Sessional_Paper_1896 — Page 900

[ XXV ]

but if he might express an opinion, he believed it was only because he was there. He had since removed all the patients, dead and alive, but two only are surviving. He had closed up the place temporarily. He believed that the "I-Ts'z" was a place where persons were taken not to be cured but to die, and thus to avoid the Chinese prejudice of having any one die in the house. The commonest offices of humanity had not been paid the unfortunates while dying. He would like to say, to relieve the ninds of the jury and the public, that he did not believe the bad state of things had existed for any long time. He had himself visited the place "three" times within the last year, and the place was regularly visited by the Inspector of Nuisances. He did not think it possible for such a state of things to exist long without being found out. He thought the late state of things was caused by a number of persons going into the "I-Ts'z," who had no friends or clansmen in the Colony. Inspector PETERSEN made an independ- ent report to him an hour after he had been to the hospital, so the malpractices could not have been long undiscovered. He understood that the friends of some of the patients attended the sick while in the place, at least, he saw one man's wife there. The numbers are two survivors out of seven living, and two were dead in the place, making a total of nine. The people belonging to the "I-Ts'z" persistently denied that there were any books or records in the house. They said they sometimes got a slip of paper and sometimes not. They produced three slips of paper as the whole of the records of the hospital. The people knew nothing of the patients, and the doctor had not then arrived (it was eleven o'clock), and no doctor had not been there the day before. They said he came sometimes. Some of the patients he was told had their own doctor.

The Coroner said that he could corroborate what Mr. LISTER said, as he acccompanie l him.

Mr. LISTER wished it to be understood that he had been on his legs day and night to endeavour to abate the nuisance.

Dr. COCHRANE said the body of deceased was brought to the Civil Hospital on Friday. It was that of an adult Chinaman, much emaciated and in an exceedingly filthy condition. The head swarmed with verinin, and the body was of a yellow colour, so he believed that jaundice, which is so prevalent, was the cause of death. might have been ill a week.

The Coroner suggested a post mortem examination, which was agreed to.

Deceased

Examination continued-He visited the "I-Ts'z" in company with Inspector GREY and found four live Chinese and one dead body. The rooms were small and close, but there did not appear to be any bad smell from filth; there was only a small one, resulting from overcrowding and want of ventilation. There was one jar in the room, with a small hole in the top. There were no drinking cups or anything of the kind about. The men were very filthy and sick, and there was no one that he could see in attendance. He saw one man was suffering from jaundice. The door was the only place for ventilation. Of the four live Chinamen he saw one dead at the "I-Ts'z," and three were admitted to his own Hospital. One of the three died' in ten minutes. The other two were alive, but very ill. They were not suffering from jaundice, but too ill to give any opinion as to their ultimate recovery.

Mr. LISTER said if the door of the place were closel, one might pass through a hundred times without knowing the true nature of the place.

Dr. COCHRANE on being asked said the place was utterly unfit for a hospital, and the chances of recovery for patients must be very small.

The Coroner remarked that he should require very strong proof of any one ever having recovered at the place.

WONG-CHI-LAM, the man in charge of the "I-Ts'z," said he knew the deceased, but was ignorant of his name. The deceased was brought by a person unknowa to him, who said that deceased was from the "Kwong-kee" emigration house. The man

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