The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-08-12
lOomu1nnlCaLeo.j
The New Slave Trade.

The attention of the leading journals of the
United States and Europe has been drawn to the at
r~ocities committed by the coolie traders of Macao.
Our position in this ocean gave us the opportunity
for gathering the earliest information touching this
traffic, and the arrival at this port of several vessels
concerned in the trade with the coast of South
America, permits US to speak as eye-witnesses, and
to corroborate much that has been said in other
papers. .
A case has been tried in Hongkong, and the evil
dence elected has developed a story that puts to the
blush the horrors of the African slave coast. The
correspondent of a leading New York paper-under
date of May 18th, 1871, says:
On the 3Oth of September last there sailed from Macao a
French ship called the NouUeHe Penelope, bound for CaIlao.
denominated emigrants. who were NORMALLY undergoing en-,
gagements for a term of years to work in Peru: These emf
grants had been for some time taken care of in the barracoons
Of Macao, from which they were transported to the shore under
military militia y gOT eminent then oe1fs shipped p on on IN boa 0oa1s lea; each one Of
and fixed bayonets, and finally placed on board the NOaUeHe
coincidence with the first part of the tale. There was a bar
rer across the deck, abaft the mainmast, constructed Of strong
were two open barred doors opening aft in the barrier, and
there wa: a a cannon HnGa. at eacn I'd d0o aio with :, .he mu1ai e pointed p for
where during the day a sentry stood on duty. A. night they
watch at the hatchway. Ah of the barrier slept the captain
and crew, who. in addition TO the two cannon mentioned above
had twelve muskets and bayonets, some swords and reyolvers:
The ship, moreover, carried a quantity Of gunpowder and
Rrapeshot. Before leaving the harbor one of the emigrants
jumped overheard and tried TO swim 10 shore. He was captured
and brought back to the ship. Three days afterwards, out az
sea, another jumped overheard and was drowned. At the
same time some twenty or thirty Of the emigranfs on board
were crying. They said they had been kidnapped, and a man
not cry, my brothers in two days more we shall go back TO
China" The $40 emigrants on board .he FOuUeHe Penelope,
not apparently so eager 10 proceed 10 Peru as was the master
of that craft to convey them thither, seem to have listened TO
the suggestion of the man Kao-kung-mau- In any case, they
rose, killed the captain and several OF the crew, and turned the
ship back to China, where some Of them succeeded in escaP-
ing. The tragedy was not. however, at an end The NouoeNe
Penelope was a French ship the French Consul u Canton
asked for and obtained the execution Of sixteen OF the coolies
who had escaped to land. A Chinese gunboat brought them
down from Canton, and landing them on q Chinese island
sixteen men were, on the It'll of February last. with the pomp
and circumstances of a grand ceremony, as on a gala day, in
the presence of hundreds of spectators, beheaded by Chinese
headsmen. Even here the matter did not rest. One, more
fortunate than the others, escaped TO Hongkong. The pressure
brought 10 bear on the Viceroy az Canton led him 10 make an
informal demand for the rendition of the man. This demand
was forwarded to Hongkong through the British Consul and
placed by the Colonial Secretary in the hands OF the Police
Magistrate. The man, Kwok-a-sing, was confined under the
authority of an old ordinance, pending Els rendition under
terms of Keying's treaty of lS43, q document which, as not
null Fortunately, the man had friends able TO assist him,
who employed Mr.. Francis as his attorney the latter applied
for q writ Of habeas corpus, and this led TO q protrseted trial,
the judgment in which has just been delivered by the Chief
Judge OF the Supreme Court Of the colony 10 favor Of the China
man. In speaking from the bench the Judge remarked that
it Is notorious thar the coat of the salable article I" man. laid
down in Macao, is about sixty dollars and under eighty dollars
the price of this same article :" man in Callao varies from
$3.50 TO $3.50; one successful voyage on this average exceeding