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The Endeavour Journal of Joseph Banks 1768–1771 [Volume Two]

February 1771

February 1771

1.

Fine brisk trade kept up our spirits and helpd to raise me fast. Two of the people died today Nevertheless.

2.

Breeze continued today: the Surgeon began to think that the rapid progress of the disease was checkd by it but declard at the same time that several people were still without hopes of recovery.

3.

Some of the people who were the least affected began now to shew signs of amendment but two of the bad ones died notwithstanding.

4.

Weather fine: as no one had been taken ill since we got the trade wind we were now well convin[c]d of its salutary effects.

5.

Weather as usual but tho’ it prevented it could not cure intirely our disease, one more dying of it today.

7.

Our people who were not very bad before the Ist of this month were now almost universaly recoverd, but there were still several page 244 in the ship who at that time were very bad; these remaind unalterably the same neither becoming better nor worse. Through the whole course of this distemper Medicine has been of little use, the Sick generaly proceeding gradualy to their end without a favourable symptom, till the change of weather stopd in a manner instantaneously the Malignant quality of the disease.

8.

A large Dutch ship in sight but she soon outsaild us as her fellows had done before her.

11.

One more of the people died.

12.

Another died.

14.

A third died today; neither of these people had grown either better or worse for many days.

18.

An uncommonly large Number of Tropick birds were about the ship this day.

20.

Lost another man.

24.

An Albatross seen, the first sign we have had of approaching the South again which we have for some days done pretty fast.

26.

Lost 3 more people today,1 and got the Wind at Ne for the first time it has varied from the true trade.

27.

At 4 this morn we were taken aback by a strong breeze of wind at Sw, not without some danger as our people yet only recovering from their late Illnesses had scarce strengh to get the ship before the wind. All morn it blew fresh from the same point but at night veerd round to South. Many Albatrosses and sheer-waters were about the ship all day.

28.

Wind still at south, blew fresh but weather dry and clear; in the Even came to Se. Several fish were about the ship.

1 Cook writes (27 February, p. 452), ‘In the Am Died of the Flux Henry Jeffs, Emanuel Pharah and Peter Morgan Seamen, the last came Sick on Board at Batavia of which he never recoverd and the other two had long been past all hopes of recovery, so that the death of these three men in one day did not in the least alarm us; on the contrary we are in hopes that they will be the last that will fall a Sacrefice to this fatal desorder, for such as are now ill of it are in a fair way of recovering’. But these were not the last. One more died on the following day, and three at the Cape, and Molyneux the master just after sailing from the Cape. It may be remarked that there are some extraordinary discrepancies over the dates of death recorded in different sources—e.g. in the ship's muster books, Jeffs and Pereira are noted as dying on 6 March, and Morgan on 7 March.