§ MR. STANLEY LEIGHTONOn behalf of the hon. and gallant Member for Linlithgow, I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he can inform the House of the number of officers (commissioned, subordinate, and warrant) and seamen of Her Majesty's Navy who have been sent to hospital, invalided, or died from the effects of fever at Malta, between the 1st of January and the 1st of July, 1894, both dates inclusive; and, in the event of the number of cases being in excess of the normal number in a similar period of time, to what the Naval Medical Authorities attribute this sickness?
THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Sir U. KAY-SHUTTLEWORTH,) Lancashire, ClitheroeThe exact numbers cannot be stated until two or three weeks hence without special inquiry from Malta. There have been numerous cases of sickness during the last few months at Malta, but, when the strength of the Naval Force is considered, not more than in some recent years. Neither the sewage of Valetta nor of the other towns in the vicinity is at present discharged into the Grand Harbour, neither has it been for many years past. With the object of getting rid of the old sewage deposits, extensive dredging operations have been carried on of late years in the most frequented parts of the harbour. Though many cases arise in Malta, much fever is brought there from the towns and harbours of the Eastern 172 Mediterranean, and the fever should be called Mediterranean rather than Malta fever.
§ MR. STANLEY LEIGHTONasked whether the right hon. Gentleman would give the Return when it came to hand in the course of two or three weeks?