Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v2p1.djvu/496

 table of the route of the Alexander, the variation of the compass, and meteorological observations during his voyage from Port Jackson to Batavia; and a detailed account, drawn up, we believe, from his own papers, of the dreadful sufferings of his crew. The following is an abstract of that account:

The Alexander, Friendship, Prince of Wales, and Borrowdale, were got ready in the beginning of July, 1783, to sail for England, under the care and conduct of Lieutenant Shortland, at which time Governor Philip took the opinions of the masters of those transports concerning their route. The season was thought to be too far advanced for them to attempt the southern course by Van Diemen’s Land; and the passage by Cape Horn was objected to by the Governor. It was therefore agreed unanimously that they should go to the northward, either through Endeavour’s Straits, or round New Guinea. Unfortunately the ships were ill prepared to encounter the difficulties which were to be expected in every mode of return. Their complement of men was small, only six to every 100 tons, officers included. They were without a surgeon, and unprovided with those articles which have been found essential to the preservation of health in long voyages. We cannot therefore wonder that their crews should have suffered dreadfully from the scurvy, in the length of time necessary for exploring a passage through an unknown sea crowded with islands, where they were destitute of assistance from charts, or observations of former navigators, and were not fortunate enough to obtain a supply of salutary refreshments. The Alexander left Port Jackson on the 14th July, intending to touch at Lord Howe’s Island, there to meet the other ships, and appoint a place of rendezvous in case of separation. The Friendship kept close to her 5 but the Prince of Wales and Borrowdale parted company on the 18th, and were not again met with. About the 10th Aug. the scurvy began to show itself; and for want of proper remedies, it increased so rapidly, that it was ultimately found necessary to sacrifice one of the ships, that both of them might not be lost. Towards the latter end of September some deaths had happened in the Alexander, and scarcely auy of her crew were capable of exertion; but in the Friendship, only 1 man was disabled. By the 20th Oct. both of the crews were in a pitiable condition. The Alexander had lost 8 men, and was reduced to 2 in a watch; only 4 seamen and 2 boys being at all fit for duty. The Friendship had only 5 men who were not disabled; both ships were short of provisions; and as the western monsoon was expected soon to set in, it was agreed to destroy the Friendship. She was accordingly cleared, bored through with augurs, and turned adrift in the neighbourhood of Borneo. The joint crews now amounted to only 30 persons, officers and boys included; the sickness continued to increase; and by the beginning of November, only one man, besides the officers, was able to go aloft. Had the Alexander been at this time a very few days sail more distant from Batavia, she must inevitably have been lost; not from any stress of