H.—2

4

of classifying the patients, nor, from want of space and sufficient staff, can any restorative occupation or recreation be provided them. It has become imperative that an Asylum on another site, and with a sufficient staff, be provided with as little delay as possible. The inmates confined in the Asylum at present are, —*Eleazor Naylor, Michael Flannagan, Thomas Coad, Stephen Coad, Charles Hursthouse, William Jordan, and Charles Clifford. Since my last report, one warder has been appointed, who has been of great use, and every attention to the health, comfort, and cleanliness of the patients has been paid in a most satisfactory manner, so far as the limited area of the Asylum will permit. I have, &c, W. M. Crompton, His Honor the Superintendent, Taranaki. Inspector of Lunacy. * Eleazor Naylor left for Wellington in charge of Eichard Henry Naylor, per steamer " Wellington," 6th January, 1875, with official letters to the authorities. Peed. A. Cabrington, Superintendent.

No. 3. Mr. Scaly to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sib,— Napier, 20th May, 1875. I have the honor to forward a report on the Napier Lunatic Asylum for the year 1874, as required by section 60 of " The Lunatics Act, 1868." During the year 1874 eight lunatics were admitted, of whom seven were males and one female. There were nine other patients—six males and three females. Of the eight cases admitted within the year, four were discharged. Three of them were cases of temporary insanity induced by drink, or, I should say, mental weakness aggravated by drink. The fourth case admitted and discharged within the year was a young woman, who, after a sojourn of three months in the Asylum, was so far improved as to be allowed to join her friends in another province. One man was sent here from Poverty Bay. He arrived on the 6th June, and died on the 9th of the same month. The three female patients who were in the Asylum at the commencement of the year, and remained there at its close, appear to me to be hopeless cases of insanity. Of the remaining male patients, three are young men, who have occasional fits of violence, but at other times are comparatively healthy. The other three are hopeless imbeciles. Hitherto, and indeed to the present time, the Asylum has been connected with the Gaol, being a wing of that building. Latterly this deduction from the accommodation in the gaol has been a serious inconvenience, as from the increase of population there has been a corresponding increase of prisoners, and from the number of passenger ships arriving at the port here there have been numerous cases of desertion and other offences amongst the sailors, usually expiated by terms of imprisonment of from one to three months. I mentioned in my last report that the Provincial Council had voted funds for the erection of an Asylum. This building is now in a forward state. To obtain a suitable site on the Gaol Eeserve it was necessary to excavate from the hill and fill in a gully. This was a heavy piece of work, but was a convenient mode of employing those prisoners sentenced to hard labour whom it was not desirable to send to a distance from the Gaol. The Asylum is now in a forward state ; it has been built to a considerable extent by prison labour, assisted however by a few skilled mechanics. The building is of wood, with an iron roof. The body of the edifice is 66 feet long by 24 wide, and there are two wings, each 63 feet long by 22 wide, with the same height as the main building, viz. 12 feet to the eaves. The space between the wings and the main building is an enclosed court for the use of some of the patients, whilst there are larger enclosures beyond for other patients. These latter will fall within the view of the Gaol sentinels, who will thus act to some extent as warders to the Asylum, although their beat is beyond the Asylum premises, which however, from the nature of the ground, it completely overlooks. The necessary out-offices are now in course of construction, as also concrete tanks underground, in which an ample supply of water for the establishment will be stored up; the supply being obtained from the iron roofs of the entire building. The new Asylum will be under the general management and supervision of Mr. William Miller, the master of the Gaol, but there will be a resident warder with his wife, who will have the immediate superintendence of the Asylum. I trust that early in July next the transfer of the patients from the present temporary Asylum to the new building will take place. The Asylum, as I have stated in former reports, is within half a mile from my office; lam therefore enabled to visit it as often as occasion may require without entailing any expense for travelling; I have also frequent communication with the Master at my own office. He is a zealous officer, very well adapted for the responsible duties he has to perform. In my opinion, the lunatics are as well provided for as the circumstances will admit of; but no doubt the opening of the new Asylum will be in every respect advantageous, and will materially add to the comfort of the unfortunate inmates. The medical department is under the charge of Dr. Hitchings, the Provincial Surgeon, there being no resident medical officer. Dr. Hitchings visits the Gaol and Asylum about twice a week, and would do so more frequently if any case of sickness occurred requiring his attention, which, fortunately, has not been the case for some time past. As a provision for the reception of lunatics and the treatment of temporary cases, the new Asylum will, in my opinion, be adequate to the requirements of this division of the colony ; but I would again express my hope that at no distant period the more severe and permanent cases of insanity will be dealt with at a large central institution, where the patients will have the benefit of comforts, amuse-