whatever was the nature of the pyrexial poison, it must have been neither very active, nor very strong.

I learn that a precisely similar fever has existed at Auckland, for a succession of several years past; and as contagion is commonly considered the only promotive cause of this type of fever, and as, in itself, that is a doctrine so simple and easy of comprehension that the most superficial observation makes its operations readily manifest, there was at the time of the said fever's progress no obvious reason to doubt that contagion was the cause, and that, from a concurrent, or rather a precedent circumstance, it had been introduced hither from Auckland.

That circumstance was, the case of a young gentleman, the, now, Reverend Mr. Fisher, who, early in the winter of the cited year, came overland from the capital on a visit to his friends here. It has been asserted, and pretty generally believed here, that some short time previous to his leaving Auckland, he had been ill of the fever in question, which was then rife there, and that, in fact, to forward convalescence from that, was the object of the journey. It has been also affirmed, that he was unwell on the road, meaning, apparently, from insidious relapse, for the story goes that he continued in this masked, but cresive febrile state, for about three weeks even after arrival, before the aggravation of symptoms made the fact evident that his case was indeed a second development of the contagious fever prevailing at Auckland.

This is, obviously enough, a very vague account; but, as thus accredited, it involves an important question, and that there exist circumstances at variance to its detail, it demands some scrutiny before assent be given to the contagious character of the disease in our medical history; and the more is it to be suspected, as every year since, at and about the same season, and unpreceded by any such popularly obvious foreign cause, the same disease has manifested itself here sporadically.

In the first place, then, I have found no one who could assure me of its general accuracy, and no two who agree in any, except one, of its details; while, in the next, we have the highly credible counter testimony of the Rev. Mr. Govett, who, I may remark, has never regarded the disease otherwise than as contagious, and entertains the opinion that Mr. Fisher did bring, somehow, the contagion with him from Auckland. He assures me that Mr. Fisher did not leave the College at Auckland on a recovery from fever, but on account of a state of nervous debility to which he had been subject for a considerable time, and which it was supposed by his advisers, would be shaken off by change of air, and other circumstances attending the journey and visit. He also negatives the assertion that the fever had developed itself in Mr. Fisher up to the date of commencing the journey; and, having being his companion during the ten or twelve days of the route to New Plymouth, exposed, of course, to all the disagreeable roughs and inconveniences of such pedestrian travel, assures, that he, Mr. Fisher, made no complaint from which it could be inferred that he was at all under the influence of febrile disease. In short, the only averment of the statement I can find corroborated by general testimony, is, that Mr. Fisher was here somewhere about three weeks before the fever so affected his system as to confine him to his bed; and it is generally admitted that during the interval he was in body and spirit enabled to partake, as others, of such out-door recreations as offered for his amusement.

The house in which Mr. Fisher domiciled was that of the Rev. Mr. Bolland, and his confinement to bed occurred early in April, but he was sufficiently recovered by the 27th of that month to return to Auckland. But, about this date, the maid servant of the house became affected with the same disease, and so also Mr. Bolland. The servant recovered, but Mr. Bolland's case was protracted till a considerable time after that, running through, from several accounts, a strange medley of changes, till the 29th of May, when, to the serious loss and universal lament of the community, he fell a victim to the disease.

One very remarkable feature of this supposed contagious, far-brought-from fever is that, of the many who visited, and attended on Mr. Fisher, and on the servant maid, and on Mr. Bolland during their illness, not one appears to have contracted a symptom of the disease; nor have I been able to trace its career, as contagious, in any of those who subsequently fell ill.

But there are circumstances in its history, which, added to this important negative, lead more fully to the conclusion that the fever was neither new to, nor imported into New Plymouth.

In a previous paragraph I state there is reason to believe we are not exempt from a certain malaria, though in the immediately preceding I have asserted that the ordinary fever-exciting marsh effluvia effects are not observed either at Petre or here. Such at least has hitherto been my experience; but, in venturing the dogma, I mean not to infer that we are exempt, as above stated, from certain soil emanations, in all probability in some way connected with household combinations, which are capable of infecting with febrile disease; but that it is to this source we ought to direct attention for the explanation of the circumstance of typhus having, as it has, appeared among us. For one peculiarity throughout its successive annual careers has been exemplified most remarkably, to wit, that the disease has not only not extended itself as a contagious disease would, but has solely been developed in those houses which either have clay floors, or, if raised on piles, above the soil, where free perflation betwixt this and the apartments is obstructed by masonry or other specified means; while, on the other hand, the inhabitants of houses oppositely circumstanced,