The Hawaiian gazette., 1871-10-18
HONOLULU. WEDNESDAY,, OCT IS, 1871.
The CooIIe Trade.

House of Commons reveals the existence in the
Southern Pacific of horrors rivalling those pre-
sented by the African Slave Trade in its worst
phases. 1t appears that there IS a constant sraf-
nc between certain European ports in China and
the Western coast of South America in Chinese
Coolies, nomiualy shipped as voluntary and in
dentured laborers, but really as helpless and as
subject to brutal treatment as any slaves. Peru
has especially resorted to this source of labor
supply, and since the abolition of slavery in that
Republic, sixteen years ago. many thousands of
Coolies have been imported from China. The ig-
norance oflhe emgrants, their abect poverty, and
their isolation from civilized lite expose them to
deceptions and cruelties on the part Of the per-
sons engaged in the CoOlie trade. 1t does not
appear that the Coolies are il-treated by the Pc
ruvian agrculturists though the information late
ly furnished to Parliament originated in report
that number Of these imported laborers had
been branded with redhot iron by their MASTER
a planter resident near CallaO. This accusation
appeared to have been subsequently disproved
when brought before the Peruvian tribunals, but
the English Charge d'Affaires at Lima, in bring
ing the matter under Lord Granville's attention,
has shown how dangerous an element in the coun-
try is the presence of these imported Chinese.
The planters to whom they are indentured, after
exacting the stipulated amount of work. seem to
leave them very much to their own devices, but
the lower classes of the native Peruvians regard
them with mingled dislike and contempt. The
immigrants are of course subject to none of the
usual restraints of religion or civilization, and they
often break out into deeds of ferocious violence
: In two recent instances the populace seized Coo
lies who had committed murders and burnt them
to death. A similarly horrible transaction may
occur on great scale hereafter and indict ndeli-
BILE disgrace on Christian and civilized Republic.
After a strong representation to the Governor Of
Macao by the Portuguese Consul General at Ii
ma relative to the expectation of Coolies, the
Governor issued an order suspenLing the traffic.
Our Minister at Lisbon was instructed to express
his appreciation of this course to the Portuguese
Minister for Foreign Affairs and these remOn-
stranoes have for the present, it seeing, put an
end TO this disguised Slave Trade. The disputed
fact Of the branding has nothing to do with the |
propriety of this course which is recommended |
far more by what we know of the cruelties prac-
used on the Coolies during their voyage than by |
the alleged atrocities inflicted on them by their
Peruvian masters.
How little this Coolie traffic resembles egi-
innate and voluntary transport Of emigrants is
shown by the extraordinary precautions adopted
by the masters of the vessels to keep their wretch
ed passengers under firm control 1t is, indeed,
very necessary to do so, for if the Coolies sus-
pect that they have been deceived as to their
destination.-that, instead of being taken to some
healthy and well paid employment, they are being
entrapped, for example, into the horrible and ia
tai servitude of the Guano Islands on the Peru
vian coast,-they are ready with Oriental con-
tempt for pain and death, to seize any kind of
vengeance which may come within their grasp.
As a rule, they are imprisoned in the hold of the
vessel, guarded by armed sentries, and only per-
mitted to come on deck in parties OF about do
zen at time. Sometimes they contrive to
evade the vigilance of their guardians, and at
tempt-now and then with successful obtain
possession Of the vessel in which they are con-
fined. A tragedy of this kind occurred last Oc-
tober on board ship flying the French flag,
named the Nouvelle Penelope, and bound for
Calao from Macao with cargo of more than 300
Coolies. A day or two after the vessel had put
to sea the Coolies made rush on deck, over
powered the crew, murdered the captain and half
the sailors, and compelled the rest to navigate the
ship to shore. There she was beached and a6an-
duned but the Coolies escaping for the time we're
subsequently apprehended, for the most part at
Macao, ard handed over by the Porugese author
iles who wished to avoid the scandal of a local
inquiry, to the French Consul. In reply 10
the representations of our Minister at Lisbon,
the Portuguese Government maintain that the
Coolies received no proyocation, that they were
neither deceived nor i'll treated, and that their
seizure of the Nouvelle Penelope was a mere
wanlon and deliberate act of piracy We hap
men to know something, however, Of another
vessel engaged about the same period in the same
questionable traffic, and we are led to doubt
whether the revolt of the Coolies on board the
French ship was so entirely unproyoked as the 7
Portuguese would have it. vessel of 800 tons
DuiNS"f ehS DoioitS cSaitOi SaiiluS uHhSA bhV
San Salvador flag, from Macao to Caao, touched
at Honolulu in the autumn of 1870. She left !
the Portuguese colony with a cargo of COS
Coolies, who for three weeks we're slowed be-
tween decks in a sitting atmosphere with space '
1f no more than sixteen inches for each man. I
Then. after disease had appeared among the G
yretohed Cinnamon, they were permitted to take t
exercise on deck under the watch of welI-armed 8
entries for an hour a day. Several Of them c
ought a refuge in death by drowning. Food .
md water fell short, and the horrors of the Black
Hole Of Calcutta were repeated in this ill-omeued
'essel. The sailors traficked with the dying h
Coolies in the necessaries of life, selling cups of
water for the dollars that were eagerly thrust out
n exchange through the gratings of the matches G
nd the stencil from the hold is described by one
# the crew rs overpoweringly sickening At b
Honolulu more than forty hopelessly perishlng r
Coolies we're landed in the last stages of decay
wo unfortunate creatures had permanently lost fc
heir sight by the formation Of ulcers in the f
orners Of their eyes. The Dolores Ugarte. bav- q
ng then obtained provisions and got rid of her Il
nsaleabe stock proceeded on her way to CaIlao. G