Folio 10: Jonathan Nichols, aged 34; James Penny, aged 27; James Scott, aged 25;...

ADM 101/85/1/3

1804-1805

Folio 10: Jonathan Nichols, aged 34; James Penny, aged 27; James Scott, aged 25; were all attacked with fever 8 December 1804 and sent to the hospital the same day.

Folio 10: 9 to 14 December 1804, no fresh cases.

Folio 10-11: Lieutenant Bateson, aged 20, was attacked with fever 15 December 1804, having just joined the ship and being 'of a delicate habit'. Died 18 December 1804 at sea. After death was also found to have had a venereal disease.

Folio 11: James Giles, aged 35; Jonathan Martin, aged 25; were both attacked with fever 18 December 1804 and died at sea 20 December 1804.

Folio 11: 19 December 1804 to 20 January 1805, no fresh cases.

Folio 11: Robert Douglas, aged 27, Seaman, fell to the deck while helping to furl the mainsail shattering his left ankle, 21 January 1805. Sent to hospital at Antigua 22 January 1805 where his leg was amputated.

Folios 11-12: Mr Gready, aged 29, Gunner, was attacked with violent griping, purging and tenesmus, 21 January 1805. Blood mixed with mucous in his stools, pulse 90 and small and very thirsty. Recovered and discharged to duty 2 February 1805.

Folios 12-13: Edward Antly, aged 32, seaman, 22 January 1805, at Antigua. Was attacked with excruciating pain in his bowels with frequent inclination to stool without passing anything but a few drops of shiny matter. Pulse small and frequent, skin hot, very thirty, passes urine with great pain and heat. recovered and discharged to duty 1 February 1805.

Folio 13: William James, aged 20, 23 January 1805, at Antigua; was attacked with head ache, pain in his breast attended with difficult respiration, troublesome cough. Expectoration small, skin hot and dry, pulse 98 and full, very thirsty, belly open. Treatment continues until report ends 3 February 1805 when Robert Reeder [surgeon] was superseded by Andrew Noble.

Folios 13-14: William Strong, aged 42, 23 January 1805, at Antigua; was attacked with cold shivering succeeded by intense heat, head ache and thirst. Nausea with frequent inclination to vomit, great pain in his back extending to his loins and lower extremities. Thirsty, tongue foul, pulse full and frequent, great prostration of strength. Treatment continues until report ends 3 February when Robert Reeder [surgeon] was superseded by Andrew Noble.

Folio 14: Henry Pawson, aged 24, 26 January 1805, at Antigua; was attacked with violent purging and griping, attended with tenesmus. Passes blood with mucous in his stools, great pains in his loins when passing urine. Pulse small and frequent, skin moist. Treatment continues until report ends 3 February when Robert Reeder [surgeon] was superseded by Andrew Noble.

Folios 15-25: Blank folios.

Folio 26: Abstract of the journal, summarising the number of cases; 170 cases of yellow fever, of which 140 were discharged to hospital and 26 died; 3 fluxes; 1 accident; 1 pulmonic inflammation; 1 intermittent fever. General remarks; comments on the good health of the ship on arrival in the West Indies in July 1804; ordered south and east to avoid hurricanes and afterwards to Surinam, where they arrived on 2 October; on orders from Lord Proby, provisions were loaded from the schooner Berbice on 5 October, precautions were taken to avoid contact with the crew because there had been fever on board; 8 October, one man dies while rowing launch; 9 October, Jonathan Wilson comes down with fever and is sent to the hospital; 10 October, Surgeon Bowen, Lieutenant, Master and several men taken ill, ship sails for Barbados; 11 and 12 October, several more men added to sick list; 13 October, 1st Lieutenant dies; 14 October, Surgeon and Master die, several more case of fever; 15 October Robert Reeder ordered to act as Surgeon by Captain Lord Proby, buried one of the boys. On arrival at Barbados all fever cases sent to the hospital and the crew 'underwent a compleat cleansing'; a ship was hired for convalescent cases from the hospital. When there was no more room in the hospital at Barbados the Amelia was ordered to Antigua and thence to Freemans Bay and to have no contact with other ships. A hulk was hired to accommodate the crew while the Amelia was stripped, cleaned and fumigated with tobacco and sulphur along with all the bedding. 17 October they returned to Barbados, having picked up recovered men from Antigua, but there were still fresh cases of fever resulting in the loss of 1 officer and 7 men during the 8 day voyage. Ordered to sea again 15 December after replenishing the crew from French prisoners. Lieutenant Bateson and 2 men from the fresh draught succumbed to fever, afterwards the ship was healthy. Arrived at Barbados after a months cruise to northward and ordered to Antigua where Mr Andrew Noble took over as Surgeon. Signed Robert Reeder, Surgeon, dated 3 February 1805. Postscript: No doubt that the fever was communicated from the schooner Berbice.

Public Record(s)

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