The Express.
London, England, 1856-01-29 00:00:00

THE CHINCHA ISLANDS.

(From a Correspondent recently returned from Callao)
Most people have heard of the fertilising virtues of
guano, the excrement of us-fowl, tribes of which hays
until recently held undisturbed possession of certain bole
rocks for countless ages—probably from the creation ; end
merchants, seamen, and dealers lints, it as an article of
highly profitable commerce; but few probably ars aware
that the acquisition of this deposit, which enriches our
lands and fills the purses of our traders, entails an amount
of misery and 'offering on a portion of our fellow creatures,
the relation of which, if not respectably attested, "mild be
treated as a fiction. In the first plate, fur the information
of those not hitherto interested in their locality, it may be
stated that the Chinch. Isles, the depositories of this ma.
nitre, are three huge rocks, situated about 100 miles from
Callao, the seaport of Lima, chief town of Peru; and it is a
coition' subject of reflection that a country once famous for
reputed mineral and metellic riches should is the fitment
age derive no inconsiderable eeeee uo from an article so
mean in its nature, yet so prolific of wealth—such are the
ordinances of a provident Creator I
Yet like all other sources of riches this has its concomitant
evils, and throe of • grave end lamentable magnitude.
These islands, covered to a great depth with punt), are
perfectly barren, from the excessive quantity becoming de-
structive of vegetation ; and those employed in transporting
the manure to the toadies places are Chinese, whilst metro's
and the lowest of the mixed races of Callao and Lima are
employed in stowing the cargo... The Chinese who,
under specious promisee, are inveigled to the islands
for a term of three years, seldom live to complete the
term of their slavery, for the nauseous dust and the
overpowering alluvia of ammonia in which they work are
of themselves rapidly destructive of life. Sometimes they
embark in China, and often at Melbourne, where they find
nothing to do, and it is well known that shippers receive to
much per head for every Chinese they lard at the Chincbu;
there they are detained by an armed force, butted in the
most miserable manlier, fed only after performing a certain
amount of labour, and subject to a treatment, of which some
idea may be gathered from the following facts :
Whilst we were at the islands a poor Chinamen threw
himself off the rocks and was dashed to pieces rather than
submit to the tortures that awaited him for having sat-
dulcetly broken some tackle he WAS using in his course of
labour; and we can form a good notion of the severity
of the punishment they are subjected to by the horrible
howling constantly heard on the islands. The following
are some that are constantly inflicted on the labourers by
order of the commandant, for the mast trivial offences, under
the eyes of Englishmen and other reputed civilised people—
and certainly nothing more devilish, nothing more in-
geniom be invented—viz , hanging is ropes and
chafes round the waist, and in other ways, from sunrise to
sunset, without food during that period, one, two, or mote
days, in proportion to the magnitude of the offence, and
lashing to half tide buoys, subject to ear, nun to the water
in addition to heat and cold. These punishments we saw
inflicted in several instances, end it was reported that one
man, whom we saw suspended daily for fully a week, had
already suffered a fortnight previously to our arrival. We
were also shown a refined instrument of torture, com-
bining the fabled labour of the Danaidsa, with the penalty
of death staring the culprit in the face if he fail td from ex-
haustion, or otherwise, in performing the task allotted
him ; this was a lighter, with a large hole in the bottom, in
whit* the offender was fastened, with a bucket to save hi
life by leanest baling.
We were credibly informed that one of the punishments
inflicted on the Chinese on the islands is that of placing
them on a small point of rock to which they are chained; so
small that sleep or obeys* of position must result in their
falling off, to hang in their manacles, severely bruised per-
' hape, until the period of relief.
But will it be believed that as English captain whilst we
were there surrendered • negro, whom we well knew, to the
mercies of Peruvian Lynch law after being flogged, end
that he was hung in a bowline on the commandant's hulk
for three days successively, and this for merely swearing at
" his honour" ? I have seen on this hulk as many as eight
or ten at • time--soare swung to the davits, and others, one
above another, on masts temporarily rigged up. It is not
long sines that British and other seamen were subject to the
same treatment, and a easels recorded of one whir disappeared
from the buoy, and then it was time for interference.
Does it not teem strange that civilised nations, banded
together to suppress slavery, cannot, by remonstrance or
forte, with a trifling power like Peru, put an end to such
inhuman practices at these islands? ler they do not obtain
at Callao.; and If the voluntary slavery entered into by the
deluded Chinese cannot be twevested, surely something may
be dose by those who profit by their labours to alleviate
their suffering,.
No doubt those who have actually been on these islands
could tell a heartrending tale of the treatment of the poor
creatures that would exceed in horror what is here related.
It is reported that the islands and their produce are to be
sold. We hope they will fall into the hands of people
men humane then their present POWCWOTI, and that such
cruelties as theirs will be no mere heard of.