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POSTSCRIPT TO THE ROYAL GAZETTE.
To the Printer of the ROYAL GAZETTE.
MR. AIKMAN,
THE Itch which your correspondent describes in your last week's paper, is an African itch, and most of the new negroes imported here are over-run with it. Although it resists, as he observes, sulphur, and mercury in all its preparations, it is nevertheless speedily and radically cured in many places here, and by the negroes themselves, by rubbing the parts affected, when clear of inflammation, with the fresh-bruised leaves of any of the plants enumerated beneath. It is necessary to observe, that this Itch is of the same nature with ringworms ; at least it may be inferred so, because the juices of several of the plants made use of to cure it, are also infallible remedies for ringworms. Having frequently seen this itch cured, I will describe the mode. First, if the patient was of a full habit, or the sores had festered, he was blooded, and took some cooling purges until the inflammatory symptoms disappeared : After this, some gave the patients sulphur internally to drive it out ; but others, in lieu of this, made them, when convenient, bathe everyday in the sea during the course of the cure. When the pimples filled with clear water made their appearance, they were rubbed twice a-day with the bruised leaves of any of the following plants, which are to be met with every where here : Stinking slip, or poison Hogmeat ; the common Cotton Bush ; French guava, or, as some call it, the ringworm bush, and others balsamic ; bitter tobacco ; halbert weed ; gooma ; purslane ; cats claw; piss-a-bed, or broom-weed. Some prefer decoctions of the plants as a fomentation ; but I have generally found that the juices of the fresh-bruised leaves were most powerful. During the course of the cure, a gentle purge must be taken twice a week, and if the inflammation returns, it must be removed by purges, &c. and, until that is done, the rubbing must be intermitted. The juices of some of the above plants, such as the stinking slip and French guava, are more powerful than the others, and, if the patient is of an irritable or bilious habit, they occasion the pimples to fester ; such patients generally find the juices of the piss-a-bed, or broom-weed, or of the cotton bush, agree well with them. Some people, instead of the leaves of the piss-a bed, prefer the fresh bark scraped from the root ; in this way it is generally used to rub on ring-worms ; and I have known four applications of this kind remove ring-worms of five years standing, which had baffled all the attempts of the Faculty to remove them.
HUMANUS.
J A M A I C A.
FALMOUTH, October 24, 1793.
THIS day arrived the American Brig Julia, Riley, in 17 days from New-York, but last from Cape Nichola Mole, where Commodore Ford is lying, who informed Capt. Riley, that the unfortunate Queen of France was guillotined the 10th of August. - The Julia has brought a cargo of bread and flour.
Monday sailed the brigs Apollo, White, for London ; and Polly, Troop, for New York.
Yesterday arrived the Jean, Buchanan, from New York. By this vessel newspapers to the first instant are received, from which the following paragraphs are extracted :
"Halifax, Sept. 12. The Sloop Countess of Argyle, fitted out at Newfoundland, as a privateer, touched at this port a few weeks ago, for letters of marque, and after she had obtained the necessary papers, sailed for the West-Indies, and on her passage re captured a Spanish Ship, loaded with sugar, and carried her into St. John's Newfoundland. The sloop mounted four guns, and only 14 men.
"Extract of a letter from St. John's, Newfoundland, August 20.
' Your letters for your friends just came in time to go by the Shark sloop of war, which sailed this morning with Government dispatches, respecting the treatment which the prize - master of the Republican received at New York; and the account of Capt. Courtenay's death.'
" Extract of another letter from St. John's, dated August 21.
'On the 8th instant arrived here, the Pluto sloop of war, with her prize, a French brig of 16 guns, and 90 men, taken after a short action : she was bound from Martinique to France, with dispatches from Mons. Rochambeau.'
"New York, Sept. 19. Yesterday arrived the French ship of war La Perdrix, 22 guns, and the brig L'Impatient, 14 guns, from Nantz, in 35 days.
"They took on their passage the ship Sarah, Capt. George Grant, from Jamaica, bound to London, and the ship Jamaica."
A malignant fever rages in Philadelphia, which carries off great numbers of the inhabitants : in consequence of which, a committee of the principal inhabitants of New-York is appointed to prevent any person from landing in that city, who may come from Philadelphia.
Montego Bay, Oct. 26. It is with extreme concern, we acquaint our readers with the following disastrous fate of the shipping that were in this Bay last Monday. 'On Sunday Evening, the sea began to rise from the westward, and continued with increasing violence all the next day and following night. The vessels, unable to support the excessive fury of the sea, gradually began to give way early on Monday morning, in spite of every effort for the preservation ; and in the afternoon such a scene of misery succeeded, as exceeds our powers of description.
The ship Mary-Ann, Cobb, belonging to Hull ; schooner Mary-Ann, belonging to Mr. Courtauld ; sloop Prudence, belonging to Capt. Christy ; a sloop belonging to Capt. Zeny ; schooner Lord Stanley, belonging to Mr. Thomas Hill ; sloop Ranger, belonging to Capt. Smart; all lying near the shore, were wrecked in the early part of the day. Between two and three o'clock in the afternoon, the snow Fanny, Stuart, which was to have sailed for New-York that day, parted her cables, and was drove upon the reef, and in a few minutes, by the violence of the waves, beat to pieces : The Captain and three seamen, who maintained their hold of the wreck for a considerable time, perished in view of the spectators on shore, who were unable to afford them any assistance, all the small craft being destroyed ; those that were saved gained the shore by swimming or preserved their hold of part of the wreck. Terror and despair was visible now in the countenance of every inhabitant, for the fate of the remaining vessels and their people ; the crews of several of which took to their boats and rowed for the Bogue Islands, which they happily reached in safety. The brig Prince of Orange, belonging to Capt. Smart, which was ready to sail for Georgia, next came ashore, and was dashed to pieces at Mr. Ismay's wharf, the people having previously quitted the vessel ; also a Spanish schooner and sloop, both crews saved. About five o'clock, the ship Young Eagle, Wesley, belonging to Bristol, with a full cargo, and ready to said for that port, parted ; upon which the Captain and crew, numbering ten, took to the boat and rowed for the shore, but there was such a prodigious swell of the sea at that time, that the boat filled, and the Captain and six men were drowned : Shortly after, the brig Polly, belonging to Mess. Thompson and Co. came on shore, the crew saved : Then followed the ships Active, Williams ; and Langrishe Fitzhenry ; both belonging to Bristol, and now lie wrecked, one of each side of Mr. Ismay's pier ; the people of both vessels were saved, except one man washed out of the main chains of the Active, and one out of the mizen chains of the Langrishe. There remained now only a Spanish brig and sloop ; the former was deserted by the crew, but came ashore in the night, and was beat to pieces, the latter rode it out till two o'clock on Tuesday morning, when she was also wrecked, with the loss of a mulatto man.
The inhabitants exerted themselves to the utmost of their power in rescuing the unfortunate sufferers from the wrecks, and likewise in the preservation of what property was saved. The crew of the Langrishe were not got off the wreck till two o'clock on Tuesday morning, assisted by Capt. Fitzhenry and some worthy and humane Gentlemen of this community.
The next morning accounts came up from Great River, of the ship Palliser, Innes, being totally wrecked there, but no lives lost : The Palliser sailed from this port last Monday week, for St. Ann's Bay, but was forced back by adverse currents after getting as high up as Martha Brae, and put into Great-River yesterday se'nnight. The Schooner Commerce, belonging to Capt. Peel, was wrecked at Great River also ; this makes six vessels this unfortunate person has lost in the course of five years, all his own property.
The number of Vessels which are irrecoverably lost, is five ships, one snow, three brigs, five schooners, and five sloops, besides small craft ; lives lost, fourteen. There was but little wind till Monday evening, which during the whole time was from south to south-west.
Considerable damage has been done to the houses that were situated near the beach, but at Mr. Nicholas Smith's, such was the irresistible violence and fury of the sea, that the wharf, dwelling house, with a great part of the furniture, the large rum store, and the warehouse above, built of stone, are totally demolished, and present a most affecting scene of desolation. Mr. Green's wharf has sustained a great deal of injury ; also Mr. Wilson's cooperage, which was nearly washed away. The channel of the creek was totally choaked up, and the street covered with large pieces of wreck and logs of mahogany, as rendered it almost impassible. Mr. Walker's wharf is entirely unplanked, and part of the foundation of the mason work tore up. Mr. Ismay has lost two cranes, the lower wharf entirely carried away, and the stone pier greatly damaged. Mess. Morton and Atkinson's wharf is destroyed.
The whole of Meager Bay is an entire heap of wreckage; and the small tenements which were near Mr. Jacob's corner are swept away ; Mrs. Morgan's house has suffered a great deal of damage, and it is thought what remains of it was preserved by Capt. Zeny's sloop being drove against it, which kept off the waves.
The oldest inhabitant does not remember the sea agitated to such an excessive pitch of violence as it was last Monday.
We are happy to learn that no damage of consequence has happened in any of the neighbouring parishes, and hope next Monday's post will bring favourable accounts from the other parts of the island.
The brig Morning Star, Fullerton ; American brig Rebecca, Rhoadea, of Boston, which had