Mr. C. R. Carter to Dr. Featherston.
Sir,- Hamburg, 29th July, 1872.
I have the honour to report that in conformity with your written instructions (dated 18 July, 1872), I proceeded to Hamburg for the purpose of ascertaining that all the conditions of the contract made between yourself and Messiers Louis Knorr & Coy., and relating to the ship “Palmerston” and the emigrants to be embarked in her, had been complied with.
I arrived at Hamburg on the 29th inst., at that date none of the emigrants had arrived. Next day a few of them arrived, and on the following day they all came to hand from various parts of Germany, Denmark, and Norway.
The ship “Palmerston” is a four masted iron ship of 950 tons register. She was built by Messrs Laird of Birkenhead as a steamer called the “La Cubana”, and about six years ago was converted into a sailing ship. She left the dry dock, with her berths for emigrants completed on the 18th inst.
After several inspections I find her capabilities for carrying emigrants to be very desirable. She is lofty ‘tween decks and is also spacious and well ventilated. She measures 7” 3’ from deck to deck. She has sufficient scuttles in her sides. 8 gang or hatchways, 4 large iron pipe ventilators and 2 windsails to her main deck to afford light and ventilation below. Four of the ventilating shafts—2 to married people compartments, 1 to single women’s and 1 to single men’s compartments are carried right down to the lower deck floor; and where they are secured to the floor, four holes, 10 inches square are cut in the four sides of the shaft. By this means the fresh air is introduced to the lowest part of the ‘tween decks where it takes the place of the vitiated air, which, being the lighter body, naturally ascends and escapes by the hatchways. This is an improvement on the English shaft ventilation. The berths for the emigrants are fixed longitudinally –fore and aft,- which, in addition to being more comfortable for the emigrants when the ship rolls heavily at sea, gives the great advantage of four more in width the whole length of the space between the two rows of berths which are fixed two in height and two in width on each side of the ship.
By the contract, 15 superficial feet is be allotted to each statute adult. After carefully measuring the deck space I found that the actual space to each adult was nearly 22 feet superficial: the women’s hospital, 12 feet x 11 feet 6 inches; men’s hospital, 12 feet x 6, a cabin for the dispensary, and a bathroom 12 feet x 12 feet (with 2 baths, one night commode, a seat, and draining floor), not being included. Had there been more freight and passengers for the “Palmerston”, it is probable that the emigrants now on board would not have been so fortunately situated as regards extra space. A book cupboard whose shelves are simply filled with German and a few Danish books forms a little circulating library for the use of the emigrants.
At an expense of £2:13- I ordered a quantity of school books and writing materials for the use of such of the 77 children on board as may attend the school, to which I have appointed a German Schoolmaster with a Danish assistant.
I was fortunate in securing the services of Mr. P. Bohrdt MD as surgeon for the “Palmerston”. He is a German gentleman holding high testimonials and has served with the German Army in the late war as Staff-Surgeon. He has been surgeon to two emigrant ships. He has, with myself examined the medicine chest and is satisfied. The medical comforts are in excess of the requirements under the contract. Two life-boats and two other boats in good condition are provided; also a fire-engine with proper hose. The water-closets are supplied with water from a cistern fixed at a proper height above the centre of the main-deck.
The shipment of the locomotives and cylinders was completed on the 27th inst. The provisions and stores were examined by myself and the Emigration Officer on behalf of the German Government and were found to accord with contract and the requirements of the German law.
The emigrants were mustered on deck, and I may say I found them to be a farm labouring class of people of a very good kind. About seventy (70) of them are from a farming district called Marienwerder near to the Baltic in Prussia.
The following is a classification of the emigrants who embarked in the “Palmerston” on the 28th inst and sailed on the 29th for Dunedin, Otago; Married Couples with their children 147, adults; single women 49, single men 32. Total including 6 adults + 2 = 228
The contractors permitted me to make several alterations that I deemed necessary for the comfort of the emigrants in accordance with the contract and I have the pleasure in testifying to the readiness of the contractors aided by Mr Slowman to carry out in their integrity the various stipulation in the contract.
I have the honour to be Sir,
Your obedient Servant (Sig-) R. Carter The Agent General for New Zealand London
