G.—No. 27,

14

REPORTS ON THE

_ General Condition of Patients.—The cleanly appearance of the patients both in person and dress their general healthful bodily condition, and the attention and care given to provide for their comfort' do great credit to the Keeper and the attendants under him. The food is wholesome and abundant' and well cooked. ' For scrupulous cleanliness and neatness and order, whether in the day or night wards about the kitchen and larder or in the yards and cells, the arrangement could scarcely fail to satisfy the most exacting visitors. J _ I cannot close my report without asking permission to express my gratification at the consideration with which the Provincial Government has received my suggestions and recommendations at all times since I have been Inspector at Sunnyside. The promptness with which they have carried out such suggestions as could be taken in hand at once, emboldens me to believe that my services have been of more use than I felt I could at all hope for when entering on my duties as Inspector. I have, &c, J. W. Hamilton. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Inspector, Sunnyside Asylum.

No. 9. His Honor W. Eolleston to the Hon. W. Gisborne. Sib '~ _ Superintendent's Office, Christchurch, Canterbury, 9th July 1872 I have the honor to forward herewith a Eeport of the Inspector of the Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum of an inspection made by him on the 26th ultimo. I have, &c., The Hon. the Colonial Secretary. ' L 1 Superintendent.

Enclosure in No. 9. Mr. J. W. Hamilton to the Hon. W. Gisborne. Sir,-- Christchurch, 6th July, 1872. 1 have the honor to report having inspected Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum on the 26th June As I found everything in nearly exactly the same state as at the two previous inspections of 29th May, and Ist June, it will be unnecessary to repeat the details of the routine carried out in accordance with " Tne Lunatics Act, 1868," and in the same manner, and with the same results nearly as reported to you 11th and 26th June (Nos. 12 and 14). I am gratified to be able at last to report that I found every book closely written up and strictly kept, for the first time, as the letter and the spirit of the Act prescribe. All omissions pointed out by me on the Ist June had been made good. I think I have now succeeded in making all the officers of the Asylum thoroughly conversant with every minute direction given by the Act for their °nidance respectively. ° _ The Keeper wished to go to Christchurch on business; I was glad to have the opportunity of going over the premises without him. Everything seems to be reduced to such good working order that 1 could observe no difference for want of the Keeper's attendance. Mr. Pain the Clerk' accompanied me, and appeared to be thoroughly conversant with everything. No patient was under restraint. Two males were secluded in their cells : one who was violent and destroying his clothing; the other, whose periodical fits of violence were coming on, and who wishes to be kept apart at such times. All the patients were present—males, 75; females, 36 •in all 111 The new building has progressed rapidly since Ist June, the walls being about 8 feet above the upper story floor joists. , .„. TT° n<7 c°ttages had been completed, and were occupied by two attendants and their families A little plot of garden and fence all round ought to be added to make the houses look neat. The photographic room requires immediate repair, some of the inner woodwork being green from continual leakage through the skylight. The padded room requires the waterproof covering to be renewed, parts of which are torn down The Provincial Council had voted £200 for fire tanks, and £80 for telegraph wire to the Police Depot and lire Brigade Station in Christchurch. May I urge on the General Government to allow their officers to fix the telegraph wire between the Asylum and Police and Fire Brigade Stations, and connect it with an alarm bell and battery at the earliest possible date as suggested in my last report (26th June). Assistance could be summoned almost instantly on the outbreak of a fire, a disaster against which too much precaution can scarcely be taken for a funatic asylum. When this wire is being fixed, I beg now to suggest that one be stretched also between the new building and tne_ Keeper s rooms in the old one, which is a long way off. If wanted suddenly with attendants, especially at night, he could be summoned promptly, and without loss of the services of an attendant, who could not perhaps be spared " without great risk " to go and call the Keeper A new stove had been fixed in the Keeper's office, and for the°first time I observed one in the cook s back room off the kitchen. As there was the certainty of the fire insurance policy being void if these stoves had not been erected with the insurers' consent, I at once wrote to the Provincial Secretary to urge the danger of using them till it was certain they were safely constructed, and with the approval of the insurers. _ Stoves being, if not fixed under professional superintendence, so notoriously the cause of buildings being burnt down, I requested the Clerk to ask the Keeper to allow no fire in them till the Insurance Offices were satisfied. The drive up from the Lincoln Eoad to the Asylum had been improved by digging over the shrubbery. But it requires fencing off from the rest of the paddock to keep the cattle and horses off,