New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-21
HOW THE BRITISH CONDUCT THE
COOLIE TRADE.
EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY MEN
GAGRIEll,ED


SACRIFICED.
From The China Coyespordent Of The oryna Of Commeree
The coolie-rade has lost of its activity or hor-
rors The slave.trade itself the OF Africa is
not more atrocious; while all the horrors OF the
"middle passage belong 10 o eoOe ship well AZ to
an African SLAYER and at the time that "mtdle
"passsge" embraces The China Sea, the Indian Ocean,
and the Atlantic instead Of the Atlantic only. The
eco miles north of Hong Kong, and Macao, the old
Portuguese town, % miles distant, the Canton River
where barracoons are erected and dealers have their
residence, who make their arrangements with prstes
aud others coolies by promises however FALSE
If they can, or by violence If that is necessary Fair
promises are made in abundance, tempting to these
poor starving people, but promises made only to bs
broken by which great numbers are decoyed and then
forced into hese barracoons and thus detained unable
to communicate with their friends the authorities
while others seized while asleep in their junks by
night, quietly occupied in their fields or gardens or
otl er humble ayocatone, and with hands and feet tied
hurried off to the barracoous, where they inn
prsoned till the ship is ready to which they are
RED by night, stealtbily by day, notwithstanding all
their eniresties and protestatons aud despite al their
feeble resistance A case recently occurred OF which
friend has iurnished particulars in addition
to those given in paper here, By an individual con-
cerned in the traffic, and board the ship at the time
of the Disaster II is tale of horror never exceeded
by anything in the records of the ocean, The Flora
Temple, as ashamed to confess, was an American
vessel but chartered by English residents here, who
are fully responsible for all which followed.
The Flora Temple was as fine o merchant ship as
entered the sea Of China as ia asserted by COM
pete1t Judges. Lying off Macao, all arrangements
were made 10 secure full cargo Of coolies by the
means have mentioned. They were cheated, in
weighed, solen and either taken directly to the snip
ese conined in the barracoons in Macao till the ship
was ready to sail for Havana-the crew numbering
fifty, and the coolies eight hundred and MY. Leav-
rg Macao Oct. Saturday, the deceived aud stolen
coolies soon learned their cruel destiny, and all in
ured and betrayed men would do resolved to attemp!
TO avert IT, however desperate the chances They had
10 arms and therefore had to struggle with every dis
advantage in the effort of recovering their liberty
party collected the deck on Tuesday morning, BE-
fore the shores of their loved country had forever
disappeared from their eyes, and rushing upon the
guard single Individual light ensued, IN which the
guard was XII led. In the time the captain, John
SOD hearing the noise hurried upon deck with his
vover and his brother and Engshmsn interested in
the kidnapping with bin, both also armed with reyolv
ers no discharged half dozen rounds into the coolies
who thus driven tack, and defeated In their az
tempt to recover their liberty. How many were
killed and wounded, it is for the interests OF the KID
appers not tell ana the dead also tell no tales.
Nor can they tell the cruel trea. nent they received
before they were driven TO this desperate a,t-trest-
ment SIS they well knew, which waJ only foretaste
of what awaited them. Nor do the officers OF tho ship
or the EnPshnan board, who was trading IN stolen
human flesh iaform tie rid of the course they took
toward these miserable deceived, and hel pless meu,
VIXEN they were OyerpoweIe0 and defeated III their
most ustifable attempt 20 assert their liberty. Bat
friend informs zoe that they were driven below deck,
srd air, ard where crowded together so large num-
her in 80 narrow space the greater part must iuev-
taby have persisted in the long middle passage. Think
CT $40 human beings all full grown men, pressed INTO
THE contracted, lees, aress dungeon In which they
we're to be depOrted from China to Havana all the
long WAY the China Sea, the milan Ocean, and
the Atlantic!
On the following Friday Oct H. while sailing over
the China Sea, O'CLOCK in the evening, the vessel
sruck upon reef hch is rot laid down in the charts,
gale of wind in the time blowing, and the sea
ruupipg high. Every effort was made TO save the
ship hy the officers and crew. the poor coolies, bat
teIed down beneath the decks, being allowed no
chence b aid in saving the ship or themselves. AL
though the yards were "braced around and the
ship hove aback' she struck first slightly, and then
soon after several times with a tremendous crash, the
breakers running alongside very high Pieces OF her
ubers and plankiDg ioaed up on her port side, aud
after some more heavy thnmps she remained appa-
rently immovable The water rapidly increased in the
hold ill il reached the between-decks,' where the
$50 coolies were COZ fined. While this going on,
il deed almost imr edatey after the ship fret struck
II officers aud very naturally became afraid
of the coolies fer the treatment they had re-
ceved, and tie Captain ordered tie boats TO
be lowered net TO save the coolies in whole in part
but to preserve. himself ard crew. These boats,
under favorable circumstances, were Lot more than
sufficient for tie officers and crew sho wing that
provision had bee mace for the poor eooe sin Of
disaster The boats passed safely through the break
els, leaving the ship almost without motion, all her
mssts aLdipg her back broken and the sea making
clear breach her starboard quarter. When the
boats left the ship ard steered away, without making
one effort TO esye the $50 cooss allowing them to
do anything to Themselves, with their last iook
toward the sLp they thai the coolies had escaped
frcm their prison through doors which the conclusion
had made for them aud TODD clustering together help
less ard despairing upon ae decks, and gzing upon
the ably which was opening 1t. jaws TO receive sneu
My friend assures that he knows these poor crea
lures were completely imprisoned al the night tneso
terrible occurreLces going the hatehes oss
"battened down." and made as secure rs Jan'uoN~
under lock and bars. t, a,a
The chip was 800 miles from asd when . stru0 ,hs
after foniteen DAYS of toll and struggle, one ~ o
boats only succeeded in reaching Towron IA ~ ns
China; the three other boats We're nsvof anraI q,
Here the French fleet was Ag; anu tue ao h"osS
once invited the Capt sn and hjs boat crew Oh ~
ans ~ bis shire and besi Ut request sen ohe vi mrs
yesses 10 the fatal seems Of the disaster where some
80 he vYeck WA 10 be- sssr but not Single cookie!
Every one 81 the esgkt knndrsd and ny had per
iahedl Whether tie eoele trsfnc IL any better than
the African SLAVE trade IN its pamiest days every one
NAV decide For is thsa solitary case hundreds could
bs sdduced eous horror and barbarity fnot ending
in the anne catastrophe Think of it for amoment aud
a momen, is as much human nature well endure
Eighf h andred and ffty human beings, having pa.
rents wives children brt theirs and sisters and all the
hun an sensibles and sympahies like ourselves de-
co ed de- ed, stolen forced ON board ship shot
own ike dogs when they attempted escape from the
floating prison. fastened down between decks while the
ship was striking upon the rocks aud going to pieces,