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insti'uction to work it out by the labour of his staff and patients, as soon as possible after he shall have entered on possession. The objects to be attained are, cheerful and varied grounds, having a free look-out over surrounding scenery, with sheltered walks and seats for feeble and infirm inmates. It is very advisable also to fence a piece of ground suitable for a vegetable garden, which will give healthy occupation to one or two working patients, and afford, at a nominal cost, a wholesome and acceptable addition to the diet scale of the home. It only remains now for me to refer briefly to the strength of staff necessary for the Asylum under consideration. I am of opinion that there should never be fewer than two male attendants in addition to the keeper, and two female attendants in addition to the matron, for ordinary day duty. Two men should always be on duty on the male side, and two women on the female side. Thus, if a male attendant be absent on leave, or on account of sickness, the keeper should remain in readiness to act in the absence of his subordinate; and so also with the matron in respect to the female division. When the patients of either sex number more than twenty, an additional attendant should be appointed to that division, and an attendant should be added in future for every increase of ten patients. Neither the keeper nor the matron should be counted in the strength of the attendants' staff. It will be necessary for the proper conduct of the Asylum to appoint, in addition to those above named, a cook and a laundress, the duties of these two offices being such as cannot be laid even in pai't upon the attendants without leading sooner or later to neglect of their own proper work, viz. the personal care and management of the patients. But insane persons, for various reasons, should be watched and tended by night as well as by day, and the duty of night-watching is never properly and efficiently done except by one who is able to be at rest by day. Perhaps the best provision for carrying out this work amongst the present small number of patients in the Wellington Asylum would be to appoint a man who should go through his own division at stated intervals, giving medicine or food, or whatever he might be ordered, to the male patients, and making a round of observation outside the female division, but not entering any of the women's rooms unless accompanied by the matron or a female attendant. For it cannot be too strongly stated, or too often repeated, that the practice of allowing the men of an Asylum staff to assist in the personal management and control of female patients is utterly wrong in principle, and often very hurtful in its consequences. When the number of female patients shall have increased so much as to warrant a separate night nurse being maintained for the female division, no time should be lost in appointing a suitable woman, and confining the services of the male night watchman to his own side of the Asylum. E. Paley.

APPENDIX I.—B. Auckland Lunatic Asylum. I visited this Asylum on the 7th, 9th, and 11th of September, 1872, saw all the patients, and inspected every part of the premises. At the time of my visit, there were 80 male and 37 female patients on the books of the Asylum. They were generally in fair health, and (excepting two of the females) were tranquil and orderly in their behaviour. I found no one under mechanical restraint, but two women were confined to their rooms on account of maniacal excitement. Several of the male patients were employed in outdoor work and in the general duties of the home and wards ; and many of the women were engaged in needlework in the day rooms. I was informed that the women made all their own wearing apparel, and repaired the clothing of the men. The dress of the former was satisfactory as to neatness and cleanliness, but the clothes of some of the latter were not in a creditable condition. The bedding in most of the rooms was clean, of good quality, and sufficient in quantity. In two of the two dormitories, however, which were occupied by paralyzed and epileptic patients, it appeared to me that there was wanted a much more frequent change of bed and bedding. The air in these rooms was impure and offensive, and contrasted remarkably with that of other parts of the Asylum. The building now occupied by patients consists of one wing of an Asylum originally planned for 200 patients. The second wing not having been built as designed, it has become necessary to place female patients on the upper floor, and males on the lower floor of the completed portion. The numbers thus accommodated are considerably in excess of the proportion properly allowable for the cubic space. In several of the dormitories, I ascertained that the space was under 500 cubic feet per bed, a measurement wholly insufficient for comfort and health in a climate like that of Auckland. Another objection to the existing arrangement is, that feeble, infirm, and epileptic females are of necessity placed on the upper floor, and are thus practically without means of taking air and exercise out of doors, by reason of the difficulty of having them taken up and down stairs. When it is considered that there are now in the occupied part of the Asylum 18 more patients (in addition to their attendants) than it was intended to hold, that the gross number admitted in 1871 was 79, as against 40, 50, and 52 in the years 1868,1869, and 1870 respectively,