D—No. 29.

REPORTS ON LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN NEW ZEALAND.

10

every Saturday. They get the same rations as the hard-labour convicts, with the addition of tobacco. They wear their own clothing when it is good; and failing that, they are dressed as convicts. At night these seventeen lunatics are distributed in five cells. The cells are ten feet by eight feet, and ten feet high. A convict, selected for that purpose by the gaoler, is placed in each of the cells. The lunatics take their food in the dining-room with the convicts ; they are placed together at the end of the room. The annual cost of the rations of each lunatic, inclusive of tobacco, is about £16 7s. The clothing of each who wears the prison dress costs about £2 9s. a year. If the lunatics were kept entirely apart from the convicts, the former might perhaps be provided with somewhat more suitable rations. In looking at the position of the lunatics in the Upper Gaol, the first great fact that strikes me is, that their detention in that place is illegal. In every case the patient has been committed bycompetent authority to the Lunatic Asylum —not to the gaol. By sending them to the gaol, the provisions of " The Lunatics Act, 1868," are altogether disregarded. If it is the wish of the authorities that the gaol shall be used for the safe keeping of lunatics, steps ought to be taken at once to have it, or some portion of it, gazetted as a Lunatic Asylum. The gaoler should be appointed the keeper; the Medical Officer of the Gaol the medical officer ; and some other gaol official, clerk. The necessary register should be kept, and, in short, the provisions of the Lunatics Act carried out. Some of the lunatics are certainly aware that they are being improperly dealt with, for they have spoken to me on the subject. Apart altogether from the legal aspect of the case, it is, I submit, well worthy of consideration whether a convict prison is a fitting place of detention for lunatics. It is within my knowledge that Mr. Cleary, the gaoler, does all in his power to render these unfortunate persons as comfortable as circumstances will permit. It is impossible, however, at all times to prevent them mingling with the convicts, and equally impossible to protect them entirely from insult and ill-treatment, at the hands of the ruffians by whom they are surrounded. Nor is it right, on the other hand, that the convicts should be troubled by them. The manner in which the County Government has hitherto dealt with the whole question is unsatisfactory in the extreme. It is unjust, illegal, and the reverse of economical. The Asylum on the Hospital Eeserve is total]}1- unfit for the reception of the small number which it at present accommodates. The system of sending persons to gaol who are committed to the Asylum is illegal, and tho price paid for the maintenance of some of our lunatics in the Sunnyside Asylum is, I believe, far in excess of what they might be suitably provided for in Hokitika. Two plans suggest themselves, either of which might be carried out with advantage to the County. First, a building large enough to accommodate all our lunatics could be erected on the Hospital Eeserve. The present staff, a comparatively inexpensive one, would be sufficient, or nearly so, to undertake the supervision of the largely increased number of patients under their care. The proximity of the Hospital would facilitate the medical treatment. Tho situation is a remarkably healthy one. Those amongst the lunatics who were sufficiently well and were willing to work, could bo usefully employed in the Hospital gardens ■^m) grounds. Second, additions could be made to the Upper Gaol, such additions to include a .^Kpge exercising yard and common room for the use of the patients. This plan recommends itself on .flke score of economy. By good management the present gaol staff of officials could undertake the care of the lunatics, and their food might be supplied from the gaol kitchens. The County Surgeon could be appointed medical officer. It is not probable that you will recommend any very large expenditure, either for the erection of buildings on the Hospital Eeserve or for additions to the Gaol buildings, but it is absolutely necessary that some attempt should be made to cope with the difficulty. The number of committals is increasing, and is by no means counterbalanced by the discharge of persons cured. The yearly expenditure is therefore rising, and one cause for this state of things may certainly be found in the fact that we are not adopting means to render the recovery of our lunatics probable. I have, &c, G. G. FitzGeeald, Inspector of Lunatics for the County of Westland. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington.

Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure in No. 7. Memobandum by Dr. Maunsell. Dubing the last six months, commencing Ist July, 1869, and ending 31st December, 1869, eighteen patients have been under treatment; four cases, all females, have been discharged as cured (one of whom suffered a relapse and was re-admitted). At present twelve patients remain in the Asylum, three males and nine females. On referring to the books of the Asylum, I find that long-continued intemperance has been the cause of most of the insanity among the males. During the last six months, not one of the six admitted was discharged as cured. This may be accounted for by the fact that all the worst and most hopeless cases of insanity are retained in the Asylum. The cause of insanity among the females has been long-continued intemperance, prostitution, and the pregnant condition. Previous to the last three months there has been no history taken of any case admitted into the Asylum. This is owing in a great measure to tho difficulty experienced in obtaining the slightest information as regards their previous history ; little can be gleaned from the papers by which they are committed, and the police constable who conveys them knows nothing about them. To rectify this, I would suggest that full information be forwarded with each case at the time of their •committal. If this were adopted valuable records could be framed which might account satisfactorily for the very large proportion of insane on this Coast. In conclusion, I may state that during the last six months two of the female lunatics were confined in the wards of the Hospital for want of accommodation in the Asylum. H. Widf.niiam Maunsell, Medical Officer and Keeper of the Hokitika Lunatic Asylum.