1873 — Page 233

I would here remark that I think that the Seamen belonging to the naval services of other Governments should not be charged $1 per diem, the nominal charge made for Seamen belonging to the merchant services, but that their Governments should defray their actual cost. hot in many cases defray the cost of diet, including that of wines, spirits, &c., &c.

SEAMEN'S HOSPITAL..

One dollar does

Table VI. gives the diseases and the mortality and number of admissions into this Hospital during the first four months of the year that it was open. The admissions were seventy-two, the deaths four, two from disease of the heart, one from accident, and one from frost bite.

TUNG-WA HOSPITAL.

This Institution at present hardly deserves the name of Hospital, in the ordinary acceptation of the word. It does good

It does good as a refuge for the destitute natives, and in time when their inveterate dislike to European improvements is overcome, may do much more good than it can now. Though in native hands, it does not appear to me to be greatly esteemed by those for whose use it is intended.

That this Institution is kept clean, according to Chinese ideas of cleanliness at least, the people well fed and lodged, and a fair amount of vaccination done, is I think nearly all that can be said in its favor as present.

VICTORIA GAOL.

Table VII. shows the admissions to Hospital, the diseases and deaths. Tuble VIII. shows the number in the Gaol and the proportion of sickness and mortality among the prisoners during the yeur 1873.

Diarrhea has been the cause of the greatest number of admissions to Hospital, the general health of the prisoners is about the same as the preceding year.

LOCK HOSPITAL.

This is a fine, roomy, well designed and ventilated building and is perfectly suitable but for one exception, not a single ward has a stove or fire-place in it, and it is painful to see the poor women shivering about in the winter time. Considering in this climate the most robust feel the cold and the effects of the sudden variations of temperature, it is extraordinary to find Hospitals of all places, without grates or stoves. It seems to me wonderful that it has never struck any one that the sick should feel the inclemencies of the weather more than the healthy, or at least as much.

On reference to the tables, it will be seen that the substantial results of the working of this Institution are good. The number of the admissions is nearly one fourth less than that of the previous year, and the type of disease is less severe as is evidenced by the shorter duration of the stay in Hospital. This is satisfactory as although a certain porportion of the decrease of disease might be attributed to the diminished numbers of seamen entering the port in 1873, compared with 1872, yet there is no doubt that the main cause at work is the constant supervision exercised.

In Table C, it is noteworthy how small a porportion of seamen, naval and mercantile, have suffered, and Table E shows how trifling has been die character of the disease.

That the disease still exists in severe forms among the Chinese is well seen among the prisoners in the Gaol, and seamen from neighbouring ports. Of twelve men admitted in one day into the Gaol, eleven were syphilitic having scars and secondary eruptions. The women belonging to the brothels licensed for Chinese are not examined nor are European prostitutes.

Reference has been made in the part of this Report referring to the Civil Hospital to cases of Fever resembling Typhus and Typhoid coming from the brothels, I have already reported on this matter and on the inefficient supervision that has hitherto been exercised as regards their sanitary arrangements, which have been left entirely to the Inspectors of Brothels who are quite ignorant of and cannot be expected to know what is required.

HEALTH OF THE COLONY.

Table X. shows the Mortality among European and American Residents in the Colony in 1873, which is much less in proportion than in the previous ten years, and is more than one fith less than the mortality of last year. I think this may be accounted for in great part by the heaviness of the ruinfull which exceeds that of 1872 by nearly thirteen inches, for it is always noted in India the heavier the rainfall the better the health of the community and vice versa. It certainly must have had a great effect on the drains of Hongkong.

On looking over the returns of the Registrar General as regards the mortality, I find the largest proportion of deaths is from diseases of the chest both among Europeans and Chinese. With the Europeans, there is very little mortality from Fever which takes the next place with Chinese, after that comes Diarrhan and Dysentery from which both suffer severely,