35

D.—2,

ship suffering from disease, or from the effects of disease, or from other bodily ailment; and it is also alleged that certain of the said passengers, immigrants, and other persons, who were on board the said steamship at the time of her departure from Plymouth, in England, have died on board the said steamship prior to her arrival as aforesaid, and during her said recent voyage: And whereas it is expedient that an inquiry should be held into all and singular the said allegations, and into the circumstances connected with the death of such passengers, immigrants, aud other persons as aforesaid, and also into the several matters and things hereinafter mentioned : Now therefore, I, the Right Honorable Sir James Fergusson, Baronet, the Governor of the Colony of New Zealand, reposing great trust and confidence in your knowledge and ability, by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council of the said Colony, and in pursuance and exercise of every power and authority enabling mo in that behalf, do hereby appoint you the said Henry Scott McKellar, Alexander Johnston, and Frederick Augustus Krull, to be Commissioners for the purposes hereinafter set forth, that is to say, — To inquire into the origin, outbreak, and existence of any infectious or other disease or bodily ailment on board the said steamship, during her voyage from Plymouth aforesaid to Port Chalmers aforesaid ; and into the state of health of the said passengers, immigrants, and other persons at the time of their embarkation on board the said steamship at Plymouth aforesaid, or immediately prior thereto ; and also as to the mode and time of the medical examination of such passengers, immigrants, and other persons before or after such embarkation as aforesaid; and into all the facts and circumstances attending the death of all or any of such passengers, immigrants, and other persons as aforesaid on board the said ship during her said voyage ; and into the compliance or non-compliance by all and every person and persons liable and chargeable in that behalf with the laws relating to or affecting passenger ships, in so far as the same affects the said ship " Scimitar;" and generally into the provision made for the medical and other treatment, and the actual medical or other treatment, of the immigrants on board such ship during the said voyage. And for better effecting the purposes of this Commission, you and each of you are hereby empowered and authorized to call before you such persons as you shall judge likely to afford you any information on the subject of this Commission, and to inquire of and concerning the premises by all other lawful means and ways whatsoever. And the Commission shall continue in full force and virtue, and you, the said Commissioners, or either of you, may from time to time, and at any place or places within the Province of Otago, proceed in the execution hereof, and of every matter and thing herein contained, although the inquiry be not regularly continued from time to time by adjournment. And lastly, that you do, with as little delay as possible, report to me, under your hands, your opinion, resulting from the said inquiry, of the several matters and things herein set forth. Given under the hand of His Excellency the Right Honorable Sir James Fergusson, Baronet, a Member of Her Majesty's Most Honorable Privy Council, Governor and Com-mander-in-Chief in and over Her Majesty's Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies, and Vice-Admiral of the same, at the Government House, at Wellington, this twentieth day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.

Enclosure 6 in No. 34. Interim Report of Royal Commission. Sir,— Wellington, 3rd March, 1874. We have the honor to inform you that during the course of our investigation into the origin and existence of infectious and other diseases on board the s.s. "Mongol," during her recent voyage from Plymouth to Port Chalmers, it has come to our knowledge that very serious complaints were made by the passengers that they did not receive their proper allowance of water. We therefore deem it our duty to inform you of the fact as soon as possible, so that the Government may, if so advised, take action in the matter. In the absence from Wellington of all that class of passengers who would be most materially affected by this treatment, we have not yet been able to carry our investigation on this point to a conclusion; but in the meantime the accompanying extracts from evidence taken before us will apprise you of the facts that have come to our knowledge. AYe have, Ac, H. S. McKellae, Chairman, A Alexander Johnston, M.D., > Commissioners. Fr. Aug. Krull, ) The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, AVellington. Extracts from Evidence taken before the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the cause, Ac, of Infectious Disease, Ac, on board the Steamship " Mongol." Alfred Lay, storekeeper, s.s. " Mongol:" I heard the emigrants complain that they did not get their full allowance of water. This complaint was general, and I can name particularly Budd, Allan, and Abrahams. The carpenter served out the water. The emigrants said they only had half allowance. I asked the carpenter if this was true, and he said he obeyed the captain's instructions. He said they did not get their full allowance, but did not say how much they were deficient. This conversation took place about the beginning of January.