Another account of the death of the Chief Mate on the Lady Mary Pelham was included in a letter from Alexander Dawsey, second mate,   to GF Angas, written on 3 June 1836:

To G F Angas Esq^r At Sea June 3^th 1836

Sir

It is with Feelings of some re
-gret I write you stateing the death of M^r I. Doine
Thompson on the 3^d of May after about Four days
illness perhapes and I may say unwillingly the
effects of his own Imprudent conduct in a very
excessive use of ardent Spirits which Finally
so undermin’d the nervious system as to cause
Mental derangement in which State he died
every means being used so far as Judgement
and the nature of the circumstances would
afford to recover him but without effect, his
excitement of Mind being Such as to admit
of no Argument that would induce him to
think otherwise, than that he was Surrounded
by the Most horrid Forms and Wretched phan
toms hurrying him into an eternal world, To
this extreme had his Vicious Propensities been
carried, In Fact from the time the Ship left
the River Mersey until death put a period
to His existence, he may truly be said to have
Spent in a State of Intoxication and drunk’ness
clandestinly using alike every Spirit in the
Ship even to a whole case of Wine excepting about
three bottles…
…  Your’s with
every Sentiment of Respect

Very devoted Serv^t
Alexander Dawsey

On board the Ship
Lady Mary Pelham of the
Cape of Good Hope