CONNECTED WITH THE SHIP "ENGLAND."

33

G.—No. 3.

of Karen Neilsen, who was examined yesterday. I attended this man up till within two days of his death, and then ceased to attend him at his wife's request, as conveyed to me by the interpreter. He was.comatose when I left him, and died in this state. I had then no hope of his recovery. I did not consider that I was the surgeon of the ship at that time. I believed it was measles he died of. His symptoms were similar to what I have described in the cases of Spring and Maria Olson, but differed in becoming of an erysipelatous character towards the termination of the case. I saw no pustules. I saw pustules in Spring's case. I consider that a pustular eruption would have a different character from one in which there was no pustules. I mean that Spring's case advanced to a pustular stage, but that Maria Olson or Nils Peter Larsen did not advance to that stage before they died. The reference I have made in the official log (on 25th February) to the inhuman and gross neglect of the father of James Burness refers to his not having followed my directions. This child was in a filthy state, covered with vermin ; and his father refused to wash him as I instructed, and otherwise neglected him so as, in my opinion, to accelerate his death. In Mrs. Burness's case, she fractured her fore arm, and I set it, in what^ I considered to be a proper manner. It went on very well until the 23rd, when Captain Harrington took charge of it, and I found it had been reset in an improper manner. The woman told me this was done by Captain Harrington, assisted by the carpenter. I had nothing further to do with the case. _ I reset the arm on one occasion before the captain took it over, restoring the position of the bones, which had become shifted. lam subject to epilepsy. I have had two attacks on the voyage. The first was during or after the period I had been suspended. The second was on the day before the Health Officer came on board. These fits prostrated me for about a day. The drugs I have to take exercise no effect in preventing me from performing my duty. I have taken a grain of opium at intervals of one or two days several times together, never in excess of that quantity. lam at times irritable, in consequence of my ill health. I informed the captain I had undertaken the voyage for the'express purpose of benefiting my health ; this was a day or two after we left home. The report marked Jis the official report made to the Health Officers by me on the arrival of the ship. At the time I made this report, I believed the epidemic on board was a malignant form of measles. I do not allude in my report to the disagreement I had with the captain, nor to the fact that I had been suspended from duty during the voyage. My report was written the night previous, and, although unwell, I could have seen the Health Officers and delivered it, but I was not called. The captain was not aware of the contents of my report. I consider my report sufficiently indicated the contagious nature of the disease to warrant the Health Officers placing the ship in quarantine. My report was handed to the Health Officers on the second day the vessel was in port. The only reason it'was not given on the occasion of the first visit was, that I was not called. The reason I did not allude to my having been suspended from duty during part of the voyage was, that the captain and I were again friends. I still believe that the epidemic on board has not been small-pox. I believe Spring has not suffered from small-pox. Subsequent to the arrival of the ship in port, Captain Harrington placed me under arrest. It was on Monday, the 11th March, 1872. My friendly intercourse with Captain Harrington was interrupted on that morning. I was on the poop, and he came and told me to go down below to my cabin. I had that morning breakfasted with the captain ; there were no words between us at the breakfast table. lam aware of no reason for Captain Harrington's change. He used force on the occasion of my arrest. In applying the routine of the Staffordshire Hospital to the ship, I mean that I applied it to the sick and the general cleanliness on board. I did not know that the buckets refused to me by the captain were fire-buckets. I have seen the same buckets taken down and used; Ido not know for what purpose ; the emigrants had buckets of their own, which were different from these. I never made an application for medical comforts to the captain which was not complied with in some way or other. I was aware that the surgical appliances on board were insufficient, and complained of this to one of the Inspectors. Captain Harrington was present when this was mentioned. Ale was one of the things I ordered for which the captain substituted something else. I believe and now know that ale is not in the list of medical comforts, marked F. I account for the missing leaves in my medical journal from the circumstance that my oil lamp was spilt over it, and destroyed the parts removed; there were no entries on the leaves I removed, with the exception of some I recopied at the time of the accident to the book. I have been engaged for two or three hours together writing in my journal, after the passengers have gone to bed. Ido not think the captain did his best towards the wellfare of the sick under his charge. I consider his interference with my practice was prejudicial in the case of Mrs. Burness; also, in superseding me, as he is not a qualified medical practitioner, he did not do his duty towards the welfare of those under his charge. I think he did his best towards preventing the spread of the disease. I asked Mr. Badland on 13th January to attend the sick for me as we were on friendly terms. Ido not recollect informing the captain that I was ill; I presumed he knew I was ill. On 15th January, when the complaint was made by the passengers to the captain against me, the captain pointed out to them that they ran a certain risk by declining my services, but that he would attend them, and would compel me to attend them if I was required. I said I would refuse to do so if they signed the papers declining my services. I subsequently dispensed medicine to the emigrants at the captain's command. Burness was one of the complainants on 15th January. The captain charged me with neglecting Peter Nielsen, and told me he would charge me with manslaughter for neglect of this man. I' ridiculed this, because the charge was unfounded. Swenson never complained to the captain in my presence as to my treatment of Peter Nielsen. After I had set Mrs. Burness's arm and attended it for three or four days, I asked Burness to withdraw his letter of complaint, and he refused. I attended his child James after that until his death. I know Mrs. Burness's arm was taken charge of by the captain from the following circumstances. I wrote a note to the captain marked X, and received the reply marked L ; the letter Kis a true copy of that sent by me to the captain. He had the original. Captain Harrington treated me with kindness during the voyage, knowing I was in ill health. I did not consult Captain Harrington before preparing my report, nor did I inform him of the terms of my report. I have repeatedly heard the captain say we would have to go into quarantine on our arrival; this was for several weeks before we arrived. I have no positive recollection of the captain telling me to discontinue sitting at his table on the evening Dr. Bulmer arrived on board. There was a complaint or a reiteration of the complaint made by the emigrants to Dr. Bulmer in my presence. The emigrants y

By request of Captain Harrington-