•
[ XXXI ]
who looked after the sick rooms. He did not pay anything for his brother's comfort, but he had to pay 20 cents to the temple for joss sticks and incense, and 20 cents to CHUN-A-FAT, for the same purpose. There was no attendance from the "I-Ts'z," and he did not expect it; he used to attend upon his brother himself. He put him into a room where there were no other patients, and he went regularly to visit him. He never saw any other patients with his brother at any time. His reason for going first to the Hospital to ask permission for his brother's entry, was that he did not know that it was so perfectly public.
Dr. COCHRANE, re-called, stated he remembered deceased being taken to the Hos- pital, and also recollected how dirty the body was, and he was of opinion the deceased was ill for a week or more, but he could not say if death was accelerated by want of proper treatment. He could not say if leaving off a blanket at night would hasten death, for the majority of the cases of jaundice brought to him were almost utterly hopeless.
26
NG-TYE-SING, dealer in Celestial cast off raiments, &c, said he knew WYE-A-Po, who was sent to the I-Ts'z" ten days ago. He was landlord of the house where WYE- A-Po lived, and he said he wished that some relation would come and take him away. He himself sent WYE-A-PO on ahead in a chair. When he got to the "I-Ts'z," he found that WYE-A-PO was refused admittance, on the ground that he was not in a dying state. He paid a woman at the Hospital 300 cash, and then the sick man was let in. The cash was given voluntarily to boil something for WYE-A-PO, and look after him a little. (This WYE-A-PO is in the Civil Hospital alive)
SU-A-CHEE, master of the Fookshow coffin shop, said between the book produced -it was a record of coffins sold-but only four appeared as for emigrants.
The Coroner then said he was prepared to place the case in the Jury's hands, and although it had been a long enquiry, yet the case was a serious one, and required to be thoroughly looked into. He certainly thought the case would have been more serious at first, but, after the long investigation all endeavour to fix the responsibility on some one had failed. The first question for the Jury to decide would be, who was the deceas- ed, and how he died? The name of deceased was unknown, but he certainly thought that there could be no doubt, deceased was an emigrant, and came from the "Kwong Kee." He had found that emigration was an excellent thing for China, but in carrying out the arrangements for it, that many abuses appeared. Even Mr. D. R. CALDWELL, with his long experience of China and the Chinese, could not entirely check the abuses. (The Coroner then referred to Mr. LISTER'S evidence, touching the state in which he found the "I-Ts'z," but that has already been prominently before the public.) The second question which the Jury would have to turn their minds to, was how the de- ceased died. Dr. COCHRANE had, in his evidence, stated that deceased died from jaun- dice, but he had also said that he could not give his opinion whether the filth in which the deceased was found would accelerate death. He (Coroner) did not think that any- thing had occupied the public attention, and caused so much sensation as this enquiry, and therefore the Jury must consider that they were representing the public in the matter. It was therefore expected that, over and above the decision as to the deceased's death, the Jury would express their opinion as to the "I-Ts'z" establishment. It would have to be an exceedingly strong verdict for him to disagree with it, and he only hoped that the verdict they would return would be such that an abuse of the kind would never again appear in this Colony; with these remarks he would leave the matter in their hands.
The Jury then retired, and after an absence of three quarters of an hour, returned the following verdict:---
"We are of opinion that the deceased died from natural causes; that a thorough and efficient inspection of the "I-Ts'z" has not been carried out by the person whose duty it was to pay attention to the state of the place. We deem it our duty to request