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 water for the number of passengers to be carried, and that they were of good quality. He had further to attend to the complaints of the emigrants, and to procure redress for them where necessary. The provisions were tested by the arbitrary selection of some barrels of flour or oatmeal, which were bored through with an auger, so that a fair sample might be brought up and tasted. Whenever any suspicion existed, the inspection was more minute, and the duty of tasting became very irksome.

The medical inspection of emigrants took place at Liverpool, not on board the ship, but in an office adjoining the dock. The emigrant, taking with him his contract ticket, proceeded to the medical office, which he entered at one door, and, if approved on the inspection, had his ticket stamped, and passed out at another. He was compelled to produce his ticket on embarking. A system such as this naturally opened a door to fraud and personation, while, not unfrequently, after personal examination the emigrant contracted an infectious disorder, the infection spreading before the diseased person could be removed from the ship.

By the United States Statute of the 22nd February, 1847, it was provided that the space to be allowed to passengers should be fourteen clear superficial feet of deck for each passenger, if such vessel did not pass within the Tropics. By an Act of 1848 this was so far altered, that when "the height between the decks is less than six feet, and more than five feet, each passenger shall be allowed sixteen superficial feet; but if the height between decks be less than five feet, then twenty-two superficial feet; and for every pas