family left Porto Praya, for Fuego, in a Portuguese sloop of war, on
the day we entered it, the Governor having previously left for the same
destination.

There were many of the inhabitants suffering from fever, while we were
at St. Jago, and two of the Consul's family were among the number, and
I lament to relate, that not long after our departure, both the Consul
and his wife fell victims to this too commonly fatal fever of St. Jago,
leaving his sister, an amiable and accomplished young lady, dangerously
ill of the same disease. The case of this lady was one of the most
melancholy interest. She was entirely unprotected by the presence of
any country people of her own, except a gentleman, who, happening to
call there on his way from England to Sierra Leone, was induced to
remain on the island, at the request of Mrs. Clark, for the purpose of
acting as Vice-Consul, during the severe illness of her husband. This
gentleman, after performing the painful duty of reading the burial
service over the Consul-General and his lady, was himself attacked by
the same fever, and after struggling for a length of time against it,
was, at last, sent off to the island of Mayo, just in time to save his
life, leaving the Consul's sister behind, reduced to the last extremity
of the disease, with scarcely any symptoms of life remaining, and
attended only by her Portuguese friends, and any occasional English
visitors who landed incidentally from their ships for refreshments, on
their way to other parts of the world. At last, however, she happily
recovered, but after a very severe struggle, and a protracted illness,
and then she could not return direct to England, but was obliged to go
to the Brazils, in a French schooner, before she could procure a
passage home. I shall give, hereafter, some further details of this
young lady's history, leading to the attachment which afterwards sprung
up between her and her medical attendant, who fell in love with her