H.—l9

4

to his duties, and all his books are in admirable order. Apart from the strained relations between the honorary staff and the house-surgeon, and the overcrowding, I think this hospital is in a highly satisfactory state. I have no doubt that when the extension of the hospital is taken in hand a new mortuary will be provided, and the other defects which have been pointed out in previous reports will be remedied. Ist December, 1886.

BLENHEIM. No detailed description of this hospital is necessary, for a new hospital has been built, and will soon be ready for occupation. The total number of patients at the date of my visit was ten males and one female. In No. 1 male ward I found four beds and only tw To patients, one an old man suffering from chronic rheumatic arthritis, whoso skin was very dirty. I was told, in explanation, that it was very difficult to get him to take a bath. In No. 2 male ward there were three beds and three patients, one suffering a recovery from a drinking-bout, one with an enlarged prostate and urinary trouble, and one case of chronic bronchitis. In No. 3 male ward, upstairs, there were five patients and six beds. The only female patient was an old woman suffering from senile decay. She was labouring under the delusion that her food was drugged, and was at times very restless and unmanageable. Of the male patients, four were really paupers, who were too old to work and had no home. Three more belonged to the same category except that they had slight ailments. Thus only three were proper subjects for hospital treatment. The rooms occupied by patients were all scrupulously clean, but having a bare and comfortless appearance. The beds are all iron, with straw paillasses and flax mattrasses. The bedclothes were in all cases sufficient for warmth, and very clean. The dinner was abundant and well cooked ; but I find that there are at present no vegetables, owing to the gardens being allowed to go uncultivated in view of removal. I satisfied myself that Dr. Porter attends carefully to his duties, and that all the patients are properly treated. Mr. and Mrs. Bax are careful and attentive, and great credit is due to the former for the zeal and energy with which he makes the best of the means at his disposal. I conversed with all the patients, and they speak in the highest terms of the kindness with which they are treated. No case-book is kept. The patients' register is entered up to date, and the day-book, in which all stores received, &c, are shown, w ras examined, All prescriptions are dispensed by the local druggist, at a cost of £30 per annum. The meat, bread, tea, and other stores were all of good quality. The secretary's books were all found in proper order. I made a careful inspection of the new hospital, but it will be better to defer any account of it till my next visit. 4th September, 1886.

CHAELESTON. This hospital stands in a reserve of about an acre of rough land, badly fenced, and planted with a few stunted willows and poplars. The building is of wood, with a shingle roof; containing one large ward, with accommodation for seven patients. It is faced on the north end by a verandah, and at the south end there is a lean-to, containing a dispensary with a meagre supply of drugs and instruments, and a lavatory, as well as a closet in a separate projection. The ward is 33ft. by 21ft. The lining-boards are covered to the height of 6-Jft. by white painted calico, with here and there a page of the illustrated papers stuck on. It is lighted by .means of three square windows with three divisions in each, and is airy and well ventilated. The furniture, is of the plainest description, and the appearance of the .whole is poverty-stricken. The beds are of iron, with straw palliasses and flock or coir mattrasses. The bedding is very clean, though the quilts are nearly worn out. There is an open fireplace with a common grate, and a clock on the mantelpiece. At the right-hand corner, near the door, a space is boarded oil' by a faded green screen, behind which the blankets and linen are kept on an empty bed, the linen-press being too damp for use. Close by, in a detached building, are the kitchen, steward's room, a small store, and an out-patient's room. The kitchen occupies a recess built of corrugated iron, and contains a good "Mistress" stove, w Tith a suitable dresser and shelves. Behind is a coal-shed, which serves as a mortuary. The whole surroundings of the place are squalid in the extreme, and the buildings are sadly in need of being painted; but there is no doubt, from the evidence of the patients, that a rude comfort is enjoyed by them, and that their treatment, both by Dr. Simpson and Mr. Dickens, the w rarder, is all that can be desired. The stores are got by contract, and are of good quality. The books are properly kept. The drug-bill is very moderate. The medical comforts for 1886 amounted to £11 10s. The committee are attentive in looking after the hospital, and whenever it is possible to exact it £1 a week is charged for each patient. 3rd November, 1886.

CHEISTCHUECH, The situation of this hospital is most beautiful —close to the town, and yet possessing all the advantages of being part of the public gardens, while absolute privacy is secured by the river which intervenes. The reserve is about eight acres in extent, part beautifully sloping down to the river and admirably kept, and part cultivated as a vegetable-garden, from which the patients are abundantly supplied. The building, taken as a whole, is a large and very intricate block ; but, on a nearer view, it is seen to consist of two parts—an ancient and a modern. The older and more intricate part is at present undergoing a process of reconstruction, which will greatly improve it. For the present I will confine myself to the part where the patients are lodged. This consists of a noble corridor parallel to the river, with three large wards opening off it on the left hand. Ward. No. 6, at the far end of the corridor, has just been transformed at a cost of £280 into what is for the present the