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(a special favourite of the author's) epitomized the ceaseless struggle
bet\veen himself and the official authorities , it is reproduced here in
full as an interesting example of Hall's numerous letters to the press.
Sir, ·
At the meeting in 1858 of the 'National Association for
the Promotion of Social Science' the important subject of
Quarantine, in its sanitary and commercial aspects , was
earnestly discussed; and the result was the formation of
a Committee having for its object the collection of data,
on which to construct a scheme of 'Quarantine Regulations'
in \vhich the principal nations of the earth might hamonious ly
unite for the common good . The Committee included amongst
its members some of the most renmmed sanitarians , statisticians ,
philanthropists in Great Britain. In pursuance of an object
so comprehensive, so important , and so honorable to its
projectors a series of eighteen queries etc. were dravm up by
the Committee for transmission to Governors of colonies ,
British consuls in foreign countries and others . The
Secretaries of State, Lord Malmesbury and Sir E.B. Lytton ,
caused these 'queries' to be sent to all Her Majesty's consuls
abroad, and to the Governors of all British colonies \'lith
instructions to further the object in view. They \'lere like\'lise
addressed by the Directors-General of the Army and Navy Medical
Departments to the Princip.al Medical Officers of both services
in foreign stations .
In May and August of 1860 , ab stracts of the replies received
\'lere compiled by the Secretary of the Connnittee, Dr Gavin Yilroy,.
which \'lere laid before the Imperial Parliament and printed.
Very recently these documents have been added to the Tasmanian
Parliamentary Library .
Quarantine, being a question of sanitary science, \'lhich
I have taken much interest in, and my assistance having been
solicited by the Army Medical authorities - \'lhich was
unfortunately rendered unavailing by the premature and
lamented death of the zealous young medical officer , who \'las
. required to make the Report on behalf of his branch of the
Pub lic Service - I have naturally anxious ly consulted the
Parliamentary Papers referred to , to ascertain in \'lhat manner
the other authorities in this island, on \'lhom the reply to
these 'queries ' officially devolved , had executed a duty so
directly connected with the climatic and sanitary reputation
of Tasmania and the commercial interests of its inhabitants.
Thirty-four British colonies responded to the queries . All
our neighbours in the Southern Hemisphere - Cape of Good Hope ,
Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne , Sydney , Ne\'1 Zealand - \'lere
among the number. Tasmania alone made no sign.
Except on the occasion given for demonstrating the probab le
benefits \'lhich \'lould result from the establishment in Tasmania
of a Military Medical Sanitarium, and post for convalescents
for the Eastern Empire (Indian Sanitarium Affair: author's
note] the Quarantine enquiry presented the best official
opportunity that \'las ever afforded Tasmania of exhibiting her
eminently naturally salubrious climate in the most instructive
and advantageous light . How the splendid chance of getting
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