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Another improvement his Indian experience enabled the Colonial Surgeon to effect was in the floggings administered by order of the Courts or as punishment. These were effected by the cat-o- nine-tails with very disastrous and permanent effect on the health of the prisoners subjected to these punishments. On the Colonial Surgeon's report of the effects produced by the cat, the evils of which had long ago been recognised in India when applied to Asiatics whose backs as a rule are far from muscular and therefore inry to the internal organs of the chests being much more liable to occur, a Commission was appointed and they found that the cat in use was very much heavier and more formidable than had ever been in use either in the Army or Navy, and were shown long sentenced prisoners whose health had been permanently injured and lives shortened by its use. The Colonial Surgeon recommended that the cane on the breech should be used instead, the same as in India, pointing out that no permanent injury to health need result and that although the prisoner was marked for life the same as in the use of the cat the marks need not be seen when at labour after his release, being covered by his breech cloth or trousers, yet he could strip to the waist without informing the world he had been a gaol bird if he wished to reform, and this change recommended was sanctioned for the future.

There was a class of prisoners that also attracted his attention on his first taking charge. These were the Opium Smokers. When admitted to Gaol they were put into Hospital, had Hospital diet, an allowance of two ounces of gin, a dose of quinine three times a day, and lastly laudanum was given them in daily decreasing doses. So they became for a time consumers of alcohol and opium and two vices were introduced to their notice in a small way to cure the one they already had. A very careful inspection of many new arrivals of this class of prisoners could not enable him to find any one symptom peculiar to all that were addicted to this habit or any set of symptoms peculiar to all. The opium treatment was then abolished, next the gin was omitted as not needed, and, no evil effects occurring, all treatment was abolished and opium smokers passed for diet and work on their physical merits the same as all other prisoners, the habit being entirely ignored. Still a record of their age and weight on admission was kept, what amount of opium they were accustomed to smoke daily, and a record of their weight every week for the first month of their detention in the Gaol. No evil effects were noticed from the use of the drug or the deprivation of it and so, as far as prison discipline was concerned, the habit was entirely ignored for the future. Of the hundreds of prisoners that have been under detention during the past twenty years that have owned to this habit, only two have died in Gaol and they have not been found to be on the sick list more often than any of the prisoners that do not use opium.

LUNATIC ASYLUM.

In 1873 no such Government Institution existed. Chinese Lunatics were sent to the Tung Wa Chinese Hospital. European Lunatics were confined in the Gaol till they could be sent to their native places.

At the end of 1874 a European Female Lunatic was sent into the Gaol. This young person was very noisy and slept little, day and night her singing, laughter and shouting were to be heard if she was in good temper which she usually was, but if she was not her howling and screaming was some- thing appalling. This kept most of the prisoners awake who had to work hard all day, an additional punishment to which they were not sentenced, not only this but it annoyed the whole neighbourhood among others two unofficial members of Council who lived close by and who very forcibly in council backed up my representations that the Gaol was not a fit place for the detention of Lunatics. So the half of a building consisting of two semi-detached houses was fitted up as a Lunatic Asylum. This building was in a very ruinous condition and in the event of any severe blow coming on, the Lunatics had to be transferred to the Police cells till it was over, the staff dispersing to their homes for safety. This was opened the 1st day of 1875 and remained in use for about five years. It faced the south side of Hollywood Road on part of the site of the present Victoria College. This site being wanted the building had to come down, so the Lunatic Asylum was transferred to the half of a deserted old Chinese School house which stood on the site of the new wing of the Government Civil Hospital, where it remained till 1886 when the present European Lunatic Asylum was built and ready for Occupation.

In 1891 it was decided to build a Lunatie Asylum for Chinese under European supervision. In 1873 Chinese Lunatics were confined in dark and dreary cells in the Tung Wa Hospital under Chinese native doctors' supervision, and those who were violent were chained up in those cells like wild beasts. I represented their evil case and the Government directed that they should build wards well lighted and ventilated which was done and the Chinese doctors visited the European Lunatic Asylum and were shown the more humane methods of restraint used there, and patterns of the various appliances were given to them for use, but they relapsed into their old methods of restraint and so Government decided that they should not be permitted to have violent lunatics or any that required restraint in their charge, and an Asylum for Chinese Lunatics was built on a site below the European Lunatic Asylum and the poor creatures are now properly housed and cared for under European supervision. The Asylum was opened November, 1891.