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difficulty experienced in finding the Health Officer
when required. This observation of Dr. Swan's emphasises,
more than perhaps anything else could do, the necessity
for the Health Officer giving his undivided attention to
his Harbour duties and the danger of appointing a private
practitioner to this important post.
Para: 3. This para: is so worded as to convey the
impression that Dr. Swan merely recommended vaccination
to passengers, if they wanted to land, as there was an
epidemic of small-pox in the Colony. During the week the
"Coromandel" arrived the official record of cases of
smallpox was six, all Natives, so that this sudden soli-
citude, so gratuitous and uncalled for, on the part of
Dr. Swan for the passengers of this particular vessel
would be inexplicable, were it not for Captain Vibert's
Official Report, attached hereto, which explains that
"At 10.6 a.m. Dr. Swan, Health Officer boarded
The passengers were informed they must be vaccinated be-
fore being allowed on shore, many of whom objected, the
ship's Surgeon at once started vaccinating them until his
stock of lymph was finished". This is in fact what ac-
tually occurred; in consequence of the suspected case on
board no one was allowed to leave the ship, unless vac-
cinated, until the supply of lymph was exhausted.
Para: 4. Dr. Swan furthermore asserts that the
passengers treated the vaccination as a "huge joke". I
happened to see some of the passengers later on in the
day and I can truthfully say I never saw any people enjoy
a joke less; had it come to their knowledge that they had
been vaccinated, on compulsion, on account of a case of
ringworm they would doubtless have displayed a livelier
appreciation