59

D.—2.

There was a separate galley for the ship's company. The condenser worked satisfactorily, and the captain informs us it was quite able to condense the quantity of water it was required to. The dispensary was very conveniently situated in the wing of the poop. Altogether wo consider the arrangements of the vessel were very good, especially the ventilation of the 'tween-decks, which were much more lofty than in most vessels we have inspected, being nine feet in height. We were pleased to find that the Agent-General had placed a supply of surplus medical stores under the charge of the surgeon-superintendent, and that Dr. Donaldson had undertaken to servo in quarantine for seven days without extra remuneration; but we would suggest that it would be more convenient, as a matter of business, if we were informed of these arrangements before the arrival of an emigrant vessel, as in this instance we had to trust entirely to the statements of the surgeon himself, not having any information on the subject. In conclusion, we transmit the surgeon-superintendent's report of the voyage, and recommend the payment of all gratuities. We have, Ac, Alexander Johnston, M.D.,A H. J. H. Eliott, > Commissioners. John Holliday, ) Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure 2 in No. 51. Remarks by Surgeon-Superintendent, " Golden Sea." The passage of the " Golden Sea " from London to Wellington has been an average fortunate one in all leading respects. The general good health of the passengers has been due in great measure to the ample means of ventilation offered by the lofty 'tween-decks and roomy shafts with which the ship is furnished ; and under such favourable circumstances, it is difficult to account for the outbreak of scarlatinoid fever among the children on board. • It occurred to me that much discomfort and consequent disease among the children might be obviated by isolating the children from the other passengers, and placing them under the care of responsible nurses, or matrons who could by stricter attention to cleanliness and regularity of diet, enable the children to withstand the trying conditions of a lengthened sea passage; the mothers of the children in the majority of cases being too much upset themselves, at the commencement of the passage, to attend to little else than their own miserable sensations, and later on in the passage, I regret to say, frequently appropriating to their ow-n use the medical comforts issued for the use of their children. A comparatively small portion of the 'tween-decks boarded off from the remainder might be devoted to the purpose of separating the children from the rest of the passengers, and the children above two years of age and under twelve years of age placed there. In regard to the arrangement of the berths in the 'tween-decks, it is a significant fact that the worst cases of illness, and those that assumed a low typhoid form (many of them terminating fatally), were those that made their appearance in the side alleys, and especially in the alley on the weather side of the ship. I cannot help thinking that the difficulty of freely ventilating those portions of the 'tween-decks, renders it advisable to erect berths in such a manner as to require the use of side alleys. I would suggest that regulations should be issued and enforced amongst the passengers, compelling their attention to the manner of clothing themselves while in the warmer climate. lam sure that the habits they adopt of going about barefooted and insufficiently clad, during the hot weather, is a fertile source of indisposition among them, rendering them liable to slight illnesses such as would, under unfavourable circumstances, prepare the subjects of them for the reception and development of diseases of a more serious character. An outbreak of tonsitis, accompanied by a low feverish condition that appeared amongst the passengers almost before the vessel left the tropics, I attribute to want of care in the matter of dress while in tho hot weather, and those persons suffered most who were most careless in this respect. The liberal supply of milk placed on board by the Government, enabled me to deal successfully with the children in numerous cases; but I would venture to suggest that mutton broth be substituted for the gravy soup. I found that mutton broth was tolerated by the irritable stomachs of the children, and assimilated with marked benefit, while diarrhoea and other forms of gastro-intestinal disturbances frequently followed the use of gravy soup. Wellington, 15th May, 1874. H. Donaldson.

Enclosure 3 in No. 51. Dr. Donaldson to the Immigeation Officer, Wellington. Sir,— Wellington, 30th May, 1874. In the summary at the end of my daily journal, forwarded to you last week, I said that, looking at the effective sanitary arrangements on board the ship " Golden Sea," it was difficult to account for the outbreak of scarlatina amongst the children on board. Since writing the summary, I met with Dr. Davison, of the steamship " Mongol," and in the course of conversation elicited from him that a family of the name of Dymes had been sent on shore at Plymouth by him from the " Mongol," on the 22nd December last, suffering from well-marked scarlatina. Some of the children were covered with the rash, and others suffering from the effects of the disease. This family came on board the " Golden Sea," at Gravesend, on the 22nd January, as emigrants for Wellington, exactly one month after their rejection from the " Mongol." I would venture to suggest that greater care than such a proceeding exhibits, should be taken in regard to the shipping of emigrants.