EMIGRANT SHIPS.

Colonist, Issue 71, 25 June 1858, Page 3

EMIGRANT SHIPS.

. ■ (From the Hohnrt Town Mercury, June 8.) We arc again compelled to direct the attention of the hbme^autlwrMea to the disgraceful manner in which emigrant ships are fitted out and sent to sea. Within a very short period two vessels have been placed in Quarantine in this port, the Persian and the Trade Wind. In the former of these many lives were sacrificed to a fever superinduced l>y the insufficiency of ventilation ; in the. latter, also, several deaths; occurred from a similar cause, combined with deficiency and inferiority of provisions. On Thursday last the barque Camilla, bound for Nelson, N 4 Z., having sailed from London the 12th January, entered this port. Front the statements made by the passengers on board it appears that since the day of her sailing many of the articles enumerated in the dietary scale-had, been denied to them ; whilst tfiere had'been a total absence of all medical comforts. For more than two months they have been.tin short allowance of water; in fact there was not sufficient on board when entering the Heads to have served another -day at the rate they have lately been on, viz., one quart per diem. Salt beef and pork, and biscuits (mouldy and full of weevils) have formed their staple articles of food, While they received two quarts only of water for cooking breakfasts, peaspudding, and rice But for a providential fall of: rain they would not have had water for the last fortnight. There are other and more serious charges than even shortness of water and provisions. The scurvy has made its appearance both.fore and aft, and as the small quantity of lime juice put on board was expended two won thy ago, there were no mean's of affording any assistance to the sufferers;

It is really too bad that such proceedings as these should be tolerated; and we do hope that the lives which have already been sacrificed will be deemed sufficient to call for a rigid inquiry into the present sys fern' of fitting out passenger ships for the colonies^ When it is recollected what power is placed in the hands of tho owners or charterers of these vessels, and the large amount of confidence we are necessarily compelled to repose in their integrity, we do think the government ought 'to take some, steps to prevent their abuse* Each of these vessels is but another sad

illustration of the willingness of men to peril the 1 i ves, of their fellow creatures foi* gain. Although, in the case of the Camilla, no lives appear to have been sacrificed, yet the. sufferings the passengers have endured through the scandalous and unpardonable neglect of the charterers, 'Morrison and Co., of Leadenhall-street, call loudly for the sympathy and interference of the home authorities. Passengers are placed entirely at the mercy of these men. The assurance that the ship is amply found in stores is never wanting, whilst its truth or falsehood can never be discovered until discovery is unavailing. And what chance have these passengers when in a distant colony of obtaining legal redress ? It has always been found necessary, in cases where the lives ofhuman beings are at stake, to guard against any abuse of so much power by legislative interference. And the stronger the temptation the greater the necessity. The fatal results which have followed the abuse of that power both in.the case of the Persian and the Trade Wind, and the misery and suffering which have ensued from it on board the Camilla, must satisfy any mind that an imperative necessity exists for having recourse to some stringent laws for regulating the ventilation and fitting out of immigrant vessels. We venture to assert that were a ship to enter the British Channel with her passengers dead and dying through want of ventilation or insufficiency of food, a rigid scrutiny would be instituted at once into the matter, and every necessary step would be taken to prevent the recurrence of a similar catastrophe. Had the Persian gone into a British instead of .a colonial port, a, coroner's jury would have found a verdict of wilfulv murder against those who sent the ship tp sea ivitlwut sufficient ventilation. Who is to ..be answerable for' all the lives sacrificed in that ill-fated vessel ? We' have been so long accustomed to have everything colonial treated with indifference that we are getting used to it. If one of the British Colonies were to be swallowed up by an earthquake/it would be but a nine day's wonder in England. The only question which would be asked is;— Who was the Governor?

It is to be hoped that this matter will attractattention. It is getting too serious to be trifled with. If peoples lives are to be thus placed in peril With impunity there are very few who will care to undertake the additional risk of a voyage. The effect upon this colony, where labor is in so great demand, cannot fail to be most mischievous. We are dependent upon third and fourth class, ship's for all the immigrants who select Tasmania as their home; and these are the vessels over which it is necessary that some active supervision should be maintained. Large first class passenger ships would be doing themselves an irreparable injury by neglecting the health and comfort of their passengers. They depend much upon their reputation for their success; and that reputation would be considerably damaged by a five or six weeks sojourn in the Quarantine ground. The loss sustained by the ship's detention could never be repaired by .such dishonest practices as those brought, to light on board the Camilla. It is not so, however, with smaller vessels which never make the same voyage twice consecutively. They are chartered for the run, and the parties chartering them have no interest in the. vessel beyond that one trip. The inducements, therefore, to dishonesty ai*e, in their case, too strong to be resisted. We have a proof of this in the scandalous manner which the Camilla was sent to sea; a proof sufficiently convincing, we trust, more especially when viewed in connexion with the Persian and Trade Wind, to induce the Home Authorities to; devise some means for putting a stop to so nefarious and so disreputable a system.