Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/130

72 with the lemon juice No. 3, so that I took nearly six ounces a day of it; the effect of this was surprising, in less than a week my gums became as firm as ever, and at this time I am troubled with nothing but a few pimples on my face, which have not deterred me from leaving off the juice entirely. circumstance should have been neglected, I will take the liberty to explain them.

The case No. 1 contains six gallons of lemon juice evaporated down to less than two gallons. The large cask, No. 2, contains seven gallons of orange juice and one gallon of brandy. The small cask, No. 3, contains five quarts of lemon juice and one of brandy.

When you come to make use of the juice which is in the casks, do not open the bung-hole, but draw it off at the end of the cask by means of a wooden cock, and make a vent-hole with a peg in it at the top of the cask; and always observe this method when you draw off the juice you keep in casks. It would not be amiss if you were to take out with you several wooden cocks, lest any should be lost or broken; and perhaps two or three strong iron-bound casks, holding ten gallons apiece, might be very useful for taking in a quantity of orange, lemon or lime juice, when you touch at any place abroad where those fruits grow. Besides the juices I would recommend to you to carry out a quantity of molasses, and two or three pounds of the best Ohio and Strasburg turpentine, in order to brew beer with for your daily drink when your water becomes bad. So small a quantity of molasses as two gallons, or two gallons and a half, are said to be sufficient for making an hogshead of tolerably good beer, and this method of brewing beer at sea will be peculiarly useful in case you should have stinking water on board; for I find by experiments that the smell of stinking water will be entirely destroyed by the process of fermentation. I sincerely wish you and your companions a most prosperous voyage and a safe return to old England, loaded with all the honours you so justly deserve,—and am, sir, your most humble servant, , August 1, 1768.