Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/936

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divifions and a half; and this with little variation both night, and day. The greateft height to which the fpirit afcended: at Paris the fame year by a thermometer, graduated in the fame manner, was 10254 divifions; fo that the heat of the cool nights at Carthagena was nearly equal to that of the ; hotteft days at Paris.

As the heats in this climate are fo great without receiving any mitigation from the night, it is no wonder that the per. fpiration of the inhabitants is very great. From this it comes about, that all thofe who make their abode there any time appear pale and weakly, as though newly recovering from a fit of illnefs. You remark in all their actions, even fo far as in their fpeaking, a certain idlenefs, and, as our author exprefTes himfelf, a disjointednefs : notwithftanding this they are in good health, though their afpe£t indicates the con- trary. The people who arrive there from Europe, hold their appearance of ftrength and colour in their countenances dur- ing three or four months ; but after that time they lofe both one and the other from the quantity of fweat, until they be- come like the former inhabitants. Thefe effects are mod ©bfervable in younger people : on the contrary, thofe who are further advanced in life when they go thither, preferve their former appearance better, and enjoy fo good a ftate of health, that they live commonly to more than eighty years of age.

As the temperament of this country is particular, fo are fome of its difternpers. Thefe may be confidered of two kinds, viz. thofe difternpers to which the Europeans newly arrived there are liable, and they only ; and thofe which are com- mon to all perfons there, as well Criollos as Chapetones. The difternpers of the firft clafs are many, as the refort of the Europeans there is very great. They are very dange- rous, and often mortal. They frequently deftroy a great part of the people, both fiiilors and others, who arrive there from Europe. The continuance of thefe difternpers is very fhort : they laft but three or four days, in which time the fick either die, or are out of danger. The particular dif- temper, to which they are moft liable, is very little known, though it takes its rife in fome from taking cold, in others from indigeftion ; but from whichfoevcr of thefe, or what other caufe it takes its rife, it becomes in the fhort time be- fore mentioned the vcmito prieto, or black vomit, which is what kills them ; it being very rare that thofe who have it efcape. It is obferved in fome that their delirium is fo vio- lent, that they are obliged to be tied down in their beds, that they may not tear themfelves to pieces, and they often die raving with the greateft degree of agony. It is to be remarked, that thofe only are fubjedt to this dis- temper who are lately arrived from Europe, the inhabitants of the country, as well as thofe who have lived there any time, are by no means liable to it, and enjoy perfect health during its greateft violence. As the crews of mips are very liable to this diftemper, and more fo than the officers and panengers, who have greater variety of food and liquor; it has been conceived that the great exercife and labour of thefe people, and their feeding upon fait provifions, prepares their conftitutions to be liable in this climate to corruption of the blood and humours, from whence is fuppofed to pro- ceed the vomits prieto. What muft be obferved, is, that although the crews of fhips fuffer the greateft mortality, ne- verthelefa paflengers and others, who go the voyage under the greateft advantages with regard to the conveniences of life, are not free from being expofed to it. It muft he re- marked alfo, that thofe perfons, who after having been ufed to this climate, go from thence, and are abfent even three or four years, are not liable to it at their return, but retain their health like the other inhabitants, although in their way of living they have not obferved the moft exact re- gimen.

The defire of knowing the caufe of this terrible calamity has occupied from time to time the minds of the furgeons who make this voyage in the galleons, as well as thofe of the phyficians of the country ; and their opinion has been, that it chiefly takes its rife from the labour, to which the fhips crews are conftantly expofed, and their manner of livpig. There is no doubt but thefe may greatly contribute thereto ; but then it will be difficult to conceive why perfons, who are better circumftanced, are Ukewife liable to it : and it is

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fomewhat extraordinary, that notwithftanding many endea- vours have been made towards finding out remedies equal to this difeafe, none have been difcovered either as fpecifics or prefervatives ; for the inconftancy of the fymptoms is fo great, that they are not in the beginning to be diftinguifhed from thofe, which are in common to this with (lighter dif- ternpers ; but the principal complaints at nrft are a weari- nefs and great diforder in the head.

This diftemper does not always attack the mips of Europe at their arrival in the bay of Carthagena, nor is it very an- tient in that country ; for what they heretofore called chape- tonada, fo denominated, as thofe from Europe were only liable to it, were indigeftions; and though they were in that climate always attended with danger, the women of the country, as they do now, cured them with eafe, efpecially when they were taken in time. The fhips afterwards going from Carthagena to Porto Bello, it was there fucceeded the great mortality, which was always attributed to the unfea- fonablenefs of the climate, and to the fatigue of the fhip J s crew in unloading their fhips, and in the bufmefs of the fair there.

The black vomit was not known at Carthagena, nor in its neighbourhood, until the years 1729 and 30 ; when firft it carried off a great part of the crews of the mips of war, which Don Domingo Juftiniani then commanded, and were then there as guarda coftas. Thefe fhips were firft attacked at Santa Martha, where the feverity of this diftemper, and its great flaughter, had caft a great terror upon their crews. The fecond attack of this diftemper was on board the gal- leons commanded by Don Manuel Lopez Pintado, when its mortality was highly formidable ; and death followed the attack fo quick, that perfons who were one day feen walk- ing at large, were next day met carrying to their graves. Our author is of opinion that this, as well as fome other difternpers, to which Europeans are liable to at, or foon af- ter their arrival at Carthagena, and other places under the fame circumftances, fhould be confidered as arifing from the great alteration that happens in their conftitutions there : and this change, which from the climate is foon brought about, makes them fuffer this and other difternpers, which either deftroy them, or generate in them a difpofition to bear the heats ; after which, being as it were naturalifed, they enjoy the fame fhare of health with the natives. Our author remarks, that at Carthagena, when the fhips from Spain fail in their arrival, the European productions, which at all times are dear and much valued there, are fome- tinaes quite expended. Thefe more particularly are wine, oil and raifins. When this is the cafe with regard to wine, the people there fuffer much in their health ; as 1 every body, except the negroes and thofe who ufe brandy, accuftom themfelves to drink it with their food. From the want of this their ftomachs fail, they grow fick, and this ficknefs becomes general. This want of wine happened when our author arrived at Carthagena, and the ficknefs in confequence was fo general in that city, that mafs was celebrated only in one of their churches. URSUS, the bear, in zoology. See the article Bear, SuppL URUBU, in ornithology, the name by which Marcgrave

calls a fpecies of vultur. See the article Vultur, infra. VULTUR, in ornithology, the name of a genus of birds of the falcon, or hawk-kind. See the article > alco, Suppl. The neck of the vultur is long, and almoft bare of fea- thers ; the legs are covered with feathers down to the feet, or nearly fo; under the throat there is a fpace covered with hair, inftead of feathers ; the head alfo, in many fpecies, is naked, or has, at the utmoft, only a downy matter on it. Of this genus of birds we have the following fpecies. i.The greyifh black vultur, with a fhort tail. This is of the fize of a full grown turkey. 2. The chefnut-coloured vultur 9 called alfo the Batik vultur, with a fhort tail. This is equal in fize to-a fu,ll grown hen. y The yellow-legged, crefted vultur, called leporarius, or the hare-catcher. This is of the bignefa of a goofe. 4. The golden- breafted, blue-legged vultur^ with a blackifh back. Its fize is equal to that of z turkey-cock. 5. The tawney brown vultur,. with yellow legs. This is of the bignefs of a large capon. 6. The Bra- filian, white T legged vultur^ called by fome authors urubu and aura- In uze it is equal to the common kite.

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