7

D.—2a

List of Vessels despatched to Canterbury by the Agent-General for New Zealand. " Dover Castle," A.l. 14 years, 1,002 tons; sailed January 19, 1872, arrived May 7; duration of passage, 106 days; purchased in 1872 specially for the New Zealand trade, and previously employed by Messrs. Green in the Melbourne passenger trade. "Merope," A.l. 16 years, 1,082 tons; sailed May 10, 1872, arrived August 3; duration of passage, 85 days; built for Shaw r, Saville, and Co. in 1870, and has since made three voyages to Canterbury under the Passenger Act. "St. Leonards," A.A.L, 999 tons; sailed June 21, 1872, arrived September 21; duration of passage, 89 days; purchased in 1872 specially for the New Zealand trade, and not previously under the Act. " Lady Jocelyn," A.L, 2,138 tons ; sailed August 3, 1872, arrived November 11; duration of passage, 95 days; purchased in 1868 specially for the New Zealand trade, and not previously under the Act, and made the voyage to Melbourne with emigrants in 1869—passage, 71 days. " Pleiades," A.A.L, 997 tons; sailed September 13, 1872, arrived December 28; duration of passage, 102 days ; purchased in 1872 specially for the New Zealand trade, not previously under the Act. " Crusader," A.A.L, 1,058 tons ; sailed October 12,1872, arrived January 5,1873 ; duration of passage, 81 days ; purchased in 1870 specially for the New Zealand trade ; not previously under the Act, and has made one passage to Melbourne with emigrants, and two to Canterbury. ■ Himalaya," A.A.L, 1,008 tons ; sailed November 22, 1872 ; now on her third voyage to Canterbury ; has been twice under the Passenger Act.

Enclosure 2 in No. 2. Mr. S. AValcott to Dr. Featherston. Government Emigration Board, Sir,— 8, Park Street, Westminster, 17th March, 1873. Having received the permission of the Secretary of State to do so, I now forward to you herewith a copy of our report relative to the recent voyage of the ship "England," from Loudon to New Zealand, with emigrants. The enclosures (two) to our report are in original. Will you be good enough to return them when you have done with them ? I have, &c, Dr. Featherston, Agent-General for New Zealand. S. Walcott. Mr. S. Walcott to Mr. R. G. W. Herbert. Sir, — Government Emigration Board, 12th October, 1872. I have to acknowledge your letter of the 3rd ultimo, with a Despatch from the Governor of New Zealand, transmitting a report of a Commission of Inquiry held on the emigrant ship "England." 2. The " England," 860 tons, left Gravesend on the Bth December last for Wellington, with 102 emigrants —equal to 81 statute adults—and arrived at her destination on the 9th of March, after a passage of ninety-two days. The mortality on board was very large :16 deaths, or at the rate of 1568 per cent. The Colonial Government very properly appointed a Commission to inquire into the case. The Commissioners, who appear to have taken much pains in the investigation, have divided their report into four heads. It is only with the first head —compliance with the Passengers Act—to which the attention of the Secretary of State has been specially requested by the Colonial Government, that I propose to deal. The rest of the report relates chiefly to what took place on the voyage, and to matters affecting the charterers and tho New Zealand Government Agency in this country, by whom the emigrants were selected and the arrangements for shipping them were made. 3. The Commissioners find no fault with the ship, either as regards her seaworthiness or suitableness for the service ; but they object (1) that no adequate provision was made for the emigrants who had arrived before the ship was ready to receive them; (2) that the skylight over the main hatchway was too slight and insufficient to afford light and ventilation in bad weather; (3) that the sleeping bunks were boarded up so as to obstruct ventilation ; (4) that no evidence could he obtained that the provisions, water, and medical stores were properly surveyed before they were shipped; (5) that the medical inspection of the emigrants was loosely conducted; (6) that the stowage of the cargo was defective ; and (7) that the master did not obtain the Emigration Officers' certificate required by the 11th section of the Passengers Act. The general conclusion of the Commissioners on this point of the case is condemnatory of the way in which the requirements of the Act are attended to by the Emigration Officers. 4. We at once called on the Emigration Officer and Medical Inspector under whose supervision the " England " was despatched, for any explanation they might be able to afford on the above points ; and I would beg to refer to their replies, which I now enclose. The reply of Dr. Humphreys, who happened to be abroad, has only recently reached me, which will account for the delay in sending this report. 5. In addition to the explanations of those officers, I may be permitted to make two or three general remarks on this portion of the case. 6. In the first place, it must be borne in mind that Emigration Officers have no absolute authority over passenger ships. Their power is defined and limited by the Passenger Acts. It rests with the shipowner to fit his ship as he thinks best; and so long as he conforms to the requirements of the law, the Emigration Officer, although he may prefer other arrangements, must accept those submitted for his inspection, unless a discretion in any particular instance is conferred on him by the Act. For example, in the matter of hospitals, the Act requires that they shall be placed either " under tho poop.