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liable to abuses that even the experience and energy of Mr Caldwell were insufficient to avoid them and he expressed his conviction that if in future the conduct of the Emigration business were entrusted to Mr Caldwell's management, all abuses would be done away with. The verdict was again "Death from natural causes" - the attention of the Government being called to the state of the Calage.
14.
Your Lordship will observe that Mr Caldwell in the first coolie case defended himself against the charge of shipping mort and men from his depot and moribund leaving them to die in the street by stating that his orders were that all bad cases should be sent to the Eloge hospital, where he maintained they were properly treated.
In the second case, when charged with sending living men to this same "hospital", he actually admitted that it was a dead house and not a hospital. The difference, therefore, between sending to die in the Street, and sending to die in the Eloge, was simply that in the latter case the death would be concealed. I respectfully submit that the damning fact against Mr Caldwell is this: that he paid nothing more than the two dollar burial expenses on each coolie who was sent by his orders to the Cloge. Death from starvation was certain, should disease fail to do its work.
18.–
In the overland China Mail of Dec 16th last, I find the following: "The Hong Kong Government has permitted certain residents in the colony to inaugurate the Peruvian coolie trade recently suspended but now resumed at Macao." The coolie trade is strongly condemned by a section of the community. I trust that I need not state that the Peruvian coolie trade is simple man-stealing and slavery in the worst form. My own advices from Hong Kong inform me that a ship under the Belgian Colors called the Frederic, but in reality owned by the Guano contractors, was being loaded by coolies obtained by Mr Caldwell, whose re-employment by government was, I am aware, advocated by the Agents of the Guano contractor, who have much influence in the local affairs of Hong Kong. I may add that the Frederic is the first vessel which ever took coolies from Hong Kong to Peru.
19.
Meanwhile, Mr Caldwell continues prosperous. Lately, I saw a letter which gave an account of an entertainment which he gave some months ago at his house, which comprised a supper, and a theatrical performance, the whole "get up" being described as sumptuous. I saw another letter which stated that he was going to give a dower of $20,000 to one of his daughters on her marriage.
20. Having been invited by Government to come forward and accuse Mr Caldwell of the high crimes and misdemeanors which had been laid to his door - having accepted the invitation and at great labor and inconvenience substantiated my charges and caused his ignominy and dismissal from the public services! I submit that I have a claim to address Your Lordship when I see his name, Mr Caldwell, reinstated in the confidence and favor of the local Government which dismissed him. I respectfully submit to Your Lordship that I have displayed the fact that Mr Caldwell stands in a position absolutely above the law. I have adduced one instance where he overawed the Chief Magistrate, so as to enforce the committal.
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X.