and embarking passengers he arrived at Sydney on the 26th June (Sunday) with a clean bill of health from his last port, Brisbane, after a most searching inspection by the Police Health Officer at the port.
That on his arrival at Sydney he was ordered into quarantine by the Medical Authorities and, after inspection by the Medical Authorities and Emigration Offices, was again found to be free from disease and was granted immediate pratique.
That the ship sailed from Melbourne on the 9th July for Sydney with 228 Chinese passengers for that port and 3 European passengers for Hong Kong and arrived there on the 12th July when she was at once ordered into quarantine for an indefinite period, although the Health Officer, after a thorough inspection by the assistant health officer, pronounced the ship and passengers to be entirely free from disease; and no provision was made for supplying the ship with necessaries.
That while it appears from the master's sworn deposition that it was only after flying distress signals for 48 hours that a boat was allowed to go along the ship. The distress which the poor people suffered is painfully expressed in the appeal made by Mr. Khan, one of the Chinese passengers, who asked the Captain with tears in his eyes if it was the intention of the people on shore to starve them by the deprivation of water.
That after many days, fully detailed in the Captain's statement and which, in the opinion of this Chamber, were of an unnecessarily harsh character, the ship was at length, on the 2nd July, after 7 days' detention, during which the passengers for Sydney were not allowed to be landed, permitted to proceed to Melbourne, where she arrived on the 5th July.
That the ship was kept in quarantine till the 22nd July and then, it is alleged, by direct orders from the Government, the entire property, including furniture belonging to the Chinese passengers, was taken out of the ship and burnt; the passengers were then taken out of the ship, shipped naked on the open beach on a cold, bleak winter day, and only given one suit of clothes and a blanket each, which were provided at the cost of the Charterers.
During the absence of the passengers, it appears that the ship was inspected by the Quarantine Superintendent to see that all their effects had been destroyed, but strange to say, no measures were adopted to fumigate or disinfect the ship. This omission, in the opinion of this Chamber, requires explanation, for if it was necessary to destroy the belongings of the passengers, it appears obvious that it was equally necessary to disinfect the ship.
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#July - said to have found disease.
That the ship is entirely free from disease.