Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/443

1770 with only this difference, that they are now of useful, whereas they were formerly of useless trees. But, useful as these trees are to their respective owners, who enjoy their fruits, to the community they are certainly highly detrimental in preventing the sea breeze from penetrating into the country as it ought; or at best loading it with unwholesome vapours collected and stagnating under their branches. This, according to our modern theory, should be the reason why thunder and lightning are so frequent and mischievous here that scarcely a month passes in which either ships or houses do not feel the effects of it. While we stayed three accidents happened; the first, a few days after our arrival, dismasted a large Dutch Indiaman which lay next to us, and wounded two or three of her people: nor were we exempt from the consequences of that flash, which, according to the belief of those on board, came down the lightning chain, and certainly struck down the sentry who stood near it.

Besides these frugiferous forests, the country has all the appearance of unhealthiness imaginable. I may venture to call it for some miles round the town one universal flat, as I know few exceptions to it. This flat is intersected in many directions by rivers, in still more by canals navigable for small vessels; but worst of all are the ditches, which, as in the marshes of Lincolnshire, are the universal fences of fields and gardens, hedges being almost totally absent. Nor are filthy, fenny bogs and morasses, fresh as well as salt, wanting even in the near neighbourhood of the town to add their baneful influence to the rest, and complete the unhealthiness of the country, which, much as I have said of it, I believe I have not exaggerated. The people themselves speak of it in as strong terms as I do, while the pale faces and diseased bodies of those who are said to be inured to it, as well as the preventive medicines, etc., and the frequent attacks of disease they are subject to, abundantly testify to the truth of what they assert. The very churchyards show it by the number of graves constantly open in them, far disproportionate to the number of people. The inhabitants themselves talk of death with the same in-