PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
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Encl. 4 in No. 1.
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CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO
After the doctor's death, the sick were attended to by Mr. John Mason, the steward, who was shipped at Hobart Town, he had been heard to say that he served an apprenticeship to a chemist and druggist at Hobart Town, and lived with the doctor of the "Neptune convict ship. He also was attacked with the disease, and then the sick had no one -competent to attend upon them. Captain Smith was seldom sober; his general conduct was disgraceful and brutal. He used to flog the coolies severely with a rope's end. He flogged the Lascar crew for not doing their work when they were too ill to do it. He also flogged three women, wives of Lascars, because he suspected they kept their husbands from coming up to work. He seized them up to the belaying pins, and flogged them with a riding whip, their only covering being a thin calico dress; the captain was drunk when he flogged them.
The supercargo also flogged the coolies; he used to take hold of them by the long hair at the lack of their heads, and flog them severely. There was no system of discipline kept up among them, uor any fixed regulations for their observance. The rations being too short to subsist upon, they stole from each other, and upon detection were severely flogged.
During the voyage, upwards of 200 coolies, 6 Europeans, and 14 Lascars died. Their deaths were supposed to have been caused by the combination of circumstances above detailed, viz.-miasma from the mud ballast; provisions bad in quality and short in quantity; ship overcrowded and badly ventilated; want of proper attendance and medicines, and general bad treatment.
On arriving at Callao, the ship was ordered by the Peruvian port to the Island of Lorenzo for quarantine. The coolies, finding they had been deceived as to their destina- tion, revolted. They understood they were to go to Linia or California. Captain Smith sent to Her Majesty's ship "Deadless " for assistance. Some marines and seamen were sent on board, and the disturbance was quelled. The first lieutenant, by direction of the commanding officer of the "Deadless," took statements in writing from Captain Smith and his others of all that had happened.
The coulies were then transshipped to the "Louisa," and conveyed to the Chinchas Islands. These men are credible witnesses; Millard is now living with his uncle, a highly respectable man, at Itchen Ferry; Lee is living with his father, the landlord of the Commercial Inn, Southampton; Mainsbridge is living with his father, a grocer, 13, Northam Road, Northam.
J. C. EVANS, Superintendent.
(Signed)
Enclosure in No. 1.
LIVERPOOL LOCAL MARINE BOARD.
A SPECIAL REPORT of the Chairman of the Liverpool Local Marine Board, and of the Local Examiners, on the conduct of JOHN PARFITT, whilst chief mate of the Lady Montague," who came under examination for a certificate of competency as Master Ordinary.
A LETTER was received from the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, dated 21st July 1852, requesting the Liverpool Local Board, in examining the testimonials of the late rate of the Lady Montague," to investigate particularly his conduct on board the above-named ship, and also stating that my Lords would consider any further information thus elicited in connexion with the disastrous loss of life on board this ship to be of interest.
On the 231 July 1852, John Parfitt, mate of the "Lady Montague," during her passage from 'unsingmoon to Callao, presented himself for examination for a certificate of com- petency as master ordinary; and the Chairman of the Lecal Board proceeded to investi- gate the circumstances connected with the calamitous event. The minutes of John Parfitt's evidence are appended to this report.
From these it appears, that in February 1850, the "Lady Montague was chartered by e Manual Mur, a Buenos Ayrean, and a partner in the house of Ritchie and Co., of Canton, for the purpose of carrying coolies from Cunsingmoon to Callao; that these coolies had engaged by indenture to be paid four dollars per month to work at their trades as shoemakers, tailors, &c., and at the end of a specified period, were to be taken back again to Chinn.
The cliarterer also engaged to find provisions, water, medicine, and other necessaries for the coolies. The ship was only to provide for its crew and officers.
A large propor- tion of the water was stowed in bad casks, which had previously contained ale, porter, or the like, and which had not been cleansed; nor was water supplied even in sufficient quantity. The provisions too were unsuitable for a long voyage, and before reaching Hobart Town, they were compelled, from its putrefaction, to throw overboard 160 or 170 bags of fish. The ballast was composed of fresh-water mud taken at Shangline. There were no sile ports, and the ventilation does not appear to have been sufficient. berths were fitted up, but the deck was allotted by a mark with a brush.
No
It appears, however, that the mortality commenced before these various causes could have operated conjointly. A portion of the water was stowed in large tanks, and whilst
EMIGRATION OF CHINESE COOLIES.
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- the water in these lasted they had good water; during this period, however, 11 coolies died in 13 days, although the provisions were still fit for use; yet when this supply of pure water was expended, the mortality greatly increased. The surgeon rendered no attention to the sick; he was a drunkard, and a man of bad repute, besides which, coolies appear to be prejudiced against European medicine. The captain seems to have been very inefficient, and he indulged in intoxication. The ship was insuficiently sup- plied with officers, there being no capable second mate during the greater portion of the voyage, nor any inferior officer. Although the crew consisted of 40 or 50. Lascars and some apprentices, it is stated that only six or seven were sailors, tire others were any that could be picked up in the streets of Hong Kong,
On arriving at Hobart Town the mortality had amounted nearly to 200. Here they supplied their deficiency in provisions and in the quantity of water, but it is to be regretted that a large proportion of the fresh supply of water was re-stowed in the casks they had on board, and still uncleansed, though 40 or 50 tons were stowed in three large tanks, which furnished a limited quantity of good water during the remainder of the voyage. They were also allowed an unlimited quantity of impure water, and were not short of pro- visions after leaving Hobart Town, yet in the passage thence to Callao, the mortality was very great; between 40 and 50 having died on this part of the voyage.
In duly considering all these circumstances, and especially the duties devolving on a mate, it is considered that in several_instances John Parfitt failed to fulfil all the "duties devolving on the chief mate of the "Lady Montague;" and it is probable that the mor- tality was increased by non-performance of these particular duties. Still, however, when it appears that he received none of that aid which a chief officer has a right to expect from his captain, the surgeon, and from subordinate officers, it is considered that his neglect arose rather from the excess of duty that devolved on him than on any ineom- petency to perform the ordinary duties of a chief mate; and the excellent character pro- duced by him whilst connected with other services, confirms this opinion.
It is therefore recommended to my Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade
to grant a certificate of competency as master ordinary to John Parfitt, le laving in other respects complied with the requirements of my Lords.
The attention of my Lords is directed to the practices of cruelty and fraud carried on by the Peruvians in inducing coolies to be transported to the Chincha Islands. Men who had followed trades were induced to emigrate by being offered by in·lenture a scale of wages high as compared with that obtained in their own country, and, as an additional inducement, an arrangement is made to send them back again to China after a stipulated period. Not one of these provisions is ever intended to be kept. These coolits were only required to carry burdens of guano, and were treated with such cruelty that many committed suicide on discovering the fraud. My Lords will also regret to find that the British mercantile marine is connected with a trade so nefarious, and that the British naval force, in performing their duty to the merchant service, should be required to enforce such fraudulent schemes.
My Lords' attention is also directed to a system of fumigation carried out on board the "Lady Montague" by the combustion of charcoal and scented wood. In the instance under consideration it cannot be presumed that the mortality was increased, but generally the adoption of this system of fumigation on board crowded ships is calculated to produce very fatal effects where due caution is not employed, and where the charcoal consumed is in considerable quantities, since thus carbonic acid is directly produced, which is the principal gas that contaminates the atmosphere of crowded places by respintion. It is therefore considered that my Lords should discourage this system of fumigation, which, according to the evidence under consideration, appears to be generally adopted in the Eastern Seas.
ROFERT RANKIN, Chairman. Jour Thomas Towsox, Examiner in Navigation. NORMAN M'LEOD, Examiner in Seamanship.
LIVERPOOL LOCAL MARINE Board.
MINUTES of the EVIDENCE taken in the examination of John Parfitt, late chief mate of the "Lady Montague," on board of which vessel a very excessive mortality of coulies took place on the voyage from Cunsingmoon to Callao.
Jons Parfitt.—I was chief mate on board the “Lady Montagne,” I joined her at Cunsingmoon, having been previously chief mate of the schooner “ Amelia" for nine r ten months. All the coolies had joined before me, and all the indentures were signed. The arrangements made were not to my satisfaction, but I was not consulted as to them. I should have preferred having proper berths made, but did not make any remonstrance either as to the berthis or as to the provisions. I kept the log. I think the coolies maist have brought some discnse on board with them, as ine died the day after we sailed, ami several a few days afterwards, and the mortality increased to such an extent that we were obliged to run for the Straits of Anjer for water. The water had then gone bad. A 3
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