The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-12-18
Of the Coolie Trade.

On our fourth page will be found narratives of
two tragedies enacted the present year by coolies
at sea. One narrates the doings of some 275
Chinese coolies, who took possession of the vessel
in which they were being conveyed from China
probably to the West Indies. Out of the whole
number put on board only IS had arrived at the
Island of st. Helena, where tie paper lis published
! which gives the account.
The other is the record of the French protecto-
rate bark Moaroa, which was taken possession of
by 800 Polynesian Islanders. The account is
written by the second mate, who gives full details.
1t seems, says the Alta, that this bark, which had
been purchased by the Tahiti Cotton Co., sailed
in March last for Gilbert Islands to procure COO
lies for use on the plantation. After considerable
difficulty Capt. Blackett secured about 300 men
and women and set sail for Tahiti. By what
means or under what promises these poor wretches
were induced to go on board the vessel is not
known. The natives who were taken on board,
however, seemed to have from the first n suspicion
that they were being conveyed into a state Of
slavery, and determined to release themselves Or
die. When the vessel WIS about two weeks out,
they rcbelled and succeeded in gaining possession
of the upper deck, after killing the Captain, a
passenger, one of his officers, and several OF
the crew. The second mate, named Stewart,
finding that the savages had almost complete
charge of the vessel, determined to resort to des-
peratc measures. He went between decks and
securing n key of powder. placed it under the
main deck, amidships, laying n train aft. After
firing the train he secreted himself in the lower
hold. A number of the coolies were killed by
the explosion and nearly all the remainder jumped
ar.rloorJ Tko unata o,inal n,ccoocinp Of the
bark and took her safely into Tahiti.
The same company which fitted out the Moarod
fitted out the French ship .Muriadi two years
since and took away from Gilbert Islands some
700 natives. The ~cruelties said to have been
pracriced upon these people while in transitu re-
mind one of the horrors Of the African slave
trade. 1t is singular that the French Government
takes no steps to prevent this traffic, which seems
scarcely less horrid than the African slave trade.
All this is done by n company, the shareholders
of which reside in Christian England, who would
be horri6ed if the English Gag was disgraced in
this way.
From all accounts. the manner in which the Ia.
borers for the Tahiti Cotton Plantation under the
French protection, are procured and treated is no
better than the slave system OF Brazil. First we
are told by Poole that naked women have been
hogged on the belly on this plantation next that
the g~uillotine was erected to cut of the head Of
the unfortunate Chinaman who threatened or at
tempted to kill the overseer last year. And now
some 800 people have been blown up from the
deck of one of their vessels. This company,
it has been stated, has hardly grown a ton of cot
ton for every life that has been sacrificed in rails
ing it. Can it be that the French Home Govern
ment sanctions all this? We hope, for the sake OF
humanity, it does not.