The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-08
TIE FIRST CHINESE.
Their Arrival at New Orlenns-Their
Wages md Appenrnnce-What the
Agent Says.

The New Orleans Prices Current Of Saturday
says:
The bark Vile de St. Loo, from Hong Kong,
arrived at our wharf on Thursday, after pas
sage of l07 days, having on board l67 coolies.
This Is the first lot of coolies who have come
direct from China to New Orleans, but we un-
derstand that they will shortly be followed by
220 more, per the ship Charles Auguste, en-
route for this city from Hong Kong. The ar
rivals by the St. Loo on Thursday were brought
over by the Arkansas Valley immigration Com
pany, and are to be employed along the Arkan-
sas River in raising cotton. They are to receive
as compensation for their labor, eight dollars
month in gold, and are to serve for three years,
their passage money from China to this coun-
try, fl3 per head, being paid by the employ
ers, the latter also having fu nlshed them with
provisions for the journey. The cargo of the
Charles Auguste 1t is intended to distribute
among several sugar planters on Lafourche.
These arrivals will doubtless do much towards
assisting the settlement of the question con-
cerning the wisdom OF importing Chinese
aborers and the capacity OF the latter tor
aboring in oilr cotton and cane fields, as we'll
US the relative value of the ChinameA to the
negro as q laborer. Certain it Is that If they
should prove as satisfactory as their employ
ers anticipate, we shall soon have sufficient
material, through future shipments, to fill up
the gap left by the loss of negroes who have
either died or have given up working In the
field for q precarious and often dishonest living
about our cities.
Mr.. Frank Williams, of this city, who went
over to China to engage the carsOes of coolies
noted above, states that lie found considerable
difficulty in obtaining good and trustworthy
hands. He represents the lower classes In the
seuboard cities as being vile and degraded, but
givcs an entirely different accOut OF the people
of the rural districts, characterizing them as
docile, energetic, industrious and faithful.
The deceit pructccd upon these people IN years
mast. when many of them were taken to the
West Indies and sold into slavery, has led them
to be rather shy in making engagements with
strangers to leave their own country for places
of which they know nothing. But it Is anlici-
patcd that this will give place to other feelings
when they have had an opportunity OF nearing
from those who are about to take up their
abode upun our farms and plantations.
We had the pleasure Ofmeetng, at the once
of Colonel j. T. Tucker, agent OF the Illinois
Central Railroad, Messrs L. Mingkewong and
c. Margting, merchants Of Hong Kong, China,
who are direct from that city via San Francis
co. having been eight days on the route from
the latter place. These gentlemen, although
they are away from their own country for the
first time, speak and write English very flu
ently They are here to snperlntend the arrl-
val of the first shipment of emlgrant labOrers
from their country, and to see in person how
they are suited to the work required OF them.
They express themselves as decidedly in favor
OF all even country and mild Climate, and u
the first company are as well pleased as it is
expected they will be, others will follow to
work on our Southern railroads, which Messrs.
Mingkewong and Margting intend to make 4
speciality with those laborers under their con-
trOl