The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-08-21
Emigrants or slaves, Which?

E;migrantS or Slaves, Which?
"The San Salvador ship CaHaO, Captain Iavareilo, arrived
China, with $50 Chinese emig ants on board, bound TO Callao,
T'oiHght-Ga=ette, 1sth.
Has not the coolie system of this Kingdom,
humane as il is in comparison with other sys-
TENS, had the tendency to demoralize the men,
bers of the Government? In the above statement
the managers of the Gazette style the $50 poor
mortals on board the CaHao as emigrants, thus
placing them on a par with the Chinese imported
under the regulations of the Board of ~Immigra-
ton.
Do e~migrant vessels have a barricade between
the emigrants and the afterguard of the vessel ?
Is the barricade defended by loaded cannon, and
scntries with drawn cutlasses? Is it usual
to place among emigrants overseers who carry n
knotted ropes-end in their hands as a badge of
authority? Are FESTIVE emigrants generally
chained in couples, and, to keep them out of
mischief, made to scour the brass and iron work
Of n ship? Do e~migrant ships carry iron graf
ings over their matches to repress the natural
desire of human beings for light, air and liberty,
and do American ships have to change their flag
to enable them to carry emigrants? If so, then
the CdLao is an ~emigrant ship, and the six hun
dred and fifty souls on board of her are emigrants.
The memoranda furnished the Gazette by the
Captain goes on to say that SO the health of the
passengers has been good, with few exceptions,
four deaths having occurred on the passage"
Why not go on in this mild strain and say that
the ship had been the scene of a slight misunder-
standing, and in the endeavor to bring about q
correct state of feeling it was necessary to kill
one 8. emigrant," wound several, and place many
more in irons, ard, to prevent the recurrence of
any misunderstanding, the backs of several had
been excoriated to such an extent as to sicken
the behoider, and render it disagreeable for the
parties to wear clothing And, in n congratu-
latory strain, the Government organ says : The
CGHdO left at Macao four vessels taking Chinese
emigrants on board, for Callao, of which the
Fray Buenfos and the America will certainly
touch ut these Islands, while the Pridensa and
Louisa Caneraro will, perhaps, take the south
ern route, on account of the late season. 1t may
be expected that, in future, all vessels taking
coolies to Callao will, during the voyage, touch
here, unless the season is too far advanced" Is
it not rather to our shame and disgrace that it
can be said that slave ships make an asylum of
our ports, where they may reft with none to
modest and nothing to make them afraid. Allud-
ing to this traffic the New York Nation says:
1T is time that those countries which attend to
the police duties of the sea make some investigation
the condition of the coolie trade. There are
reasons for believing that the transportation and, in
some countries, the employment of coolies are at
tended with even greater horrors than those which
the slave trade. We hear every little
of successful mutinies, in which cargoes of
Chinese coolies either kill or set adrift the crews of
their vessels we rarely hear of the provocations
which lead to these crimes. Recently representa-
lions have been made to the POrfupuese Gnyprpnr of |
Macao which reveal an appalling amount of brutal
ty on one side and of suffering on the other. 1t
seems that vessels carrying "emigrants I" to the
coast of South America are packed with their
living freight as closely as were the former slave
ships The food, which consists of rice, is often alive
maggots, and is so insufficient in quantity that
he starving passengers are reduced to a condition d,
which the foul air of the prison-hold and the
positions, in a densely packed mass, make
hem easy victims to scurvy and other ship-diseases.
;ye-witnesses state that, il order to make more .
com and TO save the little food needed by diving
the victims are often thrown overheard while 6
ct alive. The Governor, after having been con- c
inced Of the truth of charges of cruelty made against ,
ne Spanish-America shippers of coolies, and against
outh American planters, recently revoked the
censes of those engaged in the traffic to that part of s
he world from Macao. .
The presence of the CaHao at this port, direct r
ON Macao, bound to Peru, proves the falsity of !
lie last assertion, or, if true, VIC have n right to =
fer that the $50 Chinese were kidnapped. &
We trust that His Majesty's Government will 4
&c every endeavor to publish this matter to those p
'vernments which should be interested in the 4
after. Let the San Salvador Government know s
what base uses its flag is put, and notify the c.
ovcrnor of Macao of this infringement of laws II
govern emigration in civilized commune Y
IS. BY a prompt disavowal of sympathy for G
rites concerned in this traffic, and use of every ;r
cans to prevent its continuance, our government n,
III do much to make its record sound on this q,
rticular point. 4,
England spent hundreds of lives and millions n
treasure to break up the African slave trade,- SUI
mot the England of to-day, or America, make or
G effort to break up this Ubiquitous emf =
INT - traffic, which differs from the African
in but one particular, the color Of its vic
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