The 25th of December, being Christmas day, divine service was performed on the quarter-deck by the Chaplain, the crew appearing as on a Sunday, in clean trowsers and jackets: and here I must beg leave to mention, that I never saw more regularity and decorum in any place of worship than is invariably observed on board of his Majesty's ships of war. This day we passed an American brig; and the weather being fair, Lieutenant Bowen and Captain Mason went on board her. She was from Cadiz, and reported, that yesterday she passed a Spanish man of war bound for Europe. On the 26th of December we saw several albicores, dolphins, and grampus, and shoals of flying fish; lat. at noon 22. 10. N. long. 34. 46. W. On the 29th of December, being Sunday, and the weather fair, divine service was performed as usual. The heat of the climate now began to be troublesome to those who had been unaccustomed to it. On Monday the 6th of January, 1794, land was discovered from the mast-head, which proved to be the island of Barbadoes; and by noon the Boyne anchored in Carlisle Bay[1]. [1] On our arrival we found several of the ships that had parted company on the voyage; and each day after brought more of them, till the whole were collected. CHAPTER II. THE COMMANDERS IN CHIEF PREPARE FOR THE EXPEDITION AGAINST MARTINIQUE ... GUN-BOATS CONSTRUCTED, AND DESCRIBED ... A SHORT ACCOUNT OF BARBADOES ... SALE OF SLAVES ... A LIST OF THE FLEET. The first news we received on our arrival at Barbadoes was, that the yellow fever had, in the course of last year, carried off fifty-eight officers of the army in this and the neighbouring islands, and privates in proportion. It proved fatal to great numbers of the inhabitants also of Barbadoes; from fifteen to twenty whites died daily in the town of Bridgetown, and about half that number of blacks and people of colour. We were at the same time comforted with an assurance that the disease had entirely subsided; but the reader will soon see how fallacious were our hopes in this respect. Alas! too many families have to lament the fatal effects of this dreadful disorder; and the kingdom at large may attribute to it the losses we afterwards sustained, rather than to any other cause. But of this more hereafter.