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Lynn, Captain David.

[Journal of a voyage to Madeira.]

Mainly Madeira; also Maryland; at sea; and New York, 1 May 1783–27 April 1784. Oblong 24mo (3.75” x 6”). 144.5 pp. manuscript in ink, 12 blank pp. Re-hinged with dyed paper (exterior), Japanese tissue (interior). [With] 1 p. later manuscript note on Lynn and his journal apparently copied “from archive of Md.” CONDITION: Very good, two superficial vertical cracks in leather at lower cover, lacking first leaf (narrative begins en route to Baltimore); initial and final four leaves partially edged with Japanese tissue, lower third of 2 early leaves torn away, with approx 5 lines lost per page, a few leaves excised throughout, but no interruption in narrative.

An eighteenth-century journal recording the nine-month stay in Madeira of a former Revolutionary War officer, written in the immediate wake of American independence, including his observations of life on the island and a detailed account of his illness and the variety of attempted cures.

Captain David Lynn sailed from Maryland to Madeira, Portugal, on May 5th, 1783, arriving in early June and remaining until mid-February the following year. He departs from Baltimore aboard the St. Peter after two doctors in the city advise him “that the blood did not come from my lung, but from about my windpipe, & that I was not in so dangerous a situation as I supposed I was, they gave me some medicine & assured me that I might promise myself every advantage from the Voyage to sea.” The St. Peter was the first vessel to arrive in Madeira from the newly-independent nation, and Lynn and the ship’s captain are welcomed by American Consul John Marsden Pintard:

he appeared to be quite overjoy’d at our arrival & welcomed us, as the first arrival from America, he conducted us to an office where Capt McNeill was sworn to answer to such questions as was ask’d him…Mr. Pintard invited us to sup with him, & beg[g]ed that we would think of no other Qrs during our stay in Madeira, we with a great deal of pleasure accepted his invitation, at length the Govr. made his appearance he made us many bows, welcomed us to Madeira & hoped many more Americans would follow us…we then went home with Mr. Pintard who introduced us to Mr. Searl his Uncle & Mr. Clark, who were both his partners, the affairs of America was the topic of conversation till after 12 Oclock…

Although Lynn initially intended to sail to Lisbon, he accepts an invitation from Pintard to remain in Madeira, where he is assured that “the climate…was preferable to that of Lisbon & if I wished to go no farther, I might depend on any favor being done that was in his Power. I with much satisfaction accepted his invitation, & gave up the thoughts of going to Lisbon.” Lynn writes almost daily entries until April 27th, 1784, detailing his voyages to and from Madeira, his fluctuating health and attempts, with his doctor, to find a cure; observations on local customs; and his frequent social engagements with fellow Anglophones—visiting ships’ captains (with whom he sometimes dines on board), and residents of the island.

The day he decides to stay on Madeira is Whitsunday. Lynn describes the festivities in detail:

The whole of this day, being the day before Whitsunday, the Portuguese, were airing the Holy Ghosts in Carriages, which are the only carri[a]ges on the island, & going in Parties singing & Playing from House to House making collections for the Poor which is all collected the next day at convenient places for dinner for them…we went to…where the dinner was prepared for the poor, after waiting sometime, they made their appearance, immediately from the Church, with every appearance of poverty, & hunger, their Tables were set out in the most elegant manner as on this occasion every person thinks it their duty to lend their plate &c &c and after they were placed which was done with much regularity they were all sprinkled by the Priest, & the dishes were paraded, they were helped & every thing was conducted by men that made an exceeding good appearance, every poor creature looked as if anxious to begin, but dare not untill [sic] helped in turn, & the moment they got it, without father delay made use of what they got… in the Evening a number of mask’d persons were playing, singing, dancing & [?] many Capers in the Streets, which is customary three days at Whitsuntide…every one with his torch his hand…rode through the different parts of the Town and at particular places spoke epilogues or something or other, in the Portughes [sic] language…

Subsequent days see Lynn taking rides through the country (“we rode through a good deal of barren uncultivated Country, but was delighted with many most beautiful prospects, of the sea, & cultivated lands”), taking up lodging at the house of one Mr. Searl, and consulting “Doct. Goreley” on treatments for his “spitting up blood.” Dr. William Gourlay (d. 1827) was physician of the British Factory (a merchant group on Madeira), and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He published a treatise on the natural history of Madeira, including meteorological data taken from 1793 to 1802, and, though his manners prevented him from being a “general favorite,” was respected for his “considerable professional ability” (Newitt, p. 79). Gourlay appears frequently throughout the volume, as Lynn doggedly records his shifting and apparently ineffectual course of treatment with alternating hope and “despair.” On June 25th Gourlay

came to visit and prescribe for me, I was to eat flesh of no kind whatever, but to [?] on milk mixed with water, & vegetables without greace, to keep…in the open air as much as possible in good weather & to take medicine & after a week or two, of no alteration, took place, for the better, some other remedy, was to be try’d.

On August first he “Was blooded by Doctr. Goreley”; two days later he was “advised…to keep as much as possible from talking for one week at least in hopes that it might put a stop to the spitting of blood & to take Vitriol 3 times a day”; on August eleventh he meets with a “Dutch Dctr.…who could not speak english,” but who “with the handle of a spoon viewed the different parts of my mouth & as far down my throat as possible, and gave it as his opinion, that the blood came from my throat, which was then much inflamed & that Vitriol was an improper medicine”; by late August he sees some improvement, but “spits blood” through September and October, and spends several weeks bedridden, before recovering enough in December to attend the celebration in honor of Santa Barbara (“the Saint who they say is the saint of the Artillery”). The year continues in much the same pattern, with Lynn noting cycles upon cycles of “much blood all day”; “but little blood”; “no alteration,” etc.

Despite Lynn’s frequent and sometimes protracted bouts of ill health (“early in the morning I spit up 7 or 10 mouthfuls of pure blood…”), he enjoys a relatively active life, visiting with fellow English-speakers on the island, dining on board with captains of various ships, playing cards, attending a christening and other celebrations, taking walks, going for rides, and so on. He records his first ride in a hammock carried by two men (“I was much please[d]…but through the Town, took care to hide my Hat, &c., that no person might discover who I was”); enjoys a belated celebration of the 4th of July (“we play’d cards,-sang songs,-had a band of musick playing…& the American Colours flying”); and in November notes the arrival of a French Frigate “bound to the West Indies to deliver up the Islands that are to be restored & ceded to his Britanic Majesty agreeable to the Treaty of Peace [i.e., the Treaty of Paris],” as well as an English squadron under the command of Admiral Gambier (“consisting of the following Ships…bound to the West Indies for its protection”).

At least the first leaf is evidently lacking, as Lynn’s narrative begins mid-sentence during a concise account of his trip to Baltimore, where he stayed a week before setting sail. The final pages of the volume include the text of several letters of introduction; “Doct Wiesenthrall’s prescription, May 1, 1783” (“The first object is to allay the coughing as much as possible, which will be done by taking frequently, especially when the cough is troublesome, a few drops of the Laudanum. Next very little of the fumigating Powder can be sprinkled on some coals of the Fire, and the fumes gently drawn in, which will tend to close the Vessels…”); a few notes on expenses; and two letters from “J.M.P” to his brother and father, dated from Madeira in February, 1874. The final page in the volume is a “Memorandum of letters wrote after I left Fredk Town [Maryland].”

David Lynn (1758–1835) was born in Fredericktown, Maryland to Judge David Lynn. He enlisted in the Revolutionary Army in 1776 and served in the Maryland Regulars during the Revolutionary War, was present at Yorktown, Virginia when the British surrendered, and was discharged in 1783. Despite Lynn’s repeatedly spitting up “8-10 mouthfuls of blood” and total lack of improvement in his health while on the island, he married Mary Galloway in 1795, built a notable estate—“Rose Hill”—overlooking the Potomac River in 1801, and fathered five children. He was a founding member of the Society of the Cincinnati of Maryland and the Emmanuel Protestant Episcopal Church, and died in 1835 at the age of seventy-five.

REPRESENTATIVE PASSAGES:

[June, no date] “Capt. Mr. Pintard & myself rode into the Country about three miles, we rode on 2 mules & 3 little Horses, all of which were remarkble [sic] small, each of us had a man to run after us to drive the Horse along, which they did either by beating them with a large stick 8 or 10 feet long or sticking a pin or something sharp in them, that is fixed in one end of the stick, those fellows are the owners of the Horses, & rather than not be with them they will run the whole day, so as to have the care of the Horse at night or to feed them during the day.”

June 15 “Saturday I spat blood & confined myself to the House all day, Sunday the 15th Mr. Pintard, Clark, Searle, Watts, Pursell, & myself went into the Country to dine, about 8 oClock we set out, to a House about 1 miles from town, where we had dinner &c., carried from Mr. Searle’s, but as we had almost the whole day before us, & horses to ride, we soon after our arrival determined to ride farther into the Country. We rode through a good deal of barren uncultivated Country, but was delighted with many most beautiful prospects, of the sea, & cultivated lands. We rode about 10 miles & saw a great many Vineyards, Rye, & Barley fields, & returned to dinner about 2 oClock…our Cavalry, consisted of 8 mules & 2 little Horses, which, with the men running after us looked something like a Legion.”

June 22 “I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Watt’s & Miss Shay two Irish ladies, after night I spat some blood. A number of masqueraders were dancing, & playing, about the streets.”

June 24 “24th which was St John’s day & a great holy day with the Portuguese. The Governor, to celebrate the birth of his daughter, which was christened that day, invited all the people of any distinction in Town. About 300 invitations were given about [blank] were there & about 60 of which were ladies. They began to dance minuets about 9 oClock and continued till 12 when they sat down to supper. At about 3 oClock supper was cleared off and about 15 Couple danced a Country dance, & the rest went home.”

June 29 “…about 9 oClock I set out to return Home & found a Hammock ready for me to go in. It is a thing made of small cord, and each end of it, tied to a pole & is carried by two men, I got into it & had a fellow with a blasing torch in his hand to conduct me. They trotted off with me, over rocks, ditches, & walls, & reach[ed] my Qrs which was at least 1 mile, in less then 20 minutes. I was much please[d] with what was to me, a new mode of riding, but through the Town, took care to hide my Hat, &c., that no person might discover who I was.”

July 13 “We returned to a House about half way between that & Town, where we met Mr. J.S.[?] Searle, Watts, Gouley, Heard, a Portuguese Priest, & two other Portuguese Gentlemen, & had an elegant dinner prepared & spent the day,—we play’d cards,—sang songs,—had a band of musick playing chief of the time, & the American Colours flying. This entertainment was to have been given the 4 day of the Month but at that time no Americans were in Port & was put off till a sufficient number arrived—when particular toasts were given, artillery fired, which was four or five times.”

Aug 3 “Advised by Doctr. Goreley to keep as much as possible from talking for one week at least in hopes that it might put a stop to the spitting of blood & to take Vitriol 3 times a day.” Aug. 4, 5, 6 “Talked no more than was really necessary, the blood almost disappeared.” Aug. 7 “By talking rather more then the last 4 or 5 days, or by some unknown cause, the blood increased to its usual proportion, but as I am determined to talk less than ever, have great hopes of its disappearing entirely, in a few days.” Aug. 8 “Talked less then ever.”

Aug. 9 “Likewise. & still no alteration at least for the better, which made me despair of recovering any advantage from this mode of living. At night I eat supper & talked moderately.”

Aug. 11 “Dutch Doctr. came to Mr. Segell who could not speak english, but when he found I had been spitting blood, he with the handle of a spoon viewed the different parts of my mouth & as far down my throat as possible, and gave to as his opinion, that the blood came from my throat, which was then much inflamed, & that Vitriol was an improper medicine, but as he, & myself could not understand each other, I did not give account of my Complaint nor did not hear his reasons why Vitriol was improper.”

Aug. 12 “early in the morning I spit up 7 or 10 mouthfuls of pure blood. I began to take bark & laudanum & at night the blood was reduced to the usual quantity.”

Nov. 20 “…in the morning arrived a French Frigate Comm. by the Count    [blank] bound to the West Indies to deliver up the Islands that are to be restored & ceded to his Britanic Majesty agreeable to the Treaty of Peace [i.e., the Treaty of Paris]. In the evening an English squadron commd. by the Admiral Gambier, consisting of the following ships…”

Dec. 3 “The blood more conspicuous in the morning but decreased to a trifling appearance before 12 oClock. A pain chief of the day. Went about 3 oClock to the great Church where there was great preparations made to illuminate &c in Honour of Sta Barbara, the Saint who they say is the saint of the Artillery. Soon after the Saint was brought from a small church which is her place of residence, carried by four men, escorted by the Governor, Bishop[,] a Compy of Infantry & all the Military Officers on the Island, except those engaged with the troops that rec’d them at the great Church all the Forts fired, by which they passed, & the Compy. of artillery, saluted & fired a [?] of guns…”

Dec. 16 “went with Mr. Pintard Heley[?] & Mullens to dine at Mr. L[?], where was two Mr. Silby’s. Just before night, arrived Mr. L[?]’s Son with his new married wife from London, which afforded much joy, several gentlemen rec’d them at the landing place, & accompanied them Home, we spent the Evening in different amusements & sup[p]ed, which kept us till near 12 oClock. Still a small proportion of blood, but not much pain. Began to take bark in powder, which I mean to continue to do about eight days, 4 doses a day, to see if it will have better effects than the tincture has had.”

Jan. 15 “went with Mr. Searle to Mr. Watts’s to see the Procession with the Bishops Crop pass. The Gentn of the House all attended at the Bishops, all the English Merchants a great number of Hidalgos, the Vicars, Canons, about 200 Priests, 50 Friers, 5 or 6 Platoons of Soldiers with their arms reversed drums muffled, and a great variety of all others kinds of people composed the procession…The blood decreased considerably & as from several days experiment it appears that it is owing to my keeping my breast and shoulders very cool, therefore have determined to cut off my flannel jacket but as it is an unfavorable season it must be done by degrees.”

Feb. 3 “The burning in my breast more troublesome than for several days. The Ship Tartar Capt Forrester arrived from Gibraltar on his way to St. Kits with 97 mules from [?] to Philadelphia…I bathed for the first time since the commencement of the bad weather, which I shall do every morning.”

Feb. 6 “Less blood. The Imperial East India Ship Count Colenzell Capt. Bauer sail, I went to St. Manl. D. Selvers where was four ladies, & about ten Genl. dancing, they danced Minuets, Country dances & Cotillions.”

Feb. 10 “no alteration. I drank Tea & supped at Mr. Leacocks, was much pleased with Miss Leacock.”

Feb. 11 “I dined at Mr. Leacocks & drank tea at M S. Smiths[?] afterward, went to the Play.”

Feb. 12 “bid adieu to Madeira about 5 oClock went aboard the Ketch. Boom Capt Brass bound to New York. Mr Clarke Pintard L S Searle,…& Mr. Leacock came on board to see us get underway & left us about 8 oClock. I spit but little blood.”

Feb. 15 “A very trifling appearance of blood. I puked a little. We got out of sight of Madeira.”

An engaging account of Madeira and the medical issues of the author, written by a former Revolutionary War officer shortly after the war.

REFERENCES: Newitt, M. D. D. “Who was who in Madeira at the Time of the Second British Occupation in 1807,” Portuguese Studies, Vol. 15 (1999); “Capt David Lynn” at Find a Grave online.

Item #9394

Price: $5,750.00

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