crew and
prepared for the voyage. About the seventeenth of November we sailed
from New-York, bound to the Island of Trinidad. After we got under
weigh I found the greater part of my crew so badly intoxicated that they
could not stand upon deck, but having fair wind and good weather I
proceeded to sea; the mate, cooper, and cook, being sober, I thought we
could manage the vessel until the crew could attend to their duty. We
passed the night without getting any assistance from them. The next
morning I ordered the mate to go into the fore-castle, where they slept,
and search for liquor, and if necessary, break open all the seamen's
chests, and if he found any he was to break the bottles or heave them
overboard. He returned to the cabin with one bottle containing about a
pint, being all he could find. We learned afterwards that they had some
more secreted, which he was not able to discover. Towards evening the
second day we were able to get them all at work but one. About eight
o'clock in the evening that one came on deck and appeared somewhat
bewildered with delirium tremens.

I was then called to my supper, being much fatigued, having stood at the
helm over twenty-four hours, while the mate, cooper, and cook took care
of the stock on deck. Within two minutes after I entered the cabin I
heard the cry, "He is overboard," when I jumped on deck and threw over
many articles of lumber, long lines, &c. but the night being dark, and a
heavy sea running, we soon lost sight of him. This seaman's name was
James Currie, who said he was born in Rhode Island, and I found by the
papers he left, that he had lately been discharged from the Frigate
Constellation. One of his shipmates informed me that he had just arrived
from a three years' cruise, and had received three hundred dollars when
he was paid off, but had spent the whole of it in three weeks, and was
indebted to his landlord about seventeen dollars more. My seamen were
all sober and at their duty in a couple of days, and we proceeded on the
voyage without any other occurrence worth recording, and arrived, after
a passage of thirty-five days, at Port Spain, in the Island of Trinidad,
where we landed our horses, which had stood on their feet the whole
passage. Many of them had the heaves badly when they were taken on
board, but were perfectly cured when they landed. This being the third
time of successful experiment with diseased horses as a veterinarian, I
pronounced a sea voyage