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The alarming increase of mortality in the Gaol from August 1870 to the present time, cannot be attributed to the introduction of the new system of penal discipline.

That system was in full operation throughout the specially healthy period of 1868, 1869, and the first half of 1870.

The increase of mortality was not caused by any epidemie, or from any physical causes from without,

The neighbourhood of the Gaol has continued to be healthy. Dr. Charsley describes the present state of unhealthiness in the Gaol as having "grown up gradually from local causes within the Gnol "

What were those local causes ?

Perhaps some light may be thrown on this, by ascertaining what were the causes of the exceptionally healthy state of the Gaol during 1868, 1860, and the first half of 1870. In a Report which this Commission had the honour to present to your Excellency's predecessor, Sir Hercules Robinson, in June 1868, we adverted, with gratification, to the great improvement of the sanitary state of the Welikada Gaol, and we stated our belief that much of this improvement is due to the cleanliness, regularity, and good order which have been maintained in the Gaol by the new Governor (i.e. Mr. Duval), and to the care with which the physical condition of every prisoner is watched by the medical officer." The change of government of the Gaol was in August 1870; and, as we have already pointed out, the change from a healthy to an unhealthy state of the Gaol began during the last half of 1870.

It would, however, be extremely unfair to impute this deterioration of the sanitary state of the Gaol solely to the new Governor.

There was no special occurrence in the last half of 1870, which must inevitably have affected the rates of sickness and mortality in the gaol whoever had been Governor. This was the drafting of 200 picked men, the lulest and strongest of all the prisoners, from the gaol to proceed to Manaar; and the filling up their place in Welikada by large drafts from out-stations, principally from Kurunegala, which is notoriously one of the unhealthiest districts in the island.

These men were, without exception, mere skeletons," and "in these men the slightest atmospheric change induced disease."

Since then eighty more of the strongest and stoutest men in Welikada have been transferred to Mannar.

There is also evidence that the cause of the present "poisonous" state of the walls of the cells had been in existence, and had been silently engendering mischief before Dr. Coghill's administration began, though the mischief was not actively developed till afterwards.

It is also fair to point out that Dr. Coghill himself had been chief resident Medical Officer during the greater part of the exceptionally healthy period, and he is entitled to his share of credit justly ascribed to the vigilance of the medical officers during that period.

But, while we wish all due weight to be given to these considerations, it is our duty to state that we regard "a state of disorganization in the discipline of the gaol," and "antagonism between the medical and disciplinary departments of a prison" to be sure causes of deterioration in its sanitary condition.

In such a state of things, neglect of duty spreads rapidly among subordinate officers, and is most certain to be shown in frequent and increasingly gross neglect of such duties as are in themselves irksome and repulsive. Such emphatically are the duties of attending to latrines, urinals, and chamber utensils, to making the strong prisoners keep themselves clean, and to keeping those clean who are in a state of sickness or other infirmity.

Dirt follows mismanagement, and disease follows dirt in a never-failing sequence. It is also certain that a state of autagonism between the medical and disciplinary authorities of a gaol must be totally inconsistent with earnest and ready co-operation of all officers of every class, which ought to be directed to keeping in health those who are whole, and to effecting a speedy recovery of the sick.

We now come to certain specific mischievous practices in the gaol, which we regard as having caused (jointly with other causes) the increased mortality in the gaol.

First.-Overcrowding, especially in placing more than one prisoner in a cell.

We may remark here that it is among the prisoners, who are kept in cells, and who are called by the guol officers "cellular prisoners," that mortality has chiefly raged.

It has been comparatively light among what are called the "associated prisoners; ' that is, prisoners who pass the night in wards, each of which holds a considerable number, and who work in gangs, or in the same shed or shop with other prisoners during the day.

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We find that it has been common to place the prisoners, and, occasionally, as many as five, in a single cell.

The new cells contain each rather more than 1,000 cubic feet of air, the old cells contain a less amount.

When the members of this Commission in 1866 prepared our first and principal Report, great pains were taken to ascertain the minimum space which every "separate cell" should contain, and the amount of ventilation it should receive. It was never contemplated that cells to be constructed as separate cells" would be used to receive more than one convict. It is obvious that all the moral benefits of the separate system are done away with when parties of three or five are stowed in a single cell.

They had far better be in a large ward with twenty or thirty companions. But the physical evils of this abuse are even more glaring.

When three men are packed in a cell, each man gets less air and less ventilation by two-thirds than are necessary for his healthy vitality.

When five are agglomerated in a cell, each man gets only a fifth of the air and ventila- tion he ought to have.

Moreover, a “cellular prisoner" passes day and night in his cell, except for a period

of one hour-and-a-half in the morning, and a similar period in the afternoon, when he is outside at shot-drill, or carrying a loaded pingo. He is obliged to work hard in his cell for several hours in the day picking coir.

The exudations and exhalations from his body, and from the bodies of his companions, are all this time tainting the atmosphere of their narrow den.

Worse remains to be told.

"The cellular prisoners take unglazed chatties into their cells,” and have no means of relieving theinselves but in these chatties in these cells."

"It is not allowed to take a man out of his cell at night,"

We use the present tense in speaking of these things, as it was used in the evidence given before us. But it is right to state that Dr. Coghill, in giving evidence about this

on the 17th October last, added respecting the cellular overcrowding, "It has now ceased, but we have found no improvement.”

That the high rate of mortality continued is not to be wondered at, when we consider how thoroughly poisoned the cells and the whole buildings must have become.

The system of not allowing prisoners to leave their sleeping-places at night to satisfy the calls of nature, has not been limited to the cells. It has been enforced also in the wards and hospitals, and the tubs and other receptacles for the men's excreta, placed and kept there during the night, must have caused contaminated air and filthy floors, and must have contributed to the general unhealthiness of the gaol.

To return to the "cellular prisoners." Their health has also been prejudiced by their having no change of clothes at night. A man bas had to lie down and pass the night in clothes damp and sodden with perspiration caused by his day's work; and the damp- ness of the cells has, to some extent, been increased by the nature of the work,—that is, coir-beating. It is necessary that the coir should have water poured on it order to make the man's work effective.

The cells have become peculiarly unhealthy from the practice which has prevailed of laying on coat after coat of whitewash from time to time, without scraping the old white- wash away before the new is applied. The whitewash absorbs the miasmata from the atmosphere of the cells, and becomes itself a surface which radiates poison.

The cells have now a layer of about one quarter of an inch thick of this morbific coating.

cells.

There has been insufficient ventilation in the upper parts of the new corridors of the The heated and vitiated air ascends from below, and finds no adequate means of escape.

It has been ascertained that the average temperature of the highest of the three tiers of these cells, exceeds the temperature of the lower tier by an average of 4 degrees.

The general result has been that the atmosphere of the cells becomes hot and offensively filthy, especially towards morning; and when the men have been taken out of their heated dens and exposed to the chill of the morning air at an unnecessary early bour.

We see here a direct cause of immediate diarrlin and dysentery.

It has also been the practice to make these "cellular prisoners" work their shot-dill and pingo carrying out in the sunshine.

This is a wholly unnecessary and a mischievous aggravation of penal labour.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference

C.O.885

3PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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