CO885-5 — Page 531

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

C.O. 885/5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

18

" or water remaining from any previous voyage have (sic) "been retained and included among the stores, and water "certified to have been shipped for the coming voyage." Instances have been known where this clause has been evaded; I need say no more. And it will be as well to find out from the contractor that he has shipped new stores and that none have been transferred from other ships. The use of cast-off wooden fittings is forbidden in Schedule D. par. 4, p. 87 of the Rules. He should, a day or two previons to his inspection, give directions to the third mate to have all the stores, &c, arranged on the 'tween decks strictly in the order in which they appear in the lists, and the description of store, and the number of bags, boxes, or other parcels of encli marked on the deck in front. He should count the number of ench and verify it by the list, and have two or three taken here and there, weighed, and samples taken which should correspond in quality with those he has seen in the Protector's office. For weighing, I prefer a steel yard or lever balance to a Salter's spring weighing machine. As the weights of rice, dâl, and other Indian stores are set down in maunds, secrs, and chittucks, it is useful to know that-

for.

I maund contains 40 seera - 82 lbs.

1 seer contains 16 chittucks = 2 lbs, and a fraction.

1 chittuck = 2 oze.

And of course the weight of the bag, &c. must be allowed

From the scer containing a little over 2 lbs. it is usual to allow the maund as containing 82 lbs.

There should be present a silmaker to sew up the holes in the bags made in taking samples, a carpenter to open and refasten boxes, &c., and a sufficient number of the crew to handle the bags, &c. required to be weighed, with slings to put boxes and barrels into. Flour is stowed in barrels, and such articles as milk, preserved mutton, chicken and mutton broth, &c. in tins, so that he should have two or three boxes of each opened indiscriminately, and count the number of tins, and verify by the invoice. The only milk'which should be carried is the Anglo-Swiss, and he should see that this brand alone is on board, as in my experience, no other will stand the voyage, and I very much prefer the Montserrat lime juice, as

that made in India is very inferior and requires to be strained before being used. Lime has been struck out of the supply table, but I should advise a small quantity being carried as it is very useful for white-washing tanks, sheep pens, &c.

19

I generally get the contractor to make some exchanges; viz.-

1. Gram dâl for an equivalent value in any of the other Exchanges. dals, urhur, mussoor, or moong, that may be preferred, but perhaps urhur is the most generally useful, mussoor being the most stimulating and moong generally the most ex- pensive, and of course a smaller quantity will be got in exchange. I find gram dâl difficult to cook properly, and apt to cause bowel complaints, and it becomes musty after being kept for a time, and to show that I am not alone in my obje tion to it, I may mention that some years ago I was a member of a board at the Colonial Office, consisting of some of the most experienced surgeons in the service, by whom it was unanimously voted to be struck out, and the other dâls supplied in increased quantities; viz., urhur dâl ths, mussoorth, and moong th of the entire quantity. At all events, if it is carried, I should advise the Surgeon Superintendent to ask the contractor whether it is fresh, and hold him responsible that it is so.

the

2. Dried fish for, say, an equivalent value in preserved mutton or choora or part of each. Up country coolies do not care much for dried fish, and, as prepared in India, it certainly is not agreeable either to sight or smell; and, if used for a time, is apt to cause sore mouths among people, I believe from the saltpetre used in its preparation.

3. Gram to which I have the same objection as to gram lal only in a more pronounced form. This can be ex- changed for any

article of diet that the surgeon may have a fancy for.

4. Dacca soap will very often be found of very inferior quality, consisting in great part of a not particularly sweet smelling mud. The contractor should be obliged to supply it of good quality, and the Surgeon Superintendent should see that this and, all the soap supplied is dry, otherwise he will be surprised to find the shrinking both in weight and bulk when it dries during the voyage, and this is rather a serious matter as the allowance of soap is quite small enough already and great economy must be used in

its issue.

5. Squeejees" (I am not at all sure of the spelling of this word nor can I find any authority for it). The Surgeon Superintendent should not accept those of thin rubber in wooden holders, but make the contractor supply iron holders about the size of a large garden rake, with a dozen extra pieces of galvanised rubber not less than half inch thick,

stoves.

He should see that the hanging stoves are made of good Hanging sheet iron, and not the trash which I have sometimes seen

B 2

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

RC.O. 885/5 OPISCE, LONDON