Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-12-14

not denied these charges, nor does our Review
err deny them. nor the still stronger charges Of
Mr. Mason, rs to the condition Of these pre-
tended free laborers, although he hds retDi beth
letters.
But it is not only General Cass and Mr.. Ma
son. who has charged that England's Coolic,
African apprentice and African emigrant trade,
are but disguised forms of the slave trade--or
something much worse. Tho whole press Of
the Union has been reiterating those charges,
for more than ten years past. Thousands of
times have the same charges been made in
Congress and in our State Legislatures, and
spread before the world in printed speeches. -
Two memorable instances we now recOllcct:
that of Mr.. Cingman in the lower House and
Mr. Hunter in the Senate.
Mr.. Hunter, in the speech referred TO, made
in the session Of 1850, says: THE conse-
quence has been the creation Of a new species
of the slave trade, equal, perhaps, in the hor-
rorS Of the middle passage, to any thing known
in the old African trade, before it was made pi
racy by the laws of civilized nations. Cover
nor Light, of Jainaica in n letter to Earl Grey,
in 1913, informs him Of tho mortality that oc-
Cured among lot, imported from Sierra
Leone, on the ship Arabian. Out of two
hundred and thirty-cight, he says twenty-five
died on the passage, f0rty-fivc were ordered to
the hospital, and the whole in wretchcd con-
diton, lie reports that there were ONE THOU
SAND ONE HUNDRED AFRICANS N TIE YARD"
it will not do To call it barracoon.) ut Sicrrc
Leone, who appeared very sickly." Mr.. Hun
ter then quotes n part of the report of the
Commissioners of Emigration" in which it is
stated THAT Of the forly.ivc taken to the hos
pital, seventeen had died, and scarce any were
expected to live" The report quoted By Mr..
Hunter further states: " 1t is also stated by
the surgeon that their Sickly state was noticed
by him TO the emigration agent who, however,
appears to have made light Of it, by adding,
that the other Africans were all that way in
the ward" Again it adds: I'VE regret to
state that in all these vessels, except only the
Marayshire, considerable mortality has taken
place" Mr. Hunter also quotes English au-
thorities, showing the severe puni>hments to
which these African apprentices are subjected;
and Mr. Clingman shows that the Coolies are
treated in the same way Sierra Leone has
been for the last ten or fifteen Years mere
slave depot As We shall in the sequel show,
British naval officers seize upon American
slavrrS. permit the crews to escape punishment
coniiScatc the vessels, sell the slaves to Gov.
crnlncnt, and divide the spoils, thus conpro-
missing felony and committing downright
robbery.
In all this, they are aided by the Admiralty
Court of Sierra Leone, and countenanccd by the
British government, which is thoroughly ap
priscd Of their conduct.
We perceive from English papers that up
wards of one hundred and fifty thousand Coo
lies and apprentices. have been imported to
Mauritils within few years past. y member
Of the British Parliament stated last year, in
debate, that in one Of their colonies there were
twenty thousand male Coolies and only three
females This disparity in the number of the
sexes would of itself render Coolic scrvitudc
worse than old fashioned negro slavery.
DO any Of these Coolies or apprentices sur
viyc their term Of service: II is the interest
of their masters to work them to death, to
avoid paying their hire, and the expense Of re-
turning them to their native countries Wcsce
every day accounts of ship loads Of them i'm
ported. but not word Of any sent back. Even
in the British Parliament several members
charged that the Cooiic trade was but new
form Of the slave trade. The negative evidence
on this subject is as conclusive as the positive
The silence Of England under the millions Of
charges made against her. proves that she
can neither justify her practices, nor dStin-
guish her new forms of slavery from that which
she abolished So hcart-rending were the ac-
counts appearing almost daily in the papers, Of
the Coslic and apprentice trades, that the Sen
ate by resolution in April, 1856, called on the
Secretary of State for information on the SUBJ
icct. We quote from DeBow's Review, for
July 1857, part Of the Sccretary's report in
reply to the Scnatc'S resolution.
The first thing We find in this report is a let
ter from VIM II. Robertson, acting Consul at
Havana, in reply 10 interrogatorics from Mr.
Marcy, in which he mentions the arrival OF y
large English ship with four hundred Chinese
imniigrants-the first lot of number export
cd under contract for 1000 Or 5000. In the
same letter he mentions the landing of cargo
of negroes from Africa Under date of June,
1870. he mentions the landing Of another
EMgliM ship with cargo Of 100 Asiatics, with
two minor cargoes of iucatancse, being part
of Il contract with Santa Anna for ii 900 by 4
highly respectable house. Negroes he says,
continue to land in different parts of the Island.
August sth, 1870. hc writes: chinese are
coming in fast, and according TO reliable infor-
nation given to me, these laborerS on some
plantations, are treated no better and even
worse than slaves THE immigration Of Chi
nesc does not for the present diminish the trade
in African negroes Under date of Septcnl-
Der Sd. 1879 lie mentions one capitalist who
he knew had sent out an agent to procure
10000 Chinese. November, 1886, he estimates
the number of negroes landed on the Island
in three months past at 1000. lie says that
there are existing contracts for 10, 900 or o',ooo
Chinese.
The report proceeds 10 give many accounts
of the crucltics and crimes Of the Coolc trade.
In two instances there persisted from cruel treat
ment the aggregate amount OF 800 OF these
Coolies Il is needless to adducc the proof.
The public is almost daily shocked with new
accounts Of those cruelticS, and the thousand
of suicides committed by the Coolies to escape
4 bondage worse than death
But the conduct Of the English naval officers
in robbing slave ships Of their cargo of slaves,
and permitting the crews to escape, is the most
shameful and iniquitous part OF this whole
matter, because the English government is cog,
infant of their proceedings, and permits them
to steal slaves to supply her colonies with Ia
borcrs. whilst protesting to employ them 10 put
down the slave trade We annex two extracts
from the letter of Gen. CasS to Lord Napier,
one Of which extracts fully proves our last
charge. The other extract and the letter from
Mr.. Mason, will throw light on other parts Of
this communication Gen. CasS says:
Your Lord,hip di,"yows, on the part Of YOU. Go,
yerumcn,. the right Of British cruiser. 10 dctain ar
American vessel even il found engaged III the slave
trade In view of this disavowa nm ut u loss e
comprehend why All American vessel, when detained
upon the high scu- should destroy the evidences Of
her nationality, and suffer herself to I've captured
when. by maintaining her true character, she would
he beyond the control Of any cruiScr except olc OF
her own nation 4 despatch from the COMMANDING
officer OF the American squadron. upon the coast OF
Africa Commodore Conover. TO the Secretary of the
Navy, dated October u, ls'', throw, light upon this
subject and shows the danger OF abuse which sur
rounds this whole matter lie states that the Amcri-
can vessels employed in the slave trade have been
encouraged by the officers OF British cruisers to throw
their papers overheard in order to avoid the punish
,ncnt n, death. and have been thus taken without
nnv evidence oi nationality. The rcason assigned
for this procedure is said 70 be- that the punishment
l., Ill. l,w. IF Inc nif zeal