Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-02-22

by agriculturists, almost exceed belief. Our
English cousins lavish with unstinted profusion
upon the negro slaves on our southern planta.
tons, their generous sympathies, and pour upon
the heads of their masters the most violent de-
nunciatons. They forget two things One is
that they introduced slaves here; the other is
that they have introduced elsewhere horrible
forms of white slavery, that exceed any other
forms of servitude to be found on the globe.
1t is the destiny of some of the human family
to toll, to suffer, and die, that Others more for
tunate may be enabled to live in peace, luxu-
ry, and happiness. There are, ever will, and
must be, forms of labor SO rigorous and burden
some, as to reduce those who pursue them to
the condition of servitude. 1t may be the white
man, or the black man; it may be what is
called voluntary, or what is called Involuntary,
servitude--it is yet but servitude at last
In closing some remarks on the same subject,
the New York National Democrat says:
aWe have before alluded to the subject of
the treatment of their coolies, by the Eaglish.'
Some persons have oceans of tears for the fat,
sleek, shining, happy, 1down-trodden colored
brother, but not one sigh for the miserable
cooley, the English slave OF the Chincha
Islands,
The following is the letter to which We refer:
"The guano is dug by Chinese coolies, or
laborers, who are brought here by English ships
from the free ports of their native coasts. The
poor fellows are made to believe that they are
going to do well by engaging to serve as labor
ers for FIVE years at a real York shilling) day
and a scanty allowance Of rice. They fancy, it
is said, they are coming to labor in the gold
mines of California. However this may be, it
is certain that they are shipped here in English
vessels, and transferred or assigned Tor what,
ever the word for such transaction should be)
to the Peruvian government. | have known
Englishmen who spoke of having been engaged
in the traffic. The government places them
on these islands, avowedly under the original
contract, to labor for five years but who is to
know how far this contract, if such it may be
called, is adhered to? The truth is, the poor
Cinnamon are sold into absolute slavery-sold
| by Englishmen into slavery, the worst and m st
cruel, perhaps, in the world. There are about
| eight hundred of the unfortunate creatures at
work on these islands at time. As fast as
death thins them out, the number is increased
| by new importations The labor is severe,
much more so than that of the negroes on our
southern plantations. They are kept at hard
work in the hot sun throughout the day. On
the middle island they are tasked, each one,
strong and weak alike, to dig from the hill and
wheel to the mangneras five tons of guano
each per diem. The guano is compact, like
hard clay-like loan, and as dusty, when dug,
as ashes. On the north island it has to be
blasted for the Steam paddles. 1t has to be
wheeled from hundred yards to quarter of a
mile. The nature of the labor maybe conceived.
"The Chinese work almost naked, under a
tropical sun, where it never rains. They are
slender figures, and do not look strong. Negro
drivers, the most ugly-looking blacks | ever
saw, are stationed among them, with heavy
thongs, which have seen them use. The poor
coolies have no hope of reward, no day of rest.
| "The smoke OF their torment goes up on
Sundays as well as on week days. 1t blows
away in a yellow cloud miles to leeward, and |
never see it without thinking what hell on
earth these islands must be. That do not ex-
aggerate this account any one who has been
here will readily bear witness. The fact that
some of the Chinese almost every week commit
suicide to escape their fate shows the true state
of their case. i was told that more than sixty
had killed themselves during the year, chiefly
| by throwing themselves from the cliffs. They
are buried as they live, like so many dogs.
saw one who had been drowned-it was not
known whether accidentally or notifying or
the guano, when first went ashore. All the
morning his dead body lay in the sun; in the
afternoon they had covered it, few inches, and
there it lies, along with many similar heaps
within few yards of where they are digging
On the north island the Chinese carry heavy
water-casks, slung on poles, between two, up
the steep hill they can in this way, as well as
| in barrows, take weights altogether dispropor.
tionate to their slender forms. They look un.
happy, as well they may
| 1--WE know that the Chinese are strongly at
| tached to their native soil. Wretched and
halfbarbarous as they may be, dark as may be
their souls. they still have human feelings, and
am not so constituted that can witness the
/ injustice of their treatment and their suffer
4 ings without compasson-without indignation.
| 1t ought to be made known, wherever English
| law prevails, that these poor creatures are de-
ceived and sold into servitude, by English
men, from which they almost daily seek escape
through death. 1t is not domestic slavery
which they are placed; they were not born
slaves; they are not protected by any laws;
there are no women with them; their condi-
ton is worse than that of any criminals, ex-
lies, or prisoners in any civilized nation. 1t
ought to be everywhere known. Americans,
who have to bear the reproaches of the Eng
lish for institutions entailed upon them, and
which they could not avoid, have a right to
reply that the worst slavery that exists among
the civilized nations Of the earth is maintained
by British subjects who transport coolies to the
Chincha Islands. 1t is not the fault of the
English that the same system is not carried on
in Australia. The coolies brought there, how
ever, have not turned out good speculation.
But the taking and selling free men to such
task-masters as the Peruvians, who are little
better than the Chinese, is an outrage to hui
mainly, and reproach to British rule. Let
the next SLAYER the English cruisers capture be
one of their own ships, with cargo of coolies
| for this market.
| gsgn The fckeness of our climate was never,
perhaps, more stfikingly exhibited than within
the last few days. Sunday was as bright, as