Containing an Account of the HEALTH of the FLEET from March, 1780, till July following.----Five Ships of the Line arrive at Barbadoes from Europe in March--Join a large Squadron then on that Station--Their Health compared--Engagements with the Enemy in April and May producing Hardship and Exposure, but little Increase of Sickness--Method of collecting the Returns of the Surgeons--Influence of Situation upon Health in Harbours--Course of the Seasons, and Temperature of the West Indies--The Fleet reinforced in June and July with Ships from England and North America--Their Health. During the war, which broke out with France in 1778, and with Spain in 1779, the West Indies was the principal seat of naval operations, and much greater fleets were then employed in that quarter of the world than in any former period. Though there had been a great squadron on the Caribbee station during the greater part of 1779, no physician was appointed to it till the beginning of the next year, when I arrived there in that character with my friend and protector, Lord Rodney. There were then sixteen ships of the line on that station, most of which had been upwards of twelve months in the climate; and they were reinforced at this time by five more from England. The squadron which we found on the station was then extremely healthy, and in several of the ships there was not a man unfit for duty. We were told, however, that they had all been subject to sickness, particularly to the dysentery, soon after their arrival in that climate. Of the five with which the fleet was at this time reinforced, all but the Intrepid left England at Christmas, making part of the squadron which effected the first relief of Gibraltar, under the command of Lord Rodney, who continued his route to the West Indies, in order to take the command on the Windward station, where he arrived on the 16th of March. The Intrepid had arrived with a convoy the day before. These five ships were all pretty healthy on their passage, except the Sandwich and Terrible, in which a fever prevailed; but they had almost recovered from it before they arrived in the West Indies. A dysentery broke out in April in all the ships newly arrived, and it prevailed to the greatest degree in those which had been most affected with fevers in Europe, namely, in the Terrible and Intrepid. The Sandwich and Ajax were also affected, though in a less degree; but the Montagu, though this was her first voyage, and though she was just off the stocks, had been the most healthy of any of them from the time of leaving England, and continued so during all this campaign. I have not observed that new ships are more unhealthy than others, unless they are built of ill-seasoned timber; and they have this advantage, that there is no previous infection adhering to them. What may have contributed also to the superior health of the Montagu, was the precaution that was