88
A VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.
1772.
November.
therefore daily made great havock among cups, saucers, glasses, bottles, dishes, plates, and every thing that was moveable; whilst the humorous circumstances sometimes attending the general confusion, made us bear these irreparable losses with greater composure than might have been expected. The decks, and the floors of every cabin were however continually wet; and the howl of the storm in the rigging, the roar of the waves, added to the violent agitation of the vessel, which precluded almost every occupation, were new and awful scenes, but at the same severely felt, and highly disagreeable. The air was likewise unpleasantly sharp and cold about this time, our latitude being now about 42° south; and frequent rains contributed to make the service of the seamen hard and comfortless. To secure them in some measure against the inclemencies of the weather, the captain ordered a general distribution of clothes to be made, which had been expressly provided at the expence of the Admiralty to serve this purpose. Every person whose duty exposed him to the severity of southern climates, from the lieutenant to the sailor, was provided with a jacket and a pair of trowsers of the thickest woollen stuff called
fearnought[1], or strong flannel, which kept out the wet for a long time, and had this only fault, in common with every thing the navy pro-
- ↑ A distribution of the same nature was made to Captain Cook's crew in his first voyage round the world. See Hawkesworth's Compilation, vol. II. p. 40.
vides,
