The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-07-07
CHINESE PLANTATION HANDS.

John in the ssss. Kindly
The New Orleans Republican of the Sd inst.
says
The steamer Great Republic arrived on Thurs
day from st. Louis. She brought one hundred
and forty-one Chinese laborers, who came under
a contract to work on a sugar plantation short
distance above the city. This company of Ia
borers came under the charge of Mr.. F. w.
Gardner, of San Francisco, who is regularly
engaged in the enterprise of supplying Chinese
labor to any portion of the Southern country,
for agricultural or other purposes
These men have caught so much of American
manners that animal food forms the staple of
their nutriment. Seated or squatted in groups
of five or six around species of table, extern
porized by placing a piece of board on four
bricks, each man held in his right hand panHi-
kin filed in some cases with hashed meat, and
in some cases with rice, while the two chop
sticks were held between two fingers of the left
hand, and SO managed as to open and shut like
pair of pincers, the feeder conveying his food
from hand to mouth by this means with a dex-
terity worthy of first-class professor of leger-
demain. the chopsticks are simply two sticks
OF wood, about as thick as q lead pencil and
about seven inches long A man unused to
learned to manipulate them with proper effect.
The body OF laborers we here speak of diff
fered very materially from the company that
came on the Vile de st. Lo, being much stouter
and heavier men-in fact, as robust as the ave-
rage of Americans, and with the appearance of
as much muscular strength.
Withal, their habits are temperate SO that
their capacity for continuous labor may be
relied on. We were informed by the superin-
tendent of their labor that they yesterday gave
a most satisfactory specimen of what they could
do and how they could do it, in unloading
cargo of bricks in an incredibly short time.
Although, with the exception of their inter-
prefer, they understand no other language than
Chinese, yet it seems to be no impediment to
their efficiency as workmen. They readily and
accurately apprehend what is required of them
nndf fh0u yuiII ipn1yr
The exception above mentioned is the inter-
prefer. His name is Lee Fook Wing. He
wrote by request in English and Chinese.
Each word in the latter is represented by
single though complicated character, good
idea of which can be had by inspecting any tea
chest He informs US that he is Christian of
the Baptist denomination, and is licensed to
preach. He said that he is in the habit of
slow business. AS he expressed it, ''muchee
preach makum little good"
From the time of their departure from San
Francisco to their arrival near New Orleans
none died from sickness, and but one death oc-
Cured from accident. This was at the mouth
of White river, where three of the Cinnamon,
in violation OF orders, went into the river to
bathe, and one was drowned. When long
search for the body had proved fruitless and as
the steamer was about to resume her voyage,
the countrymen of the poor fellow leaned over
the side, and simultaneously raised most
appalling yell, as If to call his attention to what
they were about to do, and then threw overheard
his clothing, hat boots and bag containing a
quantity of Chinese money (cash). This was
evidently a species of funeral ceremony, and
was probably intended to enable the drowned
man to take his departure for the next world
with proper outfit.
The gentleman who has engaged the services
of these laborers Is very sanguine as to the
result, and certainly the enterprise looks pro-
missing. 1t may be proper to state that Mr..
Merrill engaged these laborers not from a
deprecated estimate of the qualities of other
classes of laborers, but from conviction that @
large additional supply of labor is needed to
develop the resources of the Southern country.
There is one thing that will perhaps at the
present time initiate against the employment
of Chinese laborers on small farms. They are
not willing to engage except in large bodies
probably from feeling of insecurity. This will
make them available for large plantations only
at least for the present. But there is no doubt
that, as they become acquainted with the man.
ners and customs of the country, this feeling o1
Insecurity will subside and then they can be
had in small numbers as well as in large bodies