SPAIN — CONVEYANCE OF CHINESE COOLIES INTO CUBA.—QUESTION. (Hansard, 15 July 1873)

THE EARL OF AIRLIE

asked, Whether any representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government to the Government of Spain with respect to the importation of Coolies from China into Cuba; or whether any communications on the subject have been received from Her Majesty's Consuls in Cuba since the receipt of Consul Dunlop's despatch of 24th December 1872 presented in pursuance of Commons' Address June 16, 1873. Their Lordships might be aware that a Paper containing the Correspondence relating to the treatment of Chinese Coolies at Macao and during their passage to Cuba and after their arrival there, had been recently presented to Parliament pursuant to an Address of the other House on the 16th June last. This Correspondence contained such a fearful narrative of the horrors of the Chinese Coolie traffic that he was desirous of bringing it under their Lordships' Notice, and of commending it to the immediate attention of Her Majesty's Government. On the 9th of November, 1872, the Earl of 395 Kimberley wrote to Sir Arthur Kennedy the Governor of Hong Kong as follows:— It has at different times been represented to me that foreign vessels engaged in the shipment of coolies from Macao are equipped in the port of Hong Kong, or furnished with supplies or stores from that Colony, and my attention has recently been directed to the following paragraph extracted from a Hong Kong newspaper:— 'The Spanish steamer 'Bueno Ventura,' a sister to, and belonging to the same owner as the steamship 'Yrurac Bat,' which vessel fitted up here and left a few days back for Macao, for a cargo of coolies, has arrived here to fit up for the same purpose.' 2. You are probably aware that during the late Session of Parliament an Act (three copies of which I inclose) was passed for the purpose of repressing the abuses connected with the movement of natives from their islands in the Pacific Ocean to labour on plantations. 3. Although great cruelties have been perpetrated in connection with this traffic in South Sea islanders, they can hardly have been greater than those which have led to the disgraceful and horrible occurrences from time to time reported as having taken place on hoard ships conveying Chinese coolies from Macao. 4. Her Majesty's Government, which has been under the necessity of making repeated remonstrances to the Portuguese Government on the subject of the Macao coolie trade, cannot permit that there should be even the shadow of a justification for any such imputation as that British subjects in Hong Kong partake in, and profit by, a traffic which the Queen's Government deplores and protests against. And I see no reason why British subjects resident in Hong Kong should not as well as those in Australasia be subjected to the punishment prescribed in Section 9 of the 'Kidnapping Act, 1872,' for the offences specified in that section, if committed within the territorial jurisdiction of the Colony. 5. I request you to give particular attention to the Kidnapping Act, 1872,' and to consider whether some of its provisions might not with the necessary alterations be made applicable to Hong Kong. If you are of opinion that they might be, I request you to transmit to me, as soon as possible, the draft of an Ordnance for that purpose."—[Correspondence C.—797. p. 1.] On the 2nd of November, 1872, Mr. Wade wrote from Peking to Earl Granville to say that— The Chinese Government is doing something to stop the slave trade at Macao, but, as usual, its action for good is greatly hindered by its incurable corruptions. Consul Dunlop, writing to Earl Granville from Havannah on the 24th of December, 1872, said, that— It would appear from this evidence that the 'Fatchoy' is really engaged in slave trading, with the knowledge and concurrence of her German owners at Hong Kong. The Chinese, on arrival here, are immediately 'contracted' or sold to the planters, and are as much 'slaves' as the negro bondmen throughout Cuba. This 396 will be their real condition so long as negro slavery, in any shape, exists here. The following extract appeared in an American newspaper:— Chinese labourers continue to arrive. The steamer 'Fatchoy' brought over 900 of this unfortunate people, and official notice has been published of the expected arrival of the 'Irurac Bat' with the same number. Other vessels now in China are engaged in the same traffic, which yields an immense profit to shipowners and all engaged in it. A passenger of the 'Fatchoy' has informed your correspondent that the vessel went from point to point kidnapping Chinese; others were inveigled on board by speculators or 'vagabonds,' as they are called there, who received 30 dollars for each one of their victims. As soon as they arrive on board they are stowed away below in irons until the full complement was received, which was ten times the number the capacity of the vessel allowed. The horrors of the traffic and the voyage of the 'Fatchoy' can easily be imagined. Three mutinies and an attempt to burn the steamer took place during the voyage. The crew and all hands on such occasions fired into the Chinese and adopted other severe measures, such as hard knocks and scalding water, until the tumults were quelled. The loss on the voyage of the 'Fatchoy' on this account and deaths from sickness and suffering was over eighty Chinese."—[p. 3.] The following declaration was made by one of the men employed in the engine-room on board the Fatchoy:— The steamer 'Fatchoy; formerly 'Vixen' (British), was sold at Hong Kong in July 1872, and placed under the German flag. The purchasers, Messrs. Paul Eblers and Co., had her then put under the Spanish flag by nominal transfer to a Spaniard. She was then fitted-out at Hong Kong with iron grating on the hatches, and round the hatches, and in the between decks, and at the side ports, iron barricades were also fitted out in deck. After this work had been done, she took in water and coal and proceeded, on the 1st of last August, to Macao. On or about the 15th of August she commenced loading coolies; they were sent off in lots, three times a week, generally on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, sometimes from 40 to 100 in a lot, but seldom above 50. The coolies are never considered to be filially secured until they are once on board, then their case becomes one of desolation and despair. While 'Fafehoy' was lying at Macao, the steamer 'Roseta d'Nina,' which had been dispatched some six weeks previously, returned to Macao in distress, and her cargo of 700 coolies was transferred to the 'Fatchoy;' these coolies were in a sad state, many of them had been cruelly flogged and otherwise ill-used on board the Rosati, d'Nina,' With this large accession, the cargo was soon completed to the number of 1,005 coolies. Every one of these men gave indications that the vilest deception had been practised upon them, and once having 'realized' the utter hopelessness of their situation, gave themselves up to frantic despair. Some would throw themselves overboard whenever an opportunity offered, but two boats were constantly alongside to pick them up and return them on board. The price paid the 'coolie-catchers,' as 397 they are called, is 50 dollars per head (delivered at the barracoons), but the amount is not paid over until the coolie is on board ship. Thus the 'catcher' or 'kidnapper,' insures the delivery of the coolie, although he is sent off in the ship's boats. The 'Fatchoy' left Macao on the 26th August, with the 1,005 coolies on board; all went well until the fourth day out. On this day, at about 3 P.M., a cry of 'Mutiny forward' was raised. The coolies had attacked the guards; one of the guards went overboard, probably thrown over by the coolies; the other guard took to the rigging. The coolies had made a rush to the Chinese 'galley' (for cooking), probably to try to get knives or weapons. The mate and second mate, from the bridge, shot into the crowd and wounded three of the coolies. This checked the mutiny. The officers then rallied, and succeeded in catching a number of the coolies and tying them by their long hair to the iron 'barricade,' or to the iron gratings, and driving the rest below. About 150 were put in irons. The next morning the Spanish captain had them brought up. Some bags of rice were placed on deck and the prisoners were laid across the bags, then unmercifully flogged and beaten by two men keeping time with their whips or sticks. In a short time the deck was covered with blood. As each coolie was flogged, he was washed with salt and water and sent below. We arrived at Anger, Batavia, on the 9th September, remained there two days, and thence proceeded to the Mauritius, and there took in water and coal, the ship remaining in quarantine. From the Mauritius we went to the Cape of Good Hope. In all these ports the coolies were kept below; and while coaling was going on, the hatches were put on, and the 'hospital' bulkheads for the sick were closed. The heat was intolerable even in the open air. The voyage for the coolies was one of the most unimaginable sufferings: they were struck, kicked, flogged, and otherwise treated with the greatest brutality. The filth and stench was something horrible. The hospitals were not cleaned during the whole voyage. I often turned away my eyes when I witnessed such dreadful scenes. I venture to say that in the annals of the African Slave Trade all the horrors of the 'middle passage' never surpassed those of this China slave-ship. The deaths on this direful and murderous voyage reached eighty, or about 8 per cent. of the number taken on board at Macao. Their deaths were, doubtless, caused by the blows they received, by general ill-usage, and by the filthy condition of the ship."—[P. 3.] Governor Sir Arthur Kennedy, in writing to the Earl of Kimberley from Hong Kong on the 25th of April, 1873, said, that that statement was "fully corroborated by sworn testimony in the colony." He thought that the importance of this subject would be his excuse for having troubled the House with this statement, and he trusted that Her Majesty's Government would address a strong representation with reference to the matter to the Spanish Government.