The Emigration now to Dutch Guiana has consisted almost exclusively of labourers employed and obtained by "touters" suffraged specially to Chinese law illegally for that purpose on the Mainland, and I enquired whether, if more interference was thought of as to the mode in which such Emigrants were procured, whilst a fee of $20 was made payable on account of all Emigrants who had passed the necessary medical examination here, I think it possible (for Emigrants from the Mainland), it would be possible to obtain 200 healthy labourers for the West Indies in the course of a year.
Notwithstanding the liberal terms offered by the Dutch Agent, including a return passage in five years, Emigrants were procured for Surinam in 1868. 262 labourers were procured for three years, only. On the other hand, if arrangements were made here with respectable Chinese to procure volunteers for the West Indies, and that in the next year more than 3 or 4 thousand Emigrants might be got, and there would be at least the certainty of their not being embarked against their will, and also that the quality of the provisions and medicine as well as the accommodation and seaworthiness of the vessels carrying them would be attended to.
Whether this mode of procuring Emigrants, if the fee were made payable to the Emigrants only, would satisfy...