PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
C.O.
Reference :-
8855 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
screwed in.
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15. List of provisions, water, &c. to be taken on board at St. Helena or the Cape of Good Hope.
After receiving these and signing receipts (No. 12, of which I advise him always to have a copy), it is the duty of the Surgeon Superintendent to go on board the ship, which he should not leave till the last coolie has been debarked at the colony. On getting on board he should first see that the biscuit and sugar and water for drinking, aud milk for the nursing women and young children, are issued; that Sirdars are posted at the main and after hatches, to be relieved every two hours during the night, to maintain order and prevent anyone except coolies or those on duty from passing up or down; to have buckets, one for each, brooms, and squeejees issued to the Topazes, with a supply of disinfecting powder for the closet; rice ladles, dâl spoons, knives, and at least two perfectly new and clean galvanised iron buckets issued to the Bandhurries, with orders for them to be called at 5 a.m.; to see that there is fresh water in each boiler, ready to commence cooking the first thing in the morning (I generally have 12 to 15 buckets of water in each boiler); that the hospital attendants and nurses have reported to the senior compounder, and are ready for work; and that the ship is cleared of all persons who do not belony to her.
At dusk candles are lighted and put in the lanterns on the upper deck; the lanterns locked there, and then taken below and hung up in their proper places in the 'tween decks; also in the dispensary, in each of the closets in use, and on the quarter deck, and the hospital, if necessary. I leave the people as much to themselves as possible the first night so as to allow them to settle themselves down in their new surroundings, and ask the captain to have the carpenter go Scuttles to be below as soon as the ship is under weigh in the morning and screw up as tightly as possible the ports or scuttles on the coolie deck. There is a very dangerous ehoal in the Hooghly called the "James and Mary," and the coolies are very apt to pick out the rubber packing of the scuttles, not knowing the danger. For the same reason I always keep the scuttles tightly screwed up until the ship is at anchor at her port of destination, and have them looked to from time to time during the voyage. These scuttles should have nuts to fasten them which can only be unscrewed by a spanner, and not eye nuts which the coolies could open with a piece of stick.
The Surgeon Superintendent will then have to make out his requisition for the articles of diet, medical comforts, &c. wanted for next day, and hand it to the third mate for issue the first thing in the morning; and it is usual to allow him
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three or four coolies as "bustee-wallahs" to get the stores from the hold. These men should be volunteers for the work, and be allowed to remain with him during the voyage or their good behaviour, and be excused other work, and they are generally allowed a little extra food, being fed first with the sirdars, &c.
river.
As soon as the tide serves in the morning, the tug will Voyage down take the ship in tow and proceed down the river, and as this passage to the Eastern Channel lightship takes the greater part of two days, it is a favourable time for getting the people into the routine of ship life. The issuing tanks must be kept full of water (condensed), as the people are allowed all the water they care to drink on the way down the river; and Sirdars should be stationed along the sides of the ship with orders to prevent them from taking water from the river and from sitting on the topgallant rail of the bulwark, as they are apt to get giddy from the motion of the ship and topple over, and a boat is kept towing astern all the way down in case of accidents. The engineer should have steam up for cooking not later than 5.30 a.m., and the band- harries should have the rice, dâl, &c., which they have received from the third mate, in the boilers and commence cooking as soon as steam is let on, so as to have breakfast ready for issue at 8 to 8.30 a.m. The bandharries will require close supervision, especially at first, and be made to keep stirring the rice continually to prevent it from caking or becoming lumpy, and no rice or other food should be allowed to be removed from the boilers till the Surgeon Superintendent has satisfied himself that it is thoroughly cooked. The rice ladtes issued are worthless for stirring rice, and I generally get from the ship the blade of a broken oar with a handle fixed crosswise or a spud of same shape made by the carpenter.
The topazes should flush, and thoroughly clean and Routine of disinfect the closets at daybreak, and fill the tubs; and, on daily life on the people being sent below when breakfast is ready, they board,
should sweep off the upper deck and clean out the scuppers or channels at the sides of the ship and again Hush and disinfect the closets so as to have the deck clean and dry for the people at breakfast. The people should all rise at 6 a.m., tie their blankets, &c. in bundles and hang them on the rows of bamboos lushed to the stanchions along the centre of the ship and the 'tween decks should then be thoroughly cleared and the topazes be sent down to sweep off and throw over- board all the dust from the coolie deck. When the Surgeon Superintendent has seen that the food is thoroughly cooked, the bandharries put it in large tubs or in the iron boilers
MeaE
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE