The Express.
London, England, 1860-03-20 00:00:00

THE GREAT TASMANIA CASE.

Yeeterdey the Liverpool borough coroner opened
an inquiry touching the death of several soldises on board
the Cheat Tasmania. The facts of the case have
already been referred to in our °ninnies.
Mr. Aspinall„ barrister, appeared for the military officers,
who came home in the ship ; Mr. Fanshaw for the owner of
the vessel ; and Mr. lAwford appeared on behalf of the go-
vernment.

Before—the inquiry wan commenced, Mr. T. O. Baring,
Under-Secretary of =ate for India, stated that he had been
to the workhouse hospital, which was one of the best ma-
naged ►a had ever seen. The Indian Council had directed
their solicitor, to watch the proceedings, and he (Mr.
Baring) had requested the land government emigration
agent to have the Tasmania's provisions carefully examined.
The Indian Council were mint anxious that the matter
should be thoroughly investigated, and for that purpose
every effort would be rondo to elucidate the truth.
Mr. Carr, governor of the Liverpool Workhouse, gave a
description of the men when the► were received into the
workhouse. One man, named Beech, who died on his way
to the workhouse, was so miserably clad that the clothes
on his body only weighed one pound six ounces. The men
generally • to be laboring under dysentery, scurvy,
and gftwal debility. The men were loud in their complaint
of the tresinient they had received on shiplannL They
stated that they had bad bad water, had food, and very
little clothes

Lieutenant Henry Goechen, of the Sril Ben* European
Regiment, aid that the Great Tasmanian ailed from Cal-
cutta on Ilse 9th of November last. There were 985
nen on bawl, together with 17 women and 21 children.
• riseiL wen stationed at Cinciah before embarkation.
While tbere they drank very much, mod sold their clothes
for the purpose of getting liquor. On going on board the
seem were generally sickly, and about a fortnight after mail-
ing a committee was held, and one cask of provisions (beef )
was condemned as being unfit fur human food. On severed
occasions after both the beef and beer were condemned
ea being unfit for use ; the beer was " short' and un-
wholesome, and had to he thrown overboard, and the beef
was generally tad. On the 29th December the biscuit was
oho condemned-36,0001b. being declared bad, and thrown
overboard. They put into St. Helena for fresh Homily of
biscuits on the 22x1 January. When the ship arrived there
there were 892 nick on board, many of the cases being from
scurvy. During the voyage the total number of deaths
was 52, the causes of death being principally from scurvy
and dysentery. The lime-juice served out to the men was
had and the preserved vegetables emitted an offensive
odour, and were pulpy. The men had the option of either
*eying in India or coming home. They were principally
the 11111111 who had been disbanded in consequence of the Yost
India Company becoming extinct.
Patrick BeCarin, a discharged soldier, mid the biscuit
and beef were both lad ; the former being " awful stuff."
The peas, too, were en hard that no amount of boiling could
soften them. There was no bedding nor clothing supplied
to the soldiers on going on boar! the Great Tasmania. All
the received wee a mattress, • hammock, and pillow.
Bradford, of the 3rd Medina Regiment, said that
theTej'was stinking, and the biscuit , all the
voyage. He wee in • newof 10 mem out of that
number only two had hammocks, or any Rime to hang
them. He got a hammock, but was obliged to lie In any
place he couK as he had no books to sling it up.
The case was proceeding when our parcel was despatched.