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[Page 5]
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GENTLEMEN,
Inclosed I transmit you the Surgeon's Report of the Bore-Cole, sent on-board the Latona, by Order of the Admiralty, upon Experiment; I hope the present Captain of the Latona will, agreeable to your Desire, send, for the Inspection of the Board, the Remains that are left of that very serviceable Vegetable, which I shall always consider as a great Acquisition towards preserving the Health of Seamen.
I am,
GENTLEMEN,
Your most obedient Servant
Goliah, Spithead, March 16th, 1782.
(Copy.) JOHN WATTS. H. PARKER.
The Commissioners if his Majesty's Victualling.
GENTLEMEN,
HAVING been desired, by Sir Hyde Parker, late Commander of his Majesty's Ship, Latona, to attend to the Vegetable called Bore-Cole, sent on-board that Ship by you, and prepared by Mr. Graefer, and to report to you my Opinion how far it retained its primitive nourishing and antiscorbutic Quality: And having attended the Dressing it in a Variety of Ways, as also the Eating it after it was dressed: - I have to say, that it bids fair to answer all that Mr. Graefer has promised. - That, when carefully dressed, it makes a very palatable nourishing Vegetable, with its original antiscorbutic Virtues in greater Perfection than any other Vegetable-Preparation I have seen; and that it makes a most excellent useful Addition to the Portable-Broth already supplied the Navy for the Use of the Sick.
During our last Cruise in the North-Sea, we had a great many of our own Men much emaciated with a slow remittent Fever, which prevailed in the Ship; some of them were not able to get out of their Beds the whole Time, from the Ship's leaving the Nore, in the beginning of December, until we arrived in the Humber, in the month of February; and during that Period, the Fever had gone through Half the Ship's Company, with different Degrees of Obstinacy; it may be readily allowed, that those Men, in common with all Sailors, had a very considerable scorbutic Taint in their Constitutions, and which certainly tended very much to increase the Obstinacy of the Fever, in many Cases. Yet, as we were able to give them a very palatable nourishing Dinner every Day (as soon as the worst symptoms of the Fever had left them) of Portable-Broth made very thick with Bore-Cole, or the Bore-Cole stewed in the Manner recommended by Mr. Graefer, added to this, we had Essence of Wort to furnish them with Drinks. With the Assistance of these very good Things, we had not a single Instance of coming into Port, neither did we lose a Man during the whole Time, although the Number of our Sick was always above Thirty, a great Part of the Time above Forty, and all the latter Part above Fifty.
Another Thing worthy of Notice, I have very seldom found the Portable-Broth liked at Sea before, although prepared with all possible Attention, and with as many of the good Things, formerly supplied the Navy, as could, with Propriety, be added. This BORECOLE has now been upwards of NINE MONTHS in the Latona's Hold, and continues, in every Respect, as sound and good as it was the first Month.
I am,
GENTLEMEN,
With all due Respect,
Your most humble Servant
(Copy.) JOHN WATTS. ROBERT WHYTE, Surgeon.
Commissioners Victualling