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I have done much the same at sea, with a kind of pea, called doll, or gram, in India. I steeped the pease in water until they swelled, and then put them into a box, upon a layer of earth, then another layer of earth, and another of pease; in a few, days according as the weather was moist or dry, they were sprouted, and fit to be curried, or stewed, the same mode was repeated and succeeded.

I am confident a cask may be filled in this manner with alternate layers of pease, with beans, or any other proper seed, and mould; and in three or four days give a large quantity of wholesome vegetable, highly antiscorbutic. The same operation may be repeated with the same casks, and same earth, to great advantage; the casks headed. up, may be put away for the time. Possibly a vegetable, so much in infancy, if I may so speak, stewed with such meat, may farther extract its salt.

Care should be taken to provide our seamen in India with good cargo rice; and to let it be well cleaned before it is boiled, there is no want of hands to do what is so necessary: This is much neglected.

Our fleet was so sickly when admiral Hughes last met Suffrein, that eleven hundred men were sent sick on fhore at Madras: Monsieur Suffrein, when at Atcheen, in 1782, got not many bullocks, but plenty of vegetables. The French deal more in stews than we do, which suit better for warm countries.

The beef and pork salted in Bengal soon grew rancid.

Millions of cocoa nuts in East India are carried from the Nicobar, and Carnicobar islands to Pegu,

233 and whole cargoes sold for ten or twelve rupees per hundred; as are cargoes of fhrimps, beat up into a paste and dried in the sun, often carried in boats, in bulk, up to Ava the capital. They call it blatehang

or barlychang.

The Pegu cocoa nuts are inferior to those that grow near the sea, therefore they are fond of those from the islands lying off the coast.

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The men fhould have a pint of tea. Tea on fhore to working people, may not be so good as malt liquor, but at sea, where there is no labour that can be called hard, at least in the navy or East Indiamen, tea as a cooler or diluter is wholesome. Four ounces of tea, value eightpence, and eight ounces of sugar, value twopence, will make sixteen pints of tea for sixteen men, which is not three farthings per man. Surely this served twice a day is no great matter. To make tea for one hundred men, fourteen or fifteen gallons, allowing for waste, fhould be put in the opposite pot to the digesting pot; they should have it dressed for them, else they will neglect it; at the same time, as many, at their pleasure or command, as may wish to have tea, should be allowed somehow to have a little by purchase, against their wages or otherwise. I have always observed, sailors drinking tea weans them from the thought of drinking strong liquors; and with tea they are easily contented; not so with whatever will intoxicate, be it what it will. This has always been my remark; therefore I always encouraged tea-drinking without their knowing why. Coffee has the same good effect; also VOL. Vii.

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navy, &c. Feb. 15. cocoa, or chocolate; but I prefer the tea as a refresh

er.

Sugared tamarind fhould be imported duty free; but as sugared tamarind will make, with spirits, very good fhrub, to preserve the sugar-revenue it should be also mixed with salt, as then, although it is fit to cure beef or pork, or make pesche molia, it would make bad fhrub. If not salted in the West Indies, it fhould be mixed with salt on the Custom-house wharfs. So soot is mixed with salt, when destined for manure, by revenue officers.

The Dutch are a wise people but slow; had they tamarind at their door, they long ago, I suspect, would have exported pesche molia to the Mediterranean, Tamarind is penetrating and generally consumes the small bones. All East Indians agree that pesche molia is exceedingly grateful and' piquant to the taste. What a field for the northern fisheries!

The limes or lemons having, by an incision on their sides, had a little bruised salt put in, in a few days are thrown to dry in the sun, being first squeezed by the hand. They are then packed up in their former pickle, and the jar or cafk filled up with vinegar. It is needlefs for me to say they might also be preserved with sugar where they grow.

The lascars carry with them also to sea salted tamarinds, free from stone and string, which they put into all their dishes. They are also fond of the tas marind when green to put into their dishes.

THOMAS FORREST,

1

AUTHENTIC PARTICULARS

Respecting the family and connections of Mr Thomson, author of the Seasons, &c.
To the Editor of the Bee.

SIR,

N. Craig, the Architect As the profefsed object of all your lucubrations is the attainment of truth, I make no doubt but you will readily insert the following observations, tending to correct a small mistake into which one of your correspondents has innocently fallen.

In the notes concerning Mr Thomson, volume 6th p. 284, it is said, that two of his nephews, gardners, lived with him, and upon him.-Now, sir, this must have been a mistake; for I myself am perfectly well acquainted with his family and their descendants, and I can assure you that Mr Thomson, the author of the Seasons, &c. never had a nephew a gardner. For your satisfaction, and that of the public, on this head, you are authorised to lay the following exact account of the present state of that family before the public.

James Thomson the poet had no brothers married, and none that survived him; he had three sisters, all of whom survived him.

Fane, the eldest, married Mr Robert Thomson at Lanark. He had one son, Robert, a student of medicine who attended the medical clafses in Edinburgh for two years, but died afterwards at his father's house in Lanark.

Elisabeth, the second, married Mr Robert Bell, minister of Strathaven-had two sons, Dr James Bell,

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Feb. 15 minister of Coldstream, who lately published in London a volume of sermons preached before the university of Glasgow, and Thomas Bell, the second son, was a merchant in Jamaica, and died there.

Mary, the youngest, married Mr William Craig merchant in Edinburgh, who had one son, Mr James Craig, the ingenious architect who gave the plan of the New Town of Edinburgh, at a very early period of his life; he is still alive.

These, sir, I can assure you, are all the nephews that Mr Thomson had, none of whom either were gardners, or ever lived with him. And this account you may rely upon as true.

I cannot, however, suppose, that Mr Robertson could have mentioned the circumstance, which gave rise to this letter, unless there had been some foundation for it; but if any such persons did live upon Mr Thomson, it must have been others, who either had no connection at all, or a very distant connection with him. That some such persons might have taken the advantage of his easinefs of temper to live upon him, is not at all impofsible, and they would not scruple to pafs themselves upon the neighbourhood for his relations. I know that it is, even till this hour, very generally believed that two nephews of Mr Thomson, who bear his own name, are still in life. One of them was formerly gardner to lord Bute, now a nursery-man at Milend near London, the other is full brother to this man, and is at present gardner to squire Bouverie; these two gentlemen are indeed relations of Mr Thomson, but very distant; their father is still in life, at

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