Weekly Trinity journal., 1872-10-05

estly opposed in this degrading traffic.
But to return. The correspondence al
luded to in this dispatch just read is short
and read it entire
Mr.. Smith to lIr. austin.
REGISTRAR GENERALS OFFICE,
| Hone KONG, Aug. II, 1871.
"SIR: On Friday last, the llth inst,
| some members of the board of direction
brought me the enclosed Chinese letter,
| translation annexed) which purported
to come from some one who was, against
his will, on board the outgoing American
mail steamer bound for San Francisco.
Having sent for the Chinese broker,
| gathered from him the information
given in his statement, annexed, and
finding that the intending emgrants had
all come on shore, it did not seem neces-
sary to take any immediate action in the
matter. However, as l learned that the
coolies, as alleged, were to have signed
the contracts when on board, after the
steamer had left the harbor, l think it
right to bring the subject to the notice of
his excellency the Lieutenant Governor,
as, if true, there was an attempt at in
tringing the emigration laws.
A copy of the contract, which | OBJ
tanned of the Chinese broker is enclosed.
have, Nc, CECIL G. SMITH,
Registrar General"
Mr.. AuStin to Mr.. Bauey.
COLONIAL SECRETARY's OFFICE,
August 10, 1871.
"SIR: | am directed by his eXcetlency
the Lieutenant Governor to forward for
your consideration a letter which has
been sent to this department by the reg
istrar general, in reference to the action
alleged to have been taken by Mr.. George
Payne, an American citizen, regarding
emigration TO San Francisco. | beg to
draw your attention to that part of Mr..
Smiths letter in which he refers to the
evasion of the emigration laws of the col
ony, which must necessarily have result
ed from the signature OF contracts after
the departure Of the steamer.
have, &C., l. GARDNER AUSTIN"
Mr.. austin to M. Battey.
COLONIAL SECRETARY's OFFICE,
September IL 1871.
"SIR | have the honor to acknowl-
edge the receipt of your letter Of the 9th
instant, and to forward to you, in accord
ance with your request, copy OF the let
ter addressed to this department by the
registrar general, in reference to the cool
les recently embarked for San Francisco
by Mr.. Payne.
| have, &c., l. GARDNER AUSTIN"
The cooly's letter referred to in Mr..
Smiths note is short but very impressive.
| read it:
"The committee of the hospital should
come forward to save human lives.
"There was IIakka named Lai-on,
who several times last year took people
over to Macao and sold them thus he
and his brothers ate human flesh.
"On the 24th of this month a certain
foreigner who does not belong to any
firm, unlawfully induced people to go to
foreign countries, which are twice the dis
tance to California, at five dollars Il
head. More than ten brokers dared not to
undertake the business, but Lai- on un-
dertook it, and brought some printed
forms to our village and induced the peo-
Pile to go to the interior of California.
\ on had better go to the On-ki emigra-
ton house on Wing-On street, where you
can obtain a printed form and request
the harbormaster not to allow people to
go. Also have notice posted up at the
California mail steamers wharf This
will be the means of saving mems lives,
as on the 24th or 25th days they will go
on board the California ship, where they
will receive their pay and proceed on
their voyage"
This enabled the registrar general to
warn this ship load but listen to the kid
napper himself:
Il am Lai-on, master Of the On-kee
shop, No. 81 Wing-on lane. | am acting
as emigration agent for Mr.. g. E. Payne.
Mr.. Payne promised to give to myself
five dollars as commission, and two, three
or five dollars as expenses and commits
sion to the sub-agent for every emigrant
| from the interior, and shipped on board
| the California steamer that leaves here
Tomorrow. | had got on board the
steamer yesterday for Mr.. Payne, alto
gether, two hundred and seventy men.
Before they went on board each of them
was promised to be paid an advance of
| five dollars at ten A. NJ, this morning.
AT eight A. NJ. this morning there were
about forty or fifty of those men from
the steamer who came to my shop asking
me to give them five dollars each as
promised. | told them that Mr.. Payne
said that they could not be paid until the
bank is opened, which will be ten o'clock
! They commenced to abuse me, and accus
ing me Of selling them as pigs, for which
two of their fellow men lost their lives by
! jumping overheard and drowning them
selves. They then smashed everything in
the shop even the sign-board outside
was broken. The whole of the two hund-
red and seventy men left the steamer.
"When the men came from the inte-
rior, and before they were shipped on
board, all their expenses for board and
! lodgings were paid by me. From the
day | undertook the agency up to this
| day / have already spent a sum of six
or seven hundred dollars. There was to
be an agreement between Mr.. Payne and
myself, and another between Mr.. Payne
and the emigrants, but all of them have
not been signed. Before the emigrants
were taken to the harbor-master's office,
where each of them got a paper from
that office to go on board, they got pas
sage tickets from the California Mail
Steamer Company office. These tickets
were given to them by me, and were
handed over to me by Mr.. Payne. They
went on board Of their own will and ac-
cord. | never used any improper means
or force of any kind to secure them on
board. When they were at the harbor-
masters office, asked them if they knew
where they were going to, and whether
they were going of their own accord ?
They answered in the affirmative. They
were further asked whether or not they
had been induced to go by unlawful
means They answered no. They were
passed on to the harbor- masters office,
where they received their papers or GER
tificates going on board the ship.
"The above statement was made by
Lai-on on Saturday, 18th instant.
G. c.. s.
True copies RS.
/. GARDNER AUSTIN,
Colonial Secretary"
He first states his Infamous contract
with Payne, and then in a tone of injured
innocense, which would be Iudicrous if
it did not show such abominable deprav-