§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTH,in rising to ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is the intention to impose quarantine on vessels arriving at ports in the United Kingdom from Valencia or other Spanish ports believed to be infected with cholera, said: My Lords, I presume the attention of Her Majesty's Government has been called to the threat or presence, for I think I may almost use that term, of what appears to be cholera in some of the Southern ports of Spain, and I desire to ask whether they have taken the precaution to impose quarantine upon all vessels coming from any of those infected places, notably from Valencia. I should be very sorry to raise anything like a note of alarm upon the subject, but from the reports we have received, the matter seems to me to demand very serious consideration. The reports of this morning show that out of 190 cases 130 deaths have occurred, and, although the Spanish Authorities seem still to doubt whether 8 the disease be cholera or not, I think that fact is sufficient to require that every precaution should be taken by those who are responsible against the introduction of any disease into this country. I find that for some time past quarantine has been imposed at Gibraltar upon vessels coming not only from Valencia, where the disease is so prevalent, but also from some other Spanish ports. There has recently been a report that similar cases have actually appeared in France, and I think in tome of the Northern ports of Spain. Those being the facts as stated, I think I am justified in asking Her Majesty's Government whether they will take into their serious consideration the necessity of imposing quarantine upon all vessels coming from any of those infected ports, and whether any steps are about to be taken in the matter.
*THE EAEL OF JERSEYI beg to inform my noble Friend, in reply to his question, that it is not the intention of Her Majesty's Government to impose quarantine regulations upon vessels coming from Valencia and other Spanish ports or ports in the South of Europe. It is intended to pursue the system which was in force in 1885, when there was a serious outbreak of cholera in Southern Europe, and a large number of deaths, I think about 60,000, occurred in the course of two months, July and August. At that time regulations were passed by the Local Government Board by which, whenever a vessel arrived from any foreign countries, the Customs House Officer was enabled, before the vessel touched land, to make inquiries as to the state of health of the people on board, and if there was any suspicion of cholera or other infectious disease, to detain the vessel. Then the medical officer of the port would go on board and inspect the vessel and take all the necessary steps for the isolation or disinfection of the sick and other persons, as might be required. I need hardly assure the noble Lord that the Local Government Board will watch carefully the continuance of this outbreak, and I hope that it will not be so serious as is anticipated.
§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTHMay I ask whether the Government have any information on the subject from those ports?