The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-10-05
The COOlic Trade.

According to a late Washington
special, Chief Justice Smale OF Hong
Kong has recently made n decision
which may have the effect of putting
an end to the coolic trade without
the intervention ~oftreatics or lcgisla-
ton. The point came up in this
way: A Chinese coolic was arrested
for mutiny on the high seas, and also
for being concerned in the murder of
the captain and some Of the crew Of
the ship Nooetle Penelope. The
chief Justice, after an elaborate re-
view of the case, discharged the pris-
oncr from arrest, on the ground that
the coolic trade is really nothing but
slave trade, and therefore no better
than piracy consequently is beyond
the pale Of law, and the mar who re-
sists it guilty Of no crime. Whether
this decision will be sustained,
should it be referred to legal tri-
bunals in England, IS, to say the
least, doubtful, from the fact that
some of the British colonies are
deeply interested in the traffic, ana
have taken measures TO encourage ana
regulate it. From q report submit
ted to the house Of lords in 1899, we
find that the sum expended on ac-
count of immigration to the colony
of British Guiana from 1871 to 1898,
was 49, 3O, 775--largcly ovcr half OF
which was for coolies. During the
period named, 1882 of these were
brought from Calcutta, and S,12o
from Madras. TO Jamaica there
were brought, from 1915 to 1851, 1,55l
coolies from India and Az from
China. From 1913 to 1858, there
were sent from Calcutta to Trinidad
1l,G3l coolies, of whom TAB died on
the passage, and Ill were put in hos
pital Immediately on arrival. From
Madras and China to Trinidad dur
ing the same period, were sent $780,
of whom u fair proportion died c"
route. For the colony OF GRENADA
there were embarked IT, Of whom
1872 died on the voyage. From 1874
to 1858, not less than 250,OO coolies
were forwarded to the MauritiuS,
and Of these $4,000 died going there
or in a comparatively short time after
ward. TO what extent the business
Is carried On now, we have no means
of KNOWN but it is III indisputablc
fact that while the phiIanthropists
of Great Britain were expanding
their virtuous Indignation in denoun-
cling American slavery, the govern
mcnt of Great Britain was deliberate
ly aiding n system ofhuman bondage
]inconccivably worse. "Thc horrors
of the middle passage" about which
we have heard 80 much, were cclips-
cd an hundred fold by the awfnl
suilcrings Of these poor wrctchcs car
ricd from their homes in India and
China, to die in mid ocean, or perish
miscrably on some unhealthy islands
or coast in the tropics. Not unlrc-
qucntly u third or half Of those who
sailed were flung from the ships to
feed the sharks before the voyage
was accomplished, and the misery
endured by the survivors 10 pen can
describe. 1t wa always necessary
to keep them below, or watch them
closely while on deck, for if left
alone they were sure to commit sui
eide by jumping ovcrboard-prcfcr-
ring easy death to a horrible life.
Nor when they landed was their lot
much improved. Had they been
slaves their masters would have had
a%pccuniary interest, if no other, in
their welfare; but being only labor
crs working under contract, they
were subjected to the most brutal
treatment and died by the thousand,
mnoticcd and mcarcd for.
IL is quite time tho internal traffic
war broken up forever, and the bold
stand of Chief Justice Smalc, if il
does not consummatc that purpose
at once, can hardly fail to bring it
nbOut at an carIv Iay.