"Could anything increase the pleasure I have in a literary intercourse with you, it would be to find that it answered your end in promoting the publick good. ... It does honour to those noble and other worthy personages that join you in acts of such extensive humanity as the introduction of ventilators into hospitals, prisons, ships of war, and transports, &c. as they must necessarily render the miseries of the first more supportable, and the close and constant confinement of the others less prejudicial and fatal to their health and life. It is to be lamented, that they are not more generally made use of... Those of your invention which I had were of singular service to us; they kept the inside of the ship cool, sweet, dry, and healthy: The number of slaves which I buried was very inconsiderable, and not one white man of our crew (which was thirty four) during a voyage of fifteen months; an instance very uncommon. The 340 negroes were very sensible of the benefits of a constant ventilation, and were always displeased when it was omitted. Even the exercise had an advantage not to be despised among people so much confined. ...Could I but see the immoderate use of spirituous liquors less general, and the benefit of ventilators more known and experienced, I might then hope to see mankind better and happier."