Court of Inquiry into the extraordinary mortality on board the "Italia", a Collins passenger Ship from the Tavannah to China.
When the enclosed report from Enclave Mr Dr Adams, the Colonial Medical Boarding Officer, reached me, and I heard that 74 deaths had occurred amongst only 150 passengers, I was most anxious to institute an Inquiry into the circumstances, but the Attorney General was of opinion that it was not competent for this Government to do so.
I have, however, no reason to suppose that the investigation, which took place subsequently before Mr Keswick, was not equally effective with any which this Government could have instituted; and I quite agree with Mr Keswick's opinion that no blame attaches to the Captain, Officers, or Owners of the Ship "Italia", which appears to have been amply provisioned, and whose Captain and Officers evidently behaved with extreme kindness and liberality to their passengers. Nevertheless, the excessive mortality under the circumstances is so extraordinary that I have thought it right to draw Your Lordship's special attention to it. I would also point to the opinion of Dr Adams, regarding the inefficacy of citric acid, administered in crystals instead of...