CHOLERA AT FIJI.—ARRIVAL OF PENGUIN AT AUCKLAND.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3746, 18 July 1883, Page 3

CHOLERA AT FIJI.—ARRIVAL OF PENGUIN AT AUCKLAND.

Auckland, This day

The steamship Penguin came into port last eA'ening at 9.30 o'clock from Fiji. Her master brought the vessel alongside the wharf, and cnablod the passengers to get ashore without deloy. AVithin half-an-hour of the time of mooring to the Avharf there was hardly a passenger on the deck***. AVhilst the Penguin Avas coining into* port the folloAving telegram, dated from AVellington, yesterday at 9.35 p.m. was flashed along the wire to the Health Officer: —" To Dr, Philson. Fiji declared infected place. Signed, G. S. Cooper." The telegram reached the hands of Dr. Philson about 10 o'clock. In the meantime the Penguin had reached the Avharf. Dr. Philson hurried to the Avharf, and found the vessel alongside. Captain Cromarty assured Dr Philson that he avis in ignorance of the fact that Fiji had been declared an infected place by the New Zealand Government, but as all the passengers Avere by this time gone away he could not sec lioav tho matter was to be remedied. Dr Philson ordered the mails to bo fumigated before being sent ashore, and then agreed to give Captain Cromarty a clean bill of health, Captain Cromarty assuring Dr Philson that there was no sickness at Levuka, his last port of departure on the 13th, but that cholera, small-pox, and measles Avere prevalent at Suva, which port ho left on the Ith. The Herald attacks tlio Government for the delay in issuing the notice, after it was knoAvn a week ago that the other colonies hae declared Fiji infected. The folloAving from the Suva Times of the 23rd of June explains the action of the authorities at Sydney and Melbourne in declaring Fijian ports infected:—"The ship Poonah arrived on Monday last from Calcutta with 195 souls on board, exclusive of the captain, officers, and creAv. There have been tAventy-six deaths from the time of departure until arrival, the majority from oholera. Five casee of small-pox are reported, but no deaths occurred from that disease. The engineer died from cholera. The vessel is in quarantine, and the present proposal of the Government, is that sho shall proceed to Nukalau, there discharge her passengers > and stores, leaving the colony without having obtained pratique There will be a difficulty in placing the men for proper authority and of exercising due vigilance over the cargo, which will also have to be landed. No fresh outbreak has been reported since the arrival of the vessel. Tho Government has issued posters printed in the Fijian language notifying the natives that infected coolie immigrants fcavo been

placed in quarantine on the island of Nukalau, and warning them not to approach it or fish on the reef near it under the usual penalty.