The Sun.
London, England, 1816-01-12 00:00:00

rent of this importar tHCHAItre. At this junc-•
lure !had 41)e opportunity of ascertaining,, prac-
ticall, the ntivaint'age.'of .nay theory.- -lonians'"-
were,,etti2T recpetrt, copiously issued. to tin. ships'
nip coanles Of the fleet ; and th'e incipient dkease,
whicliliatilicen the cense of &Om-Itch jast swarm,
at once -disappeared. Th is was in the sumnur of
1743:. ~The issue•,of lemon juice, sanctioned
this 'Successful result,' hat; irOm this peririda be-
come progressively general -; and, from the year
1796,...it has been regularly supplied, by the sick
and wounded Board, to all 'our ships. Of this
Board I Was' appointed a Commissioner in Janis-
ary ISOO, and when the stiperintetidance of the
Medical Department was transferred, )n January
1806, to the Transport Board, I had the horiotr
to receive the appointment of Medical CommiS-
sioner. 'lnwards the close of alit., and early in
the following year, the expedition was pi-Alining
under, Lie:Kral Whitelocke, against South Anis-
rieir.-:.littitienced by the conviction, that the sys-
tem`,
•tilii.Cli-tvws operating' with so much sitecess
in the NaVy;-might be extended to these trovps
with an etlually benefleial,restdr, I ictigge,,ted to
the 06ard, of which I
W H Member, that
an adexpette Clai,►utity. of leinim juice and sugar
should he stipplied to the traniports, tai admit of
the soldiers receiving a daily allowance, chiming
the long voyage on which they. were about to
'winced.
.Aly suggestion was. adopted, ant:, in-
structions were given; that- the issue of them:
titles should commence in three_ weeks Irmo the'
sailing of the -transports. When the length or
the voyage, and the number a me., embarked,
exceeding ten thousand, ate taken into considere.
tion, with the state of ahnost perfect henith
which they were diseitibtirked, being uearly to
man. fit fur immedlite service, the etrects of the
administration of Citi'ic Add -%ill! appeity in a
striking.point of view. But, perhaps, there- Hoe
anyone eiretintstance,'which so StlOligly, evinces
the benefit of the system, as the re-appearance .31"
Senryy in -the few,instaines 'in which the issue
lemon juice has, from tiny cense, been omiited;
"Thu;, in the year 18.07, when, front ail ei to.
Ocons invession that, the ti,e of it tees unneces-
sary:where fresh meat could be obtained, souic of
Majesty:s thips slid wotreceive CA; thud al-
lowance, the result of the otnision was, tt collapsed
state of the ‘esselS, paleness of countenance,
progressive ematifit;on, nra i ;,et:,.ral debility of
the crens. Reectitly, too, on tile American sta.
tion, the occasional want of a regul.ir supply Was
at tended with equally serious consotinences:to the
health of the 'fleet; until a sufdeient quantity for
tbe use of the ships' comp.inius was obtained.
"The gradual diininittion of disease in the
Navy, as the necessary consequeuce of the use or
lemon jnice;abled, unquestionably, by a getter illy
improved system of treatment,. is manifested by a
stateinent,, which now give from Official Re
torus of the number of ;scamen.diseharged to the
HospitAl at tlifiertqlt and equal periods of war,
ending 1 i 3, 170, 1805, and 1810.'
" An Account shewing the Toucher of Seamen attcl Maritsa
annually voted by Parliament in four distioct and equal
Portions of tt ar, with the nunther sent to Hospital Ships.
on the Hone Stations dating those Perio&,
Period. Team No'rnier of Seamen
and Marines '
Voted by Sent to.
Parliatneut. Hospitals.
70,000. '24,246
85•014 320111
90,000.. . so,ste
100,000 124,909
1 I V,OOO 18,677

441402 t

1779
1710
First l7ll
17Si
1783

433,000

116,64

1 14 4

1794 85,000
1795 100,000
Second.... 17-96 110,060
1797 110,0110
1798 140,009

19,248
10,13 V)
20,544
15,718

53.5,0110

in,.444

1 in 6

' ' 1799 120,000
1 I I ,5118
Third .... 180 181,5118
1 sO4 100,000
' • 1005 120,000

14,608
17,747
15,062
7,650
stoaa

biajo76

63,170

1 in 9

1906. 120,000
. . 1807 • • Iso,ooo
Fourth..... 1408 180.000
. 1 809 130.000
1810 143000
P

7,60*
6,656
7,6430
7►97 I
9,965

655,000 3E671;3 lin lei
"The result is mostsatisfaetory, and establishes
beyond a doubt, that our ships" ctittipanics Are
become more healthy than the saute number of
men•would be on shore; and, indwelling on this
intpatant, fact, let it be remembered, that it is
evident* before the I-louse of. Commons, that,
in the Seven Years War,' ending in 1762, no less,
it ritimberof seamen than -130,000 'had died of
disease, and that the complaintiof two-thirds of
those arose from potreseency, whereas now, the
scurvy'may be said to exist only in ,the painful
recollgctions of those, who were °ore witnesses
of Its fatal tkvastation. It is not too. much,
therefore, to assume, that; by the introduction
of a system, to which, 1 trust,- it is not presnalp y.
-
tion me, ro assert, I have been mainly,instru- '
mental, thOUSitiliiS of valuable lives, .and an incal-
culable expellee c>f -money, have . been saved to
the'conntry; and, proportion es the success,
Which has made our naval power paramonnt, has
lit a great measure depended on the ability ut ore
fleets 'to keep Ott sea for a duration of tinw, t;:: i
was heretofore considered as Impossible, the men-
sures by. Which this has beim rendered practicable
assume a character of even higher importance,
than if viewed simply with reference to the value
of the lives Whieh have been saved to the State.
'" I Most acknondege,, my L,om 1, that; in pres-
sing this slibitiet: on. your Lordship's notice, my
chiefillotive has been-to make known ti:e part I
have taken in,introdneing b systeto-of which Ike
benefits have been so many and so important:
Whether it may be thought 'inch a 3 to merit the
reward of my country is not, of "course, for me
to anticipitte; bat I cannot, in airy ease, hirer.)
that reward, %vhich I most highly prize, dm
consciousness of having been a chief instrument.
muter Providence, of rescuing numbers of the
most useful mainbers of Abe State froth :the
effects of a disease, of which the ravages' were
heretofore so extensively fatal.
'' 1 have the honour to he, my Lord.,
" Your Lordship's most obedient humbleservaut,

Ii JOHN 11.111NESS, 11.1, 1).
't Metlital eowsnitsbner of Dis Majrsty's Navy."