73 425 Mathias, principal medical officer of the Egyptian army. Dr. Christopherson has been appointed Director of the Khartoum and Omdurman civil hospital.

The number of out-patients treated increases steadily, and about 140,000 were treated in 1909, as compared with 121,000 in the preceding year. The number of in-patients remains at about 7,000.

41,000 vaccinations were performed during 1909, as against 19,000 in 1908. There was little small-pox in the country, nor has there been any serious ejDidemic of infectious disease, during the past year.

A report on the subject of sleeping-sickness has been furnished by Captain Anderson, who has been conducting investigations on the boundary of the Bahr-el-Ghazal and the Lado Enclave, and valuable suggestions are made regarding measures of precaution against the introduction of the disease into the Soudan from that quarter.

An enquiry has also been instituted into the causes of the obscure and fatal disease known as Kala Azar which has in recent years appeared in the Kassala province and on the Blue Nile.

23. C In view of the advantages to be derived from the promotion of cattle trade with Egypt, a measure which wall require the establishment of local quarantine stations, an increase in the veterinary staff is very necessary.

I regret to report that cattle plague has been prevalent during the past year, and outbreaks occurred in the Blue Nile, White Nile, Kordoffin and Sennar provinces. In the White Nile province, more than 2,500 deaths took place.

The service has lost a valuable member in Captain Soutliey, who died in Khartoum in September last.

IX. JUSTICE.

24. Civil and Criminal Courts.

Mr. Bonham Carter reports that there has again, this year, been an increase in the number of civil cases, the total for the whole Soudan having risen from 7,153 to 8,391. In spite of this the civil court and the three district courts have kept abreast of their work and litigants receive a prompt hearing. It is satisffictory that the number of appeals has not risen in proportion to the increase of civil suits. Tlio fees received in the civil courts of first instance amounted to £E. 3,69G, the highest figure liitherto readied.

Summary and non-summary convictions both show a considerable increase, having risen from 15,000 to 18,000 and from 1,0C2 to 1,192 respectively. The growth in the number of summary cases has taken place in Kordofan and is attributable partly to the enforcement of the forests ordinance of 1908 for ihe prevention of fire in the gum forests and gardens, 'and partly to an increase of drunkenness and crimes of violence.

1'he European community'' is well-behaved. Out of a population of 2,000 persons there have been G non-summary cases and 79 summaiy.

The more serious crimes in 1909, in the case of which convictions were obtained, were as follows ;— Murder, 48; culpable homicide not amounting to murder, 40; bodily hurt, 152; criminal force and assault, 22 ; theft, 200; theft in a dwelling-house, 77 ; theft by servant, 9; possession or concealing of stolen property, 58; house trespass and breaking, 54.

25. Mohammedan Law Courts.

No new Mohammedan law-oourts have been established during the last year. Though additional courts are required in several provinces it is at present considered prdorable that any funds " available should be applied to the improvement of the salaries of the existing Kadis and clerks rather than to the creation of new courts, which are difficult to staff. The young sheikhs trained at Khartoum are too inexperienced to be at once ajDpointed as Kadis and it is desirable that they should first have three or four years’ practical experience in a law-court.

The number of suits instituted before the courts this year was G,777, as against 6,289 in 1908, House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Online. Copyright (c) 2006 ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.