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tendent, captain, and officers appear to have performed their several duties most satisfactorily. One death took place on the passage, being that of an ofd woman aged sixty-two, from heart disease. We have, Ac, Collin Allan, A Wm. Thomson, > Commissioners. His Honor the Superintendent, Dunedin. David O'Donnoquue, )

No. 24. The Hon. J. Vogel to the Agent-Geneeal. (No. 22.) Sic, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 6th February, 1874. I herewith forward a copy of report of the Immigration Commissioners upon the ship " Duko of Edinburgh," which arrived at the port of Wellington on the 28th December, and was admitted to pratique, after a short detention in quarantine, on 2nd January, 1874. I desire to call your particular attention to the representations of the Commissioners, especially whero they " feel compelled," as they express it, " to point out defects which, they regret to say, exist in most of the ships they have inspected," and upon which they have previously and frequently remarked. The reports have been regularly forwarded to you, and I regret the Commissioners should have cause to complain of the apparent ignoring on the part of tho officers of your department of the many valuable suggestions contained therein. I have in my letter No. 264, of 24th November, 1873, re the ship " Punjaub," expressed my opinion as to the very defective character of the inspection of the ship and fittings by the Immigration Commissioners, an opinion which is confirmed by the report under consideration. No doubt, before the receipt of this you will have carried out my instructions, and taken upon yourself, through your own officers, the work of careful and deliberate inspection of all the arrangements for the health and comfort of the emigrants. I trust that under this system there will bo an end to the constantly reiterated complaints of "badly located and fitted surgeries," "small and inconvenient cooking galleys," "faulty condensers," Ac. With regard to the issuing-room for the emigrants' provisions, I forward copy of a memorandum by Captain Edwin, R.N., and Captain Johnson, Nautical Assessor at this port. Their suggestions as to the position appear to me practicable, and if carried out, would avoid the very general complaint of the only passage to the issuing-room being through one or other of the compartments. I have, Ac, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. Julius Vogel.

Enclosure 1 in No. 24. Commissionees' Repoet on Ship "Duke of Edinburgh." Sib, — AVellington, 7th January, 1874. We have the honor to report the arrival of the ship " Duke of Edinburgh," on the 2Sth ultimo, with 1731 statute adults, —two births and no deaths having occurred during the voyage. Wo immediately proceeded to the vessel, and having ascertained that there was scarlet fever amongst tho children, we decided on sending her to quarantine, in order that all the clothing might be thoroughly washed and fumigated. On Friday, the 2nd January, having ascertained that all the passengers and their luggage had been landed, and our instructions for the cleansing of the vessel carried out, we boarded the ship for the purpose of inspecting her. We found the " Duke of Edinburgh" a fine vessel, and well suited for the conveyance of emigrants. She is 7 feet 3 inches high in the 'tween-decks, and there was ample provision for light and ventilation by means of nineteen dead-lights and eight patent ventilators. We feel compelled, however, to point out defects which, we regret to say, exist in most of the vessels we have inspected, and to which we have directed attention more than once. In the first place, the store and issuing-room and surgery were very inconveniently placed in the married people's compartment. We consider that the issuing-room should always be on deck, as was the case in the ship " Douglas." With reference to the position of the surgery, we will quote the words of the surgeon-superintendent. " My surgery, although placed in the steadiest part of the ship, was often flooded with water from the leaking of the deck-light, and was, owing to the noise on deck and the screaming below from the children, about the worst place man could have to dispense medicines in." The combings to the hatches were also of the most flimsy description, and far too low to prevent the water from going below in bad weather ; and we would direct your special attention to the surgeon's remarks upon this subject in the attached extract from his journal. The passengers' galley was by far too small for the number of passengers on board; but although the captain remarked that it did not matter much, as most of the cooking was done at the ship's galley, which is a large and roomy one, we consider that proper cooking accommodation should be provided for the passengers, independent of what is deemed requisite for the ship's company. The condenser was also very faulty, and worked badly, the boiler being an old, patched-up concern. The engineer informed us that the inspector in England only tried the condenser for about ten minutes, and that he only worked it up to 20 pounds, above which point the engineer was afraid to go. The maximum quantity of water distilled in one day was 150 gallons. The captain of the vessel states that he has seen the condenser at work with a pressure of 25 pounds. As, however, the galley and condenser were we suppose inspected and passed by the Emigration Commissioners in England, we merely point out the defects without commenting thereon. The single men's hospital was the only one on deck, and as there was no sickness amongst those passengers, tbe surgeon was fortunately enabled to make use of it as a hospital for the children afflicted with the scarlet fever, and thus in a great measure prevent the spread of that disease in the 'tween-