“The men at first would not eat it, until I put it in practice—­a method I never once knew to fail with seamen—­and this was to have some of it dressed every day for the Cabin Table, and permitted all the officers, without exception, to make use of it, and left it to the option of the men to take as much as they pleased, or none at all; but this practice was not continued above a week before I found necessary to put every one on board to an allowance, for such are the Tempers and Disposition of seamen in general, that whatever you give them out of the common way, although it be ever so much for their good, it will not go down, and you will hear nothing but murmurings against the man that first invented it, but the moment they see their superiors set a value upon it, it becomes the finest stuff in the world, and the inventor is an honest fellow.”

A pound of this was served to each man, twice a week, at sea, or oftener if thought necessary.

Portable soup, at the rate of an ounce per man, was boiled with the pease thrice a week, and when vegetables could be obtained it was boiled with them, and wheat or oatmeal for breakfast, and with pease and vegetables for dinner, and “was the means of making the people eat a greater quantity of vegetables than they would otherwise have done.”  The Rob of Lemon and Orange was a doubtful quantity, for though Cook had no great confidence in its efficacy, Furneaux reported very favourably on its use, but it was expensive.  Of vinegar, Cook was of opinion that it was of little service, and preferred smoking the ship with wood-fires to washing with vinegar, which had been strongly advised.  He substituted sugar for oil, as he esteemed it “a very good anti-scorbutic, whereas oil (such as the navy is usually supplied with) I am of opinion has the contrary effect.”

Cook says that the introduction of the most salutary articles would prove unsuccessful unless accompanied by strict regulations so the crew were divided into three watches except on some extraordinary occasion, in order that they might not be so exposed to the weather, and had a better chance to get into dry clothes if they happened to get wet.  Hammocks, bedding, clothes, and ship were kept as clean and dry as possible, and when the ship could not be “cured with fires,” once or twice a week she was smoked with gunpowder, mixed with vinegar or water: 

“to cleanliness, as well in the ship as amongst the people, too great attention cannot be paid:  the least neglect occasions a putrid and disagreeable smell below which nothing but fires will remove.”

He finishes his paper read before the Royal Society as follows: 

“We came to few places where either the art of man or the bounty of nature had not provided some sort of refreshment or other, either in the animal or vegetable way.  It was my first care to procure whatever of any kind could be met with, by every means in my power, and to oblige our people to make use thereof, both by my example and authority; but the benefits arising from refreshments of any kind soon became so obvious that I had little occasion to recommend the one or exert the other.”