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assistant, Ac. All the immigrants spoke highly of their kindness and attention. The matron over the single women deserves the greatest praise for the careful manner in which she has discharged her duties. The Commissioners therefore recommend her for future employment in that capacity, if she so desires, and further bring her case before the Hon. the Minister for Immigration for favourable consideration. P. T. O'Caeeoll. The Hon. the Minister for Immigration. W. K. Hulke.

Enclosure 2 in No. 17. Immigration Officeb's Eepoet on Ship " Halcione." Sic, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 7th September, 1875. I have the honor to report the arrival of the ship " Halcione" on the sth instant, with Government immigrants for the Province of Taranaki, which place she had been obliged to leave through stress of weather without landing all her passengers. There were also on board nine and a half adults for this province. Immediately upon arrival the Commissioners boarded the vessel and found everything satisfactory, but, as the Immigration Commissioners at Taranaki had fully inspected the vessel and her passengers, the Commissioners here did not consider it necessary to make another minute inspection and report. The Taranaki immigrants, numbering 139 adults, were this day reembarked by the s.s. " Taranaki" for their destination —one family remaining here as the mother was unable, through illness, to proceed on her journey. The immigrants for this port were also landed to-day. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Wellington. H. J. H. Eliott.

No. 18. The Hon. H. A. Atkinson to the Agent-General.' (No. 215.) Sic, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 19th October, 1875. I have the honor to transmit herewith copies of the following documents relative to the " Chile," which vessel arrived at New Plymouth upon the 26th September ultimo: —1. Immigration Commissioners' report. 2. Surgeon-superintendent's report. 3, Certified list of births and deaths. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. H. A. Atkinson.

Enclosure in No. 18. Commissionebs' Eepobt on Ship " Chile." Sib,— New Plymouth, 26th September, 1875. We, the Immigration Commissioners of this port, beg to report for your information that we have this day inspected the ship " Chile," just arrived from London with 160j adults, equal to 196 souls on board, and found the ship moderately clean and the passengers healthy ; and, no complaints being made to us by the latter as regards either provisions or treatment, permission was granted to the Immigration Officer for their disembarkation. Tour Commissioners visited the unmarried females' compartment—after part of saloon —found it clean and well ventilated, no inmates in their hospital, which, as well as their bunks, tables, &c, was found clean and in good order. The married people's quarters amidships were also found clean. The single men's compartment of the vessel was next visited, and found both far from clean, the after parts dark, and ill ventilated. The surgeon-superin-tendent informed us he had had an addition made to an ordinary windsail for the purpose of ventilating their compartment more thoroughly, but it had been lost or thrown overboard in the southern latitudes, where it was not required. The condenser was next inspected. We found it in good working order: the engineer in charge informed us it had worked well during the voyage, giving about 200 gallons of water each day. The hospitals for males and married females were next inspected, and of their arrangement and situation your Commissioners must report very unfavourably. These two hospitals were right forward near the bow of the vessel, opposite one another, so that, if the surgeon had to treat female or midwifery cases, he was quite close to the male patients' hospital. We would most earnestly urge upon the Hon. the Immigration Minister the advisability of having the married females' hospital in such a position as would command more privacy, the hospital for that class on board the " Chile " being in the most public part of the ship. In fact your Commissioners would advise that, if possible, all hospitals should be on deck: one forward, one amidships, and one aft. We could find no fault with the surgeon-superintendent; he had done his duty well, and from his remarks we gathered that the London Emigration Officer laboured under the same impression as we do now with regard to the male and married females' hospitals. The Commissioners would therefore remark that in their opinion the " Chile " should not for the future be employed as an immigration ship, being in very many respects greatly inferior to the class of vessels such as the " Halcione," and other ships of a more modern date. Your Commissioners next inspected the surgeon's log, and from it learnt that there were two deaths during the voyage —namely, the passengers' cook, who in a fit of delirium tremens jumped overboard, and was with great exertion saved, but died some days after of bronchitis. The other death was caused by pleurisy. Two births took place during the voyage, one of which was still-born,