the furnace, which being tried on board his majefty's fhips, complaint was made of the fire going down with the pipe. This might be easily remedied by forming it into the furnace with a fwan's neck. I am fure it would be of the utmost service on board a Guineymán, as our furnace is fixed at the barricade at the main hatchway. From the pipe that leads to the well there fhould be two branches of about a foot or two long, to which the leather oufes (pipes of the fame nature with the leather pipes used in fire-engines) fhould be fcrewed; and at every fathom diftance there fhould be wooden nofles, as they then might make the oufes longer or fhorter, to be conveyed to what part of the ship they pleafed. K 2 General General rules to preserve the health of soldiers and sailors in hot climates by the late Dr. Hales. FIR IRST, let all our foldiers who have a mind to preferve Translation of a letter from the Avoyer, or chief magistrate, at Berne, in Switzerland, to relative to the magazines for corn and wine there. SIR, afk me for an account health live temperately; particu-Yof the provifions both for larly let them abftain from all excefs in rum, or other fpirituous liquors. Whatever they drink of fpirits must be a long time diftilled, and reduced to an innocent sherbet, by mixing in it five parts in fix of water. This may be done by the care of their officers. Secondly, let them, as much as poffible, avoid the heavy evening dews, or wetting their feet at night, which laft generally produces fatal fore throats: if by accident they wet their feet, the fureft remedy is, as quickly as they can after, to wet their whole body. Thirdly, let them, where they have opportunity, plunge every morning into the falt water. In the inland parts, where this opportunity is not at hand, let each foldier every morning throw into his bafon an ounce of falt; and after it is diffolved in the water, dip into the bafon a coarfe towel, and wet his head, his limbs, and all his body over with this falt water, and immediately after 'put on his cloaths without drying his fkin: bay falt is the best, if it may be had. This wonderfully ftrengthens and braces all the mufcular fibres, and covers the skin with a kind of faltish cruft, which prevents all feverish infections. This whole procefs may be executed in three minutes, and effectually embalms and preferves the body from danger for that day. corn and wine which are fubfifting in the canton of Berne, and if it is true that we owe the eftablishment of them to the patriotic zeal of a citizen of this republic, who, dying without children, left his riches for that purpose: in regard to which, I have the honour to acquaint you, that you have been mifinformed as to the nature of the foundation of our magazines; and give me leave to add, by the way, that it is not in this little republic, as in great ftates. At Berne private men have very flender fortunes: on the contrary, the ftate, by a course of difinterestedness and prudent economy in those who govern, may pafs for rich, fince the rights of the royalties only, with the rents of the eftates, or lordships, of which they are poffeffed, both by purchase and conqueft, put in their power, and even without raifing any fort of tax or excife on the people, to lay up almoft every year fome faving in the treafury; from thence it arises that the government is always both willing and able to relieve the wants of its citizens and fubjects, and therefore fuch foundation's would, in this country, be works of fupererogation. it The magiftrates of Berne ever flatter themselves that it is more honourable for them to adminifter the |