The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-29 00:00:00

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ENGLISH BARQUE GERTRUDE.

A painful event has been mule known at Lloyd's, in
relation to an alleged mutiny among a body of Chinese
emigrants, on board the English ship Gertrude, when
the master ordered his crew to fire on the people, of
whom about seventeen were killed and wounded. For
a long time numerous instances have come before the
Government of improper emigratiOn being pursued in
the China seas. The fearful case of mortality on board
the Lady Montague, also the horrible scene of slaughter
of the crews of the General Wood and the Victory, are
doubtless fresh in the recollection of the public, resulting
as they did from irregularities in the system of emigra-
tion—ill-treatment, ships badly provisioned, and other
circumstances. Several months since, the Foreign-office
sent out certain regulations to the English authorities at
the various ports in those parts to stop these irregu-
larities, but from the last advices from Singapore it is
evident they have not been attended to, otherwise the
reader would have been spared the sad details subjoined.
On the 28th of November last, the British barque
Gertrude, of Belfast, commanded by Mr. John Camp-
bell, put into Singapore to seek advice, an affray having
occurred on board between the crew and the passengers,
of whom there were 340 Chinese emigrants for Cuba,
called coolies. Two of the crew and 17 of the passen-
gers had been killed and wounded.
In accordance with instructions of Dr. Bowring, the
English Consul, Mr. D. T. Dumnan instituted an investi-
gation into the circumstances connected with the affray,
the result of which, together with the depositions of the
master and crew of the Gertrude, as well as those of the
alleged ringleaders of the attack, and of many of the
passengers, have been forwarded to the Government.
We append an extract from the depositions so taken :
—John Campbell deposed—l am master of the British
barque Gertrude, 605 tons burthen, owned by Mr. Ward-
low, of Belfast. On the 13th of October, the ship sailed
from Amoy for Havannah, having taken on board 350 pas-
sengers, Chinese emigrants (coolies) for Cuba. Nothing
occurred to excite alarm till the 20th inst., when, at about

half-past ten o'clock at night, a number of Chinese asked
me to go below and see a sick man, I went below and
was immediately surrounded by a number of them, and
that instant I heard a yell on deck. Fancying all was
not right, I jumped on the ladder to go on deck, but the
emigrants laid hold of my feet, and my shoes came off.
I sprang up, and on reaching the deck was struck on the
forehead with, I think, an iron belaying pin, causing a
wound. I supposed there might have been some 150
men round the hatchway altogether, but I cannot say
positively, as the wound was bleeding very much, and 4r-
felt stunned. I made for the poop, fighting my way
through them as well as I could. On reaching the poop
I began to recover my senses. I saw a coolie armed
with a boardino. pike ; he ran at me, I warded the thrust
off, and grappled with him to get the pike, but, he being
a stronc, man, I could not. I caught hold of and hurled
him off the poop on to the main deck. At this time I had
five of the crew on the poop with me ; they were all un-
armed, but we got our cutlasses from below handed up
through the skylight. The coolies were at this moment
trying to force their way on to the poop, but we repelled
•
them with the arms we had. The coolies then armed
themselves with the iron belaying pins, pieces of
wood, iron bolts, and stones. We were in ballast ; they
broke open the hatch, and so got at the ballast, which
is of stone. All these articles were thrown at us. Most
of the crew escaped excepting myself. I was much
hurt. I was speaking to one of the crew to bring a
musket, when I received a blow from a stone, which
brought me on my knees. The Chinese, seeing me
down, set up a yell. I then resorted to fire-arms—we
fired about ten times. The arms were handed up to us

by the steward, and my wife loaded ; they were loaded
by my wife and the steward. After firing, as above
stated, the Chinese appeared to be giving way, by going
forward, and others disappeared down below. At this
period we were strengthened by the mate and three
men, who had come from the forecastle, by getting
up the rigging, and so on, until they got into the
mizen rigging. The Chinese seeing this, ran aft, and
fell on their knees, holding up their hands, as if
begging us not to fire. About a dozen men did this.
We stood by our arms until the Chinese handed us up
the carpenter. I did not see the carpenter attacked,
as there was a great crowd between us. He had been
assailed by men who had armed themselves with his
tools (hatchets, adzes, &c.). He was sadly cut about
the head ; at the outbreak he was making a topmast
studding-sail ;he died three hours afterwards. I think
the attack lasted two hours, I mean until something
like order was restored. Our men have kept the poop
ever since. We have a galley aft, where food is cooked.
The coolies pass us water, wood, rice, &c. There is no
one on board who can interpret between the emigrants
and the crew. We make ourselves understood by signs.
I saw four Chinese thrown overboard ; three on the first
day of the attack, and one on the next. I ascertained
afterwards there were six wounded. There is a Chinese
doctor on board, and he attended them. I made signs

to have the ringleaders brought aft, and the Chinese
themselves brought four men, and wanted me to hang
them. They are now on board in irons. I declare I
cannot take upon myself to point out any one or more
persons who were engaged in this murderous attack.
Captain Campbell added, that each Chinese passenger
received 111 b .of rice, and my orders were to make it
111 b if 1.'21b was not enough ; fish or beef, Ilb ;
preserved vegetables ; water three quarts. During the
gale I ordered fully one pound of biscuit each, but we
did not serve it, or the other provisions, individually to
each man, but to the different companies. I never heard
any complaints, nor did the Chinese make any signs that
they did not to have enough to eat. I did not hear any
complaints whatever.
The other depositions were that of Robert Campbell,
the chief officer ; John Rendall, second mate ; Thomas
Atkinson, a seaman ; and Archibald Macdowall. They
confirm the statement of the master in all its particulars.
None of them could explain the cause of attack, or any
particular parties foremost in the affray. All along the
passengers conducted themselves quietly, and obeyed the
instructions of the captain when he had occasion to
make signs to them. They paid 9/. 10s. for the passage
to Havannah, consequently it was to the interest of the
crew to seek after their care and comfort. The parties
who fired on them were Captain Campbell and Atkinson
the seaman ; the former fired five or six times, and the
latter three or four each shot. The fire took effect,
Atkinson admitting bringing down a passenger at each
shot. Two were killed on the spot. None of the sea-
men could speak to the ringleaders, or what the men
were contending for. Up to the moment of the out-
break they were quite peaceable.
The depositions of the men who were given up by the
passengers, and alleged as the ringleaders of the affray,
exhibit a far different version of the said scene, and which
is partly borne out by the statements of a number of the
passengers.
Tan Chye (one of the four prisoners) states—l arrived
from Amoy in an European vessel on the 16th day of
the 9th month (coriespondent with 28th October 1852.)
We left on the 13th October, in all 350 men, all
Hokein men. The captain bought us for 111- dols. each,
from a Chinese. The captaln paid each of us on
board the above sum. We signed a Taper to that
effect. When we went below, the Chinese who brought
us to the ship took away 114 dols. from us, saying
that was for our provisions for the voyage. I don't
know whether the captain knew this or not. We re-
ceived each a suit of clothes. The captain gave a shirt, a
suit of clothing, including a waistcoat to each, and de-
-ducted for them. The agreement entered into was as
follows :—The Chinese was to find us a ship to take us
to a foreign country (I don't know where), to find us in
clothes and provisions, and we were to serve in the
foreign country as coolies, for eight years, and to receive
four dols. per month ; at the expiration of which time
we were to be allowed to return to our native country.
I had a paper given to me, but during my sickness I lost
it. I was satisfied with the agreement. After leaving
Amoy we had bad weather, which lasted three days, during
which time we could not cook, and the captain only gave
us a biscuit a day, afid water twice. In fine weather we
had rice, salt fish, and vegetables, but we had not enough
to eat. We could have eaten double the quantity. We
could not ask the captain for more. There was no one to
speak to us. We had no one to interpret for us. I re-
collect the 7th of the 9th month (the 19th October).' We
had a quarrel amongst ourselves, and began to fight and
throw basins, &c., at each other. Some of these things
struck the captain, and he thinking we were fighting
against him, got muskets and fired into us, and shot
four of our number dead. Two of the Chinese jumped
overboard.
The other men adhere to the deposition made by Tan
Chye. It would appear that there was a general cry of
want of food among the passengers, and tliat the quar-
rel arose from some misunderstading between different
sects among them. About 80 of one country, Tang
Mea, were fighting with 100 men belonging to Chuan
Chue. The men had complained to the cook of the
scanty and indifferent character of the provisions.
The passengers, in their statement, corroborAte the
men's deposition, and affirm that, had the ship been
provided with an interpreter, the tragical occurrence
would not have happened.

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.
—Early on Monday morning, a fatal accident occurred
on the Berks and Rants branch of the Great Western
Railway. It has been the custom, it appears, for the
engine-driver taking the last train from Reading to
Basingstoke, on Saturday evening, to wait at that town
in order to bring up the early train to Reading, on
Monday morning. The engine driver,
a man named
Moore, went to Basingstoke on Friday evening, and as
the trains on Christmas-day ran the same as on Sun-
days, he returned the same night to Reading, having
made arrangements to start at such a time on Monday
morning to fetch the train so as to reach this station at
the usual hour. Accordingly, he left Reading on Mon-
day morning about six o'clock with an engine, but had
scarcely proceeded half a mile before a poor fellow had
been deprived of life. The facts appear to be these :
Two young men, in the employ. of Messrs. Orton and
Child, the contractors for the maintenance of way, left
home to go to work in digging ballast at the junction of
the Basingstoke and Newburgh branch lines, about a
mile from the town. Knowing that it was not customary
for any train to travel upon the line until nearly nine
o'clock, they walked on the road between the two rails,
thinking they should reach the place of work in perfect
safety. The engine-driver took the precaution to sound
his whistle to give alarm to any one who might be on
the line, but unfortunately a strong west wind blew at
the time, so that the poor fellow could not hear it, and
in a few seconds he was knocked down, and his body
dreadfully mutilated by the engine. The other man,
who at that point walked close by the rails, escaped with
very slight injury. An inquest has since been held be-
, fore the coroner for the borough, and the evidence clearly
showing that the accident entirely arose from the de-
ceased incautiously walking on the railway, the jury
returned a verdict of " Accidental death."