CONNECTED WITH THE SHIP "ENGLAND."

7

G.—No. 3.

A reference to the extracts from the official log between the 12th and 21st January shows that in that period no less than five children died, the causes of death being stated to be " morbilli, diarrhoea, and exhaustion." The firstdeath among the adults was that of a married woman, the wife of Christopher Ericksen, whose name appears in the official log as " Maria Olson," but whose real name was " Bertha Maria Olsdatter." She fell ill about the 20th December, and an eruption, with glossy pimples, appeared on the 26th. The character which this eruption assumed is described in a distinct manner by several witnesses, and, notwithstanding that it is not so described by the surgeon, there is no doubt that it was the pustular eruption which is characteristic of small-pox. The evidence of the medical witness (Dr. Johnston) is conclusive on this point. The description of the disease, stated to have been written at the time by the surgeon in. his journal, discloses its fearful nature; and the pitiable appearance of this woman towards the close of her illness, will be found described in the evidence of several other witnesses. The case appears to have been treated as one of " malignant measles " by the surgeon, and she eventually died on the 2nd January, 1872. It appears that no steps were taken to isolate this woman, or to remove the people who slept near her, but she was moved from one bunk to another close under the main hatch, so as to secure the benefit of better air when the hatchway could be kept open. She had a child at the breast, which died on the 14th January, having presented the same appearance as the mother, but in a modified degree. The woman above mentioned had been nursed in her illness by a single woman named Mina Bergersdatter, who took ill almost immediately afterwards. In her case the eruption appeared in the same form, and the pitted character of the pustule which is peculiar to small-pox is distinctly testified to. She eventually died on the Ist Pebruary. The immediate cause of death is stated to have been a chest complaint, accelerated by getting suddenly into a colder latitude. The third fatal case among the adults was that of Neils Peter Larsen, whose name is recorded in the official log as Peter Neilson. He fell ill on the 14th Pebruary. The evidence given by several witnesses identifies his appearance, with respect to the character of the eruption, with that of the woman Maria Olson. He died on the 3rd March. In all these cases, the symptoms described, and the opinions we have received from competent medical authority, lead us to the conclusion that although there are slight differences in the description of the appearance of the eruption, they suffered from the same disease, and there seems to be no reasonable doubt that that disease was small-pox. Several other adult cases followed, both among the passengers and the ship's officers and crew, but none of them were fatal. Indeed, at one period of the voyage there was not a part of the ship in which disease did not exist; and considering the way in which the people were cooped up with an infectious disease right in their midst and no effectual isolation, it seems difficult to imagine how a greater mortality did not occur. One of the worst of the non-fatal cases appears to have been that of a ship's apprentice named Spring, whose evidence will be found at page 12 of Appendix. Spring was examined before us, and in appearance is so pitted as to leave no doubt, even in the mind of a non-professional person, that he suffered from small-pox. Direct testimony, however, as to the nature of Spring's case will be found in the evidence attached. During the progress of the disease on board, the only attempt at isolation was the removal of the single women to the long-boat, which was housed over for them after Mina became ill. Reference has already been made to the unfitness of the hospital for the purpose intended; but it seems to us that it might have been possible to make some arrangement, even between decks, which would have had the effect of limiting the spread of the infection, as, from the history of the cases, it appears to have required direct contact for its propagation. Thus the two fatal cases among the adults occurred between decks, and the woman Mina became infected by attending on Maria Olson, and was allowed to carry infection among the single women in the saloon. In not preventing this, we think the surgeon was to blame; because, even supposing that his opinion of the disease was that it was only measles, yet he admits its malignant character, and it would there--2