To all you doubters about 'lime-juice touches' .....

HAH!

And who's a typical collonial, Jon??? I'm British through and through (Apart from Russian and Polish grandparents but they don't count coz they CHOSE to live here!) Born, bred and still live in the city that has beat Liverpool at everything from trade to football (well, apart from the last couple of games...) We even managed to build a canal to nick all your ships;-) (Shame it didn't last realy...) Oh - OK then, you win. I suppose the 'pool ain't too bad. Just don't come up the East Lancs, that's all.

Wrong about the convicts as well I'm afraid - the following is from a 'potted' history I have seen.

"The Black Ball Line was founded by a group of Quakers in 1818. It was the first line to take passengers on a regular basis, sailing from New York, Boston and Philadelphia on the first and sixteenth of each month. The Blackball flag was a crimson swallow-tail flag with a black ball."

Oh, and Liverpool Micks only didn't get scurvy because there was enough wrong with them already....

Cheers

DtG