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ment of Superintendent of Prisons by my predecessor; subject of course to your Lordship's approval, but that officer declined the post on the ground that he considered the pay insufficient.

Sir,

:

I have, &c.

(Signed)

WM. F. DRUMMOND JERVOIS.

Inclosure 1 in No. 21.

Singapore, August 4, 1875. I HAVE the honour to forward herewith the Report of the Committee appointed to inquire into the causes of the outbreak in the Criminal Prison on the 13th of February last,

In explanation of the delay that has occurred in its submission, I beg to state that it has been chiefly due to a recommendation from Sir A. Clarke, that the inquiry should be suspended until the trial of the mutineers before the Supreme Court had been completed.

The Report is not signed by Dr. Robertson, as he left for Europe soon after the inquiry commenced.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Straits Settlements.

THOS SCOTT, President of Committee.

Inclosure 2 in No. 21.

Report of the Committee appointed to inquire into the Causes which led to the Outbreak in the Criminal Prison on the 13th February, 1875.

*

THE Committee having met, pursuant to the instructions from Government, com- municated in letter of 17th March to the President, and having had the opportunity of perusing together the documents and papers bearing on the subject, and of obtaining further evidence (though not on oath) from gaol officials and others who were present during the outbreak, have arrived at the following conclusions:-

That the immediate cause of the outbreak was due to a preconcerted arrangement on the part of certain Chinese prisoners in the middle grade to effect their escape; and that these prisoners were of a class who, under former arrangements with the Indian Govern- ment, would have been transported from the Colony.

That the prisoners had no just cause for complaint, either in regard to quantity or quality of dict, or of undue severity on the part of either the superintendent or the warders.

That the escape appears to have been planned to take place on the 13th of February, as a parade had been ordered for that afternoon to witness the flogging of a Chinese prisoner, and at which, according to custom, the whole convicts, some 600 in number, were to have been assembled.

That this parade, though it, as it now appears, was fortunately postponed, left the ringleaders with their plans so far prepared, that they forced on the mutiny by an attack upon Warder Sandford, in defence of whom the Superintendent received the wounds from which he died.

That the prisoners had singular facilities within their reach to accomplish their purpose, viz., in the opportunities afforded them of concerting their plans, from the want of a system of separation, in having been able, unobserved, to prepare in the work-yard many of the weapons they used on the occasion; and it being further possible for them to convey these weapons through the work-yard gate into the precincts of the prison; and again in being able to communicate with their friends outside the prison by the assistance of free labourers who were employed upon works within it.

That the prisoners were fully aware that neither the superintendent nor the European warders were armed, and they doubtless concluded that before the European guard at the "front gate" could be summoned to assist, they could make good-their escape by the

1. Report on the outbreak by the Inspector of Prisons; 2. The evidence taken before the Coroner at the inquest on the boily of the late Mr. Dent; 3. The notes taken by his Honour the Chief Justice at the trial of the mutineers before the Supreme Court.

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rear gate," to which the Coinmittee find they hurried en masse as soon as the superin- tendent and warders were overpowered.

That the warders and gaol officers, with few exceptions, did their duty during the outbreak, but conspicuous in presence of mind and daring was Warder Lamb, who, with the timely assistance of few European prisoners, turned, what was intended to be, a general outbreak, into one which became only partially successful. The conduct at the time of gaoler McDonald, who, it appears, quitted the prison in pursuit of escaping prisoners, should, the Committee think, form the subject of special inquiry by the Govern-

ment.

The Committee are unanimous in their opinion that had the warders been armed the outbreak would, in all probability, not have been attempted, or, if attempted, would have been suppressed with much less loss of life. The Committee therefore consider the question "Why were the warders one and all unarmed?" to constitute the gravest part of their inquiry. According to the Report of a Commission on prison discipline, dated 1st January, 1872, and laid before the Legislative Council on the 4th June of the same year, it was recommended that the superintendent and warders should all, and always, be armed when on duty. It seeins that but a half compliance with this recommendation was accorded, revolvers were supplied to the warders, but they were forbidden to wear them on duty, and they were therefore retained in their quarters. So placed, the revolvers would still, in a degree, have been serviceable (barring a little delay) against any outbreak on the part of the prisoners; and had they been so on the day of the outbreak a much more peremptory and decided check might have been given to it. But, unfortunately, even the little strength and confidence which the possession of these arms might have afforded to the warders was wanting on the occasion of the outbreak, owing to the action of the Executive in relation to its requirements in the Malayan States. In January, the month preceding the outbreak, disturbances had prevailed in Sunghy Ujong, and a considerable force was dispatched from Singapore to suppress them. Among other resources at its command, the Executive, unfortunately, as it turned out, contemplated adding to this force the Sikh sub-warders of the gaol (ten or cleven in number), and the superintendent was notified to have them armed, and in readiness to start. On receipt of this notification, whether on his own responsibility, or in compliance with instructions received, there is no evidence to show, the superintendent called upon the warders to send in their revolvers, and, on these being brought to his office, they were handed over to the Sikhs in his presence and that of the head gaoler. A few days after this the intention to send the Sikhs to Sunghy Ujong was abandoned, and the revolvers were returned by them to the superintendent, and by his orders locked up in the magazine, but not returned to the warders. In thus tracing the cause of the warders' revolvers not being available on the occasion of the outbreak, the Committee would desire to point out the great danger, which, in the present instance, has been painfully exemplified, of the Executive interfering with the protective force of the gaol on any outside emergency whatsoever.

The facility of communicating with one another, which the prisoners now possess, especially at night, from the present structural arrangement of the goal, appears unavoid- able, but should, in the opinion of the Committee, be remedied with as little delay as possible; and it is proposed in the further Report that the Committee will have the honour to submit to Government to make certain recommendations in regard to this, and to the general want of adaptation of the present gaol to the requirements of the class of prisoners now confined there.

That the prisoners were able to "make up" weapons in the work-yard reflects, the Committee consider, the greatest discredit upon the European warder in immediate charge, but no further remarks appear now to be required on this subject, as the Committee learn that this warder (who was only temporarily employed) has been since dismissed the service; as also the native warder who, under the orders of warder Clarke, had charge of the work-yard gate, and permitted these weapons to pass in on the persons of the prisoners.

The Committee also ascertain that greater caution is now being exercised in the supervision of the few free labourers whom it is necessary to employ in the prison to teach the prisoners their various trades, and to help forward the works now necessary to render the gaol more secure.

The Committee cannot conclude their Report without calling attention to the letter addressed to the Government by the Justipes on the occasion of the late Mr. Dent's appointment. They are strongly of opinion that the Superintendent of Prisons should be a gentleman well acquainted with the habits and customs of the prisoners, and have a knowledge at least of the Malay language. In expressing these views, the Committee make no personal reference to the late Mr. Dent, of whose constant daily devotion to his

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