It is not said what means were attempted for the recovery of these men; but, besides emetics and milk, or oil, a dilute solution of the fixed alkali in water has been recommended against this poison. [77] I was furnished by Dr. Clephane, physician to the fleet at New York, with the following fact, as a strong proof of the excellence of this liquor: In the beginning of the war two store ships, called the Tortoise and Grampus, sailed for America under the convoy of the Dædalus frigate. The Grampus happened to be supplied with a sufficient quantity of porter to serve the whole passage, which proved very long. The other two ships were furnished with the common allowance of spirits. The weather being unfavourable, the passage drew out to fourteen weeks, and, upon their arrival at New York, the Dædalus sent to the hospital a hundred and twelve men; the Tortoise sixty-two; the greater part of whom were in the last stage of the scurvy. The Grampus sent only thirteen, none of whom had the scurvy. [78] We have a remarkable proof of this in comparing the fleet under the command of Admiral Byron with that under the Count d’Estaing, when they both arrived from Europe on the coast of America in the year 1778, some of the British ships having been unserviceable from the uncommon prevalence of scurvy, while the French were not affected with it. [79] See an article in Rozier’s Journal de Medicine for July, 1784, by Dr. Ingenhousz. [80] Since I came to England I have met with a pamphlet published by Mr. Henry, of Manchester, in which an ingenious method, founded on chemical principles, is proposed for separating the quick lime from water; but I fear it is too nice and complex to be brought into common practice. It would certainly be worth the trouble; but there are so many duties in a ship of war to call off the attention of the men, and they are so little accustomed to nice operations, that it would be difficult to persuade officers to attend to it and enforce it. If a sufficient quantity should not be precipitated by the air in the water, and by the accidental exposure to the atmosphere, it might be more effectually exposed to the air by Osbridge’s machine, to be described hereafter, or by a long-nozzled bellows, and if a small impregnation should be left, this is rather to be desired than avoided. [81] See Dr. Lind on the Health of Seamen. [82] The want of this apparatus may be supplied, in case of exigency, by a contrivance mentioned by Dr. Lind, consisting of a tea-kettle with the handle taken off, and inverted upon the boiler, with a gun barrel adapted to the spout, passing through a barrel of water by way of refrigeratory, or kept constantly moist with a mop.