CO885-5 — Page 538

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

لسل سياسيا

Reference :-

C.O. 885/5

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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Topazes with their buckets, brooms, and squeejees; and the hospital attendants with their spoons, pots, and pans, in order that all these utensils may be kept in good order and clean and not uselessly lost or destroyed, and for this purpose the Topazes should be made to hang up all buckets on nails or hooks under the vegetable platform, to put thei "squeejces

on the top of the closet, and to hang the swabs on nails on the forward part of the after closet on the lee side, that they may drip into the channels, and not leave any lying about on deck.

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A dusk all the lanterns are brought on deck by the man told off to take charge of them, five-hour candles put in, lighted, then locked and taken below, and hung in their places. The man, generally a sirdar, should have the keys, and be held responsible that they are never out of his possession, and that no lantern, with a candle lighted or unlighted in it, is on any pretence to be taken below with- out being securely locked. I may as well finish this subject at once, and say that so great is my dread of fire on board these ships I never allow an Officer of the ship to go below except with a locked lantern, nor the coolies to have any matches or any stores of oil below, but make them use it as it is issued, which is as often as they ask the compounder for it, who always has a supply in the dispensary, and should see that they use it three times a week at least. When the five-hour candles are burnt out, or nearly so, the sirdar is called, brings the lanterns upon the quarter-deck, unlocks them there, replaces them by seven-hour candles, which he lights, relocks the lanterns on deck, and again takes them below, and hangs them up in their places. The five-hour candles are used first to give the sirdar a fair amount of sleep after midnight, and 1 generally excuse him from other night duty, and he has to leave the ends of candles which may be unconsumed in the dispensary, to be handed over to the third mate, who should be held respon- sible for their receipt, so as to be sure of their not being taken by coolies. Coolies are very fond of secreting any- thing they can lay their hands on, and, if allowed, will take pieces of tarred rope, candle ends, or a little reserve store of oil in an empty milk tin, and make a sort of lamp with a piece of a dhotée or sarree as a wick.

A little before sundown the Compounder has the nursing women and young children and the convalescents assembled on the quarter-deck, and issues milk, thickened, if so ordered, with arrowroot, soojee, or sago to the former, and the extra diets ordered to the convalescents and those in hospital. I forgot to say that this should also be done as early as possible in

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the morning, especially to the sick and convalescents, and at dinner-time, and I generally allow with, say 500 statute adults, 10 or 12 tins condensed milk, 5 lbs. sago, soojee, or arrowroot, two or three tins mutton or chicken soup, one tin preserved mutton, and as much plain boiled rice as is neces- sary, but no dâl or curry stuffs, and convalescents, especially from bowel complaints, should go through a gradual and guarded return to full coolie diet.

When the people go below to spread their blankets for the night the topazes should be set to work to sweep off the main-deck, flush and disinfect the closets, and fill the deck tubs. For a day or two after getting to sea the assistance of the crew to clean the decks, &c. will probably have to be asked for, but the sooner this is dispensed with and the people brought into their regular routine, and taught to attend to their own wants and live their own lives, the better.

On the days when chuppatties are being made I keep the Exercise. women on deck, and send the men below, after breakfast, strip them to their dhotees, make them pat their hands on the deck to keep the palms hard, swing their arms, and go through the different motions like those at "setting-up drill," and then run round the coolie deck from stem to stern, and let them jump and yell as loud as they like, finally, if they are overheated, inake them walk round till cooled down before putting on their jackets, &c. and going on deck, and on the days when the women are not employed in making chuppatties, I keep the men on deck and send the women and children down, make them walk round, halting them now and then, and make them sit down, and so on, encouraging them at the same time to sing. This exercise for men and women is continued for at least an hour, is enjoyed by the people themselves, keeps their blood in motion, particularly desirable in cold weather, and is a good means of discovering any that are not able or willing to move round, who should be sent on deck for special examination. By exercising the people in this way, they will be kept in good condition and able to work on being

landed.

deck clean.

From the beginning all the people should be made to go Rules for to the scuppers or channels at the sides of the ship and keeping nait there wash their plates. If this is not insisted on the upper- deck will be simply abominable, and if water, &c. is spilt on it will lead to constant bickerings, especially among the women, who will also be found (especially the low castes) too lazy to take their children to the closets. The upper- deck is occupied in fine weather almost the whole day by

Lanterns; precaution against fire.

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