236
Ships bound to England do not leave this Fort every day, and when a passage is procured, we still consider it advisable to let those who are very anxious to do so take their chance. Against this conclusion, arrived at dispassionately and without other motive than that of humanity, by two Medical Officers of the Government, is set up the opinion of a Medical practitioner recently arrived in the Colony, whose practice is confined to the vessels in Port, is the Medical attendant of the ship-masters, and whose existence depends upon humoring them. I do not wish to impute motives, but Your Excellency will judge of the comparative value of the testimony.
And it is said that the men were unfit to proceed to sea without a surgeon. I would direct Your Excellency's attention to the circumstance that ships carrying surgeons are of rare occurrence. That there is very proper provision made by the Board of Trade for the conveyance of sick seamen overland, as is done in the case of invalid soldiers and seamen of the Royal Navy. That in the two cases it referred to, it was considered that all treatment...