The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-02-04
Our Portuguese Immigrants.

Having in vie& the recent report of our
Commissioner of immigration, which vir-
tually intimates that the Portuguese are
the only suitable available immigrants,
either for the purpose of supplying our
plantations with labor or as additions to our
population, il becomes of much consequence
to know how these Islandsare spoken of to
their friends by those Portuguese who have
already adventured here as immigrants.
That a great many of them are SATISFIED aud
must give u good account to others of their
adopted country, We know. What is most
important however, is to get at the ideas of
those who have more recently arrived, who
have yet their terms of service to fulfil and
who are, as new Corners, more active cOrre-
spondents with those whom they have left
behind than are those who have been
longer in the country. 1t is also more inn
portant to know what is said against us
and what complaints are INDUCED in, than
what is said in our favor. Few we believe,
are aware that an active correspondence,
full of complaints and of utilization of this
country, has been carried on by u number of
the more recently arrived Portuguese; yet
such is the case, and it is important that
something should be lone to rebut the
ISLANDERS that have been thus freely circu-
lated in the Portuguese language. Our Com
missioner to Portugal will, no doubt. be
only too anxious to do what he can in this
direction, but his efforts need to be sup
plemented from here and especially by the
resident Portuguese whose word is likely to
nave more weight than any other.
We have before us two of the class of let
ters to which we have alluded They are
addressed to a journal published in the
Portuguese language in Erie, Pennsylvania.
OF one of these, which is from a free immi-
grant, we shall give n translation in full,
both OF account of certain statements it
contains which ought to be inquired into,
and to show the character of the complaints
made against the management of our plan
tations, even by those who have not the
CALLING yoke of contract Servitude to bear.
The other letter before us contains a violent
and we may say, foul-mouthed attack on
the editor of the VOz POrtugueza, a San
| Francisco journal, and on a correspondent
of that paper named Ed. Harris, who had
written favorable accounts of what he saw
as to the condition of the Portuguese on
various plantations visited by him during
a tour of the Islands. An extract from one
Of the milder portions of this letter may
suffice to show the writer's view.
Then II poor devil complains to the boss, he
is told that he is vicious, and is sent about his
work, often with IA kick. Sometimes an aperient
or a mustard pOultice Is applied, as L only lately
saw in the case of a poor st. hlchels man at
Paukaa, on Hawaii, ~ miles from Hilo, who
screamed in the torments of one of these
p~Cultices touching screams which tore my heart!
They also apply some other medicine intended
for horses, for they are so powerful. that they fire.
quently cause the poor patients skin and even
pieces of flesh to fall of. Such are the medicines
supplied to the s!ars on the Sandwich Islands.
The character and temperament of the
writer is well shown by his concluding
sentence which runs as follows =
u should also recommen Mr.. Stone, Editor
OF the wretched V0z to take care of himself, if
he wishes to live much longer, because if he con-
tinues to publish falsehoods, he will certainly be
martyrized by the Portuguese, in acknowledge
ment Of his foolish conduct"
Letters written in such a style are not
likely to carry weight with educated per-
sons, and we are surprised to find that a re-
spectacle journal is ready to give a column
and n half of its space to it. But such de-
clamation is too often influential with the
class of people from amOngst which we
nave to recruit for immigrant laborers.
Moreover, this is but one letter out of many.
The journal in which it appears o formal
de NoticidS, refers to- il and that given be-
low in its editorial columns, drawing atten-
ton to them and saying that it entirely
agrees with the structures upon this country
which they embody. We are unable to az
ford space this week to our translation or
the other letter, which will be published
in our mex issue.