APRIL
April 9th. On the 28th Ulto. at Night I had the misfortune to experience a relapse, and tho' short in duration my Fever was scarcely less violent than the preceding One; I have now been several days Convalescent, & the two last days have been able to ride out on Horseback; notwithstanding, I regain my strength very slowly—My leave to England is now beyond the caprice of any individual, a Medical Board having recommended me there for the recovery of health.—A convoy is expected to sail about the 14th, and with it, God willing, I hope to take my passage to that land where all my wishes centre.
25th. After making every arrangement to go home in a transport, an offer of a passage in the Impeteux of 78 Guns (the Convoying Ship) was made me, & I accordingly embarked in her on the 17th at Night. On the Morning of the 18th we got under weigh with near sixty sail, and in the course of the day entirely lost sight of Lisbon. Notwithstanding that it is certainly a handsome City, I dislike it more than any place I was ever in, and this altogether from the want of cleanliness of its Inhabitants.—The last few days I was there afforded me an opportunity of witnessing their most splendid processions, & Church services (it being Passion week); some of the Music was really beautiful, being entirely executed by public Performers.
Since we have been at sea, we have been almost constantly baffled by contrary winds; we are now out a week, and are only this day in Lat. 40. 29. Our prospect is however at present better, as we are now very nearly able to lie on our course.—Our Mess in the Ward room consists of twenty four, & much good humour prevails; the monotony of the Passage is a good deal relieved by the bustle that always exists in a Ship of this size.—We have had a good deal of hard blowing with a high running sea, but hitherto I have not at all suffered from sea-sickness.—The day after quitting the Tagus, we fell in with the Pomona, having Sir Thos. Graham, & other General Officers on board for the Army under Lord W.— The Impeteux is commanded by a Captain Bateman who to much professional knowledge adds a temper of the most conciliatory nature, & is much beloved by his Officers. The latter are particularly civil to all their Guests; indeed the perfect harmony subsisting between them & the Military on board evinces how entirely the two professions are qualified to esteem each the other.
MAY
May 3rd. We this morning at daylight made Scilly, & as the wind appears likely to blow for some time from the Eastward, the Commodore has determined upon that Anchorage, till a change takes place; this is a severe disappointment to all as we may be detained there a very long time; as we are at present to leeward of the Roadstead, it is uncertain whether we shall be able to get in to-day.
7th. We anchored late on the 3rd in St Mary's Roadstead. On the following Morning, the Wind being fair, signal was again made to weigh; we had time however to go ashore, and visit the Capital of the Scilly Islands; it is rather [a] pretty place, & the neatness & cleanliness of the Houses could not fail to strike a Person who had lived near four years in the Peninsula.
We were scarcely out of the Roadstead, when the Wind again shifted to the Eastward, and we have since been beating about the Channel; we are at present off Plymouth, & the wind being at South, we are just enabled to lie our Course: there is however little of it.—We may possibly reach Spithead to-morrow, but our passage hitherto has been so unfortunate, that I am afraid to hope such will be the case; had we not had Convoy with us, we should have been at the end of our passage upwards of a week since. Notwithstanding the many advantages a Man of War possesses over a Transport I will confess that my Philosophy was never put to such severe trials as it has been the last few days—What sickness so painful, as that sickness of the heart which ariseth from hope deferred.
The Journal of an Army Surgeon Page 19