G—No. 3

space between decks being occupied by a ground tier of stores, so that I had not the full height; there was a partition, which I locked. It rose midway between the hatch fore and aft, so that I had half the area of the hatch as a storeroom. For the better ventilation of the ship when we got into warm weather, the hatch was altered, and I then served stores from the hospital. It had previously been used for holding disinfectants and the medicine chest. The partition was then taken down and the whole square of the hatch thrown into the emigrants' department, and arranged so as to promote ventilation. The medicine chest from that time was kept under the main hatch, so that any one serving medicines must go there. I heard no complaints of the quality of the food, but did of the quantity from some of the emigrants (just a few) of all sorts—English, Danes, and Norwegians. I always served the rations in excess of the regulations, by the captain's orders—that is, of things they wanted ; but some things they did not want. Their chief complaint was, that they did not get enough butter and flour. There was a list or dietary scale hung up in the storeroom, and all over the ship 'tween decks ;it was in the English and Danish languages, so that it could be read by all on board. I do not consider that they had any cause of complaint. I was 'tween decks every morning at 6 and 9 o'clock, serving out stores, and then at 6 o'clock at night. I did observe when the doctor came below ; the above were my stated times, but I was also 'tween decks off and on all day. For the first two or three days after we left, the doctor came down twice a day; then he was sick for a good time, during which he did not come down; there were great complaints made before he came down again. The complaints were that they were not visited properly. During the time I refer to, the sick people received medicine from the captain. He was down two or three times a day seeing them. When the doctor next came down, the wife of Ericksen (Maria Olson) was sick. His attendance then was not very regular, and complaints were made to me on several days that they would not have him at all to attend on them. I can mention McDonald and Burness. I said to them that the captain's treatment was different to the doctor's. I explained to them that the captain believed in homoeopathy, but that they had better consider before they refused the doctor's services. They were then complaining about the treatment of their children, and that they did not get enough medical comforts. I never saw the doctor handle any person roughly, but I thought he talked roughly to the children. I can specify one case in particular. Jens Petersen's child was sick one night; it had a swollen navel, which the doctor put back, put a button on it, and a bandage ; they complained to me at the time through the interpreter. Ido not think the doctor knew that the people complained at this time. I witnessed the operation. I considered it rough treatment; had it been a child of mine, I would not have allowed him to do it. I went to ask the doctor's advice shortly after leaving London. I had a bad head ; I told him my symptoms; he said he was bad too, in an uncivil tone, and gave me no medicine. When I was subsequently ill, I was attended by the doctor, who was very attentive ; he visited me twice a day during the whole time ; he gave me medicines; he gave me lotion for the eyes, gargle for the throat, and he attended on me in a very satisfactory way. The time the doctor was sick at the commencement of the voyage, he was part of the time confined to his cabin. This was at the time the captain was attending to the sick, and before any complaints were made. During the rest of the voyage he appeared to be well enough to go about the ship. I have on many occasions seen him on the poop reading; on the same day he did not visit the sick ; this was about the middle of January ; at this time the captain was in charge of the sick ; the doctor did not then go down at all. I remember the complaints being made to the captain by the whole of the passengers. I was present on the occasion; this complaint was against the doctor; the complaint was to the effect that he was inattentive, that they did not know what he gave them medicine for, and that it did them no good. Before that I did not remark the doctor going about the ship on any day he did not go below 'tween decks; but after that I did. It was the general habit of the doctor to speak roughly to the sick people. I cannot specify any individual case. I wish to correct the statement I made above. The case of rough handling of Jens Petersen's child, which I have described, was exceptional, and the only case of rough handling I saw. I do not remember going round 'tween decks at the time of inspection to see if any person was left below, nor do I remember going round with Spring. The medicine chest was moved four times from the hospital to the main hatch and back ; it was never moved to any other part of the ship until we got into quarantine. I remember clearing out the hospital at the request of the captain, in order to make room for a female who was expecting to lie in ; the medicine chest was removed on that occasion. The hospital was not required on that occasion, and I moved into it with my stores again. This was after the death of Mrs. Ericksen, early in January; it was before the complaint I mentioned as being made by all the passengers to the captain. The doctor did not come down regularly at the commencement of the voyage 'tween decks for as long as the first week ; it was certainly not a fortnight; it was only till we got bad weather. I saw the doctor during that time in the saloon ;he told me he was sick. I had business in the lazarette, and had to go through the saloon ;he looked ill—sea-sick, as I imagine. I never saw Dr. Leigh the worse for liquor, except perhaps on the occasion when he was excited at Gravesend. I think I once mentioned to Captain Harrington the eruption on Claus Petersen's face ; this was towards the end of the voyage. I saw Dr. Leigh on the evening of the inspection at Gravesend, in the saloon. I saw him fall down off the pig-sty forward, and he was carried aft. He was either tipsy or excited. The ship was not prepared, as I would call it, to go to sea, until after we sailed. The emigrants' accommodation was not ready when they arrived, and I know they slept a night in the sheds in the East India Docks ; I mean all the emigrants ; the sheds were open sheds ; the weather was frightfully cold. The ship's galley was up before they arrived. Shaw, Saville, and Co. sent a cook, who was on board before they arrived ; they got dinner the same day they arrived. The stores that the cook prepared for them were independent of the ship's stores. Ido not know who supplied them. The children had hooping-cough when we started—both foreign and Scotch. I observed the hooping-cough as soon as they came on board. Permission, I believe, was got from the Dock Company for the emigrants to sleep in the sheds, as no person is otherwise allowed to remain inside the gates during night. Ido not believe they had any bedding in the sheds. In discussing the origin of the disease among the crew, Swenson, I, the sailmaker, carpenter, and

By requeit of Dr. Leigh.

By request of Captain Harrington.

By Commissioners.

27

CONNECTED WITH THE SHIP "ENGLAND."