The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-05-10

AUGUSTA, May 9.-Cotton unchanged
receipts b50 bales; sales rs.
BosToN. May Cotton quiot-mid-
ddling 1879; receipts 7G0 bales; sales
$50; stock $4,000.
SAVANNAH, May 0.-Cotton quiet and
hrm-middling 2214; receipts 523 bales;
sales 100; stock 18, 662.
HoRRIDLE.-A catastrophe almost I'M
paralleled in horror, disclosing the gross
cruelties of the Macno emigrant trade by
one last and most terrible demonstration.
happened i'll the China Seas last MAY.
ana IL recorded i'll parliamentary re.
port just ordered by tho House of Com
mons to be printed. vessel called the
Don Juan, sailing under the flag and
with the Authority of the Portuguese
Government, set sail Oh the 4.h of May.
with 600 coolies OH board. These poor
wretches, it appears, were kidnapped
nnd shipped in the most shameful man
ner. Once on bonrd, this large multi
tnde was placed literally in prison.
Penned on the main deck and fastened
down by three iron gratings, which
closed the lmtclies. ten coolies ut IL time
only being allowed to come on deck.
The ship sailed III fair weather from
Alacuo. On tue second dny of the yoy-
hge, as declared by uerker, an Austrian
seanlan, the captain selected twenty
coolies aud put them in irons, with much
brutality. ns nn example to the others.
On the third day, difficulty al ose about
the food passed down to the emigrants.
Iho Interpreter got angry. and struck
those who complained with his cane:
wherenpon tho wretched coolies nude "a
rush at their European jailors The
iron matches were Immediately slammed
back upon them, and when the poor
Creatures beat upon the beams and
planks to get air, muskets were fired
down into the crowd. It then appears
that, i'll desperation, some few of the
coolies set fire to u store-room forward.
hoping, no doubt. to force the crew to
throw their prison open. The sailors
tried to pump water down upon the seat
OF the conaagration, but tho frenzied
men below passed the hose out of the
PORTFOLIOS. 30 that pumping became USE
less. Then the fire spread beyond all
control, aud volumes of Shick smoke
rolled into the main deck-choking the
mass OF coolies ut either end, who hnd
tnken no part In tho previous proceed
ings. Red tongues of flame aud suffo-
eating clouds filled the ship below
haiches; while the miserable prisoners
beat at the iron grusing, tore mt the fast
enings of the deck, and even cndenvored
to get up to the air through tho yentll-
lators. The PORTFOLIOS, however. were
fastened, the headlights were too small
to allow of mans body passing. and
the ventillators were barred, 50 that
there was no scape.
In two hours time tho fire was "es-
tablished on the main deck''-which
means that scores OF the Chinese had al-
ready been ROASTED or smothered-y
the crew never took a single step toward
saving the lives of the imprisoned
wretches. They merely lowered three
boats on their own account, and pushed
OH from the burning vessel, leaving oil
that mass OF human creatures pent up in
floating hell of fear and agony. The
sea WAS calm; the matches might surely
have been opened ut the last moment;
yet the Don Juun's captain and hands
showed off, while the ship blazed, and
while the coolies perished inside with
frightful cries and screams. Tho scoun-
drei master and crow saved their villain
GUS lives; junk picked them up; and
the same witness who tells us this saws
that when the twenty Chinese in irons,
who were upon the forecastle, broke
away their letters, aud swan toward the
junk, they were pushed off into the sea
to drown. Meantime, in their awful
terror, the survivors of the $50 below
found some means Of bursting the fore
hatch. Scores we're by this time killed
BY the flames or the smoke; scores had
been trampled down in.the frenzied rush
for life to the upper deck. About 100 in
all at last emerged from that Golgotha of
anguish, and ieaped at once into the sea.
A few managed to get hold OF spars and
floating gear, and hung upon these till
some fishing boats picked them up next
morning. The majority were already
mortally injured when they escaped, or
were drowned, or crushed by the falling
chains and spars of the ship. But at
least 800 were first scorched to death, or
choked and trampled dead, before the
internal prison-gate was forced by the
breaking open of the matches, which the
captain and crew had so shamefully left
fast.
AN ABsCoNDINa DANCING MASTER =
We understand that the danoino m a Of OF.